What an Awful Way to Lose a Game. Has JMU Ever Had a Loss This Painful?
Boston University lost to the Providence Friars in last night’s NCAA Championship game. It was a pretty big upset, as Providence was the last team in the tourney and BU is one of college hockey’s heavyweights. BU led by Hobey Baker (think Heisman for college hockey) winning freshmen sensation and top American NHL prospect Jack Eichel.
Most people expected the Terriers to win. And they appeared to be on their way, cruising with a comfortable 3-2 lead in the 3rd period when goalie Matt O’Connor picked a very inopportune time to have a blooper for the ages. He caught the puck off a routine dump and then inexplicably dropped it into the goal. It both was unbelievable and unbelievably sad. Just like that it was 3-3. Then a few minutes later Providence scored again to take a 4-3 lead. The Friars held on to steal the championship. Congrats to Providence, but I’m not sure how anyone couldn’t be heartbroken for O’Connor.
BU’s diehard fans were predictably crushed, which got me thinking. Has JMU ever had a loss as painful as BU’s last night? Now obviously, the Dukes have lost plenty of games that hurt us fans, but has there ever been one with the stakes that high, where JMU let it get away in such excruciating fashion?
JMU has had a number of painful losses over the years. It was just a regular season game, but the OT loss to Maine in 2011 still haunts me. Jace Edwards was the QB (and that wasn’t even the bad part), and Maine pulled of some stupid swinging gate 2 point conversion to win. Awful. And the hoops team’s “Hot Dog” game loss to George Mason was brutal. One JMU loss stands out above pretty much all others though for me personally though. Of course I’m talking about the Dukes’ playoff gut punch defeat against Appalachian State in 2007.
To begin with, JMU controlled that game in Boone, NC, compiling 436 yards of offense versus only 330 for the Mountaineers. And the Dukes were in position to win, before giving up 9 points in the final five minutes to lose 28-27. Coughing up a lead like that late was bad, but JMU went to new lengths to make it extra painful. After Appy took a 28-27 lead with 1:10 to go, JMU marched all the way down the field and was in position to win the game with a chip shot field goal. Unfortunately, Jamal Sullivan coughed the ball up inside the 10, App State recovered, and the game was over. I don’t like to talk about it.
That’s the most painful JMU loss I can recall. What about you? Or if we want to be more pleasant, has there ever been a JMU win that was an unexpected and miraculous as Providence’s victory last night?
App St. hands down
App State was brutal. I don’t like to talk about it, either.
Also, am I the only one that thinks O’Connor did it on purpose? I play goalie in both floorball and broomball and I don’t ever think I would drop my glove like that on accident.
2008 playoff loss. Best team we’ve had. We had like 5 turnovers the whole year and in one night we boot the ball 5 times. Still had somewhat of a chance to win but we just slowly and painfully lost that game one TO at a time.
App State and Maine both stick out as bad. I thought the Richmond loss in ’09 was pretty brutal too. Thorpe fumbled on the five yard line with 30 seconds to go, and No. 1 UR won.
If we’re talking wins for JMU and gut wrenching loss for the opposition, Tech has to be included. Same thing with a late fumble when you’re driving late in a game and a TD seemed inevitable.
The 2008 playoff loss still haunts me because that was one of my favorite JMU teams ever and I really thought a title was within reach. It was a disappointing way for a great season end, but the way the loss went down in Boone was more painful to me personally.
Good call on the flipside of the VT win Sean!
I would have to agree with the 2008 playoff loss was a big one. Was in the stands and kept watching as they came out from halftime…no Rodney…
My biggest was the loss to the Jordan, Worthy, Perkins UNC team in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16. JMU definitely had a chance to win that one against one of the best college basketball teams ever. They went on to win the National championship game. While there was no single play (except for an exceptionally bad call by the ref), that was the most gut wrenching JMU loss for me.
1988 (I think) loss to UNC in the chaminade tournament in Hawaii early in Lefty’s first season. We were up around 10 with a minute left and lost on a last second junk shot by King Rice. This was before the double bonus and we missed the front end of a few 1-1 free throws. Stunned silence in my buddy’s basement.
1982, second round of The Show in Greensboro, 52-50 loss to The Tar Heelz. Their starting five was James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Matt Doherty, Jimmy Black, and some skinny kid named, I think it was Jordan. Not a bad starting five, but we played them dead even, and Lou Campanelli’s game plan was superb.
We’re down 1 with about a minute and a half left, and Charles Fisher takes a charge from, I think, James Worthy that is SOMEHOW called a block. Not saying that there was home cooking involved, but I will go to my grave without being convinced that Captain Fisher got robbed by a grits-eating ref. Worthy hit the free throws, we turned the ball over next trip, and only got the game back to within 2 on a Linton Townes buzzer-beater.
I’m not saying we would have absolutely won. But that call was a killer, so obviously a charge (to my purple-colored-glassed eyes) and a potential four-point swing.
By the way, the other guys wound up winning the national title.