JMUSB Game #5 Preview: Stony Brook @ JMU

The Weather

Let’s get this out of the way first. So now it looks like Joaquin was nothing more than a bunch of fear-mongering (and of course a ratings booster) and things will be just regular nasty rather than ark-worthy. Somewhere Jim Cantore’s blueballs must be aching him something awful on this one. In fact, Saturday in the ‘Burg is down to just “Occasional light rain. High 52. Winds NNE 10-20 MPH. Chance of rain 90%.”  Bottom line is that Friday’s rain and potential for flooding given the saturation of the last week is the only real issue now. If BFS doesn’t look like this from a few years back by late-night tomorrow, Saturday may turn out to be no worse than a normal November game from a tailgating perspective. Good news for what’s usually a healthy crowd on Family Weekend. Dress warm, bring your raincoat, everything should be fine.

The Basic

Stony Brook Seawolves (Receiving Votes) at #6 James Madison Dukes, Noon – Bridgeforth Stadium

TV coverage available via Comcast Sports Net (and it looks like MadiZone online too)

Not a real animal, and not a real CAA team.

Not to Be Taken Lightly

Now that the weather seems unlikely to be a major factor on the field, our hopes are going up for a normal Dukes Death Star performance. But this is absolutely no time to get arrogant. Stony Brook, despite the general lack of name recognition, is a very solid team, possibly the second-toughest opponent left on the schedule. They are fourth in FCS in total defense, and while that’s a little slanted because their opening game against FBS and MAC-favorite Toledo was cancelled due to weather early in the 2nd quarter with them already trailing 16-7, one thing we know for sure is that the Seawolves (not a real animal) actually did do a fantastic job disrupting a lot of what the Dukes do in last year’s matchup on Strong Island. The Dukes trailed most of the day before pulling out a tight 27-24 win (not to mention the Dukes fell 41-38 in the true nail-in-the-coffin game for the Mickey era in ’13). Plus Madison oddly struggled a bit with Stony Brook’s big lumbering QB Conor Bednarski.

One tough thing for the Seawolves will be missing their best offensive player in RB (and one-time JMU commit) Stacey Bedell who is out this week with an injury.

Avoiding a Letdown

Despite their strong previous performances against JMU, coming off a 21-0 beatdown at the hands of William & Mary last week, the biggest concern for the Dukes may be in their own heads instead of anything Stony Brook will do. The Dukes have GOT to avoid resting on all the laurels they received this week after the big win in Dallas last week. Put simply, this game is a big one for setting up the rest of the season. The next two opponents (Towson and Elon) appear to be headed for the CAA cellar this year and if the Dukes can handle their business this week, they should have two more weeks to keep the bandwagon building among lost/apathetic alumni and rise into the top five before the Spatter stomping at Homecoming!

Beer of the Week

Otter Creek Backseat Berner IPA – It’s gonna feel like a cold, nasty New England day, so a fine Vermont beer seems in order. I just love this beer. Stanky (in a good way) with big tropical notes would be a good old-school way to describe this one. And the Vanagon cover art always makes me smile.

Prediction

Look, we’re nervous about a letdown, but we don’t think Coach Withers is. He seems to have an amazing ability to keep the players focus on what’s in front of them, not what’s already happened. Stony Brook can’t score and the Dukes are lightyears ahead of where they were at this game last year. Also looks like the weather isn’t going to be bad enough to change anyone’s gameplan. Just keep that hammer down Dukes!

Dukes 45, Pebbly Creek 20

One Final Note

The DNR’s Matt Jones, who also blogs on JMU’s Rivals site, has been absolutely killing it the last couple of weeks. If you want more great Dukes content, check it out here.