Bring On Colgate
JMU had a well earned bye for the first round of the 2015 FCS Playoffs. The Dukes didn’t play, but they did learn who they’ll be facing in round 2 though. The Colgate Raiders defeated the CAA’s New Hampshire Wildcats by the score of 27-20 in Durham, NH on Saturday. The win avenged an 26-8 loss Colgate suffered to UNH in week two of the season. It also sets up a second round clash between Colgate and JMU in the friendly confines of Bridgeforth Stadium this Saturday.
The Raiders play in the Patriot League, where they managed to go a perfect 6-0 in league play this season. They had tougher luck in out of conference play, winning one of four games. Colgate is a bit of a throwback in today’s college football world. Perhaps best described as methodical, the Raiders’ strength is their ground game. There isn’t one single thing that they do that really jumps out at you. As they showed against New Hampshire however, they can wear you down when they control the pace.
The Raiders might not be flashy, but they’re no easy out. If JMU doesn’t take them seriously, it’s going to be a one and done playoff experience for the second year in a row. Other than that, I know my cousin went to Colgate. He’s an outstanding athlete, but he used to cheat at wiffle ball when we were kids. Not sure how that’s relevant, but I feel like I had to put it in writing.
We’ll have more on the Dukes and their opponent as the week progresses. For now though, let’s keep it simple and just say Beat Colgate! Keep Rootin!
Watched some of the Colgate vs. UNH game on ESPN3. Hopefully they stick with the shotgun/spread offense. If they line up in an I-formation (Richmond) then it could be a long day.
I watched the Colgate UNH game on Saturday, and if the Dukes take them lightly we could have a tough game. Having said that I don’t see us losing to the Patriot League. I can’t get out of my mind that Colgate is a toothpaste though.
Just saw on a UVA website that listed possible London replacements, and Withers was on the list. I think they were just putting out everyone’s name that could be a possibility. I did NOT see Rocco, Turner Gill, Laycock .
Didn’t everyone cheat at wiffle ball? Rocks in the bat head, extra duct/electrical tape, broken wiffle balls (especially the one with the round holes) for extra break. I know all of us near Ben Lomand in the early 80’s expected it.
Colgate’s offense reminds me of JMU during the Mickey Era. 2 of their OL were first-team all Patriot league players so we know where they want to win. JMU NEEDS to win the LOS and get our athletes out in space.
It seems as if we have gone away from the “relief bubble” game but I dare any DB to go 1:1 with either John Miller or Rashard Davis on satellite plays
Does anyone know what Colgate University was known as from 1846 – 1890? According to wiki: Madison University. I found that interesting. Did not know that.
Bring on the toothpaste jokes this week!
I agree with Tidewater. The LOS is the battleground here. Saturday, Colgate just ate clock, and really gashed UNH’s d-line. They also controlled the Cats’ running game, 201-99. Don’t sleep on James Holland, he’s a low-center-of-gravity type runner. He came in from the third string to score 4 times, so you know that OL’s not bad. The good news is that our secondary may not be as exposed as it was vs W&M and Richmond. We should be able to score against their D which wasn’t completely impressive against an OK UNH offense– Goldrich carved them up on short-to-medium passes Saturday, and he’s no Brian Schor. If we dictate tempo and stop the run, things will look good.
Early line out of Vegas has us as 17 point favorites, which seems a tad bit high to me. I would have guessed closer to 14, given the way Colgate likes to play. Either way, it’s our game to win. If we do what we need to do, we’ll win. If we let them hang around and control the game, we could be looking at a repeat of the Delaware game.