Nov 30 / Rob

Dukes Fall to Liberty and Crash Out of Playoffs

tearsWell, yesterday happened. JMU fell to Liberty by the score of 26-21. The loss eliminated JMU from the playoffs and ended the 2014 season. To put it mildly, it was very disappointing. We’ve been putting off writing about it all day. It feels like I could go on for days about the game, yet at the same time I feel like I’m at a complete loss for words. It was just that sort of game.

In case you missed it, here’s the quick summary. JMU started off slow and fell behind 10-0. JMU came to life and scored 21 unanswered points to take a 21-10 lead into halftime. The Dukes were seemingly in control and on their way to a comfortable win. Then the wheels came off after the half. JMU’s offense was held in check, if not completely shut down. Liberty’s offense was steady, yet not overwhelming, but managed to execute a backbreaking TD scoring drive that lasted approximately 3 days. JMU had a chance to win it late, but couldn’t capitalize. Game over.

So What Happened?

JMU just got beat. Liberty outcoached and outplayed JMU. It sucked, but it was a just result. The red-hot JMU team that was riding a seven game winning streak showed up for the second quarter. Unfortunately, the mistake prone and inconsistent JMU team we all watched the first month of the season played quarters one, three, and four. That’s not to say JMU was miserable or that the players and coaches choked. They didn’t. They simply didn’t play up to the level that we’ve been accustomed to lately. There were dropped passes, missed tackles, and costly (if questionable) penalties. Short of making a ridiculous 56 yard field goal, Liberty didn’t really do anything spectacular. The Flames just hung in there and made the plays they had to. And with the game on the line, Liberty’s offense kept the ball out of Vad Lee’s hands, used up tons of clock, and marched down the field for what turned out to be the winning TD. JMU got the ball back with a chance to win it. Lee drove JMU down the field all the way down inside the 10 before an unfortunate (and really questionable) flag moved the Dukes backwards. Unfortunately JMU couldn’t punch it in and Liberty held on for the win.

What Now?

Hopefully everyone has cooled down and is done with the venting. In the heat of the moment, lots of fans were second guessing many of the coaches decisions and rehashing call after call. That’s to be expected. A few people seem to be calling the entire program and coaching staff into question based on this one loss. That’s disappointing, but sadly, it’s also expected.

Todd and I are as bummed as anyone that JMU lost. Liberty deserved to win yesterday, but we still think JMU is the better team. That’s why we’re so bummed actually. JMU let one slip away. One thing we agree on though is that it’s just one game. A very big game and a brutal loss, but one game nonetheless. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but it doesn’t ruin the season.

JMU was picked to finish 8th in the CAA. Some fans thought the program was moving backwards after the first month. Yet the team rallied, turned it around, put together a terrific winning streak, and treated us to some very entertaining football. We wish the Dukes won yesterday. They probably should have. They didn’t though. We can either cry about it or we can move on. We’re moving on.

The New Era Continues

By this point, many of you have already dismissed us as Purple Kool Aid drinkers and checked out. That’s fine. Our point isn’t that Coach Withers is the second coming and JMU is destined for greatness. Yesterday’s loss wasn’t a fluke. JMU got outcoached and outplayed in all facets of the game. That happens sometimes. Even to good teams. But the players and coaches will learn from it. Things are pointed in the right direction. The program is in better shape today than it was a year ago. That’s not even a question, is it?

Withers isn’t perfect, but he’s brought a new attitude to the JMU football program. His assistant coaches are still relatively green, but they improved throughout the season. Hopefully, they’ll continue to get better. Last year at this time, JMU had hit a mediocre plateau. Fan interest was waning. The product on the field was boring and not very successful. Now things are trending up. They’re not when any of want them yet, but they’re getting there. So we can bitch and moan about targeting calls (and non-calls), question the coaches, or howl at the moon. Goodness only knows Todd and I did all of those things last night. Or we can take a deep breath, and we can appreciate the fact that JMU won 9 games. And that Vad Lee is coming back. And that plenty of young players earned valuable reps this season. And that this loss probably hurts the players more than it does us. And that it’s the type of loss that might provide extra motivation. And that it’s only 278 days until football season. Go Dukes.

26 Comments

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  1. SP80 / Dec 1 2014

    I like what you said I see it exactly the same way. I also like Coach Withers his enthusiasm his contagious. I’ve been attached to football since I was 5. I know it was another tough loss it took me all day yesterday to get over it. The future looks good if we can replace some of the seniors certainly with Vad we should be considered one of the teams to beat. Watching a game is a whole lot easier than Coaching but sometimes Coaches try to become part of the game when you wish they could have hind sight and let the players play with the occasional surprise fake punt or onside kick when they see something in the opponents films.
    The three plays that killed us… the not kicking the field goal in the first quarter and if your trying to draw them offsides why with the Field Goal team? Calling time out on the second 56 yard Field Goal if your team wasn’t ready for a fake after the first one, your special team coach should quit. And then THE holding penalty on the screen tough call watched it five times the ref who called it had a weird angle and pull a flag on the most important play of the game for what he saw BS…my friends all said maybe he is a Holy Roller in his church…Tough Loss it reminded me of the App State loss in terms of decisions made that takes the game out of the players hands. The Positive side next year we should be better and the Coaching Team will have a full year under their belts!
    My only other thing is can someone find out how Richmond got that draw after we crushed them at their Stadium?

  2. Dukes4 / Dec 1 2014

    The Dukes play aside, it is easy to see how “minor” elements such as the selection committee’s placing Richmond in a more favorable slot and the ref’s abhorrent calls (or non calls) can shut down a team. Season over.
    The refs should be embarrassed. On that late questionable call against the line, there looked to be yet another targeting NON -call by the refs. I’m pleased you also brought their efforts up as questionable. Zebras should at least be consistent and not be participants in the outcome.

  3. felix / Dec 1 2014

    UR beat Liberty at Liberty. UR beat Villanova.

  4. 2004 Duke / Dec 1 2014

    It has been really difficult to make the migration as a fan from the insane defense and impotent offense of the MM era to the high-octane offense and pathetic defense of the EW era.

    Here’s my post-season report card:
    QB: A. I didn’t believe Lee was a passer, and he proved otherwise.
    RB: D. The RB’s didn’t really do anything all season. Latney runs in slow-motion, and EW seems to not like Abdullah for some reason.
    OL: D. The offensive line couldn’t run the ball worth a crap this season.
    WR: B. Best season by JMU WR’s in about 15 years, since they finally got to actually catch balls. They regularly dropped some WIDE OPEN passes, though.

    DL: C. Inconsistent. They totally shut Richmond down, and then they get their butts kicked all over the field by Liberty’s OL.
    LB: C. The days of Moats, Jordan and Robertson are clearly over.
    DB’s: A. I was going to give a B, but Reynolds single-handedly won the Richmond game (and lost the Delaware game), and Marlowe was the most physical player on the defense. To me, that was the story of this season. The most physical player on the entire field was a safety. That’s not good.

    I’m optimistic about the direction of the program, but these kids need to get in the weight room and maybe go get in some bar fights or something. With the exception of Marlowe, there was way too much patty-cake going on. I got the feeling that it was a bunch of kids going out and having fun and eating orange slices at halftime. I’d really like to see the defense KTFO the QB and then tell him about it. I’d like to see the OL take a personal foul every once in a while just for being a dick and knocking someone out after the whistle. I think the pieces are in place and the talent is there, but they just need to grow some balls.

  5. Jaxon / Dec 1 2014

    I would like to THANK the JMU Football Seniors for playing hard for 4+ yrs with much drama in the program. I am optimistic about next year as we have a strong talent base returning in skill positions, but they can’t make the “pretty” plays without a stout offensive/defensive lines. Several seniors leaving on the lines, so it’s time for you YOUNG guys to step-up in weight room, practices, and class room to EARN A STARTING POSITION. Coach Withers has made it very clear that he will play the BEST person at the job…. If you want it, TAKE IT!

    Looking forward to a DEEP playoff run next year; make us proud. Great job exceeding expectations (of others) this year! Work hard now for results later.

  6. FormerDukeBlocker / Dec 1 2014

    Good article. Here is what I saw, a football team from the Big South that has made a serious commitment to football was able to play right with us and win on our home field. They also played close to UR and beat FBS Appy State. That team was better than a number of CAA teams and I am confident that Coastal Carolina is just as good, maybe better. Bottom line, the CAA is trending flat or downward and other conferences and schools that see the value of a highly successful FCS/FBS football program are trending sharply upward. This loss should be a wake up call to our administration that we need a serious upgrade to our program in terms of money and facilities. Our football support building is good, but it is now 10 years old and needs to be refurbished into a football-only facility by moving the academic support and Hall of Fame areas to another location. More resources need to be spent on recruiting if we want to attract the players necessary to compete for national championships and we desperately need to finish the stadium. We have a choice to make as a university and it will be interesting to see if we have the leadership capable of making the right one.

  7. JMUDRU / Dec 1 2014

    My thoughts on the game are attached to the comment section from the “in-game chatter” post. But as a side note:

    I was sitting in my usual season ticket seats in Row K of section 210. Usually there is a pretty strong group of Dukes fans all around. Saturday was no exception but with one unfortunate addition. Someone in the row behind me decided to bring their Liberty friend. To his credit…the LU fan was never malicious. If anything, he was overly nice. The problem was he NEVER shut up. The entire time he had to make a loud, usually obvious or stupid, comment after every play as if he were some amateur commentator. He even had the nerve, late in the 4th when JMU got the ball back to say, “This has been such a great game. I don’t even care who wins.” I have never wanted to knock someone out so much in my entire life and I have sat with some pretty terrible opposing fans who are intentionally trying to piss people off. I am usually a very calm-natured person so of course I didn’t say or do anything, but man that would have felt good after the final whistle.

    Moral of the story is: A true Dukes fan DOES NOT bring his moron friend from the opposing team to a JMU game.

  8. Drake / Dec 1 2014

    I loved how the ESPN guys made note of the fact JMU had the number 1 offense in the CAA but no first team players.

  9. OuterBanksDuke83 / Dec 1 2014

    As cold as it was, and with the depressing result, it was still an entertaining game. As poorly as JMU played in the second half, they still were a pass completion in the end zone on 4th down from us all saying I’m glad we got that out our system…on to Villanova. One thing JMU gave us all year, win or lose, was an entertaining game. I haven’t said that in years.

    While I was not surprised, I was truly disappointed in the turn out for the game. JMU put an exciting product on the field, our home field, with a chance to move on toward a National Championship. What is the “fan base” waiting for? How is moving up to an FBS conference with teams that nobody cares about going to change things and put people in the seats?

    I was pushing for us to move up to FBS the last couple of years. I no longer am. At least not the way it is now. The last month and a half has been very exciting because we knew we had a chance to make it into the playoffs to play for a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP if we kept it going. If we move up to FBS we will never play for a national championship again. Even if we go undefeated we will be playing to get into the “You Name the Corporation – Something Bowl that nobody but the two teams playing cares about”.

    I am excited for next year’s playoff run. Go Dukes!

  10. Cory / Dec 1 2014

    Before the season I predicted EW would do what Alex Wood and Mickey Matthews did in their first years. Specifically I thought they would win enough to get an at large bid (8-3 was my guess before I realized there were 12 games) and then they would lose a first round game. AW and MM did that with the teams that were handed to them (except MM brought in a few IA transfers). The good news is that EW looks more invested like MM was (AW always treated JMU as a stepping stone) so hopefully he will bring in more of his own recruits that work in his system and make some deep runs like Mickey did. Go Dukes.

  11. Rob (not that one) / Dec 1 2014

    Since I did my undergrad at Liberty and my grad at JMU I was split in this game. It was a win and a loss for me either way.

    However, the good news may have come Sunday when everyone seemed to announce UAB would officially shutter its football program thereby dropping out of CUSA. Everything I am reading says one of the two teams that played Saturday will replace UAB in CUSA.

    Do you like our chances of making the jump to FBS via CUSA in the near future? It brings ODU back at least.

  12. Ken / Dec 1 2014

    Random thoughts on one Dukes fan’s mind:

    1. FBS move:

    a. How does the University administration deal with the developing situation in C-USA (UAB probably dropping football)?

    b. Will there be any push from the alumni to act on the Carr report? Continue to ‘just monitor?’

    2. MM: lots of references to the deep playoff runs during the MM era. In 14 years, there were 2 — in 2004 and 2008. His teams missed the post-season nearly 60% of the time and were 7-5 over the 6 appearances made, including 3 first round exits. ’04 was the only unexpected run; ’08 was in actuality a disappointment given the team was ranked 1st for most of the season and hosted 3 games.

    3. I was somewhat surprised the defense could not get off the field in the 2nd half vs. Liberty. Perhaps we made more of the Richmond game than was warranted since UR should have had 2 more touchdowns (save two brilliant plays by a pursuing DB) and W&M was not the juggernaut it was under Lang Campbell.

    4. Adjusting DB play without losing its physical nature. I have neither the time nor inclination to compare targeting ejections for JMU vs. other FCS or FBS schools — what I do understand is that our defense developed a reputation (deservedly or not is in the eye of the beholder) for hitting hard and high. I am not qualified to advise on whether this is a coaching or player issue, but it does need to be address it someway/somehow.

    5. Regarding attendance on Saturday — 13,000+ was about 10,500 more than EKU drew to their home game Saturday (in a 22K-seat stadium) but below the 14,900 JMU averaged for 3 home playoff games in ’08. Thanksgiving weekend is tough — quit calling students out when they have one week’s notice that there will be a home game. Not everybody lives in NOVA. Somehow we managed to win home playoff games in a 15,000 seat stadiu….

    6. I think there was some “it’s Liberty — just roll out the black jerseys and the ‘JMU’ on the helmet will make them quit” in both the team and the fans. Don’t forget, even though Turner Gill got fired from Kansas, he coached several years in the Big 12 and the MAC; building a game plan for JMU was probably not as difficult as doing the same for Oklahoma and Texas.

    7. I was among the last to change my “No” vote to “Yes” regarding JMU as a playoff team. I will stick with my “Yes” but the results were less than desired.

  13. Ken / Dec 1 2014

    *addressed somehow/someway

  14. Jay D / Dec 1 2014

    I appreciate the article. JMU has had a good season this year. If someone told me they would win more than 6 games I would have laughed but they proved me wrong. The defense has to get better next year to compete and the offense still needs improvement but overall I like our chances. I think Coach Withers came in with a young staff and they all will learn from this season’s mistakes. Lots of good things happened in this program this year and there is always room for improvement.

  15. Don Earman / Dec 2 2014

    I have been coming to JMU games since 1975. This was disappointing because they had been playing well. It seemed to me that JMU was throwing too many long balls that went nowhere. The one to Bowman was great, but we found ourselves in 3rd and long way too many times.
    JMU has no business going up to 1A. Fans will stop coming if JMU falls under .500. Many people are still excited about the 2004-2008 run. But that has been going down. Adding the program at ODU and a stronger Liberty has spread out the pool of good players. Even Va Tech has fallen since there is less depth out there. Witters has been recruiting well and is willing to go out of Virginia. Now we have a QB almost as good as Rodney Landers. Landers excelled at 1st downs and keeping the ball moving. Hopefully, Witters can get some more big studs for the offensive and defensive lines. Depth is a real problem. In 2008, we lost linebackers and had 2 freshman playing LB and that was our weakest position. Last year it was our cornerbacks. We could use a big strong back and another tall wide receiver like Bowman. Our young freshman need to get bigger and stronger. We need to develop a backup for Lee at QB or we will be back to where we were when we lost Landers. Lee has 1 more year. So we better do well then. Roscoti was a Div 1 QB and we got Landers because we let him play QB (while other teams wanted him to play RB). A. Jordan was great and he wanted to stay near home. We can be better next year, but we need to win. It could be a long time before we get a QB like Lee again. It would be great if we could get Banks and Fenner back again.

  16. Cory / Dec 2 2014

    To correct Ken. 2008 was anything but disappointing. The starting QB for JMU was knocked out of the game right before half and the backup played admirably considering the situation (Drew D) and that it was perennial contender Montana he was facing.

    2nd correction. MM made 2 deep runs and was screwed by seeding twice (sound familiar?). 2006 they went to a highly ranked YSU despite being 2nd in the A10 at 9-2 (back then there were less seeds and playoff teams). 2007 there were 8-3, 3rd in the CAA and went to #1 App. State (and win if they just take a damn knee and kick the FG). Rip Scherer made 2 quarterfinals (16 teams got in) and then jetted for greener pastures. So yeah, Mickey only made 2 deep runs. It just so happens they were the best 2 runs in JMU history. How quickly we forget..or at least don’t pay attention.

  17. Ken / Dec 3 2014

    @Cory: My point was for a guy that many on this thread wanted run out of town for a long time, there has been a lot of chatter about MM’s deep playoff runs, as if they were commonplace. They weren’t.

    It’s like most relationships — the old flame’s good qualities are the measuring stick for the new flame and we sometimes lose sight of why the old flame IS the old flame.

    I was disappointed in 2008 — #1 seed playing at home against at Montana team, that while an absolute juggernaut in Missoula (23-6), was 2-10 in road/neutral site playoff games (1-8 in true road games) coming into the game. I don’t think Landers’ injury was the deciding factor — 2 KO return fumbles inside our 35 and 2 turnovers, including a Landers fumble, in the red zone got us beat that night. (the SID’s office really improved my research skills).

    Re: seeding — in 2006 we didn’t bid/weren’t awarded a home game (the committee should have sent us to Hampton and UR to YSU). That was a 4/5 match-up (poll rankings) that rightly should have been a second round game. We agree.

    We did not get hosed in 2007, however. Appy State was not a national seed that year (Northern Iowa, McNeese State, Southern Illinois and Montana). So given the circumstances of that year (no home game), 4 conference teams in the bracket and the rules governing the placement of teams, the JMU/ASU game made sense. And as you say, we should’ve won the darn game.

    I’m not unappreciative of what MM did for JMU football — he stuck around and built a solid program that was equipped for a good run every 4-5 years and moderate success in the others. I think his results for football far outshine Lefty Driesell’s results on the basketball court — but hoops discussions are for another day…

    I really like the discourse and dialog on this blog — it’s fun to connect.

    On to C-USA so I’ll have three schools w/in reasonable driving distance!

  18. Don Earman / Dec 3 2014

    I really don’t think that people gave Rodney Landers the credit he deserved. He was the best running QB that we have ever had. The thing Rodney did was he got first downs when we needed them. We could have handed off to the running backs, but they were ok. They were not Banks and Fenner. Rodney was. He took a pounding all year and did not miss any time till the end of the streak. He tried to go on a bad leg the whole 1st half against Montana. He fumbled on the goal line because of the pain he was in. We came up a yard short several times in that game. A healthy Rodney would have made at least two of the touchdowns that did not score. Dudzik looked great against Montana at times, but he was not Rodney. Rodney was the difference in 2008. We would have not even made the payoffs if he was not there. Look at the high points we had per game with a running game. Passing was ok, but most of the yards were on the ground. That is time consuming, but other teams could score on us. We had 2 freshman linebackers that were not doing well during the last half of the season. We had to score a lot to win. Rodney was the guy. 1700 yards rushing is a lot in one season. He was Superman. I kept hearing that the QB before Birdsong was going to be Rodney. Well he ran out of bounds all the time and then he could not pass. Dudzik and that other QB were why JMU didn’t make it and cost Mathews his job. Dudzik beat Tech and almost beat Maryland. Those were the highlights of his career. Rodney did it game after game till he couldn’t walk. Vad Lee has a lot of potential. We need to make the run next year when he is a senior and hope he does not get hurt. I don’t know what happened to him against Liberty. He had a bad day and that happens. We need some other players that can step up. Banks and Fenner missed games due to injuries during the 2004 season. Rodney ran for more than both of them and took a pounding. Those guys don’t grow on trees for 1AA. He deserved a national championship, but life is certainly not always fair.

  19. LD / Dec 3 2014

    Why C-USA? Didn’t this team excite you? Didn’t the playoff push fill the band wagon? Are you not excited for next season?

    UVA has 10x as much money as JMU and they can’t put a winner on the field what makes you think JMU can.

    Read my lips we will never be relevant in FBS… there will be no play-off runs. after week 3 every year we will be playing to go to some random bowl that means nothing… that is if there are bowls in a few years. As a fan who doesn’t care about the dollars what is the benefit? JMU will never compete with real power conferences. Anybody who believe so is delusional. Seriously…Big Fish-Small Pond. Not Small Fish-Big Pond.

  20. Ken / Dec 3 2014

    @LD: I just want to be able to go to a game or two a year as a day trip, not a full weekend of driving and hotels or watching the on-demand replay on madizone.

    The professional and personal requirements at this point in my life don’t mesh with weekend trips to Harrisonburg for games and that won’t change for about another decade (which will put me in my mid-60s). Doesn’t mean I like my school less or don’t root for their teams or think that they will compete on equal footing with power conferences. I just go to see them when they are w/in a 3 hour radius from home. It’s why I plan to be in Nashville for the Kenny Brooks travelling band of basketball marauders at the end of this month.

    I guess if playing St. Francis, Central Connecticut, Elon and Albany every year, while the fan base holds its collective breath for a possible home playoff game, is excitement enough for folks, then stay CAA and 1-AA/FCS. Fine by me.

  21. Jay D / Dec 4 2014

    When talking about going FBS or staying FCS we need to think about something. Lots of recruits coming here under Withers say it is because they see JMU going FBS so players will keep that in mind when they are recruited. Withers keeps doing well he will be FBS bound. The CAA will be lucky to stay alive with teams that don’t excite anyone but their own fans. But if everybody wants to be the next D 2 school then stay CAA. FCS will soon be the new D2.

  22. OBXDuke1983 / Dec 4 2014

    It seems like people always point to St. Francis, Central Connecticut, Elon and Albany when saying we should move up to FBS. First of all, we don’t have to play St. Francis and Central Connecticut. We could choose to play a better non-conference schedule. No, Elon and Albany do not excite me, but neither do Florida Atlantic, Florida International, North Texas, Middle Tennessee, or Southern Mississippi. Remove the Atlantic, International, North, and Middle and maybe I would listen. The only teams in Conference USA that i would care anything about would be ODU and Marshall. Not a good percentage when you are talking about a 12+ team league. Let’s face it, Marshall went unbeaten until the last week of the season and barely broke the top 25.
    The CAA is not what it was, no doubt. But we haven’t been killin’ it lately. Not sure what the answer is, but I can’t get excited about the prospect of playing in CUSA…and unfortunately, the ACC and the SEC are not going to be knocking on our door anytime soon.

  23. Ken / Dec 5 2014

    The names of the teams are absolutely immaterial — it is the quality level of the OOC schedule and the overall competitiveness of conference.

    I expect Power 5/FCS games will go away in the next 3-5 years — the rest will follow the Big 10’s lead. The big money for guarantee games against P5 schools will go to Non-P5 schools — this is what the FBS playoff system requires and this year’s selection committee apparently IS paying attention to OOC scheduling (see: TCU ahead of Baylor). The pool of Non-P5 schools capable of providing the same $$ in guarantee games we currently get from P5 schools is not big enough to sustain the financial model.

    I want all of JMU’s teams — not just football — to be competitive on the field and that takes money. Football will continue to be the primary revenue generator. The school needs to chart the course that maximizes revenue to best support the programs and, more importantly, all students (athletes or not).

    If that means becoming the East’s version of Montana (great football, big stadium, FCS powerhouse), great. If that means moving to the MAC, Sun Belt or CUSA (playing other Non-P5 teams + a P5 guarantee game and going to the Mick-or-Mack Pomegranate Bowl), great.

    Pick a destination and pursue it with passion.

  24. SP80 / Dec 5 2014

    Our AD (come on Jeff) should schedule teams that create excitement for our out of conference games. If you replaced St. Francis, Central Connecticut, Lehigh and Morehead State with “ODU, Liberty or App State” the schedule week in and week out would create excitement. The visiting team needs to bring fans too, to make games excitement. I think throwing in a ACC team or ECU is exciting also as long as we show up. You want to play the best in the area because that’s where 90% of your recruits come from…
    I want to add that I wanted the Coaching staff to know. I thought they had a great year and what I’m seeing from them looks great and thanks for all the hard work. After the Maryland game I was totally lost but by the Liberty game I was totally onboard. How they took Richmond out in Richmond was fantastic!!! I had words with many Richmond fans and left there with my head held High, far and wide!!! I hate now, I have to see them move on…Morgan State please?

    Felix I understand- UR beat Liberty at Liberty in 2OT. UR beat Villanova by 1 at home…when it matter most after a 7 game wining streak at the end of a season we CRUSHED Richmond even after two targeting calls removed half our secondary so I’m sorry I’m not being bias. We should have been ranked better than the Ticks. My guess is a bunch of men thought lets not have Richmond play Liberty first round since they played already, lets make it JMU. Not “JMU earned the right” to play Morgan State a lesser quality team. But it doesn’t matter we lost and that’s the bottom line…Next Year we will be ready, Morehead State were waiting on you…bring a crowd!

  25. JMUNation / Dec 6 2014

    It was a great season. Withers football is exciting to watch. The players got better as the season advanced. The Seniors who had been recruited and coached by MM raved about their experience and how the coaches made them better players and people. Post game they used words like “family”.

    It was a tough loss on Saturday. A game JMU should have won especially when they force four turnovers. The fumble they did not fall on in the fourth and the QB sack they did not make shortly afterwards on 3rd down, was their undoing. Dropped passes and poor officiating really hurt the Dukes too. All of it led to a narrow loss.

    We now have a program we can be proud of on and off the field. It means so much to me to be able to say that. Winning is important but doing it the right is more important. Even if EW never wins a NC, I will still support him and his staff. My first year impression is that he runs a very good program and I would be over joyed to have my son play for him.

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