JMUSB Game Preview #6: William & Mary at JMU

Once again, it’s time for the Dukes to welcome the boys from William & Mary to Harrisonburg. No matter if you call them the Tribe, the Indians, or the Pantsless Griffins, it’s a big game and one we definitely circle on the calendar every year. Now we could waste a few paragraphs throwing out cheap nerd jokes, rehashing the story about the craziest party in W&M history time students stormed the library, or pointing out that the W&M undergraduate social experience is about as much fun as a trip to the DMV, but we won’t. Because while JMU & W&M couldn’t be more different, they’re both pretty damn great in their own ways. And we respect the hell out of W&M both as a school and a community. It’s an outstanding academic institution, full of incredibly talented professors and bright students, with a proud and distinguished history of preparing individuals for great success in all sorts of career fields. But that’s not why we respect them. We really couldn’t care less about any of that to be honest. William & Mary hates Richmond. A lot. That’s something we respect.

The Basics

Match-up: #7 JMU Dukes 4-1 (2-0) vs. William & Mary Tribe 2-3 (0-2)
Kick-off: 3:300 PM on Saturday, October 8 in Bridgeforth Stadium
Weather: 65 degrees with showers, but no expected impact from Hurrican Matthew
Broadcast: Televised on Comcast SportsNet and Streaming via Madizone

How We Got Here

The Dukes are coming off a big home win against the Delaware Blue Hens. In that game, JMU’s offense had its way with the Blue Hens. Bryan Schor and his teammates racked up over 600 yards of offense and played a much more complete game after an inconsistent win at Maine the week prior. It was JMU’s best effort to date and established the Dukes as one of the early favorites to contend for the CAA crown. With only one loss to an FBS UNC team, JMU is riding some serious momentum and looking to stay on top of the CAA standings with a big win on Saturday.

William & Mary on the other hand is coming off a tough loss to New Hampshire. It was the Tribe’s second loss in a row and it dropped them to 0-2 in league play after a shocking loss to perennial CAA anti-contender Elon. Preseason All CAA running back Kendall Anderson shined in the loss, managing 168 yards and a TD rushing the ball. Third year starting QB Steve Cluley struggled against UNH though. He completed only 8 of 20 passes, threw 2 picks, and was sacked 3 times. Things were even worse for Cluley in the loss to Elon. In that game he tossed 3 picks. As Cluley has struggled, so has the Tribe. While JMU is riding high, W&M is slumping and in danger of letting the season slip away. Which makes them a desperate (and dangerous) team.

How William & Mary Can Win

By pounding the ball, keeping things simple for Steve, and keeping JMU’s offense off the field. The Tribe can run the ball. Kendall Anderson (brother of former JMU running back Jordan Anderson) is a stud. Even with virtually no passing game last week, he gashed New Hampshire for almost 7 yards a carry. W&M needs to open up some holes for Anderson and pound away at the JMU defense. Doing so might create open things up for some easy, and confidence building, passes for Steve Cluley. It will also keep JMU’s offense off the field, which is key. Cluley has some talented receivers to throw to. DaVonte Dedmon in particular, is a burner who could stretch the JMU D. There’s a ton on Cluley’s shoulders this week, but he’s a better QB than he’s showed this year. If he and the offense get into a groove, the Tribe could put up some points.

How JMU Can Win

By crushing Cluley, jumping to an early lead, and holding the Tribe running game in check. You don’t need to be a football genius to figure this one out folks. William & Mary is struggling and poor QB play is a big reason why. JMU needs to get to Cluley early and often to knock his timing off and keep him from gaining confidence. Combine that with an decent job slowing down Kendall Anderson, and JMU will be sitting pretty. We all saw what they did last week against UD, jumping to an early lead and the controlling the pace. It’s a proven recipe for success.

X Factor

The kicking game. William & Mary’s placekicker, Nick Dorka, is listed as questionable for Saturday. So is Tribe punter Hunter Windmuller. Both would be huge losses for the visitors. Dorka was an All CAA performer last year. If the Tribe expects to keep up with the JMU offense, they can’t afford to miss kicks. Going to a backup punter would be dicey, given the importance of field position and the fact that JMU has been averaging over 40 yards a punt return this season.

Kicking is a big deal for the Dukes as well. Tyler Gray is a capable player, but he missed one last week. The more consistency JMU finds in the kicking game, the better their chances will be going forward.

JMUSB Beer of the Week

We hear you folks who want us to highlight more “regular” brews in our BOTW section. We hear you, but we’re not doing anything about it. This week we’re not at least, but I promise we’ll mix in a few lagers or pilsners sometime this season. Anyway, for this intrastate match-up we’d like to highlight a beer from the Commonwealth. We’re going with Get Bent Mountain IPA by Parkway Brewing out of Salem. Even though it’s brewed in VA, it drinks like more of a West Coast IPA, with pretty aggressive hops and some pine & citrus flavors. It’s a solid choice for a Saturday afternoon football game.

Official JMUSB Prediction

It might be a trap game on paper, but we don’t see JMU falling for the trap. W&M is desperate, but JMU is good. Bryan Schor is playing with a ton of confidence. Khalid Abdullah and Cardon Johnson are keeping defensive coordinators up at night. The D took another step forward against Delaware. We just don’t see the Tribe slowing down the JMU offense on Saturday. JMU Dukes 41 – W&M Tribe 17.