Guest Blogger: Thoughts on the JMU Intrasquad Scrimmage

 @Michael_2clutch is a JMU fan we follow on twitter who always has great insight and analysis on the football program. So when we saw he was attending Saturday’s scrimmage, we asked him to write a guest post. Give him a follow on twitter and enjoy his analysis below.

As a JMU class of 2012 alum and huge fan of JMU football, the conclusion of the scrimmage was the right “fix” needed to get the 2014 season started.  As all the headlines on Everett Withers, rumors of FBS and the New Era of JMU appeared left and right on social media, I had to make the 2 hour drive (which will happen at least 5 more times this fall) to see the Dukes myself.  Honestly, I wasn’t even going to make the trip but was constantly haggle by my partner in crime, Kristin, to go since she dubbed me JMU’s biggest fan and the visit was a necessity to my obsessiveness.  Little did I know, I would run into my former college housemate and newly-wed JMU connoisseur, Jonathan, where we spent the next 2 hours discussing the new era of JMU football unfold before us on the field.

Most of you know me as @Michael_2clutch “tweeting unofficial JMU news, witty nonsense and a plethora of things” and that is how the guys at the Sports Blog reached out to me to write this guest post.  As I sat there in O’Neill’s Grill, in the process of devouring the coveted cookie skillet, I began to recap what I had the pleasure of witnessing on the field.

Here are a few takeaways from JMU’s 2014 scrimmage:

Gap  Stuffing D-Line

With the switch to the new 3-man front, there were a number of questions around whether our personnel fit the scheme and if they could be successful.  As I had thought, the new staff has decided to put the K-State transfer, Xavier Gates aka “X”, at the Nose Tackle.  Alex Mosley at the right DE and Evans Osuji at the left DE filling in for the already proven Brandon Lee, who sat out this scrimmage.  Although subject to change, the DL were disruptive, strong on running downs and effective in taking up space for our flowing linebackers.  To my surprise, on passing downs, they even had Mosley line up to the outside the OT with Harold standing up (mentioned later) next to him which lead to an impressive 3rd down sack.  Gone are the days of the  attacking scheme with “DE’s turned DT” linemen of the MM days and JMU now has some huge bodies up front to take up space.  In addition, the highly-touted recruit, KJ Ford, is going to be a player.  Although he ran mostly with the 3rd team D and has some growing up to do, he was strong up front and was constantly setting the LOS.  I would not be surprised to see him in goal line packages or spelling either Mosley or “X” on 1st and 2nd down.

Linebackers

Our LBs looks big, strong and will be a force to be reckoned with.  I offered a bold prediction months ago that one of my favorite players, Sage Harold, will be standing up in a pass rushing OLB role (think Demarcus Ware and Shawn Merriman) and it was a sight to see watching him actually do that.  He was strong against the run, constantly setting the edge, and was able to pressure the QB on passing downs.  Passing downs were an adventure to watch as Brandon Staley decided to bring a mix of zone blitz concepts on passing downs; often bringing the nickel on blitz while stunting the defensive line.  Ascene Jacques looked great as well as he was lining up on the “strong” side but was equally effective versus the run and pass.  I had the pleasure of meeting Rhakeem Stalling’s parents and they had mentioned a battle between him and Kyre Hawkins for the 2nd MLB position next to Gage Steele.  Both players fared well and Stallings athleticism showed as he was constantly flowing sideline to sideline making tackles.  I always had high expectations for him coming out of Oscar Smith and I am hopeful he begins to live up to them this year where the Dukes need him to perform.  Do not be surprised to see him work a bit at the OLB position on passing downs while they move Jacques and Harold around.

“In your face” secondary

It looks like our CBs are going to be lining up closer than 10 yards off the ball after all (cheers to that!).  Taylor Reynolds and Jeremiah Wilson looked aggressive and showed good press-coverage skills but the highly recruited, Jimmy Moreland, stole the show at the corner position.  Coming from Florida and wearing #17 on the field, he is going to a heckuva player for the Dukes with 2 interceptions and showing the willingness to hit the ball carrier.  While most people put little weight on HS highlight tapes, he was just as aggressive, athletic, and showed that “heat-seeking” ability I saw when he signed his LOI.  Marlowe will be the leader of the defense alongside Raven Greene, who had a nice hit on Juan Latney during the beginning of the scrimmage.  Dean is in charge with calling the plays and will be the hard hitting force and beacon of light needed on the back end.  Don’t be surprised to see his name called in the 4th or 5th round of next year’s draft.  After Raven Green’s trial under fire last season, he should be back even better and will be relied on to make plays as he front 7 continue to bring pressure.

The OLine

After all the headlines last season of how big our offensive line have become, we were discouraged of their poor play in 2013.  One year later, the line is even bigger but it looks like they will be a dominant force with Brad Davis leading the way.  While not official, the first team offensive line consisted of Nick Appel, Erik Bucholz, Matt Williams, A.J. Bolden and Mitchell Kirsch.  They were dominant on rushing plays and I was even surprised to see how well they pass protected.  Bolden is going to be a player with time and his already impressive size and feet for the position – he was a key player in the recruitment of Briar Woods’ Chase Brown.  Although Kirsch started this scrimmage, it will be interesting to see if he will be able to fend off Wray Fucci.  He showed solid footwork and strength running with the second team offense; he has always been an intriguing prospect since his 6’5 frame came to campus 4 years ago.  Appel brings in size and experience and reminds me of Terrance Apted, the Utah transfer back in 2008.  He should be able to hold down the blindside and pave holes for the running backs.  From what I saw on Saturday, he has good strength to push the pile and his length will pose trouble for pass-rusher

Our offensive strategy

I believe the offense and how our personnel fit into the 3-4 scheme are the 2 most interesting parts of this season.  After what I saw on Saturday, the 2014 JMU Dukes look to be a mix between the Auburn Tigers and the Oregon Ducks.  Relying mostly on the zone option out of Chip Kelly’s and Gus Malzahn’s patented offset shotgun formation (with a motioned H-Back), the Dukes are going faster than ever before.  Even better, I saw the orbit option only once, with Dejor being the motion man!  Abdullah is bound to have a break-out year with the new offensive line and Vad Lee understands the offense inside and out.  Do not be surprised if John Miller joins the line of emerging tailbacks as Alden Hill continues to heal up.  Since he played in the triple option wishbone scheme in high school, I was worried how his skills would translate, John Miller has impressed with his speed and ability to read the hole.  While not the aggressive, power runner like Abdullah, he brings a mix of finesse and speed to the offense.  Looking to finally live up to this 3 star status out of high school, EW and staff are planning on using Dejor Simmons at multiple positions, shifting between slot and running back.  Although he shows great straight-speed, I am still skeptical on whether he is the versatile speedster they are looking for.  The wide receivers were impressive – Daniel Brown is going to be a size miss-match all over the field, Andre Coble looks to be a bigger contributor than year’s past and Rashard Davis is primed to improve on an impressive true freshmen campaign, polishing his receiving skills to go along with his impressive speed.  Ishmael Hyman is going to a player to watch for years to come, he has a unique blend of speed, skill and toughness that JMU has not seen from our traditional wide receivers.  I thought we were able to pick him up 2 years ago but he opted for Kansas instead.  Seeing him reel in a TD catch after being up-ended by a safety, made me excited to see where this offense will go this year.  I was a bit disappointed to not see much action out of Brandon Ravanel but I have no doubts that he will improve on his freshman campaign as well; he looks much bigger and faster than he was last year.

Understanding it was just a scrimmage with the offense and defense being fairly vanilla – it was definitely exciting to see the new Dukes on the field.  Our offense will be very fast paced, physical and for the first time in a while, they look to be playing with a solid blend of urgency and cohesiveness.  On the defensive side of the ball, look for EW and staff to be attacking constantly.  Mixing up blitzes and fronts; you’ll see less of the typical cover 2 and more of the Steeler’s zone blitz attacking scheme with mega-sized linebackers coming in from multiple angles.  It will be fun to see what product will be on the field and how the team comes together but I can promise that you will see me and the crew of die-hard Dukes (Shout Out to my boy, Schnur!) yelling obnoxiously from the sideline on defensive downs. The future is bright for the Dukes and Everett Withers is looking to turn a new leaf in Harrisonburg.  Maybe for the first time in years, the lofty expectations set by the purple-bleeding fan base will finally be met.