As an officer in the armed forces, I am constantly responsible for maintaining what we refer to as “situational awareness”. This is the idea that to effectively maintain unit readiness and effectively respond to threats, you must always be aware of the situation around you. Sometimes, you can be so caught up in the details that is behooves you to take a step back and figure out how you got into the current situation and whether you are headed in the right direction. Let’s check that compass and wind it back to our most successful season (2004) and see how we got here…
Offense 2004
The 2004 team was built around the offensive line. The line consisted of three (yes, three, the youngest of which signed with the Buffalo Bills) HUGE tackles, and three interior linemen that would rather punch you in the face than block you (see: Burns, George: Kidney Punch). Additionally, the “6th man” was 6’5”, 285 with about 2% body fat and literally bent and broke equipment in the weight room. The backfield consisted of a balanced RB (signed w/ New York Jets), a power runner, and a 3rd RB who came out of nowhere and made big plays when he was needed (Furman, 4th and Goal). Additionally, the offense was operated by a transfer QB who had the ability to read coverages, throw the deep ball, run the option and (gasp) read the defense and call his own audibles. The WR’s stepped up and made big time plays when it counted (Maine, Furman). We ran variations of the following formations: I-Formation, Shotgun and One-Back (2-tight). Every 4 downs, it was a lock that we were going to run either the power or the zone run (successfully) at least once. 3rd and short was a guaranteed 1st down because smash mouth football was our bread and butter. It was a JMU football tradition for the offense and defense to get in a sideline-clearing brawl on the first day of full-pad practice.
Offense 2011
In my opinion, the 2011 team is built around one or two players. It appears to me that the entire offense is (was) built around Dae’Quan Scott and/or Justin Thorpe. If we look back, this approach all began during the Rodney Landers era. The idea is that you get a stud athlete that is far better than the competition and let him go make plays. Obviously, this worked (sort of) during the Landers Era. This tactic is common with teams like the Indianapolis Colts (Peyton Manning), Michigan Wolverines (Denard Robinson), and various pop-warner teams. The problem with this tactic, as we found out in 2008 against Montana (and the colts found out this year), is that if (when) that player is injured, your offense tanks. The other glaring problem is that the defense only has to shut down one guy to effectively kill the offense. There is no “I” in TEAM, as they say.
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While we’ve all been cringing about the gridiron freefall the last few weeks, there’s been big news elsewhere in JMU land, both incredibly good and unbelievably tragic.
First, we want to send our thoughts and prayers out to the family and friends of fifth-year senior cheerleader, former Duke Dog, and incredible JMU fan Nick Keatts. We didn’t know Nick personally, but many of us remember him painting his face and dressing up as a purple-and-gold version of The Joker during the magical 2008 football season. We’re also not the ones to describe his impact on JMU, so we’ll just leave that to The Breeze. But all you need to know about his impact on JMU and JMU athletics is that his memorial service was held tonight in The Convo. With all of our gnashing of teeth and whining and complaining, events like this should make us all step back and appreciate the unparalled sense of community that Madison gave, and continues to give, to each of us.
Your MLS Rookie of the Year in his purple and gold!
There’s no proper segue, so we’ll just move to the other end of the spectrum to send a HUGE congratulations out to former Dukes soccer star C.J. Sapong, who was today named MLS’ Rookie of the Year. I know soccer doesn’t move the JMU sports meter all that much and Rob and I just don’t have the bandwidth or motivation to cover it regularly, but we’re both huge soccer fans and it’s actually kind of unbelievable that a kid from JMU was just the named ROTY in national sports league! Sapong’s Sporting Kansas City team made it to the Eastern Conference finals this year while Sapong became a star on the field and off (google CJ Sapong/Hope Solo for a great laugh).
Just to stick with soccer, the men’s team is hosting this weekend’s CAA Tourney as a decent favorite with a solid shot of not only taking the title, but maybe advancing to the Big Dance as well. If you’re headed down for football and making it a weekend, the semis are Friday night and with a win the Final will be Sunday early afternoon. In fact, Sunday could be one of the best sports days at JMU in a long time as the CAA Final precedes the men’s hoops opener against Canisius which has been moved to 4 p.m. to accomodate the socccer match. For all of concern the last few weeks, it’s seriously not out of the question to think you could get to town Friday evening at 7, watch JMU Soccer win twice to take the CAA and punch their ticket, see new stud AJ Davis and the basketball team come out of the gates with a strong win, and even catch a victory on Saturday (hopefully accompanied by a Lehigh victory over Georgetown and a Texas St. upset of Central Arkansas)! Just couldn’t resist.
After JMU’s 28-10 loss to UNH, the Dukes’ playoff dreams are hanging by a thread. I’m obliged to point out that the Dukes can still win their final 2 games and get a bid. Personally, I don’t find that to be a tremendously exciting proposition though, and I doubt many of you do either. Plus, I’m not sure they’d have the resume to get a bid even if they got to 7 wins. Regardless, it’s the situation they are in. And now some brief thoughts on yesterday’s loss.
Football Games are 60 Minutes
The JMU defense was lights out for much of the second half. They were dialed in and put the clamps on the Wildcats high powered attack. Unfortunately, that same defense came out of the gates slow and let UNH build up a lead they never surrendered. Yes, UNH benefited from some great field position, but the defense was still atrocious in most of the first half. It’s tough to make the playoffs when you let your opposition race out to 25 points before the game was 20 minutes old.
Unlike the defense, JMU’s offense showed a lot of life early in the game. Dae’Quan Scott had a huge run in the Dukes first drive and UNH didn’t appear to have any answer for him. JMU came away with 10 points after it’s first 2 possessions. Then, the magic seemed to disappear. Even with the benefit of amazing field position consistently in the second half, JMU couldn’t punch it in the endzone.
The Not Very Special Teams
To win football games, teams need to win at all 3 phases of the game, offense, defense, and special team. Or something like that. I’m not exactly sure what the cliche is, but the Dukes’ special teams were anything but. They were terrible. This entire short and high kick-off strategy needs to stop. It does not work. And if it’s not a strategy, then JMU needs a new kicker. And nobody returning kicks is going to be confused for Scott McGee or Cortez Thompson anytime soon.
There Are Two Sides to Every Story…At Least
Obviously, there are different ways we could look at this game. Or any game for that matter. UNH did march all over JMU’s defense early, but you could point to the great starting field position they had. Or you could talk about how well the D played for most of the second half. Or about how much they miss Nick Evans. You could blame this loss on the offense’s inability to punch it in after the break. With short field after short field, JMU couldn’t cross the goal line. But you could easily chalk that up to the depleted offensive line or Thorpe’s suspension. Or you point out that JMU scored early, but UNH was just spotted too big a lead. And some other folks will lay the loss on Mickey and the staff. Rolling Jace (a righty) to the left 3 plays in a row before the half was odd. And turning down a penalty that would have given the Dukes 3rd and 6 from inside the ten for 4th and 1, was dicey. But maybe Mickey knew something we don’t. The point is there are a million ways to look at this. Right now, none of that matters. The Dukes are not short on excuses (legitimate or otherwise). They are short are wins. That’s really all that matters.
What It Means
I don’t know. I wish I did, but I don’t. JMU came really close to beating Maine and ODU. Had those games turned out differently, the Dukes would be battling for the CAA crown these next 2 weeks. They didn’t beat them though. They lost. And while we can argue all day about how things would have turned out differently if they were at full strength, they weren’t. It is what it is. JMU is a pretty decent team in the middle of the CAA pack. We can bitch about how disappointing that is, or we can hope they get hot, sneak into the playoffs, and turn in a Cinderalla run for the ages.
How’s your faith?! Well for you cynics out there, I’ve only got one thing to say. In the immortal words of Bad Ass Billy Gunn, “Suck It!” (Is the first paragraph too early for me to point out the oft-overlooked fact that Ravishing Rick Rude had a brief career renaissance thanks to his “bodyguard” stint for Shawn Michaels during the first incarnation of DX? Didn’t think so.)
The Dukes head to Durham, New Hampshire with their backs against the wall and a potential playoff berth hanging in the balance against the Wildcats this Saturday at noon. You can only catch the game online through UNH’s website as a $9.95 pay per view so the old-school wrastlin’ tie-in just seemed like a natural fit.
The Good
After losing three offensive linemen and DaeQuan Scott to injury in last week’s irritating loss, the Dukes got some good news this week as OG Matt Kraut and Scott have both returned to practice. Also, rFr Matt Cunningham, who’s now projected as the starter at LT, was pushing for playing time even before the injuries according to coaches so it’s possible after a week of practice to gel a little more, the dropoff on the OLine may not be nearly as severe as well feared after that hideous second half against ODU. On D, DE and JMUSB favorite DJ Bryant has had a somewhat shameful Twitter performance this week, but does seem to be progressing in the training room and there seems to be a decent chance he’ll be back as well to rush the passser.
Weather in Durham is projected to be crisp, but sunny. Also, this will be JMU’s first trip to UNH since they installed FieldTurf in ’07. These two facts should shield JMU from the speed-crushing (and soul) conditions the Dukes have often encountered during November trips to New England.
UNH has scored a ton of points this season (see The Bad), but their defense is butt-trifling. Yes, butt-trifling. They haven’t stopped anyone all year and have especially struggled the last three weeks against grind-it-out type opponents WM, URI, and UMass, even costing their offense precious time of possession and keeping the overall scores down. They only lost one of those three (WM), but needless to say, JMU’s offensive style lends itself to just the type of style that cramps the Wildcats’ style.
The Bad
UNH can really score. Especially through the air on the arm of QB Kevin Decker. This has been true for years and we should expect nothing different this year. JMU’s defense has “struggled” against the pass. That said, last week’s performance was deceptive in that despite all of our frustrations, the Dukes did seem to make strides in this department and our guess is ODU had slightly better athletes than UNH. We’ll see this week.
The Ugly
This game really may be the difference in making the playoffs or not. Mickey said this week he thought 2 out of 3 to get to 7-4, 5-3 CAA would get it done in his opinion, and it’s very tough to disagree. But losing this one would make it very difficult for the Dukes to finish higher than 5th in the CAA (Maine, Towson, ODU, UNH) and that would be a dicey proposition. As we said last Sunday, let’s all just let this thing play out before yellin’ and screamin’ but this one is HUGE.
Another ugly thing is UNH’s kicking game! Kicker’s missed a few clutch kicks and just from looking at the drive charts, it looks like the ‘Cats coaches don’t have much faith outside of 30 yards on FG’s. This may be the first time all year the Dukes enter a game on at least an even playing field in this department and this could be huge.
Gotta love Virginia!
JMUSB Beer of the Week
Desparate times call for desparate measures. This week calls for somethin’ a lil’ more serious. We’re going with Wasmund’s Single Malt Whisky from Virginia’s own Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville, VA. You can get a sweet tour of this hidden gem most Saturday’s and this is exactly the kind of winter warmer you need to hunker down with in your shed so you don’t have to explain to the spouse, kids, and pets why you’re intently and maniacally yelling at your laptop. Tastes great with a cigar too.
Prediction
Predicting late-season CAA football is like starting a land war in Asia. You just shouldn’t do it. But I’m tired of losing of our own contest and despite ALL the naysayers, Dukes take this one 27-21 as the offense controls the ball and the clock and limits UNH’s opportunities on offense.
Alright folks, the Dukes head up to New Hampshire this weekend to face the UNH Wildcats in the beauty of a stadium you see pictured above. Add a comment and let us know how your pick. The person who comes closest to nailing it (winner & score) will win the right to guest post on whatever he/she wants next week. Good luck and Go Dukes!
- A Redskins Superbowl victory – fat chance any time soon
- A Nationals World Series win – the future is coming quickly
- A Capitals Stanley Cup – the future is now
- A 2nd JMU Dukes Football National Championship – the window is closing
Yes, yesterday’s game at ODU was a terrible, gutwrenching, cringeworthy, and potentially disastrous loss for the Dukes. Even worse, on the offensive line JMU lost tackle Josh Wells to a broken leg, right guard Matt Krout to a concussion, and tackle AJ Scott to what Mickey described as “tore up his knee there.” But if you’re looking for a gloom and doom or coaching change or sky is falling predictions based solely on yesterday’s game, you’re in the wrong place (and I’m writing instead of Rob).
Here’s the thing. So far this year it’s taken trick play on a two-point conversion in OT from the CAA’s best team (Maine) and yesterday’s combination of a completely fluke play on 4th down giving ODU a TD in the first half and a typical CAA phantom horseshit pass interference call late to beat the Dukes. So let’s all just settle down. We’re not quitting on this tough-minded, extremely talented team and you shouldn’t be either! Anyone criticizing “halftime adjustments” or “playcalling” in the second half just wasn’t paying attention. The Dukes lost THREE offensive lineman and the starting tailback (although this is a much less serious injury long-term given the depth at that spot) before the third quarter was over. What the hell is any coach going to be able to call with confidence after that?! In the first half, I’d certainly be inclined to pick the nit of the 3rd and goal wildcat call before the half were it not for the fact the Dukes scored two TD’s and two FG’s on four first half possessions, all on long drives. Tough to argue with that.
ODU’s freshman QB was great, and I’m guessing he’s never giving back that starting gig to the placeholder-turned-hero-against-weak-competition DeMarco at this point. He made that play on fourth possible and killed the Dukes with his scrambling all day. But for my money, there’s a lot of distance between the Monarchs and Maine. Alright, enough about ODU (at least until the Dukes get another shot at them).
The simple fact is this: Everything is still out there for the Dukes and there is a TON of football still to be played. More than a quarter of the season in fact despite that it feels later than that. The Dukes are 5-3, 3-2, and still in decent shape IF, and yes, it’s a sizable but not unthinkable IF, they can somehow patch the O-Line and find two wins in the last three games. The schedule gives them great opportunities too. Maine is now alone in first and looking good to stay in at least the top two. Towson fell to Delaware yesterday and travels to Maine next week. They could easily join the two loss group with ODU and JMU. ODU now has head-to-head with JMU but let it play out – UR and WM may look easy for ODU, but as we saw yesterday for the Dukes, attrition in this conference is key and those injuries that JMU couldn’t expose in ODU’s secondary may show up a lot larger against Aaron Corp and the Spiders. One thing we never seem to learn is how little we can all predict about the CAA late in the season.
UNH is the key. If the Dukes can get it back together this week, you’d have to love their chances at home against Rhode Island after that. Noon start. MadiZone or selected viewing parties only I think. So fire up the laptop or come to Bailey’s/Bandito’s, but don’t transfer all your energy to hoops just yet!
One last note: JMU men’s soccer is tops in the CAA and has earned the right to host the CAA tourney. It’s going to be at JMU the same weekend the football Dukes are hosting URI for Senior Day. Dukes will play in the semis Friday and potentially the Final on Sunday. Just saying if you so choose, you can really turn this into an epic tailgating weekend in the ‘Burg!
Cue the Empire music from Star Wars and dig into that special reservoir of condescension you usually bust out only when the Ticks or CrAppy St. are involved. It’s finally time for ODU! Dukes World has been discussing this one ad nauseum ever since Monarchs fans started yakking after “big” wins over VMI and Norfolk Collegiate three seasons ago when football arrived on the ODU “campus.” Somebody drop a Stone Cold Stunna on Vince McMahon cause this IS the Royal Rumble!
We’ve literally been dissecting this game from every angle here at JMUSB for a solid year and a half. At first we thought ODU was a cute story that might eventually provide solid competition for the Dukes, but as the Monarchs have shown this year, “eventually” is now and we’ve been alternately fretting and throwing out irrational bursts of bravado all season. Rob and I were talking yesterday and we agreed we haven’t been this fired up for a regular season game since Appy in ’08. I know, I know that sounds crazy, but after Appy the rest of the ’08 regular season, even the UR and Nova games, didn’t bring this kind of “I have no idea what’s going to happen but everything seems to depend on the outcome” type feeling. Basically after that comeback and with Rodney at the helm, I felt great about the Dukes every week that year. The last two years the wheels came off too early in the season to ever get psyched up for a big late-season game. And of course, this is different in a way the upcoming UNH and UMass games, even given their potential implications, will never be. As both coaches noted this week, this rivalry seems huge before game 1 is even played. The shared commitment to football that will differentiate ODU and JMU from UR and WM long-term and the agreed-upon disdain for hoops-only geeks from GMCC and VCU means we’re joined at the hip, for better or worse. In the shifting landscape of collegiate athletics, the Monarachs are the closest thing to a sure thing right now if you’re asking the question “Who will be the Dukes biggest rival on and off the field two decades from now?”
The Game
If you’re looking for solid X’s and O’s, check out Wednesday’s Q&A with ODU blogger and @VaBeachRep. Basically, ODU has two solid QB’s and a strong passing attack, something the Dukes have struggled with at times. A ton of experienced WR’s and allegedly rock-solid Special Teams allow them cash in with points and field position even when they fail to close drives with TD’s. JMU’s going to have to do less bending than usual this week. On defense, much to the chagrin of @defiantlydutch, ODU features Hofstra’s former interior defensive line.
Best defense for the Dukes this week is a great offensive performance. JMU will look to control the ball and the clock to keep ODU’s offense off the field. Weather’s going to be nasty, which should be advantage Dukes (assuming the backs can hang onto the ball).
What it Means
It means even more right now, this season, than it does as the start of a long-term rivalry. Dukes are a 1/2 game ahead of the Monarchs in the standings and with Maine and Towson still undefeated, JMU can really lock themselves into one of the 3rd or 4th playoff spots in the CAA with a win. A loss on the other hand would send them back into the conference melee, open the door for ODU, and set up an incredibly tall must-win in New Hampshire next week. This one is HUGE. Get this win, beat URI at home, split with UNH and UMass and the Dukes are hosting games in December!
Beer of the Week
This week’s pick is Bell’s Double Cream Stout. The weather has changed and it’s Halloween but pumpkin beer’s moment has mercifully passed. Bell’s DCS will warm you up and makes a great breakfast tailgate beer!
What Football has Meant to ODU
Players have doubled the number of students intent on staying more than two years. Hampton Roads Tarheels fans have another bandwagon to jump on. Hopefully more Blaine Taylor mustache sightings!
Prediction
We respect what ODU has done so far and where they’re headed. And sometimes Mickey scares the hell out of us. But he always has the Dukes ready for big games, and from the insanity on the player’s twitter feeds, it’s safe to say they know this one qualifies. A slow start may spook us, but eventually the Dukes take over. The weather may keep the scoring low and strange, but our guess is Dukes pull away in the second half and win 26-17. (Settle down and have some confidence MegAbs!)
Alright folks, it’s prediction time. The rules are the same. Add a comment including your prediction for the winner of Saturday’s game against ODU. Keep it simple and just give us a score, or include your analysis. Whomever comes closest to nailing it (winner & score) will get to guest post on whatever they want next week. We’ll have our full JMUSB preview up on Friday morning.
Before we get to our game preview, we wanted to get an ODU fan’s perspective on the match-up and rivalry. Fortunately Joe Suhoski, an ODU alum who covers the CAA for CAAZone, was kind enough to do this Q&A with us. You can read his work on CAAZone here and follow him on twitter at @VABeachRep. Thanks Joe!
Most CAA fans thought ODU would become a competitive program, but I don’t think anyone believed the Monarchs would be this good this soon. What were your expectations for this team headed into this season? What are they now?
For the 2011 season I expected the team to win its three OOC games but only win two (at most three) conference games. Being aware of how difficult the CAA is between its FCS championships coupled with wins over FBS teams (by JMU, Villanova, Richmond, UNH, W&M the two previous seasons), it’s difficult to have expected the team to compete immediately. It’s not a matter of the talent and coaching ODU has organized; it’s a matter of the CAA’s level of talent. My expectation now is to finish with eight wins. This will require wins over two of James Madison, Richmond or W&M. I’ve understimated how talented the team is to this point, but I’m beginning to believe because it’s clear that the players believe.
DeMarco has been great for us in that he has made the right decisions consistently with reading defenses, making the correct pre-snap decisions of where to throw the ball, and scrambling with the ball when it’s the offense’s best option. His toughness and leadership have never been in question and he’ll always be a favorite among fans. After suffering an ankle injury against UMass, Heinicke stepped in and brought a different dimension to the team. What DeMarco brings in toughness and intelligence at the position, Heinicke enhances those aspects with better touch on deep passes. When DeMarco scrambled, the receivers prepared for a scramble; when the pocket breaks down around Heinicke, though, receivers work more to get open.
As a Bills fan (#dontcrossthemoats), I liken DeMarco to Doug Flutie – he’s not the tallest QB but he makes great decisions, can make most throws and is quick to accelerate to top speed once he scrambles. Heinicke doesn’t reach his top speed as quickly but he looks upfield more than DeMarco when he scrambles.
Assuming DeMarco remains out due to injury, the obvious answer is Heinicke. He hasn’t accumulated ten touchdowns against only one interception as a true freshman by accident. Look out for junior receiver Reid Evans – he was held without a reception in the game against Villanova for the first time in two dozen games; he’s too talented to go two games without a reception. With injuries to three of ODU’s top four running backs coming into the game, expect any of ODU’s receivers to have a big game as the play-calling focuses on passing. On defense look for out for Ronnie Cameron. The transfer DT from Hofstra (RIP) has been the clear leader on ODU’s defense, and linebacker Craig Wilkins has also made his presence known in the conference. read more…
