This is a big one Dukes fans. JMU welcomes the Villanova Wildcats to Bridgeforth Stadium. It’s a match-up of two CAA heavy weights and we’d like to know how you think it will play out. Leave a comment below with your prediction for Saturday. The person who comes closes to nailing it (winner & score) will get to write a guest post. That’s it. Now start rootin and Go Dukes!
JMU went on the road for their third game in a row. This time it was a matchup with the Stony Brook Seawolves. And it ended up being a lot closer than many people, us included, expected. Thankfully, the Dukes got out of Long Island with a 45-38 win. But it wasn’t easy. JMU had to overcome some, um questionable, officiating, a number of big plays by the Seawolves, and four turnovers to earn the victory. But they did.
The outcome of this one was in doubt until literally the final play of the game. After JMU scored in OT to go up 7, Delanta Hellams just barely missed hauling in a Tyquell Fields fourth down pass in the end zone. And when the ball hit the turf ending the game, you could hear the collective sighs of relief from all four corners of the JMU fanbase. Because in the moment, it really was relief more than joy. And now a day later, I still don’t know what to think.
I’m really not sure how to assess this one. JMU won a road game against a very tough Stony Brook team. And the Dukes did it on a night when they didn’t really have their “A” game in all three phases. Even ugly wins are wins and the Dukes showed a lot of resilience.
Stony Brook entered the game as the CAA’s second best rush defense, giving up only 88 yards/game on the ground. JMU shredded them for 328 yards on the ground. The O-line was completely dominant. And Nooch had another strong game. He not only made multiple big plays, he showed that he really has command of the offense. Brandon Polk was outstanding and the running backs kept one-upping each other with eye-popping runs. The defensive front four was sick and has made us question why we ever worried about the pass rush.
All of the above has us excited. But there are plenty of concerns. Stony Brook threw for 318 yards. Tyquell Fields is a talented QB, but he shouldn’t be throwing for 300+ yards. JMU’s pass defense is not clicking. You don’t need to be a football genius to notice guys taking bad angles or struggling to stick with receivers. And tackling continues to be a problem. Plus, there were fumbles. Lots and lots of fumbles.
The zebras really did JMU no favors. I’m not one to complain about the refs too much, but there were some truly awful calls that went against JMU. And we’re not just talking debatable pass interference flags or things like that. We’re talking about multiple instances where it really looked like the stripes were making things up. It was bad and the calls hurt the Dukes.
Despite all that however, the Dukes won. They won on the road for the third week in a row. They won against a nasty Stony Brook team that came ready to play and didn’t back down all night. It wasn’t always pretty, but Nooch and the boys got the job done.
The Basics
Matchup: #2 JMU Dukes (4-1, 1-0 CAA) at #24 Stony Brook (4-1, 1-0 CAA)
Kickoff: 6 PM Saturday, October 5
Location: LaValle Stadium, Long Island, NY (basically Port Jeff)
Weather: Sunny, high 59, winds 13 mph, only 51 % humidity. After what feels like July 73rd for most of us down here in Virginia, it sure is gonna be great to feel that first air of autumn up your nose on Saturday out on the island.
Broadcast: FloFootball for most of us. SNY for the SNY market (and probably satellite folks which should help with watch parties). SBU has a better history of production value than Elon so hopefully this is better. In other news, D.C. United announced they are absolutely done with Flo tonight so who knows what that means.
Friends in the Desert: JMU -15.5 (-750 ML), O/U 41 (hard to believe a line that high with an O/U that low actually but our defense is really good we guess)
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.
