Setting the Stage for Saturday
We’ll be back with our usual and more in-depth game preview as always on Friday, but we wanted to set the stage for this week. We’ll have multiple posts this week so keep your eyes peeled for a guest post from 04 and a hoops season preview before the opener at UCLA on Thursday.
But in the interest of trying to shake off the ennui and self-loathing that enveloped us all after the Villanova game and crank up the hype machine in earnest, we want to get a few things out there.
It's late November!
First, thanks to The Breeze for publishing our “stay for the ODU game” rant as a Letter to the Editor today, albeit in abridged version deemed more acceptable for publication. Who would’ve thought that 16 years after my last column covering the 1996 Dukes baseball team, I’d be back in the byline?!
Next, the CAA announced the tiebreaker possibilities today given the very real chance that six teams (ODU, TU, UNH, VU, UR, JMU) could all finish at 6-2 in conference after this week’s games. Unfortunately, due to the unbalanced schedules and the ridiculous and shortsighted use of the Sagarin ELO_Chess rankings, and the inability to use those rankings in their final form that won’t come out till Sunday, JMU is no longer in the running for the Automatic Qualifier. If you’re interested, here’s the full explanation. Simple verison, UNH beats Towson, they win the title. Towson or Villanova will likely win the league otherwise since ODU is ineligible. We’ll update what JMU is rooting for on Friday.
We’ll run through all the “who JMU is rooting for” scenarios on Friday, but the only thing we absolutely know is JMU has to win. We also know that a 7 p.m. game on NBCSN against the #3 team in the country is as good of an opportunity to impress the selection committee as anyone has anywhere on Saturday. Lastly, we know that more than likely we all stumble into Bridgeforth BEFORE kickoff Saturday, we’ll likely know how things stand in terms of the Dukes’ chances.
A ton of fellow fans and alums, The Breeze, the Student Duke Club, and even the administration have done all we can to increase student attendance at this game but for the most part our pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears. That said, at least we can bet that those students in attendance will be real-deal fans so treat them well and all of us on the opposite side of the stadium need to step up our game in shouting down what seems likley to be a Monarch-heavy Godwin side. Dress warm, tailgate early, preferably with bourbon, and don’t give up on this season just yet! This is 1-AA, where much, much crazier things have happened than a disappointing, but talented and desperate team upsetting a rival at home. Just remember what Bridgeforth can occasionally produce!
I expect ODU to bring a good crowd. I have seen message board posts of ODU fans buying blocks of like 40 tickets at a time. I also know of a party bus heading up to the burg from Norfolk. At first, I’m not sure they realized tickets could be had so easily because they are used to all of their home games being sold out from season tickets before the season even begins but they eventually found out and starting buying tickets.
The only thing I have heard holding ODU fans back a little bit is the holiday break. I know several people that planned to come to the game to meet up with JMU friends but backed out when they found out the JMU friends were coming back to the Norfolk area for the holiday break and not staying for the game.
Here’s to hoping there is a good atmosphere for the game! Go Dukes!
I don’t know if you heard, but JMU cannot win the CAA. NOT FAIR!!!
LOL oops wrong blog. I just saw you said this at the end.
Just win, Dukes! If you win it….the bid will come.
-Bridgeforth (The Field of Dreams)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdAYkQg3zC4&feature=relmfu
This is JMU football. A group of average talent guys that aren’t full of themselves, who come together in the face of adversity and overcome everything thrown in their face, and come out stronger and as brothers. Not what we have today: A bunch of Self-praising recruits who think that the National Title should be handed to them at the end of the year, and who want to be the hero on every play.
I don’t think the problem with the team is how the coaches call plays. Heck, I wouldn’t even say that the coaches are the problem at all. The problem is the players who are more worried about the name on the BACK of the jersey, when they should be dedicated to the name on the FRONT. The University’s big thing these days is “Respect Madison.” I don’t think the football team gets that. Lets compare to some NFL teams: New England & New York (Jets). The Pats are indoctrinated into the Bill Belichick “Humble Pie” system. You never here self praise from Brady, Welker, Gronk, or anybody on the team. Hell, even Chad Johnson got it last season. The only time you ever here the players talk about themselves is when they say, “I did this poorly and let my team down. I know what I need to work on this week in practice.” They know they can lose, and they focus 100% each week to make sure they don’t. The Jets on the other hand… where do I start? Every year you hear the same thing. Rex Ryan promises a Lombardi Trophy in the Pre-Season and nothing ever comes of it. NYJ got Sanchez, they got good, and the got cocky. They let it go to their heads and now for the second season in a row, the NYJ locker room is a mess.
If JMU wants to win a National Championship, or even the CAA for that matter, the players need to learn to play as DUKES. Not as Thorpe, Scott, Anderson, Harvey, Marlowe, Till, Etc. The coaches DO need to get in their faces and let them know that unless their attitudes change, they don’t DESERVE to be mentioned alongside the ’04 & ’08 Dukes.
Great video, MRD 2012. You are right about that Championship group! You are also right about the current group (at least from how is seems from the outside) but those types of attitudes are a part of the culture. Culture starts at the top which means at the end of the day Mickey Matthews is the problem.
I completely disagree that our offensive and defensive schemes don’t have an impact on our lackluster results, especially with the level of talent on our roster. We have kids that get no love on offense that would start at any other 1-AA school. Good coaches in any sport coach to their roster and put their players in the best position to have success individually and as a team. I don’t like how Mickey throws kids under the bus either. A coach can’t pass too much blame to a player that doesn’t understand his responsibility. Coaches are the ones who are responsible for teaching and helping that player to understand their responsibilities.
At the end of the day…Mickey Matthews is the problem. He wears the big whistle.
I don’t want to sound like I’m completely anti MM because I’m appreciate for what he has accomplished and where he has taken our program….but if you relate this to business or any other D-1 team….the top dawg would be on the hot seat.
The video brought back some good memories though…
Today the CAA issued an updated statement on the tiebreaker system for the football conference championship.
http://www.caafootballblog.com/2012/11/update-to-caa-football-autobid.html