Guest Post: JMU Football In October

ShadyP won our prediction contest last week and earned the right to guest post. Here’s his take on the game, the gameday and JMU football in general. 

There is no better weather in Harrisonburg that October, especially for football.  You can get a nice crisp morning and cool evening, but the days are beautiful and perfect for FOOTBALL.  So get out there and enjoy these 3, count’em 3 home football games we have at JMU this October.  This month is very important and can set JMU up very nicely come playoff time.

I was happy I won the pick’em contest but the very next thought was ahhhh $hit— no I have to write something.  I was very much at a loss for something to write, until I took a look at the JMU message boards following the Maine game.  Seriously, if I did not know better I would think we were 1-3, NOT 3-1 and just won our conference opener on the Road at an always tough place to play in Orono, Maine (Long road trip, Maine off the bye week, Noon kick, windy conditions, small stadium).  I would also have thought that our starting QB has been playing awful instead of sporting a completion percentage of 67% of his passes with 5 TDs to 2 INTs.   Bryan Schor leads the CAA in passing efficiency.  The entire team sort of did a sleep walking demonstration thru the first half but the 2nd half is much more like the JMU team we expect to see on Saturday afternoons.  Winning that game at Maine 31-20 and dominating the 2nd half showed me much about this team than if they had steam-rolled Maine 35-7.  This team has GRIT and HEART and is no longer a finesse team that can be completely taken out of their game plan by bad weather.  Which is something that will be critical come playoff time when the weather if ‘iffy’.   As I always tell my son, it tells me a lot more about your character how you handle yourself when everything is not going well.  Do you fold up your tent and go home and accept defeat or re-group and push/fight through it.  And if you want to be a champion you are going to have to go win some ugly games too when you are not at your best.  The good thing to remember is they all count the same — you don’t get a bonus win for beating someone by 4 touchdowns.  Take them all one game at time and any time you win on the road in conference play or for that matter any game on the road it is a GOOD win, period!!!

All I am trying to say is to appreciate what we have in JMU football this season.  This is a good team that deserves your support.  I am not saying drink the Purple Kool-Aid and never criticize the team or coaching decisions, but what I am saying is have some optimism and not to always look for the negative and a way to put the team and coaches down.  So please show up and ROOT these 3 fall Saturdays at JMU and allow yourself to smile, laugh, and have a good time with other DUKES.

PS…..Not to be a beer snob, but geez do you guys every just drink some normal beer?  Feel free to come on out to C-4 to enjoy the ‘High-Life’, the Champagne of Beers.