JMU Sports Blog

JMU opened up the 2021 FCS Playoffs (Spring Edition) with a 31-24 win over VMI. Let’s repeat the last part. JMU picked up a win. And now the Dukes are moving on to the quarterfinals to face North Dakota. VMI proved to be a very tough out. The Keydets were well coached and they came ready to play. JMU showed flashes of greatness, but also had more than a few warts on display. Jawon Hamilton and Percy O Agyei-Obese went for 171 and 110 yard respectively to pace JMU. But truth be told it was far from an overall “A” effort from the coaches and players. Again though, they won the dang game.

While we’ve been accustomed to watching the Dukes on cruise control for the first few rounds of the playoffs, this was something different. This Spring season has been challenging for a whole litany of reasons. JMU has played well at times, but due to the stops and starts, the Dukes never got on an extended roll. They just keep winning anyway. We can pick things apart as much as we want, but doing so seems a little misguided given the circumstances. In this weird Spring format, perhaps it’s more important for teams to simply find a way to grind out wins and not worry about how they look doing so.

Let’s face it, there are no style points in football. We would have loved it if JMU won by 4 or 5 touchdowns and turned it into a laugher. But they didn’t. They beat a well prepared team, despite turning the ball over multiple times and making some questionable decisions. There are at most 3 more games left this season. Personally, we think it’s time we accept that this team has flaws. It has flaws and no losses though.

The fact of the matter is this 2021 JMU Spring Football squad is never going to beat the 2016 team. Or the 2019 team. They’re also not going to lose to them, because the teams will never play. It’s fun to debate how different JMU teams stack up against each other. It’s also ultimately kind of pointless. This year’s team is not as good as a number of JMU teams from the past. We get it and we won’t argue otherwise. It doesn’t need to be though. On Saturday, it just had to be better than VMI and it was. And this Sunday it just needs to be better than North Dakota. And we’ll take things from there.

The Dukes under Cignetti are nothing like the Mike Houston JMU teams. They’re not even that similar to the 2019 Cignetti team. It’s a totally different approach. Everyone likes to say that JMU doesn’t rebuild, it reloads, but the fact is that the Dukes had to replace a ton of great players. And they had to do it on the fly during the weirdest football season of our lifetimes. And they just keep winning, despite looking more than shaky at times. At a certain point, it’s probably best if we focus and appreciate that, instead of fooling ourselves into thinking they’re going to evolve into something they’re not. This JMU isn’t likely to blow teams out and win going away from here on. But they’re still playing and they definitely have a chance to keep winning. Style points or now style points.

Andrea Clay is the parent of 2 Dukes (Class of 2018 and 2020). When she’s not rooting, she’s a nonprofit fundraiser living in northern Virginia with her husband and two mischievous dogs. Here’s her guest post, which is probably the most touching thing we’ve ever had on the blog.

When JMU’s spring football season started, I told myself to just enjoy the ride. Wins didn’t matter—what mattered was after 14 long, strange months I would get to root for the Dukes again. Watching the first three games of the season, I mostly kept that perspective (the first half of the Elon game notwithstanding). It was great to see the team on the field despite uncertainty about who should be QB1, how the O-line was going to perform without newly-injured Liam Fornadel and how many games we could play while COVID was still a real threat.

And then something happened…I got the call that everyone dreads. One of my brothers had a massive stroke and I needed to fly across the country to be with him. Suddenly football was more and less important all at the same time. The day of the W&M game, I was able to catch a bit of the game while my brother was resting. It was nice to have a brief respite from the reality of my brother’s situation which was extremely serious. The hospital has a very distinct smell and rhythm that feels abnormal the minute you arrive. Watching the game and discussing it in our family group text gave me a few minutes of normal

Then things got complicated. JMU’s season hung in the balance as did my brother’s precarious health. There was no football to distract me (although I do enjoy other JMU sports—especially baseball and softball!). Each week I hoped to hear the team would be able to take the field but understood there are things bigger than sports. My brother had good days and bad days but he was finally stable enough for me to fly home at least for a few weeks.

My days consisted of working a full day and then spending an hour or two trying to coordinate my brother’s care. There was an endless stream of paperwork to complete along with researching facilities that might offer him the best chance to recover. Last week, we were close to finalizing a long-term care plan for my brother AND the Spiders finally agreed to play JMU.

Friday morning started like normal except for the first time in months, my husband and I were planning our trip to Harrisonburg for the game. Then I received a call that my brother had suffered another stroke and was heading back to the hospital. The rest of the day was spent hearing somewhat conflicting reports on what his prognosis was but everyone was clear I didn’t need to head back to Arizona immediately. So I booked a flight for early Sunday morning so I could attend the game like planned.

It was a glorious sunny day in Harrisonburg. The sky is so blue in the Valley this time of year. As we walked to the stadium, everything felt weirdly normal. We found our seats and on cue, I got teary eyed when the current JMU video extolling everything that makes JMU special was shown on the big screen. Then my phone rang with an update on my brother. Things had taken a very serious turn and I frantically tried to see if I could get to Arizona any sooner. It was clear very quickly that my Sunday morning flight was my best option. So I tried to just focus on the game knowing this would be my last bit of normal for quite some time.

While the Dukes got off to a fast start, it took me a few minutes to really get into the game. But then something happened. I took a couple of deep breaths and tried to just focus on the moment in front of me. Ethan Ratke kicked his CAA-record field goal and we closed the first quarter up by 10. The defense played well and after trading field goals, we headed into the fourth quarter. By this time, I had spoken with the doctor in charge of my brother’s care so ensure our family was united in the decisions that had to be made. He didn’t pull any punches in telling us what the outcome was going to be and we all appreciated his honest compassion as he spoke with us. 

It’s now late in the fourth quarter and the Dukes were deep in Richmond territory with 1:00 to go. My husband asked me if I thought we’d try to score and I said yes. I said we have something to prove to the selection committee and we should get more points on the board. (Foreshadowing perhaps?) Instead the Dukes took a knee and the game ended with another key victory over the Spiders. 

The drive back to northern Virginia is a bit of a blur but it was great to have three hours when my biggest care in the world was whether Cole Johnson should really be running the ball that much and what was happening in the Fargodome. And that’s the beauty of sports. Sports can transport you from your reality for a few hours into something special. Something different. That is especially true at JMU. There’s something about being in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley that gets into your DNA and it’s like no other place. If this were the plot of a classic sports movie, the ending would have us winning it all in Frisco next month. That would be great. But for me the ending isn’t the point this season. The point is JMU football was around when I needed it most. Go Dukes!

Coach Cignetti and the Dukes took care of business and soundly defeated Richmond by the score of 23-6. While JMU has become accustomed to much larger margins of victory over the Ticks recently, this one was never in doubt. The Dukes D completely shut down Richmond’s offense. And the offense jumped out to an early lead, before grinding it out in the second half to secure the victory. The win capped an undefeated spring regular season for the #1 team in the land. The reward was a #3 overall seed for the playoffs. Alrighty then.

First up, let’s appreciate this win. JMU does not have the sort of “light it up” offense of recent years. What it has is a unit that limits mistakes, takes care of the ball, and ultimately wears the opposition down. JMU under Cignetti probably isn’t going to run up the score or rack up 70+ point wins like it did under Houston. Yesterday was a good example of that. The Dukes could have taken some bigger strikes or even tried to punch it late. But they didn’t. They stuck with what was working, took what RU gave them, and walked away with a dominant win.

Likewise, Cole Johnson is probably never going to reach the heights of some recent JMU QBs. But let’s give the guy some credit. Since assuming the starting role after temporarily losing his spot, he’s played with much more confidence. He’s making better reads and seems way more decisive. Sure, he’s not going to be a Payton Award Winner, but when he plays like he has the past two games, JMU can beat any team it faces.

And we suppose we should say something about the defense. It’s just dominant. Fans bemoan the fact that the pass rush isn’t near last year’s level, but JMU lost a couple of its most effective pass rushers ever. As a unit, this defense is getting the job done. Much of the social media chatter during the RU game was about how Richmond’s Joe Mancuso was a much better throwing QB than anyone expected. We agree. The kid looked capable and he possesses a good arm. JMU held him to 125 yards and 9 completions in 24 attempts. That’s an impressive showing by the D. Again.

As a reward for its dominance, JMU earned the third overall seed for the playoffs. In case you weren’t paying attention, JMU was the #1 overall seed when the committee released its preview rankings a few weeks ago. Then following a couple of impressive wins, JMU fell two slots to third. Predictably, that has many JMU screaming mad.

There’s a legitimate argument for South Dakota State and Sam Houston to be deserving of the top two seeds. But it’s harder to make one, when the committee releases the ridiculous (and utterly worthless) preview rankings with JMU on top. Just don’t bother. It servers no purpose. If all this flip-flop does is get JMU playing with a chip on its shoulder next week in its opening game against VMI, then maybe do release them actually.

Finally, the committee awarding four of the six at-large bids to teams from the Missouri Valley Conference is flat our ridiculous. It’s a good league, but any argument relying on “good” losses is flawed from the start. This year more than any other, it’s tough to judge teams from different leagues. So maybe a little more weight should have been given to actual wins. Teams can only beat the opponents on their schedules. The committee seemed to act like MVC teams with multiple losses deserved bids because they would have hypothetically won more games if they played in a league other than the MVC. At the same time, the committee completely devalued real wins in actual games played by teams in those other leagues. Do better NCAA.

Richmond at JMU. Doesn’t matter the season, doesn’t matter the year, doesn’t matter the stakes. It’s Spatter-Stomping Time. It’s Tick Week. It’s Richmond at JMU.

The Basics

Matchup: #10 Richmond Spiders (3-0, 3-0 CAA) at #1 JMU Dukes (4-0, 2-0 CAA)

Kickoff: 2:00 p.m. EDT. Saturday April 17, 2021, Bridgeforth Stadium, Rocktown, VA

Weather: Cloudy, high 62.

Broadcast: NBCSports Washington Plus or Flo (last one!)

Boys in the Desert: JMU -12, O/U 50

How Richmond Can Win

Slow down JMU in the run game so they can apply pressure in obvious passing situations. If Richmond can get solid play from its run defense and superstrong LB’s including 2019 CAA DROY Tristan Wheeler, we all know the chance to beat JMU is to really turn the screws and force decisions from the QB – whether that’s Johnson or Maloney. On offense, Richmond QB Joe Mancuso is a veteran who leads a diverse attack with no exact focal point. He’s a capable runner and the way the Ticks spread the ball, JMU will need to stay on assignment.

How JMU Can Win

Play with the same level of gameplanning, execution, and ruthlessness they did at William & Mary last month. Only do it with a full roster this time. On offense, the Dukes line needs to play well this week and find a way to get blockers – even TEs and WRs – onto the second level to slow down the strength of the Spiders, their linebacking corps. If they can do that, it will set Cole up for more of the solid time and play we saw back then. If not, it could be a scramble drill all day. On defense, JMU just needs to play it’s dominant second halves for all 60 minutes. Pressuring the QB with just four has been a weakness “all year” for the Dukes and put simply, they need some guys to step up in that regard. MJ Hampton, Wayne Davis, and Que Reid have all been sent and bailed them out later in games but if they have designs on a postseason run, they need to generate at least some pressure from just the line.

JMUSB Beer of the Week

Union Craft Brewing’s Divine Pale Ale. A smooth drinking pale that has something refreshingly different up front. These guys from Baltimore do a solid job on almost everything and this is a great introduction.

Dukes Helping Others Week 5

As a reminder, each week we’re choosing a charity to donate to in honor of that week’s football game. And we’re asking other Dukes fans to join us as we continue to build #DukesMafia. We’ve been overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity thus far and hope the momentum continues. For the last regular season game of the year, we’re doing something with an organization that has been incredibly inspiring to us over the last few years and has its base right here in the DMV, the World Central Kitchen. We set the base donation at 5 bucks, but feel free to give more if you can (big shoutout to the RedRooster and Mr. Brown here!). Text “ROOTIN” to 707070 or click here to donate.

Official JMUSB Prediction

Both teams are absolute playoff locks with a win, with or without the automatic bid that could conceivably still go to an undefeated Delaware. JMU stands a decent chance of making the field on ranking and reputation even with a loss while Richmond likely has a lot more on the line this weekend. Hypothetically, they have more to play for. But our guess is JMU, for the first time all year, can see the rewards on offer this spring, and will be ready to rock this weekend. A monster Percy performance and continued growth from Wells is our guess.

JMU 31, RU 17

First off, we know we’ve been slack. We literally just reached out to the winner of the last prediction contest 3 weeks ago. And we haven’t had much motivation to do much of anything here on the blog with all of the pauses and cancellations. But, it’s Tick Week. So let’s get it on.

Leave a comment below letting us know who you think will win on Saturday and what the final score will be. The person who comes closest to nailing it (winner & score) will get to write a guest post. That’s it. So give us your prediction and Go Dukes!

In normal times, we have “spring football.” You know what we’re talking about. A few weeks of practice for the coaches to run everyone out there and maybe light a few fires of around some key position battles, before everyone suiting up for a pseudo-competitive exhibition with indeterminate scoring to wet the fans’ appetites. The entire experience is towing the line between being worthwhile preparation and a complete farce. Most fans get very excited about the notion of “spring football” in the weeks leading up to it. But then it comes and goes without the majority of the fanbase even realizing it. It’s a tradition that matters very much in the mind of college football coaches, but ultimately offers very little in terms of entertainment value for fans. 

Now in 2021, we have Spring Football. Unlike with “spring football,” this new version has full schedules and games that count. And much like with “spring football” it’s something that excited most fans in the weeks leading up to it. But without fans in stadiums, the assurance that each scheduled game will actually be played, or any consistency regarding how conferences have chosen to operate, this Spring Football has felt much more like “spring football” than anything real. 

However, that’s likely to change this weekend. JMU is all set to play William & Mary. With its full complement of players and superior depth, JMU struggled mightily against Robert Morris and Elon. Now thanks to Covid issues, JMU has had limited practice time the past two weeks. And multiple players, reportedly including key ones, are expected to be out due to Covid protocols. To top it all off, William & Mary comes into the game full of confidence after dominating an Elon team that gave JMU fits. Whether it’s Spring Football or “spring football,” things are about to get a bit more real.