{"id":3309,"date":"2011-12-02T00:08:48","date_gmt":"2011-12-02T05:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=3309"},"modified":"2011-12-02T06:34:37","modified_gmt":"2011-12-02T11:34:37","slug":"the-dukes-head-to-fargo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=3309","title":{"rendered":"The Dukes Head to Fargo"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>And so we move on. Last weekend’s win over Eastern Kentucky was an exciting way to open the playoffs, but the time to celebrate has long passed. The JMU Dukes travel 1,336 miles this weekend for their round 2 clash with the North Dakota State University Bison. North Dakota State is looking to protect its home field and the Dukes are looking to keep up the momentum after securing their first playoff win since 2008 last Saturday.<\/p>\n

Match-up – <\/strong>JMU Dukes (unseeded) vs NDSU Bison (#2 seed)<\/p>\n

Records <\/strong>– JMU (8-4), NDSU (10-1)<\/p>\n

Kick-off<\/strong> – 4:05 PM EST<\/p>\n

Viewing Options – <\/strong>ESPN Gameplan<\/a> or streaming via ESPN3<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Road Warriors<\/strong><\/p>\n

This will be the Dukes second straight playoff road game. This one has nothing to do with bidgate though. As a seeded team, NDSU will have the opportunity to play host all the way to the finals. Therefore the Dukes will take their longest road trip ever and head all the way to Fargo, North Dakota. Yes, North Dakota State University is in Fargo. That’s convenient since Fargo is the only city anyone has ever heard of in North Dakota. Although I still have it on good authority that every time someone stops to ask for directions there they start with “Wait, which Dakota are we in again?”. But I digress. Anyway, the 2011 Dukes are going to have to take a page out of the 2004 Dukes’ book and string together a few playoff wins on the road.<\/p>\n

The Fargodome<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saturday’s game will be held in the Fargodome, NDSU’s 18,700 seat home. NDSU draws big crowds that get worked into a frenzy and give the Bison a distinct home field advantage. They also apparently eat a lot of hot dogs. In fact, in 2006 the FARGODOME sold 25,504 hot dogs, jumbo dogs, polish sausages, and brats\u2026enough to stretch from West Acres Mall to the Flying J Truck Stop<\/a>. I can only assume those two places are far enough apart to make that seem impressive. The most unique aspect of the Fargodome however is that it has an astroturf field. Yes, astroturf, not field turf. It’s like the Fargodome is some sort of 1980’s time capsule. I wonder if all of the Coke advertisements feature Max Headroom and fans mull around the concourse playing Q*bert during halftime. JMU seriously had to order $4,000 worth of turf shoes for this game. I’m sure you don’t have a lot of choice when it comes to turf shoes nowadays, but I really hope they snagged some of those sweet Walter Payton Roos with the zipper pockets on the side.<\/p>\n

NDSU Strengths & Weaknesses<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bison are similar to the Dukes in that they have an excellent defense. They are ranked 2nd in FCS in scoring defense and give up only 14.9 points per game. Not only does their defense prevent opponents from scoring, but they score themselves. They had defensive scores in 5 games this season. Offensively, NDSU has a slightly more balanced attack then the Dukes, but averages about 8 yards fewer a game. They score more though due to the defensive touchdowns and their 91% efficiency in the Red Zone. They employ a 2 headed rushing attack of Sam Ojuri and D.J. McNorton. The duo reached the endzone a combined 19 times. Warren Holloway was the top receiver and is a big play threat. He had 4 TDs of greater than 30 yards on the season.<\/p>\n

Keys for the Dukes<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is nothing exotic here. The Dukes need to win the turnover battle and control the line of scrimmage. Obviously, if they get Dae’Quan Scott rolling it could mean good things. I think they’re going to need big contributions from Jordan Anderson this week though. He offers a different style that could keep the Bison D on edge. We all know the Dukes aren’t going to air it out, but mixing in some early completions to Brian Barlow and Kerby Long (completions, not end-arounds) should open things up for what the Dukes do best. On defense, they need to clamp down on the rush and prevent Holloway from getting over the top.<\/p>\n

Beer of the Week<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sixpoint The Crisp. This is an amazing German style pilsner from my new favorite brewery, Sixpoint Craft Ales. It tastes just like it sounds, pleasantly malty with a super crisp bite of bitterness at the end. It’s a nice departure from all of the extreme beers trying to be the darkest roasted or hoppiest or whatever else is in favor. This is just an honest to goodness excellent beer. Nothing fancy, just well executed. Try some. You’ll love it.<\/p>\n

Prediction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Look NDSU is a good team. They will be playing in front of a raucous home crowd and were ranked in the top 5 for most of the season. In case you were unaware though, the FCS polls are complete crap so don’t let that worry you. Yes, they rattled off an impressive 10-1 record. They lost to Youngstown State, a team that ended up on the wrong side of the playoff bubble though. They needed a late score to defeat Southern Illinois, a team that finished 2-6 in their conference. They had an impressive win over Northern Iowa, but they’re not unbeatable. Most JMU fans I know seem to be chalking this one up as a loss. We’re not. The Dukes are 10-0 in Justin Thorpes’ last 10 starts against FCS opponents. Scott and Anderson are rushing well. The o-line played angry and caught fire late last week. DJ Bryant is crazy and won’t let anyone quit. The Dukes have their swagger back. JMU 24 – NDSU 14.<\/p>\n

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