William & Mary Tribe: 2011 JMUSB CAA Preview #4

Alas, we’ve arrived at one of the season’s biggest games.  I’ll try and work in cracks on the featherless Tribe soon enough, but William & Mary will likely enter the season #1 in at least one poll, a certain top five team everywhere, and the solid favorite in the CAA.  Given that this rivalry will be the CAA opener for both teams, this should be one of the season’s most important games.

Really, there is no need for other jokes in this preview.

Why the Tribe deserve the preseason accolades: 

Jimmye (yes, that’s spelled correctly incorrectly) Laycock, Jonathan Grimes, B.W. Webb, Alex Gottlieb.  Coach Laycock has been with in Williamburg forever and is one of the best at the FCS level in maximizing talent on a team that has often had more brains than brawn.  This year he has the talent to match his savvy and W&M should be a major factor all year.  Running Back Jonathan Grimes is simply the CAA’s best player, and possibly a beacon of FCS goodness in a Jim Tressel world.  Although some  of the UD and Villanova apologists might argue otherwise, this kid is poised to break all sorts of W&M and CAA records this year and you’ll get no argument from us.  TE Alex Gottlieb is a huge weapon CAA teams have struggled to control in the passing game and DB/KR BW Webb can be electrifying as well.

Questions: Although this team returns 7 starters on each side of the ball, they did lose 4 players off their front seven on defense that has been the core of this team for a few years.  How they are replaced and whether they can stop the run as well will be huge.  Also, this team has an odd history of strange results the last few years.  JMU played their best game of the season in taking down the Tribe last year even though the Dukes only threw a single pass all game with a WR essentially running the option under center.  Somehow this baffled the Tribe.  They also almost gagged against ODuh.  Tribe can play with anyone, but needs to play up to their potential week in and week out.

Why This Game is HUGE: This game will tell us everything we need to know about where the Dukes stand even if the first three have not.  UNC is UNC and we’ll take whatever result with a grain of salt (see Tech, Virginia 2010) this year.  CCSU is CCSU and we won’t overread into this game either (see State, Morehead 2010).  Liberty is a big one and will be the first true test, but win or lose, the way the Dukes show up in Williamsburg in Week 4 following that game will show a ton about whether this team can be mentally tougher than last year’s squad.

2011 Prediction: This is going to be a barnburner and I think the Dukes will be ready this year.  The Tribe will almost certainly be 2-1 but completely untested.  They start the season at UVa.  They upset the Cavs a couple years back but that UVa team had a dead coach.  Literally, Al Groh had been dead for at least three months but they kept dressing him up in that orange sweatshirt.  Our guess is Mike London’s crew is out for blood.  Then the Tribe play not one, but two absolute patsies in VMI and New Haven (D2 game is so stupid).  Win or lose at UNC and Liberty, the Dukes will have been seriously tested and should be ready for battle.

As for the season, we think W&M gets to 8 or 9 wins, a playoff berth, and should be in contention for the CAA crown.  UVa and JMU should be their toughest games, but they better not be below 8 wins with New Haven “counting” as one of those.