Steve Brown is one of the most loyal Dukes’ fans out there. He also won last week’s prediction contest. Here’s his piece on finding a rival for JMU football.
There are so many great rivalries in sports: Yankees v. Red Sox; North Carolina v. Duke; Auburn v. Alabama; Army v. Navy; Nadal v. Federer; and Navratilova v. Evert. Since 2016, JMU does not have a conference rival. Over the last 5 years, JMU has won 81% of its games with a record of 59–14 through last Saturday. Since 2014, JMU has only 1 loss to Richmond and William & Mary combined, both in back to back weeks in 2015. Neither Richmond nor William & Mary are JMU’s rival.
Before 2014, Richmond was JMU’s rival; William & Mary not so much. Over a 20-year timeframe, from 1994 – 2013 in the regular season, UR won 11 games and JMU won 9. During that same timeframe, JMU was 14-6 over William & Mary. Also, there is no other team in JMU’s CAA division that rises to the level of being a rival at this time. So, who could be JMU’s new rival in the CAA? Is it Delaware? Not really. JMU is 4-0 since 2015 against Delaware. We should play Delaware every year by the way.
Stony Brook could be a good rival for JMU over the next few years if they remain in the rotation. The last visit to Stony Brook by JMU was in 2014 and it was a close, hard fought 27-24 win by the Dukes on a cold early November day. Three of the five games we have played against Stony Brook have been decided by 3 points, but two of those three games were in 2013 and 2014. Stony Brook is on a good trajectory right now and the game on Saturday is the one I see as a good test for JMU in many ways. This should be like a first or second round playoff game for the first half of the first quarter and then JMU will settle in. Stony Brook cannot stop JMU’s offense and JMU’s defense can shut down anyone, all night long.
This Saturday, I am expecting to see a loaded JMU team dominate in all 3 phases, just like it has done all year long. This JMU team does not care where the game is played; they feed off of physically beating down the other team until they tap. The waves and waves of JMU players and schemes is too over whelming and it will be that way on the north shore of Long Island on Saturday night. My prediction: JMU wins 45—9.
The Dukes got CAA play started last weekend with a big win over Elon. Now they’ll try to keep the streak going on a road trip up to Long Island. You know the drill.JMU plays Stony Brook on Saturday. And we want to hear your prediction for the game. Leave a comment below letting us know who you think will win. The person who comes closest to nailing it (winner & score) will get to write a guest post. Easy as pie. So give us your prediction and Go Dukes!
JMU went on the road to face the Elon Phoenix and kick off the 2019 CAA football season this past weekend. Things went well. The Dukes absolutely crushed Elon to the tune of 45-10. It wasn’t as close as the score might indicate. After letting Elon score to go up 7-0 on its opening drive, it was all JMU. The Dukes offensive line had quite a day, clearing lanes for running game and giving Nooch plenty of time to throw. JMU rushed for 336 yards while limiting Elon to only 36. It wasn’t a perfect game, but it was a pretty great way to start conference play. Here are three things I liked about the win, and one I didn’t.
The Running Game
Where to begin? As mentioned above, the Dukes ran for over 300 yards. We supposed you could argue about who deserves the credit. Was it the coaches for creating the gamleplan, the offensive line for opening holes so big you or I could have run through them, or the backs for making guys miss, running North-South, and barreling through tackles? The truth is it was all three. If you focused on the line of scrimmage (and you probably did if you watched on FloSports, which seemed intent on keeping the camera on the line instead of following the ball), you probably wouldn’t think this was a match-up of two Top 25 teams.
JMU’s line completely outplayed Elon’s defensive front. It didn’t even look like a fair fight at times. And the game plan the coaches created was terrific. More methodical than spectacular, the Dukes just stuck with what worked, leaning on Elon and running the ball down until the Phoenix broke. And break they did. Finally, all of the running backs were terrific. We’ve said our piece about the idea of running back by committee, but there’s something to be said for running 4 or 5 guys out there who can get the job done.
QB Pressure
There’s been a lot to like about the play of the Dukes front four thus far this season. However, despite the strong play, the guys haven’t been getting to the quarterback. That changed yesterday. JMU defenders were in Davis Cheek’s face all game. For the game, the Dukes had 5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. The constant pressure threw off Cheek’s timing, causing him to run for his life and rush throws. He’s a solid QB who isn’t easily rattled. Yet, the Dukes defense managed to hold him to only 14 completions on 32 attempts. They were in Cheek’s face all day. And it made a difference.
Punching Back
In the game versus UTC, JMU coughed up a 14 point lead and found itself tied in the blink of an eye. They responded by turning up the intensity and taking control of the game. Against Elon, JMU surrendered a touchdown on the opening drive and dug themselves in a 7-0 hole early. Thankfully, took the punch and punched right back.
The Dukes didn’t flinch and they didn’t let the pressure get to them. They just went about their business and grabbed control of the game. JMU went about its game plan and left town with a big W. With Coach Cignetti facing his former team for the first time since coming to JMU, there was the potential for distraction. And when Elon went up early, the Dukes could have succumbed to the pressure and let things get away from them. They didn’t know. They stayed focused and played great. So much so, that the opening TD become little more than a footnote.
That Tackling Though
It was a nice win, but JMU didn’t play a perfect game. We could pick nits and point out all the things that we didn’t like. But let’s just stick to one that stood out. The Dukes did not tackle well. They were terrific in the running game, collapsing on ball carriers and swallowing them up. But they really struggled to tackled guys in open space, particularly receivers.
We understand that this sounds like grumpy old Monday morning quarterback nonsense. But we could do with fewer attempts to knock dudes down, and a bit more fundamental tackling. I lost track of how many times JMU defenders lined guys up for hits, only to have Elon guys lower their pads and push on through. And there were plenty of failed arm tackles. The JMU defense is good. It could be great if they did a better job wrapping dudes up and taking them down.
The Basics
Matchup: #2 JMU Dukes (3-1, 0-0 CAA) at #24 Elon (2-2, 1-0 CAA)
Kickoff: 2 PM Saturday, September 28
Location: Rhodes Stadium, Elon (really Burlington), NC
Weather: Partly Cloudy with a 40% chance of afternoon showers/storms. High 90.
Broadcast: FloFootball Only. Yup, we all finally have to bite the bullet and punch ourselves in the face with CAA Commish Joey D’s moron network. Guess we’ll see. Side note, as hoops preseason emails and hype got going the last week or so, it’s been funny to see our non-football CAA friends at Northeastern, Drexel, etc. start to realize what a hideous thing paying 12.99 per month is for something that was hard enough to get casual fans that you need to build a fanbase watching when it was free despite the fact it was their AD’s that voted for this nonsense over the reported objections of JMU and W&M.
Friends in the Desert: JMU -13.5 (-560 ML), O/U 51
Hart won last week’s prediction contest and earned the right to guest post. Here’s a little something he put together to get us all ready for this Saturday’s game.
Revenge against the Phoenix. It sounds like a good movie title or, rather, a good title for a bad sci-fi movie. I am not a fan of make believe and story time when it comes to entertainment. Let’s stick to what is real – sports, sports, sports. Fierce competition, Winners and Losers, objective results, let’s find out who is the best. ‘Merica! Speaking of ‘Merica, shout out to our youngest, Chase, who is stationed at the Coronado Naval Base in San Diego. He is living the dream in sunny SoCal while committed to making the sacrifices necessary to defend our country. Freedom ain’t free y’all.
Well, Lightning struck twice and somehow I was lucky enough to win the JMU SportsBlog prediction contest again so I get to write the guest blog inserting a bunch of random thoughts and meaningless prose. Since I am on fire I will throw out this Saturday’s Powerball lottery numbers 1,3,13,34,35 and 21. Please submit 10% of your winnings to the Hart retirement fund. Thanks in advance.
Just a little Conference monologue
It seems the collegiate athletic atmosphere is ripe for JMU to FINALLY make a move to the promised land. The administration has been teasing us for a decade while former FCS peers have moved up to compete at the highest football level. JMU said no to Conference USA. JMU said no to the Sun Belt conference. JMU hasn’t made advances towards the MAC. These conferences were all considered not good enough for picky JMU. Well, good enough is finally here. UConn announced its departure from the American Athletic Conference AAC this Summer and the conference is down to 11 football teams. This is a big boy football conference with exactly the types of universities JMU should align with. None of them are the state flagship school, but many are a very loud second fiddle in their state: Cincinnati, Temple, East Carolina, Central Florida, South Florida, Memphis, Houston, Navy, SMU, Tulsa, & Tulane. What is JMU’s all-time football record against these teams? 6-3. That’s right kids. This program already belongs even before investment into 22 additional scholarships and other necessities for FBS football. It is easy to see that there would be a short transition from FCS power to competing at the top of the AAC. Throw in 4 OOC games a year similar to what former peers are getting now and you would see UVA, Va. Tech, ODU, and Richmond/W&M on the schedule too. Conceding that JMU will never get into a Power 5 conference, the current opening in the AAC is the best case scenario for JMU to move up. If president Alger can’t get all sports into the AAC, then a great plan B is to get only football into the AAC. CAA football is separate from the CAA Olympic sports and it would be an easy separation if needed. Throw in the fact that the AAC has already shown the willingness to take partial members with Navy (Football only) and Wichita State (all sports except football).
The AAC has a huge, long-term 12 year $1 Billion media contract with ESPN which provides the financial stability everyone is looking for. The AAC commissioner, Mike Aresco, worked for CBS and ESPN previously and mostly in the negotiations for and the broadcasting of college sports. In short, he is well connected. Guess who else has worked many years at ESPN with college sports programming. JMU Alum Lee Fitting, that’s who. Can you say JMU to the AAC? All the puzzle pieces make sense and have fallen into place. Grease the skids Lee! Do your duty for the Dukes of JMU! Check out the numerical sequence for his personal impact… 2015 College Gameday at JMU, 2017 College Gameday at JMU again, 2019 JMU to the AAC. It is science.
Commish Mike Aresco quote from July 16, 2019 – “People have my phone number. If somebody is interested in our conference, we’d listen. Someone interested in us who could enhance our strength and brand, we would consider it.” Hopefully, Jeff Bourne is having a daily good morning call with his new best buddy Mike Aresco.
Travel tip of the week
For those who love seeing new places, be intentional and schedule a vacation to Israel (Spring or Fall, not Summer because the desert areas get too hot). We love seeing different countries and how people live across the world, but our April trip to Israel was top notch. It is a very small country and you can see most of the inhabitable land in less than 2 hours drive East to West and maybe 4 hours drive North to South. The variety of geography and climate is tremendous in such a small land area. The Mediterranean Sea, snow capped Mt. Hermon, the most productive agricultural acreage in the world, the Dead Sea 1400 feet below sea level and on and on. It is worth the money even though there is a next level hate there with Muslims, Christians, and Jews all claiming the small country as their Holy Land. There has never been peace there and there never will be for that reason. IMO, it was very, very interesting to see the dynamic up close and personal where you could absolutely feel the tension. For us the coolest part of the trip was walking exactly where Jesus walked. It doesn’t get any more powerful than that and the words of the Bible come alive when you are standing where it all went down 2000 years ago. The Hart recommendation is to add Israel to your bucket list, you won’t regret it.
This week’s opponent – Elon
Ok, Revenge against the Phoenix this Saturday is necessary to heal JMU nation from last year’s huge upset. Elon was a massive 28 point underdog last year, but pulled it off with a +2 advantage in turnovers and then a tipped, immaculate reception on the game winning drive seen at the :22 mark of this video clip.
Amazingly, Elon only converted an anemic 1 of 15 on 3rd downs and still won the game 27-24. Pedestrian QB Davis Cheek completed just 16 of 32 passes and 6 were on Elon’s 16th and penultimate possession. This is a once in a lifetime type anomaly. We should not see a repeat this week and JMU’s defense will dominate. The Dukes are giving up hardly anything on the ground at 69 yards rushing per game which ranks 3rd in the nation. This spells big trouble for Cheek who survives on play-action passing to be a serviceable QB. Without an effective running game, he gets exposed for having inadequate passing skill to get it done. The rumor is that JMU’s elite CB Rashad Robinson will be back from his injury which makes things even more bleak for Elon. On the defensive side of the ball, the Phoenix are bad this year giving up an average of 30 points per game. If they try to load the tackle box with defenders as expected, JMU could and should have a field day throwing quick, short passes to the perimeter. JMU WR’s Riley Stapleton and Brandon Polk have no match on the opposite side of the ball. That’s for sure.
One year after the upset, coach Cignetti has been hired away from Elon and is now roaming JMU’s sidelines at $425,000 per year. This game should not be close, but Cignetti certainly will not run up the score. He was the leader for not only the players on Elon’s current team, but also the new Elon head coach and multiple remaining assistants worked for him. He intimately knows the strengths and weaknesses of every player on Elon’s roster and it should be a no-brainer gameplan for him. It is, however, his chance to prove that he can beat yours with his and beat his with yours. It is his chance to show that coaching matters in college sports. In fact, the coach = the program. At hiring day, he stated that JMU significantly underachieved going 9-4 last year and a new sheriff was in town to rectify the situation. He immediately set the expectation at Championship or bust. The road to the FCS National title goes straight through and over Elon as well as other middling teams in the CAA.
Prediction time
I always like to check with my wife for her thoughts on the outcome of the upcoming game of the week. Her profound and eloquent answer this week was “I don’t knoooooooow”. Exactly, I don’t know either. Nobody knows. That is one of the reasons why sports are so great and riveting. We could see another once in a lifetime upset like last year, but I’m not expecting anything of the sort. JMU has control of this one by halftime and Cignetti plays nice in the sandbox so his former players/coaches don’t get too embarrassed.
JMU 34
Elon 13
Go Duuuuuuukes!
BOTW
The Beer of the week doesn’t fit into JMU SPORTSBLOG’s penchant for niche craft beer, but I stumbled into it at Outback Steakhouse a year ago and now it is my fave. Introducing Sam ’76 a mass produced “craft” beer from Samuel Adams Brewing Boston, MA. It is a hybrid ale and lager that is tasty while not being too heavy on the ol’ stomach. Just as stated in their advertising campaign, it is crushable. Sam ‘76 – I CAN TASTE MY BEER! Please Bridgeforth Aramark beverages manager person, add Sam ‘76 to your gameday can menu. I will commit to buying one every game. (as part of the deal, must stop ridiculous giant X marker on hand)
And while I’m at it, now is a good time to support building a public Beer Garden in the new Atlantic Union Bank Center. Other College arenas have already done this. Git-r-done. Beer = $$$ and happy people. JMU sports fans are showing in Bridgeforth stadium that they know how to imbibe in line with James Madison’s vision of yore. If you ever visit his Montpelier home, check out the gigantic size of his wine/beer cellar. Or refer to his colonial platform promoting beer manufacturing among the Founding Fathers. Madison wanted to form a national beer brewery in 1809 and appoint a Secretary of Beer to the presidential cabinet. That’s right, Secretary of Beer. Who wouldn’t want that cushy job? Although Congress didn’t agree with the plan, it was clearly an ingenious idea 200 years ahead of its time. Let’s get this thing done right on the campus bearing his name. Based on construction photos, it looks like there is plenty of room in the basement of the new Atlantic Union Bank Center to fit brewing equipment. Instead of Sam ’76, let’s start cranking out some James ’09 and all of America’s problems will be solved overnight.
p.s. on a related stadium beverage note, Mrs. Hart is not happy with the elimination of Cheerwine from the soda fountains in Bridgeforth stadium. Fix it or else! Happy wife = happy life.
The Dukes finally get CAA play started this weekend with a game against Coach Cignetti’s old Elon squad. It should be a good contest and we want to know how you think it will turn out. Leave a comment below with your prediction for Saturday’s game. 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!
The Basics
Matchup: #2 JMU Dukes (2-1, 0-0 CAA) vs. Chattanooga (1-2, 0-0 SoCon)
Kickoff: 4:04 PM Saturday, September 21
Location: Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, TN
Weather: Sunny with a high of 88 degrees
Broadcast: ESPN+
Random Collection of Facts I Recently Learned About Chattanooga
One might assume that these JMUSB previews are hastily thrown together without much thought or preparation. In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Before some games (but not all), we actually conduct legitimate research into the Dukes’ opponent in a sincere attempt to inform you, our dear readers. Other weeks we just Google the school and see what we come up with. You’ll never guess which route we went this week. So without further ado, here are some random facts we learned about Chattanooga.
Terrell Owens Went There
This is not terrible interesting, but it’s the one thing you’re most likely to find when Googling Chattanooga Football.
Call the School Whatever You Like
We found the school referred to as University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, and UTC. Students, fans, and alums indicated that any of them are perfectly acceptable. They seem like a laid back bunch.
It’s Mocs Dammit
Whoa. They’re far less laid back about the nickname. The team is known as the Mocs. It’s not the Moccasins, as they’re quick to point out. And Mocs refers to the northern mockingbird, the state bird of Tennessee. Again, not moccasins. Prior to 1996, the team was known as the Moccasins, with the school utilizing both a snake and a shoe as mascots at different times. But now Mocs stands for mockingbirds and the mascot is Scrappy, a bird named after a former coach. And he rides around in a train, because of a song. It’s a whole thing. Just don’t call them the moccasins. Seriously. It’s Mocs.
The Mocs Are 62-48 All Time at Finley Stadium
But JMU is 1-0.
Chattanooga Is the Birthplace of a Pair of Iconic Inventions
The Moonpie and miniature golf were invented in Chattanooga. Neither has anything at all to do with UTC or this weekend’s game, but I like them both. So they get included.
Finley Stadium is Getting New Turf in December
Apparently it’s sorely needed. Something tells us, the playing surface will still be better than it was last time JMU played there.
UTC Football Had a Team GPA of 2.79 Last Year
Coincidentally, that’s the same GPA I had in college. UTC considers this impressive enough to boast about it online. I, on the other hand, have been hiding it from employers for over two decades, and convince them that a “May Session 4.0” is a noteworthy achievement.
UTC Has the Second Hardest Schedule in FCS
The Mocs haven’t even reached SoCon play, and JMU will already be the second Top 20 FCS program they play. After defeating Eastern Illinois in the opener, UTC lost to #10 Jacksonsville State. Then they lost to University of Tennessee, which wasn’t that bad since 98% of the UTC students are Vols fans anyway.
Hot UTC Can Win
Play to their strengths, which might also attack JMU’s weaknesses. With only three games under their belts, it’s foolish to pretend we know anything definitive about the Dukes. However, they have shown that the pass defense is susceptible to big plays. And until last week, they failed to generate QB sacks. That presents an opportunity for the Mocs, who have a couple of truly dangerous receiving threats and an offensive line that has yet to give up a sack.
Freshman receiver Lameric Tucker has been a big play threat for the Mocs. He only has 5 catches, but they’ve gone for 111 yards. His fellow receiver Bryce Nunnelly is an absolute stud. The junior was a consensus preseason All American, who averaged 112 receiving yards a game last year. If the Mocs’ offensive line can give QB Nick Tiano time to throw, Nunnelly is the type of receiver who could give JMU fits. The Mocs will need to take advantage of opportunities and connect on multiple big passing plays to pull of the upset.
How JMU Can Win
Protect the ball and shore up the pass defense. JMU is a deserved favorite in this game. The Mocs are better than the Dukes’ last two opponents, but JMU is still expected to take care of business. They just need to limit the turnovers and eliminate big plays in the Mocs passing attack.
There is no need to overthink things this week. JMU is the better team on paper. Provided they don’t make dumb mistakes and turn the ball over on offense, they should be able to move the ball against the UTC defense and get out of Tennessee with a win. UTC has a talented freshman running back in Ailym Ford, but we’re confident the Dukes can handle the Mocs’ rushing attack. But if they give UTC extra possessions, and have the same sort of breakdowns in the defensive backfield that they’ve had the past three weeks, it could be trouble. Hold onto the ball on offense and limit the big plays on defense though, and they’ll be fine.
JMUSB Beer of the Week
Some of you are fortunate to be going to Chattanooga to watch this one in person. Most of you are not. So that means you can enjoy a bigger beer while you watch from the comfort of you’re own coach. A bigger beer like The Sixth Glass from Boulevard Brewing Co. It’s a Belgian Quad from a brewery that everyone agrees is terrific, yet still seems vastly underrated. Anyway, it’s delicious and you should drink it.
Official JMUSB Prediction
Scheduling a home and home with Chattanooga was a terrific move for JMU. The Mocs are a solid SoCon program, with a loyal following. But the Mocs ceiling this year is probably only on the fringes of the Top 25 though. They’ve got some talented playmakers, but something tells us the Dukes pass D is going to take a big step forward this week. And Riley Stapleton is back, which should make the JMU offense that much better. We think the O-line busts open holes, running backs have a field day, receivers run free, and the D shuts the Mocs down. Dukes 42 – Mocs 10.
Sean Petrizzi is a long time reader and guy we’ve gotten to know through JMUSB. He won the late prediction contest. Here’s are his thoughts on the power of college sports.
First off, thank you Todd and Rob for their continued coverage of JMU. I was a freshman on campus when they first started. I quickly discovered that college football message boards are not a place I want to be (no shame to those who frequent the boards, just not my cup of tea). I applaud the two of you for always keeping things positive and for, bluntly, covering JMU sports before many others would. JMU has a lot that we are spoiled by and take for granted (something I thought about writing about) and having multiple outlets for JMU Sports news is certainly one of those ways. Congrats on 10 years!
I also want to point out how crazy it is that I last guest wrote 8! years ago and it’s crazy to look at those posts now. First of all, I hadn’t realized I wrote the first guest blog ever and talked about a need for JMU traditions and later that same season talked about how great it will be to have a true rival in ODU. Somethings have obviously changed. ODU has passed and then been repassed by JMU as a football school (wink wink), I stay in most Thursday nights with my wife and dog, and I graduated from JMU and now work in college athletics. It is from that interested perspective that I think JMU marketing team has done a phenomenal job with building a great game day atmosphere and true-to JMU traditions. A JMU game day is a special event that I do think we take for granted. MOST FBS and nearly all FCS schools would kill to have our tailgating atmosphere, an incredible pep band with a fan favorite signature song like “Start Wearing Purple” and roll out 6-8,000 students every Saturday like clockwork (I don’t care if they leave at halftime.) That is all thanks to the JMU Athletic Department.
BUT until the day it either comes to be or I die, I stand by the need to have purple smoke raise from the smokestack by the stadium after every JMU football victory! It’s perfectly located, and I think it would be just as signature JMU as our streamers. It doesn’t have to be New Pope level smoke. Just get a bunch of those smoke bombs, place it in the bottom, and light em off! The first rules of sports marketing is 1. Everyone loves free tshirts and 2. Everyone else thinks their idea is the best and easy to do but I am CONVINCED we can make this work somehow! Call me.
I digress. What I really want to write about today is the unbelievable power and the positive effects of College Athletics in America. Forgive me for the length of this article, but there is nothing that I am more passionate about than college sports. My angelic wife has been a trooper on every trip we have ever taken because my special brand of geek is visiting college campuses and seeing their sports venues. That has meant taking side trips to Cheney, Washington to see red turf, Yale, Dartmouth and Brown in one trip (not exactly a straight shot from Richmond to Portland, Maine and back) and both Bozeman and Missoula to name just a few.
Now, there is plenty to be said about the negative side of things and there is plenty I would change if I had the ability. Paying athletes, academic reform and health effects are all things I think people should and will continue to look into. But all you have to do is visit Harrisonburg or any other great college town on a Saturday afternoon in the fall, take off your glasses that takes American College Sports fandom for granted, and realize nothing else other than college athletics can move people in the same way. Bring a European friend to a game as I have, and they will be blown away. One of the few possibly comparable sport is European Soccer in terms of passion, pageantry and ability to unite fans and divide rivals.
The word pageantry is the best word to sum up what is different to me about college athletics than pro. It is rare that a pro team can match the marching and pep bands, team entrances and traditions each school has. I have worked at or with 6 different universities and been a die hard fan of two others, and each school no matter how big or small, has multiple things that make it their own and endears their fans to not just the sports teams, but the university and the town as well. Wake Forest has their motorcycle, W&M has “The Delis” for your postgame enjoyment, VCU has “You Don’t Wanna Go To War,” and Navy has more incredible traditions than I can count. You can’t tell me many things in life give you chills more than singing the fight song and throwing streamers after a touchdown. It doesn’t get any better than that. I grew up raised on the Giants and Mets (shout out Rob) but it is just not the same level of devotion that I have to JMU.
That extends to your game day routine. Everyone has one, everyone loves theirs. You love your tailgating spot, you love your tailgating meal and beverage of choice, you love your postgame restaurant and bar. At JMU, game day is an event as Curt Dudley is a fan of saying. It couldn’t be more true. What is more fun than college game days? There is no better way to bring alumni, friends, and family together and link them to their school. You don’t have to be a sports fan and your team doesn’t even have to be good to enjoy it (thought it always helps.) And think about what that routine does for small college towns. Harrisonburg would not have half of what the town can offer if it wasn’t for JMU and I am sure many of those businesses’ best 6 days a year are game days. You just would not have that if it wasn’t for college athletics.
Another immeasurable benefit of college athletics is the notoriety it brings to any school. It’s not free publicity by any means, but it is a major effect. Go back to that European friend. I’d be willing to guess you could not name more than 5-10 European universities. But most Europeans could name several American schools. That is not in small part due to college athletics. They know the Texases, the Bamas, the Carolinas and Dukes of the world because of their athletic success; football and basketball but also more popular European sports like soccer. Ask yourself this, if you had to apply to one college in Idaho, what school would it be? My guess is it wouldn’t be Northwest Nazarene, the top ranked school in the state. It would probably be Boise State. And you only know the existence of Boise State because of their blue turf and successful football program. Similar statements can be said for Gonzaga and even in the commonwealth with VCU. I only know the names Fairleigh-Dickinson, Oral Roberts and what the hell a Saluki is because I have seen them on Selection Sunday when filling out my bracket. William and Mary is one of the best public schools in the country. But why are other schools in the conversation academically with them more well known nationally? Cause UVA and similarly sized Wake Forest are in the ACC. Even the most well-known schools in the country see upticks in application numbers when they have athletic success. Wake Forest has a graphic in their stadium showing the applications increase after winning the ACC Championship in 2006. I’d imagine the Cavaliers are reaping those benefits this year and Villanova assuredly has.
JMU is no stranger to this effect. Most of my mom’s family is from Montana. They know JMU because of 2004. I still talk to them every time we visit about beating Virginia Tech. I am sure you all have your own stories about wearing JMU gear in airports or Disney World and people knowing JMU because of that single victory and then as the team that beat North Dakota State and won an FCS title. I don’t even have to mention the publicity sparked by hosting College Game Day. Until that show goes off the air, every single week they will show clips of their time at JMU. Imagine how much the school would have to pay to get that kind of national exposure.
These are just the benefits to us fans and our school. The true lifetime benefits extend to the student-athletes. Again, there are things that need to be changed and student-athletes work for every benefit they receive and it very well might fall short to what they put in. Much has been said about the “quality” of education some student-athletes receive. I standby that some of that onus falls on the students themselves. All of this is true and I believe those who make these statements. But there is no denying that many have received an educational opportunity because of college athletics. Many who would not have been able to attend college have because of athletics. President Taylor Reveley, IV, the son of Taylor Reveley, III of William and Mary, who I had the honor to work with at Longwood University wrote a great article on this subject. He speaks about the importance of college athletics both historically and looking forward. I ask you take off your bias of the news outlet where it is written, both positive or negative in your eyes, and read it.
So to FINALLY close, join the Duke Club. The two best ways you can affect the outcome on the field is by joining to support student-athletes and then showing up early and staying the whole game. Recruits care about that A LOT. They want to play in front of a full stadium. And I am not just talking about football. Make as many basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse games as possible. We’re so blessed to be nationally relevant in so many sports at JMU. Trust me, not every fan base can enjoy multiple wins over national top-ranked teams, NCAA tournament victories, and so SO many conference titles. The single negative aspect of working in college athletics is not being able to get back to Harrisonburg as much as I want for games since I am often at other college’s games.
Support your student-athletes who wear your school colors, take in game day and the purple and gold in a renewed light next time you attend a game and share in our fight for glory and honors won while brightening the lights of Madison at your local viewing party this weekend. (Shameless, cheesy plug)
Coach Cignetti and the Dukes go on the road this weekend to the site of the 2004 championship game. This time it’s not for a title, but instead for a game against Chattanooga out of the Southern Conference. It should be a step in competition after back to back games against completely overmatched teams.
Like we do for each game, we’re running a predictions contest. It’s simple. Leave a comment below letting us know who you think will win the game and what the score will be. The person who comes closest to nailing it (winner & score) will get to write a guest post. That’s it. Now give us your predictions and Go Dukes!
The Dukes did what they had to do in their week three contest against an overmatched Morgan State squad. Coach Cignetti and the boys stuck out a weather delay and soundly defeated the Bears by the score of 63-12. It wasn’t as close at that sounds. Ben DiNucci got the start at QB, but both Cole Johnson and Gage Maloney got reps behind center. And all three guys made plays, combining for a JMU record-tying 6 touchdown passes. Overall, JMU compiled 507 yards of offense and limited Morgan State to 2.3 yards per carry on the ground. Overall, it was another positive step forward in the journey to prepare for CAA play. Here are three quick thoughts on the win.
The Nooch
Caveat it all you want, but Ben DiNucci had a great game. While a large portion of the fanbase can’t move past his disappointing playoff performance against Colgate, he seems to have put it behind him. He opened the season making some big plays against WVU, but also had a few mistakes and a pick. Then last week against St. Francis he made some nice throws, but had decisions in the red zone that Cignetti wasn’t thrilled with. Against Morgan State though, the Nooch was dropping dimes and hitting receivers in stride all game, plus making plays with his feet. And he responded well to Cignetti’s criticism, leading the Dukes to touchdowns on all redone possessions while he was in the game. Yes, we know it was just Morgan State, but he was making the exact sort of throws that everyone claimed he couldn’t make. He’s not perfect and he’s going to make mistakes. But he’s the Dukes’ QB folks. It’s time to get behind him and root, instead of picking apart his games or waiting for the other shoe to drop.
About That Defense
Like the Nooch, the JMU defense sured up some things and took another step forward against Morgan State. Despite two solid performance to open the season, the Dukes had failed to generate much pressure on the QB. JMU was able to get after the Bears’ signal callers to the tune of 3 sacks. The front four was aggressive and in the backfield all game. When the guys on the d-line wasn’t getting to the QB, they were suffocating the running backs. Aden Atariwa is going to be headache for CAA teams and John Daka is a handful. And while D’Angelo Amos is known for his return abilities, he was all over the field and showed everyone how valuable he is on D with his 9 total tackles.
While the run D looks ready for CAA play, the pass D still has some room to grow. Now it’s only week three, so there’s no need to panic. JMU has faced a Big 12 team, and two overmatched FCS teams that had to air it out to attempt comebacks. Against Morgan State though, the Dukes once again gave up multiple big plays in the passing game. We’re still confident in the defense, but there are clearly a few things the team needs to work on to prevent potentially game turning plays.
Developing Depth
One of the great things about winning big, is that it gives Coach Cignetti a chance to pull the starters. Combined with the new redshirt rule, and you end up with a situation where young guys get game reps. And lots of them have been making plays for JMU. We don’t expect JMU to play this deep into the roster come CAA play. And we’ve discussed our desire for a feature running back to emerge. But through three games, it’s been exciting to see how many backups look capable. Six running backs carried the ball against Morgan State. Eleven different players caught passes. And 25 total players got snaps on defense. Sure, some of these guys will end up redshirting and won’t likely see the field during the core of the season, but it’s encouraging to see regardless.
