Game #1 JMU at Maryland – Official JMUSB Preview

Here. We. Go! Time for “juice” and all the hype and all the transfers to actually kick this thing off! And time to put away, or at least be pleasantly distracted from, the continuing disappointment that is the Dukes’ conference affiliation. And what better way to start the Coach Withers era than with a trip to a B1G Ten School – ha. We’ll go through our normal preview and then hopefully have a few extras if you’re like us and your attention is returning to the blog after the offseason. To get you warmed up, just a reminder of why college football, despite it’s obvious mountain of moral hazards, is the best!

The Basics

Stephon Diggs. Deon Long. Along with the rest of the college football world, we will continue to mock “Maryland in the B1G” until they prove they can hack it after decades in the weaker ACC (Petrizzi and Darden – the truth is the truth so can it). But those two names we started with – Diggs and Long – are 100% legitimately the best pair of wideouts in the new league this year. If Diggs stays healthy, he could be a first-round pick next year. And in case you missed it last year, the Dukes struggled mightily at the corner spot last year. So there’s that.

Maryland, despite it’s own questionable administrative decisions and overall athletics turmoil over the last few years, really does probably have it’s most talented and capable team in years, certainly during Head Coach Randy Edsall’s tenure. That said, the 22.5 point spread fails to reflect the fact that the Terps are still a vulnerable P5 team. Generally, we’re betting the Dukes will score points and be reasonably competitive up front on both sides of the ball, the question is whether our new style can keep up if this turns into a pinball game.

Vad Lee vs. Maryland

Don’t be fooled by any purple-drank aided parking lot boasting that Vad Lee led a blowout at Maryland by Georgia Tech two seasons ago. He played a lot that day behind then-starter Tevin Washington and scored two rushing TD’s, but GT only attempted two passes all game in a 33-13 blowout largely due to the fact the Terps were starting a freshman linebacker at QB after their entire depth chart was lost for the season to injury. We do love that Lee certainly won’t be intimidated by the opponent or the stage, but let’s not get carried away.

A Few Notes on Maryland, the state and the school

Rioting, arson, and burglary. That’s the list of things Maryland is better at than JMU.

Berger cookies are effing terrible, like BertieBotts vomit-flavored terrible. When combined with a Natty Boh that’s the Fat Amy Combo! Maryland likes to fancy itself a progressive leader among states, but that’s horseshit. Maryland is the only municipality that can wreck two great things – horse racing and casino gambling – at the same time in slow motion over two decades by simply allowing their politicians own competing graft to slow the process down and end up with hideous creatures from Dundalk playing $25 tables at some ghetto mall casino instead of allowing customers to enjoy themselves at a real facility with a little thoroughbred action along the way. You know what else sucks? Snake Dog IPA. Really, it’s putrid stuff, but somehow Flying Dog has convinced everyone they’re “Maryland’s Brewery” even though they started in Colorado and have cool labels.  Every time we go somewhere like Wolf Trap that is begrudgingly finally beginning to sell something other than In-Bev or AB products, I get excited and then it’s such a letdown when the only concession is this crap. And no, Maryland does not get to claim Delaware, or Delaware’s Dogfish Head, as their own. Ray Rice.

Look Out for the Stripes

Just to warn you in advance, you’ll need to be prepared for some real ACC/P5 buttsaving from the referees in this one. When JMU last played up there I lost track of the sheer number of shady calls down the stretch of that one and then in OT. Just know that it’s coming and you’ll be able to stay a little calmer.

Beer of the Week

Summer weather and a big, beautiful tailgate require a big, beautiful summer beer. So put down that stupid, awful, disgusting pumpkin crap that shouldn’t be allowed on shelves at all, but at least not till October and go track down a Maine Beer Co. Lunch. This really is an almost perfect IPA (shut up hipsters, I still love

Beautiful!

a great IPA) from a really cool group of brewers and it’s absolutely perfect to prep for a big upset. And don’t let the 7.0% ABV scare you. Just remember, it’s Maryland, where there are always drunker assholes yelling “O’s, Stroh’s and Natty Boh’s.”

Coverage

If you can’t make it to College Park, this one’s on the B1G Ten Network. Good news is that you almost certainly have it on your cable or satellite provider. Bad news is it’s on the B1G Ten Network’s supplemental channel which may take some searching of the Guide.  Here’s a very helpful tool for figuring it out in your area: Finder.  Beware of the Nebraska/FAU game and make sure you keep looking around your dial though if that’s what you get. 3:30 p.m. by the way. Also, any NC folks that want to come watch in the new JMUSB HQ Annex in Greensboro, shoot us an email.

Official JMUSB Prediction

Dukes 38 – Terps 35 – Dukes shun the kicking game all day (which would be both fantastic and the correct play) before finally trying one to win it, which reverses the score from the last visit to College Park.

News and Notes

Here are a few things we love from the beginning of school down in the ‘Burg.

1) Purple Tennis Courts being installed! Rob may hate colored fields, but for my money, the more purple the better.

2) A pretty cool story from The Breeze about old friend of JMUSB ’99 alum Seth Burton (former Breeze Sports Editor that once assigned me a trip to UVA to cover baseball that I probably botched), who had an odd summer to say the least in his role as VP for Communications for the LA Clippers.

3) Newman Lake is drained. Again. Moist cesspool.