Nov 17 / Rob

Dukes Stomp Spiders 48-6

That was a fun game. Not only did our beloved JMU Dukes destroy the RU Spiders by the score of 48-6, but in doing so they also clinched another CAA Football Championship. It’s the Dukes’ fourth outright title in the past five seasons. And the victory was the 47th for this year’s senior class. That’s the most wins in JMU Football history for any single class. It moved them one ahead of both the classes of 2018 and 2017. Oh, and the win also completely crushed whatever slim chance RU had of making the playoffs. In short, it was a good game.

This Was My Favorite Part

Nooch linked up with Brandon Polk on one of the smoothest 80 yard pitch and catch plays you could ever draw up. Polk caught it in stride and then used his game-breaking speed to do the rest. 80 yard touchdown and the Dukes were off. It came just one play after JMU recovered a Spider fumble. And it was followed by the Spiders fumbling the kickoff. Just like the coaches drew it up.

Another Thing I Loved

As efficient as Nooch and the passing game was, the running game wasn’t far behind. Juwon Hamilton gained yards by the chunk (that’s a technical football term). He didn’t do anything fancy. He just busted through arm tackles and ran North-South to the tune of 80 yards on only 10 carries. And this week the role of “Running Back From Further Down the Depth Chart Who Gets Carries and Shows He Too is Good” was played by Eric Kirlew. He took advantage of his opportunity and ran for 49 yards on 6 carries. Overall, the offense looked very steady and like it’s starting to click on all cylinders.

Oh, This Was Cool Too

Against New Hampshire, we thought Dimitri Holloway’s ejection ended up being a bit of a hidden blessing because of the way it seemed to spark the defense. It also did something for Holloway, because he returned yesterday to have a completely dominant performance. He had 15 tackles in addition to recovering a fumble. He was far from the only JMU defender to play well however. We’re not sure if it was film study, or just guys finding themselves in the right place at the right time, but both Rashad Robinson and Wayne Davis rushed in from the secondary to make huge tackles for loss.

A Fantastic Trend

Things ebb and flow, but after years of trading wins, there’s been a huge gap between these programs the past 2 seasons. JMU has outscored the Spiders 109-16 in the last two contests. That kind of speaks for itself.

Riley Trucking Some Dudes Made Me Smile

Mr. Stapleton was mean to a some Richmond defenders. Really mean. He just ran them over. Literally. And it was definitely intentional. To be fair though, they were standing between him and the endzone and he really likes getting into the endzone after he catches the ball. So he just ran them over and scored.

For Real Though, This Was My Favorite Part

It was pretty much the dagger moment in a game full of dagger moments.

6 Comments

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  1. Rob K / Nov 18 2019

    Great game all around. I love the Polk TD – it was the first time I can remember where Polk didn’t have to slow up for the ball on the long pass, and it’s a huge thing to be hitting him in stride.

    Nooch’s teammates all loved him bowling the defender over at the goal line. Cignetti said after the game that he was worried that he could have gotten a concussion, but acknowledged that he was having fun.

    Just to have something to complain about, Daka was being held repeatedly and it was’t being called. He threw his hands up a couple times in frustration. He was definitely getting free.

  2. Nature Boy / Nov 18 2019

    It’s 8:18 am on November 19 and UR still sucks.

  3. Alice / Nov 18 2019

    Looking forward to an LOL Spiders segment on the podcast, maybe something about the irony of the QB getting a spider bite the day prior??

  4. CJ / Nov 18 2019

    Solid win by the Dukes, leaving no question who the better team was. Polk is really emerging into an offensive threat that I don’t think even a lot of FBS teams could match…hope he continues to peak into the playoffs. Also, how about the job Cignetti has done thus far? I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but I’m not really missing Houston anymore (ECU currently at 3-7 on the season for those of you keeping track).

    I don’t mind going on record with predicting that NDSU is a lock for making it to Frisco in January. Those guys are just firing on all cylinders. The question is, can JMU take care of business on their side of the bracket to meet the Bison in the championship? My concern is getting into a shootout with a Montana or Weber State. Defense, especially the secondary, is still out Achilles Heel.

    Okay guys, good talk.

  5. Rob K / Nov 19 2019

    Also – Hall of Fame-worthy overtime topic by you guys on the pod. Loved it.

  6. Rob / Nov 20 2019

    Thanks Rob! Glad people enjoyed it and thanks for listening (and reading)!

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