Can’t wait to see this guy again!
As our thirteen long-time readers know, we’re big on weekly “game previews” but have never been too into actual prognostication. We almost always find a reason to believe and a way to pick the Dukes even against our better judgment on a week-to-week basis. But we’ve always tried to be somewhat more realistic on the broader season previews. So with that in mind, here goes.
What the Experts are saying?
We all know the truth about FCS which is basically that even those very few folks and sites that cover this level of football seriously or for actual money couldn’t tell you a damned thing about anyone outside of North Dakota St. and maybe Montana on a year-over-year basis, especially now that [Cr]App. St. and real GSU have moved on (and we’ve got D2 teams like Abilene Christian stopping by for a cup of coffee on their way to blowing by JMU on the FBS highway). So the fact JMU is picked no higher than 7th in the CAA by anyone who covers FCS and as low as 9th by quite a few spots means nothing other than that your eyes weren’t lying when they told you JMU football had slipped to the land of the truly mediocre the last few years under Mickey. It certainly doesn’t mean anything in our opinion about the way JMU will ultimately finish.
How the Schedule Sets Up?
If, and that’s a big IF, JMU can split the first two games, on the road at both Maryland and Lehigh, and if they can make it through the first five games no worse than 3-2, we’d say the schedule actually sets up alright after that all things considered. On the good side, there’s a well-placed mid-season bye in mid-October, toughish Towson and Delaware have to come to BFS, and there’s a four-game stretch to close the season, beginning with W&M (who’s picked above the Dukes almost everywhere but as usual has less than zero at QB1) for Homecoming and ending with Elon at home, that while not easy (trips to SB and JMU East a.k.a. the cute little UR “stadium”) certainly presents a great opportunity to make up ground if needed. The bad part is Maryland may just come too early under our new system to be all that hopeful, Lehigh and Charlotte are both actually kind of tricky roadies and will both be unknown as it’s Lehigh’s opener and who knows how much better UNCC will be with additional schollies this year. The UGLY part is we don’t get Rhode Island this year, but that’s fairly balanced out by avoiding UNH.
Offense
The entire question is whether the team is actually up to speed on the new system. There’s a ton of returning talent on this side and what we all think may be a significant upgrade at QB1 (and at least a wash at RB1 though we’ll always miss DQS and depth may be an issue in the backfield). The system itself is going to be an even bigger upgrade but will the kinks be ironed out in time for a tough early season-schedule?
Defense
Coach Withers has maintained throughout camp that he thinks the front seven will be a real strength. We hope he’s right and we tend to trust his judgment way more than our own, but it’s gonna be awful tough to replace a player like Stephon Robertson, especially if Gage Steele isn’t fully healthy (on that note, not to sound all Mickeyish about it, but NO NEED at all to rush him back for Maryland if it’s a question). In the back is where you’ll find what may be the Dukes’ best player at safety in Senior Dean Marlowe, but it’s the corners that have to improve for JMU to have a big year. We still think there’s talent here (including Taylor Reynolds), they just need to grow up and hopefully be coached up in a hurry.
Special Teams
Wait, there’s a third phase? Can’t we pretend there’s no kicking game and just be happy? No? Well shit. This is where things could get ugly for the Dukes from the summer preview. As always, JMU will have no shortage of high-octane players returning kicks but it’s the other half of the kicking game that looks frightening. Long-time stalwart Cameron Starke graduated and despite an injury-plagued senior year that had some calling for change, those same folks may be dearly wishing he was still here given the atrocities we’ve seen committed in this phase throughout camp. We’re missing extra points. Badly. If necessary, can we please bring in every player on both Dukes’ soccer squads and see if we can find a miracle?
Official JMUSB Season Prediction
9-3 (but shading more on the 8-4 side than the 10-2 side). 3-2 through the first five, then a big roll through the middle of the season and then some awful, unexpected loss (please not the Ticks!). The real keys are the Lehigh game in Week 2 and then managing no worse than a split in the @ ‘Nova, home for UD double in Weeks 4 & 5.
Playoffs?
In a freshly expanded 24-team FCS field, it’s completely inexcusable for JMU to ever miss the postseason in this CAA-Hoops-style-watered-down version of the subdivision. And we think they’ll sneak in to start the Withers era. Doubt we’ll get a home game though.
The Dukes open the season on the road against the Maryland Terrapins this Saturday in College Park. It’s the first game of a brand new season for both teams and a whole new ball game for JMU. New coaches, new players, new systems, and hopefully new and improved results. The Terps are also going through some changes as they transition from the ACC to the B1G.
As we mentioned Monday, we’re running our prediction contests back again this year. It’s very simple. You leave a comment letting us know who you think will win Saturday’s game and what the final score will be. The person who comes closest to nailing the prediction (winner & score) will get to write a guest post. And they can write it about anything their little heart desires (provided it’s not offensive or NSFW of course). Got it? Of course you do, it’s simple. Give us your prediction in the comments and Go Dukes!
Well hello there. How have you been? It’s damn good to see you again. Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back. After a long and relatively uneventful summer, we’re finally on the cusp of starting the 2014 JMU football season. It’s game week. It really is. read more…
This time next week we’ll be firing up an official JMUSB preview of the Maryland game, complete with a Beer of the Week, tailgating tips for College Park, and lots of snark about one of the nation’s most underratedly ghettofabulous states. In the meantime, we’ll have to hang in there, hope for no injuries in the last week of prep, and warm up by cheering for the JMU sports that kickoff even before football. This includes women’s soccer, who opens the season at home tomorrow against Xavier from the AAC. This game will feature a Vuvuzela giveaway, and to be honest that’s kind of fantastic.
VERY soon!
But first, a few quick links:
Coastal Carolina is getting a TEAL field. Seriously. It’s awful, it’s funny, it’s FCS baby! These non-green fields are getting out of control. Not that we couldn’t get behind a purple field of course.
Freshmen: Stop scaring people with toy guns at FROG week and learn this now!
Finally, enjoy this last week of summer with a celebratory Shmoney Dance before you prepare your college football hibernation cave.
See y’all next week! And welcome to the class of 2018!
JMU alum and ESPN Sportscenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak joined the masses and did the Ice Bucket Challenge today, help raise awareness (and a whole lot of money) for ALS. She also did it while representing her alma mater by sporting a classic James Madison University tee. Lindsay issued the challenge to Teddy Roosevelt, the Nats racing president, and some other guy who isn’t as good as Matt Harvey. About the only thing that could have made this better was if she challenged Duke Dog. Great job Lindsay and Go Dukes.
@Michael_2clutch is a JMU fan we follow on twitter who always has great insight and analysis on the football program. So when we saw he was attending Saturday’s scrimmage, we asked him to write a guest post. Give him a follow on twitter and enjoy his analysis below.
As a JMU class of 2012 alum and huge fan of JMU football, the conclusion of the scrimmage was the right “fix” needed to get the 2014 season started. As all the headlines on Everett Withers, rumors of FBS and the New Era of JMU appeared left and right on social media, I had to make the 2 hour drive (which will happen at least 5 more times this fall) to see the Dukes myself. Honestly, I wasn’t even going to make the trip but was constantly haggle by my partner in crime, Kristin, to go since she dubbed me JMU’s biggest fan and the visit was a necessity to my obsessiveness. Little did I know, I would run into my former college housemate and newly-wed JMU connoisseur, Jonathan, where we spent the next 2 hours discussing the new era of JMU football unfold before us on the field.
Most of you know me as @Michael_2clutch “tweeting unofficial JMU news, witty nonsense and a plethora of things” and that is how the guys at the Sports Blog reached out to me to write this guest post. As I sat there in O’Neill’s Grill, in the process of devouring the coveted cookie skillet, I began to recap what I had the pleasure of witnessing on the field.
Here are a few takeaways from JMU’s 2014 scrimmage: read more…
The Dukes preseason football camp is in full swing. Over the weekend, the team put on the full pads and really got down to business. In the video above, Vad Lee offers his thoughts on practice, the tempo, and the team’s offensive weapons. You can also check out video practice reports from Daniel Brown, Dean Marlowe, and Alex Mosley.
Former Duke Josh Wells is working hard to make the Jaguars. After seeing a lot of action in last weekend’s preseason game, Wells got some reps with the second team this week. That’s a move up the depth chart from the third team. NFL.com’s Ian Rappaport hints that Wells might be an undrafted free agent who actually defies the odds and makes the team.
Wells former teammate from JMU, Jordan Stanton, had his second sack in as many preseason games. Some analysts think Stanton has a real shot to make the 53 man roster or at least earn a spot on the practice squad.
Soccer season is almost here, and the JMU ladies were picked to finish second in the CAA behind preseason favorite Hofstra. Expectations are lower for the men, who were predicted to finish dead last.
JMU Field Hockey will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its National Championship this Fall. Christy Morgan, the woman who coached the Dukes to that title, is back and in charge of program. The ladies were picked to finish 4th in the CAA, but maybe a little championship magic will carry them to a title in this anniversary year.
As fellow, if opposing, NL East fans Rob (Mets) and I (Nats) shared a good laugh today thinking about what tonight’s Nats game would’ve been like if uber-buttclinchers McCann and Larry were still playing for Atlanta in light of Bryce Harper’s new stunt scratching out the “A” behind the plate. Needless to say, the #Barves pride themselves on being the undisputed, and unbearable, keepers of those notorious “unwritten rules” that baseball, in all it’s monotony and guys-getting-chesty-but-not-doing-anything faux machismo, seems to care so much about. So we started going back and forth on whether there were any unwritten rules to JMU fandom. Turns out we had a good time coming up with quite a few and hopefully you all can add to them in the comments. Also, there just isn’t all that much to say till the games kick off (soon, it’s very soon!) and we’re disgusted by this weekend’s top, and unmentionable, sports story, which seems as if it has a touch of pure evil and certainly turns the stomach.
One great piece of news is that Jordan Stanton had ANOTHER strip-sack for Rob’s Giants this week and it seems likely there are NY fans, and hopefully coaches, starting to believe in the JMU standout!
The Unwritten Rules of JMU Fandom
10. No matter how bad you have to go, you will catch at least part of the MRD’s at the half. You are personally allowed to make fun of your annoying band-geek suite mate, but people from other schools better not say shit about the band (or the Duke in the Dukettes)!
9. You must pretend the Ticks are still our big rival even though they’re in a six-bid hoops league
8. Unless you’re in recovery, NEVER turndown ‘shine when offered at a tailgate.
7. Purple, not red, Solo cups (Party City people, get on it)
6. A broken collarbone or a busted shoulder is no excuse for poor streamer form (learned this one the hard way being mocked by a six-year old last season).
5. Aside from 109, you will not be allowed to stand or cheer loudly during the first 55 minutes of a game thanks to the douches behind you (hopefully the new era will put this one to the test this year)
4. You must learn the words, at least the chorus, to “Start Wearing Purple”
3. You do not cheer, support, boost, or back, you ROOT! (fer Dukes, bud)
2. Always excuse Duke Dog as long as he’s not wearing that b.s. fake DD suit from ’11. You’re allowed to shove a grandparent to make room for Duke Dog.
1. Always have absurdly unrealistic expectations and threaten a lynch mob if they’re not met
In honor of worthless pregame coverage of exhibition preseason games, we thought we should warm up for the season with a little Beer of the Week practice.
August Beer.
Today was IPA Day. This makes sense because it’s August, you know, summertime, when it’s hot and an IPA tastes pretty good. And even though IPA’s time has now clearly passed in the hipster beer-geek world, at least that’s an actual beer.
As opposed to Pumpkin anything. As we’ve stated multiple times, pumpkin beer is a bullshit excuse to get non-drinkers to open their wallets and sugar their glasses. Even you PumpKing. And you Punkin. And all of you other horrible punning names stealing shelf-space, in the middle of the damned summer already, from real beer. Please go away. Pumpkin beer on an Ashburn porch is to the 2010’s what Strawberry Daiquiris were to the 80’s in a fern bar. Disgraceful.
Ok, glad we got that off our chests. Now on to a couple of football related items. As most of you know by now, the P5 conferences (formerly the BCS) voted to give themselves autonomy today from the rest of the NCAA teams. You’re welcome to deep-dive this, but the main effect seems to us to be pushing the G5 conferences (CUSA/MAC/SunBelt among them) back towards FCS. At least until one or more of those conferences vote, as they are now allowed to do, to keep up with the Joneses on the “full cost of attendance” and other benefits now coming for the big boys. Of course, this also officially means FCS/1-AA/JMU are officially Division II. But hey, at least NC State announced a game in five years with JMU! (a game they’ll almost certainly not be allowed to play under new rule changes but we can crow now and continue bilking our boosters under false pretenses)
On the positive side, Akeem Jordan was in on a couple tackles for the Skins tonight. We couldn’t bear watching long enough to see if Caussin played so fill us in below in the comments. Also, check out this cool story on Jordan Stanton, who’s certainly cranking up the press and hopefully forcing the Giants to take a long look.
The JMU football program kicked off practice for the 2014 season this week. The Dukes will have about a month of preseason camp before facing Maryland in College Park on August 30. After fifteen years of the Mickey Matthews’ regime, it’s now Everetty Withers time. With the change in coaches, there are a lot of questions heading into the season. There is also a lot of excitement. Here are three of the stories we’ll be watching closely during camp.
1. The Transfers
Former Georgia Tech QB Vad Lee might be the most prominent FBS transfer on the roster, but he’s definitely not the only one. Withers and his staff have brought in FBS talent in to compete for spots all over the field. Alden Hill, a former Tennessee Volunteer, will line up behind Lee at running back. And Sean Tapley from UNC will join a receiving corps anchored by Daniel Brown that should provide Lee with plenty of options. But it’s not just skill guys. Co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Brad Davis will have some new blood to work with on the line. Nick Appel, another former Tar Heel, and former Toledo Mudhen A.J. Bolden are expected to compete for spots on a rebuilt offensive line that will feature only 2 returning starters from 2013.
Not every FBS player can walk into an FCS camp and immediately dominate, yet along earn a starting spot. The influx of FBS talent will probably increase the competition at certain spots though. And that seems to be a key piece of the Everett Withers plan, pushing the players to compete and be held accountable at all times. That’s great and something that is needed after the program essentially plateauing during Matthews’ last few years.
2. The Switch to a 3-4 Defense
I’m not going to pretend to be some film junkie who can break down the Xs and Os for you. I’m not Jaws. I’m sure that’s pretty obvious to any of you who are familiar with the blog. But I am curious to see how the Dukes’ defense responds to a shift to a 3-4 system.
Mickey Matthews’ teams were known for strong defense. He coached some truly great defensive squads over the years that were capable of shutting down opponents. With a new coaching staff comes a new philosophy however and JMU is now moving to a 3-4. The Dukes now not only need to replace Stephon Robertson, one of the program’s top linebackers in history, and Jordan Stanton, a guy who could get to the QB, they need to learn a completely new system. Personally, I think things will work out just fine. Gage Steele impressed me greatly last season and I think the young linebacker has the talent to make the leap to an All CAA type of player this year. Provided the Dukes can shore up some of the holes in the secondary and pressure the QB, the defense should be fine.
3. Vad Lee
We mentioned Vad as the most prominent of the transfers, but he really deserves his own spot on this list. In addition to installing a completely new defensive system in less than 30 days, the Dukes are switching offensive philosophies as well. They’ll be playing an uptempo system based on the read option. It’s a system that depends on the QB making the right reads and decisions. To say that much of the offense’s success will come down to Lee’s play is not just simple, it’s accurate.
Lee was very impressive in the spring and the clear frontrunner for the QB1 spot prior to Michael Birdsong transferring. As soon Birdsong left, it cleared the way for Lee to take the helm and make the Dukes his team. According to reports, he’s done just that. Lee has impressed teammates with his work ethic and attitude and seems like the sort of leader the offense needs. He’s got some serious weapons at his disposal. If he makes the right reads and gets the ball to some of the Dukes playmakers, this offense could be very exciting.
