Season Finale, JMU vs Maine

And so it comes to this. JMU makes the long trip up to Orono to face the Maine Blackbears this Saturday. Neither team is playoff bound, so this is it. Thanks to last week’s huge victory over William & Mary, a win for the Dukes would salvage a winning record. Finishing 6-5 would be a consolation prize at best, considering the expectations many had for this team a few months ago. However, it’s way better than the alternative and would at least close the season on a high note. Maine is fresh off a win of its own, defeating Towson last Saturday 28-18. Maine can’t finish with a winning record, but a victory would push them to .500 in CAA play.

Match-Up – JMU Dukes vs Maine Black Bears

Records: JMU (5-5, 3-5 CAA), Maine (4-6, 3-4 CAA)

Kick-Off: 12:00 PM

Viewing/Listening Options: This one isn’t on tv, but the audio is available for free on Madizone or you can watch the online broadcast for $7.95. Or you can try your luck with the JMU Football App for your phone, which is about as reliable as the JMU passing game.

A Little Perspective

Take a look at the CAA standings. Everyone has been saying that a 7-4 team from the CAA might deserve a bid to the expanded playoffs. Well, depending on how things shake on Saturday we could be looking at 5 CAA teams testing that little theory, including William & Mary and Villanova (with a win), two teams who were ranked #1 this year. It doesn’t mean this season wasn’t a major disappointment for JMU, but maybe it wasn’t the complete disaster some of us made it out to be. Maybe it was just a down year in a really competitive conference.

Maine’s Legions of Support

You ever try to research University of Maine football? I have. It sucks. I don’t recommend it. Here is the biggest thing I learned, apparently nobody gives a damn about University of Maine football. And if they do, they certainly don’t write about it. So anyway, based on my research here is a list of things the residents of Maine would rather do than watch Blackbears’ football: eat lobster, talk about the Red Sawx, wear flannel, watch Maine hockey, read about Maine hockey, attend homecoming craft fairs, discuss Maine hockey, prepare for the upcoming war against New Hampshire, and finally write about Maine hockey. Like we said in our season preview, Maine is a hockey school. Football, not so much.

Same But Different

Maine has a relatively solid passing attack, but struggled rushing the ball for most of the season. The net result is an offense that averages just about 18 points a game. Coincidentally, JMU also averages about 18 points a game, but they have a strong rushing attack and a passing attack that ranges from relatively inept most weeks to completely non-existent last week. The big difference between these two teams is the fact that JMU has an excellent Defense, while Maine’s is ranked dead last in the CAA.

What We’re Looking For This Weekend

Top on the list is definitely Dae’Quan Scott. The redshirt freshman WR stepped into the QB role last week and took over the game, rushing for over 100 yards and 3 TDs. I’m anxious to see how he runs the ball again this week, but also want to see how well he can throw. Maybe by the end of this game, we’ll know if we have a game-breaking slash or wildcat guy, or if we need to get ready for another QB battle in August. I’m also curious to see how the defense plays without redshirt freshman LB Stephon Robertson, who is supsended due to a scuffle in last week’s victory.

How Maine Can Win

By shutting down JMU’s ground game and establishing their own. As stated above, Maine does not have a strong rushing attack and enters the game ranked 9th in the CAA in rushing. However, RB Pushuan Brown has put together several strong games in a row and could be a key factor in Saturday’s contest. JMU was dead set on running the ball last week and will probably look to do so again this weeked. Maine’s best chance on D might be to try to get Dae’Quan Scott throw the ball in only his second game as QB.

How JMU Can Win

By doing what they did against William & Mary and I don’t mean refusing to pass. I mean establishing long, clock killing scoring drives. Lost in all the shouting about “zero passing yards” last week, was the fact that JMU put together one hell of an impressive TD drive to open the third quarter. It lasted over 8 minutes! If JMU puts together a few more of those, the Dukes will win easily.

JMUSB Beer of the Week

It’s been a long season, so let’s drink something special. The JMUSB Beer of the Week is Allagash Curieux. It’s a Belgian Tripel aged in bourbon barrels and it’s one of my personal favorites. Plus, it’s brewed in the great state of Maine so it’s appropriate for this weekend. Pour yourself one after the game, toast the completion of another football season, and make the transition to basketball.

JMUSB Prediction

The momentum continues, JMU wins, and Dae’Quan Scott bandwagon grows larger. JMU Dukes 21 – Maine Black Bears 13.