Playoff Game Preview #1: Liberty at JMU
Well, well, well. We’ve finally got a home playoff game at New Bridgeforth. And it’s against the other school in Virginia still desperately clinging to FBS aspirations and taking shots at JMU that are so delusional they don’t merit a response. So without further ado, let’s get down to it so we can get back to preparing our all-black attire plan for Saturday.
The Basics
Match-up: Liberty Flames (8-4, 4-1 Big South) AT JMU Dukes (9-3, 6-2 CAA)
The Line (for recreational purposes only): JMU -7, O/U 71.5 (seriously!)
Location: A Blacked Out Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Kick-off: 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 29th
Broadcast Options: ESPN3 – HDMI cable, AppleTV, or Google Chromecast to get it up on your big screen. Should also be available on ESPN GamePlan at bars and restaurants, but you’ll likely need to arrange things in advance at a joint with multiple tv’s as this will be head to head with some big FBS games. (If anyone has a Savannah recommendation please let us know)
How They Got Here
Liberty scored the biggest win in program history last week by blocking a short, late FG to upset then-#1 Coastal Carolina and claim the Big South’s Automatic Bid. Their schedule is tough to make much sense of with no real bad losses (UNC, Richmond, Indiana St., and a close if bad timing loss to an odd triple option Chuck Southern team) and two wins among the best in program history (App. St., Coastal). Every other win is against the weakest competition imaginable no matter what they say about the Big South’s CCU-skewed conference ranking.
JMU of course comes into their first playoff game since the trip to Fargo in 2011 riding a seven-game winning streak that has seen them go from “finding ways to win” to “not only winning but crushing souls” as they go. You know this, or at least you should. Last week Vad Lee and the offense did what Vad Lee and offense do. On the other side, the defense has joined the party for three straight weeks and don’t be fooled by Elon’s 27 points – it was 45-7 at the half and the starters’ services were not needed in the second. The Dukes have turned into a buzzsaw since halftime of the W&M game and if that roll continues, the trophy’s the limit.
What’s at Stake?
No need to explain. A trip to Villanova for the Round of 16 awaits the winner!
The Flames Will Win If
They manage to control the pace and force JMU to play from behind and commit a bunch of abnormal turnovers. The Dukes haven’t really shut anyone down for a whole game this year so LU will probably score, but as the 71.5 Over/Under indicates it will take more than a half’s worth of scoring and some serious breaks to keep pace in this one. They’ve also been missing their QB1 Woodrum the last two weeks with a leg infection and they’ll certainly need him at full strength as the freshman backup has been spotty at best the last two weeks. The kicking game has been an issue for them too and they’ll need to make sure it doesn’t come down to that.
The Dukes Will Win If
They keep doing what they’ve been doing and find a way to make a few big plays on Defense and Specials. At this point, we’re confident the offense will throw up 28+ points and as we’ve seen lately, when the D makes a few huge plays, the Dukes are capable of curb-stomping opponents in a hurry. While another step forward and a full-shutdown performance from the D would be great, the key is to just play their own game and limit mistakes. Seriously, if JMU limits their own mistakes, they are an incredibly tough out now.
JMUSB Beer of the Week
#BlackoutBridgeforth requires something special. Or rather two somethings. Black Ale is a style that sounds wonderful at first mention, but is frequently botched in the execution. But when done right, it can be exceptional. And Hickory, North Carolina’s Blowing Rock Brewing Co.’s Mountain Shadow Black IPA is absolutely done right. A little hoppy, but in a warming way that’s perfect for a cold, clear day at BFS. And if you can’t get your hands on that, you can almost certainly find the consistently excellent Firestone’s Walker’s Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA at any reputable bottle shop (often available on tap for growlers at Whole Foods too). Just know that at 8.3% and frequently in bomber bottles, the words “Wookey” and “rye” are fitting for this badass.
JMUSB Prediction
JMU 48 – Liberty 31.
Go Dukes. Heading over early in the morning for tomorrow’s game. Is the Sports Blog tailgating before the kickoff? Weather should be good for the offense so no reason JMU should not get the offense going. Defense needs to step up. Hoping the ride back will be with us advancing to the next round.
Also should’ve thrown in a thanks to Kenny and the Massanutten crew on Hanson for last week’s special treats! That’ll work for a Blackout game too! 😉
I hope we can ride a 12 game winning streak going into the Morehead State game
Almost half way through the four hour trip from Philly with two toddlers. Let’s go dukes!
So is Nation really returning today?
Can’t wait for the game. Making tbe trip from Kitty Hawk, NC for the game. Coming with my wife (’83) and my youngest daughter (’10). Unfortunately my oldest daughter (’06) couldn’t make the trip.
Go Dukes!
Basketball looked ok today. Kind of a plodding game but that was what we had to do to make it competitive. When it was just a 10 point deficit at the half I was hoping we would ome out and take it to them in the second half but OSU had too much height, speed and length for our guys. But JMU did not roll over and it was fun insulting Buckeyes fans when JMU did something good and I always remind them about 1982 and JMUs 55-48 victory over them in the NCAA tourney. Ok now on to football tomorrow.
The link there at the top to flamesnation or whatever; what a douche. Pathetic and really in bad taste; classless. I thought that whatever their shortcomings were as far as being interesting, or informed, or open-minded, or critically thinking, that they were at least nice folks. I mean sheesh, it was like the one thing they had going for them.
Chris Johnson – you were way more generous than I was. That was one more positive thing that I thought about them/the site.