Aug 2 / Rob

Throwback Thursday: JMU Over App State in 2008

JMU football officially kicked off 2017 today with the start of preseason camp. Which means that the season is so close that it’s perfectly acceptable for fans to spend 2 or 3 hours a day looking at highlight videos. May we suggest starting with this one featuring the Dukes 35-32 win over Appalachian State back in 2008.

If you weren’t there for the game, we’re sorry. Hyperbole is the worst thing ever, but this game might have been the single greatest FCS regular season game ever. App State rolled into the ‘burg as the #1 team in the country and 3 time defending National Champion. The Dukes were ranked #5 in the country and eager to avenge a 2007 playoff defeat to App State. In that game, JMU was in position to win late, and then bad stuff happened. I don’t want to talk about it.

The 2008 game was easily the biggest home game in JMU history up to that time. With a full day of tailgating before the evening kickoff, fans had Bridgeforth absolutely rocking at kickoff. Then Armanti Edwards and the Mountaineers jumped out to a 21-0 lead and things looked pretty bleak. But Scotty McGee took the second half kick to the house so fast that some fans who were taking advantage of the leave/re-enter policy to drown their sorrows in the parking lot (cough, me & Todd) barely made it back into the stadium in time to see it explode. From that point the rally was on. Rodney Landers and the Dukes played about as good a half of football as you’ll ever see and JMU walked out with a 35-32 victory. It was quite simply, epic.

8 Comments

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  1. Deacon Danny / Aug 3 2017

    Agree. Absolutely one of the best/most exciting games I have ever seen at any level. Go Dukes!

  2. Jay / Aug 3 2017

    I was there. Loved watching the kickoff return. Great game for the Dukes!

  3. M@ / Aug 3 2017

    Rodney Landers just wasn’t fair. The double-play-action pass for the TD was so well choreographed…it couldn’t have come from Mickey.

  4. M@ / Aug 3 2017

    And don’t kick the ball to Scotty McGee.

  5. 2004 Duke / Aug 3 2017

    2008: The year we rolled into the playoffs as a #1 seed and CHOKED against Montana because our one-man offense got injured. I don’t think I spoke to anyone in my house for at least 3 days.

  6. Ken Woodburn / Aug 3 2017

    @2004 Duke: the Montana game taught us a valuable lesson — don’t ever tie your entire team’s fortunes to one dynamic, uber-talented quarter…oh, crap 🙁

  7. Pitz / Aug 3 2017

    One thing I remember about that game (besides being an alum and still sitting in the SDC section), was how much faith and energy everyone still had at halftime. Take a look at the 2nd half opening kickoff. The stands were absolutely packed, which is extremely rare at the very beginning of a 3rd quarter.

    Some nights you just have to believe.

  8. Bryan / Aug 7 2017

    This game and the JMU – YSU playoff game in 05 were arguably the two most exciting games I have been to. I understand we lost the YSU game that year but that was a game that should have been in the semis or finals. Not in the 1st round.

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