I’d like to think that when medieval people used to go watch executions, even though they knew what the outcome was going to be in advance, for at least some of them with an ounce of empathy, the experience itself wasn’t necessarily all that pleasurable to watch. That’s sort of how it felt watching the Dukes destroy the Robert Morris Colonials. With apologies to, we’re not sure there was another player on the entire RMU team that was athletically in the same zip code.
The Good
Jimmy ‘effin Moreland – Jumping a WR quick-screen for a pick-6 is, of course, the most Jimmy way to break a JMU career record imaginable. We just feel so fortunate that one of our all-time favorite players has gotten to play in this glorious era of JMU football and that we have hopefully 12 more games to enjoy his talents and, more importantly, the joy with which he plays the game.
JMU Nation – Look, we could write a list a mile long of players who did cool things last night, including a bunch of new names, but really when you beat a massively inferior opponent by 67 points particular plays are not all that noteworthy. But when your fanbase makes a decent showing, and your students make a fantastic showing, for a game that was switched to a weeknight kickoff three days before, you take note. We couldn’t help but smile that last night turned out to be a fairly gorgeous night in the Valley and the crowd looked easily as good as we’ve seen for bad weather or early-round playoff games in years past. We’re growing people, enjoy the ride!
The JMU Lacrosse feature at halftime – Superb. Meaningful (might’ve been a little dusty here at JMUSB HQ). And like the team, uncompromising. There was not cute antics or b.s., just a bunch of badass women wrecking things and kicking in the door of what had been a very closed house of champions in that sport. What a fun production from JMU that we couldn’t help but think must’ve played well to recruits and younger players from the lax-mad DMV that might’ve casually been tuned into the game on a relatively slow sports night. For that matter, the MadiZone production overall is so darned good. Adding in some other pros or semi-pros alongside the legend Curt Dudley is also taking this to another level. As always, HUGE thanks to the JMU Alumni Association for keeping this freely available to fans everywhere!
The Bad
Continued lack of a deep passing game – It’s just RMU, but the first true deep ball of the season from DiNucci “towards” Eldridge was underthrown and underwhelming in terms of instilling confidence the Dukes are going to find this element going forward. Next week will be a big test when the Dukes get back to playing a somewhat competitive opponent.
Papa John’s commercial still featuring Papa John – We’re not hating on Papa John’s (it’s garbage pie). And we’re not getting into politics or the Kentucky legislature or wild claims from Rick Pitino (we’ll save that for JMU’s game at Louisville in a couple years!), but this guy resigned in disgrace a couple months back and you’d think we could dig up a commercial without his strung-out face in it.
The Ugly
Not much to say here than that it is an ugly truth that we as fans need to start facing, and the scheduling gurus at JMU need to start addressing, that we still have more of these awful games agains hugely inferior competition to come. In the Mickey days where 5-3 in CAA play and a conceded loss to an FBS team was the norm, JMU needed to pad the schedule with MEAC/NEC opponents to put it in the best position for a playoff bid. But these days, and we don’t say this arrogantly or to be jerks, the simple fact is that most FCS teams from any conference almost fall into cupcake status for the Dukes and these games are not helping anyone. RMU looked beaten and miserable, only Coach and the film will know if JMU actually got better last night which should be the goal of these games, and normal fans probably snoozed through the second half. We’ve been big defenders of JMU’s scheduling in the past, even some questionable road game contracts, but it’s time to switch out one of these scrimmages for at least a SoCon opponent.
Thursday Night Football! In the NFL context, it kind of makes you gag doesn’t it? But for JMU, this is a rare, maybe singular, opportunity. Here’s hoping the team is a little more prepared than we are. (Safe bet). Needless to say, this will be one of the strangest home openers in Dukes history.
The Basics
Matchup: Robert Morris (1-1, 0-0 NEC) at JMU (1-1, 0-0 CAA). First all-time meeting between the programs. JMU’s seventh game against an NEC opponent and the Dukes are 6-0 so far.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Thursday at Bridgeforth Stadium, Rocktown
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 77 degrees, 10% chance of rain and rising later in the game.
Coverage: NBC Sports Washington (formerly Comcast Sports Net) and MadiZone HD. This is a GREAT opportunity. JMU was really fortunate that when the game was moved, the DC affiliate of NBC Sports still had a slot tonight to show the game. It’s not a national network, but fortunately, MadiZone is there for those of us out of market (and DTV Ch. 642 for your watch parties). But really, on a prime TV-night when a whole lot of people in JMU’s home markets are going to be tuning in to peep the weather if nothing else, this is a fantastic opportunity for the Dukes to make a lot of impressions.
FEPO: Who knows but we’re not sure there would be a line high enough.
What, and Who, the Heck is Robert Morris?
Robert Morris University, known as the Colonials, is located in Moon Township in suburban Pittsburgh, PA. As opposed to the RMU in Illinois that has made headlines for being one of the first schools to fully fund and make varsity – with scholarships – an E-sports squad. This RMU started as a for-profit business school and was originally the Pittsburgh School of Accounting. The school changed its name to honor one of the school’s founding fathers. In 1942 the school moved into what had been the William Penn Hotel. One pretty cool fact is that the school’s own students formed the original Steelers cheerleading squad, the Steelerettes, and were the official cheer squad for the NFL team throughout the 1960’s. The football team played games a local high school stadium until the opening of a new facility in 2005. Like JMU, they are currently building a new arena for hoops and other sports.
How Robert Morris Can Win?
Zero clue. Even in one quarter, it was pretty obvious the talent gap between the Dukes and Norfolk St. In NSU’s other game in Week 1, they pretty well handled D2 Virginia St. Well last week Robert Morris had to come from behind to eke out a win over that same VSU team 22-19 in the 4th quarter. Transitive property and all that but come on, watching these highlights makes us think this game is going to require mercy and a lot of humility from JMU (and yes, eyes on you QB1). Oh yeah, and they lost to non-schollie Pioneer League power Dayton 49-28 in their opener.
But we don’t mean to hate on the Colonials. After all, their new head coach, Bernard Clark, Jr. has JMU ties. Clark played at Miami and had a cup of coffee in the pros. Eventually, he served as defensive ends coach way back at the beginning of the Mickey era in the 98-99 season. Good luck Coach Clark!
Also, HUGE props to RMU for agreeing to come down early and play this game. Projecting the matchup, it sure would’ve been easier to make use of the Tidewater Tradition (ODU, NSU) and bail on this game early given the likely score. But the Colonials were happy to accept the challenge and their own opportunity to test themselves against an FCS heavyweight.
How JMU Can Win
Show up prepared to play. Not to sleep on RMU, but the most important thing for the Dukes is to be ready to execute cleanly after a very odd couple of weeks. Putting aside the fan perspective, the on-field silver lining in the Thursday game is that JMU only played a quarter last week, albeit an long one temporally, and if they win this game without major injury, they’ll have a mini-bye and extra time to prepare for William & Mary next weekend and the start of CAA play. JMU is going to win. They’re probably going to win big. But we need to see this young team act like they’ve been there before and take this game for what it is – a chance to improve against live competition – and not muck around trying to add to individual players’ highlight reels.
About the Rescheduling
Leave it alone people. JMU made the best decision they could based on the information they had available at the time. Early this week it looked like parts of Virginia might be in need of an ark. Decisions on big productions like football games can’t be made, or changed, on a dime. UVA, ODU, UR, and VT have all had their plans altered too. And you know the Governor and the Emergency Management folks for the Commonwealth were saying they’d like all their resources available to help where most needed and not worrying about drunk frat bros in the parking lots. Think of all the extra manpower brought in even for a game of JMU’s size – State Troopers and local PD, EMS, electrician-types. You really think they’re better served directing traffic in Harrisonburg if they’re needed elsewhere for real things? Like a lot of fans, we can’t make it to the game this week based on the change, but we’ll be rootin’ all the same. And to be honest, we’re a bit envious of the fans that can make it. These strange games (think Charlotte a few years back or that freezing Friday game against Sam two years ago) sometimes make for the best experiences and a chance to make new friends.
Beer of the Week
No beer, it’s time for a proper Hurricane NOLA style. Legend has it that New Orleans bar owners needed a way to get through the cheaper, and crappier, rum that distributors forced them to buy before they’d give them the good scotches and bourbons. So cheap rum got HEAVILY mixed with fruit punch and grenadine of various kinds, and often even an extra floater of rum is dashed on the top, and served in a “hurricane-lamp” shaped glass. Eventually large plastic cups took over as they should in one of the few bastions of freedom that allow open containers. In other words, it’s a perfect tailgate drink.
Official JMUSB Prediction
Dukes 70, Colonials 15
Apologies folks, but with JMU’s game against Norfolk State getting called after only one quarter, last week’s prediction contest tanked. We were planning on just randomly selecting one entrant to write a guest post, but with the condensed schedule this week, we just bagged it. Hopefully everyone understands.
Regardless, we’re back for another round this week. You know the way it works. Leave a comment below with your prediction for Thursday’s game. The person who comes closest to nailing it (winner & score) will get to write a guest post. That’s it. Screw Florence! Go Dukes! Beat Robert Morris!
We’re back with another episode of the JMUSB Podcast. In this one, we only had a quarter of football to review, but we went ahead and did a full “Four Downs” anyway. We also talk about things that might not officially rise to the level of concerns, but certainly are question marks at this point. And finally we share some of our favorite bad movies. They are both cringe-worthy and embarrassing.
Once again, the JMUSB Podcast is brought to you by Pale Fire Brewing. Let them know we sent you next time you’re at the tasting room and they’ll give you a free pint glass.
Be sure to subscribe to the JMUSB Pod via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
We expected the game between JMU and Norfolk State to be figuratively over after a quarter. Due to weather however, it was literally ended after 15 minutes due to lightning with the Dukes up 17-0. Well, due to lightning and the fact that it was blatantly obvious to everyone on earth, save Norfolk State’s announcing duo, that JMU had the game in the bag. Given all that, there’s not really much to say. We could try to pull a “Good, Bad, & Ugly” style recap out of thin air, but let’s just go with three thoughts on the game instead. read more…
Behold…
…a 41 point spread! What, you thought I was going to say “the green and gold?” And a hook, don’t forget the hook to make it -41.5 on the Dukes.
The Basics
Matchup: #2 James Madison Dukes (0-1, 0-0 CAA) at Norfolk State Spartans (1-0, 0-0 MEAC)
Kickoff: 6 p.m. at Dick Price Stadium in downtown Norfolk
Weather: 85 degrees, humid, 50% chance of thunderstorms. In other words, be ready for a long night Dukes fans.
Coverage: ESPN3
FEPO: JMU favored by yes, 41 and a half.
It is larger than BFS. It’s also, well, it’s there. Bring your binoculars if you want to see the halftime show!
How NSU can win?
Play the mistake-free game of their lives and capitalize on any Dukes overconfidence and resulting screw-ups. Something odd, like a long but not-out-of-the-question weather delay, wouldn’t hurt either. The Spartans program has really stabilized the last few years under Coach Latrell Scott, a noted Virginia recruiter who has worked at nearly every school in the Commonwealth over the last decade for stints short and long. We’re really happy to see Coach Scott back on the upswing and he’s clearly made progress with this program. Of course, with what NC A&T is doing in and out of the MEAC recently and Hampton leaving the conference, NSU’s still got a ways to go towards relevance. The Spartans are big on the lines and won’t be pushed around, but they need a miracle to stay with JMU’s athletes on the outside. Most importantly, they have to cut down on the game-breaking mistakes they made so often last year.
How JMU can win?
Play their game and limit mistakes. Despite our jokes, JMU cannot afford to mess around here. The only way they keep Norfolk St. in the game is by making mistakes in the form of turnovers and dumb penalties. The Dukes have better athletes in a more stable program with the best staff in the country. Just facts. They should win this game, but if they start believing the hype-train from fans after last week’s decent showing at NC State instead of the coaches who seem to have been emphasizing that last week was nothing more than a missed opportunity (the second game like that in a row to be honest), JMU will miss the opportunities this week should afford them. This week “should” give them a chance to show just what kind of a Death Star they’re capable of becoming on offense this year. This week “should give them a chance to build on a strong defensive effort and show that all the new faces are ready for primetime. Just as importantly, this week “should” give them the chance to get every jersey on the travel squad dirty by finding valuable minutes of experience and morale-building for freshmen (able to play thanks to the new redshirt rule), backups and walk-ons. But for every turnover and botched play that allows NSU to hang around, not only will the Spartans gain confidence, but the Dukes will be chucking away more chances and that will officially have become a very disturbing trend.
NSU History
I joked about “Behold” at the beginning, which is the start of NSU’s famous “behold the green and gold” but the story behind the green and gold is really incredible. This 2017 Virginian Pilot piece provides a fantastic explanation for the school’s colors, chosen to model the Green Bay Packers believe it or not. It’s also hard to believe that NSU, despite Howard and Hampton folks calling it “a country school,” was once merely a part of Virginia State University, a school it’s seemingly outgrown in every way over the last few decades.
Beer of the Week
A trip to the Tidewater, hopefully the Dukes’ last until a long-awaited shot at redemption against ODUh, makes this week’s pick a no-brainer. Va Beach’s Commonwealth Brewing Company has been doing outstanding things the last couple years and the Big Papi DIPA is simply outstanding. I love IPA’s but the hazy/New England trend has thrown me off a bit as those aren’t my favorite and they hurt the next day. This is hazy. And it’s still fantastic. Juicy as a melon with no bitterness at all. In a beautifully labeled tall-boy can that features purple as it’s most prominent color. And if their brewery’s three-part symbol makes you think of the Deathly Hallows, wait till winter when their equally stunning Marvolo Stout comes out again.
Official JMUSB Prediction
Last year’s 75-14 final in Bridgeforth is the reason for the crazy-high line in this game. NSU didn’t seem to have any drop-off when they went to their backup QB last week. Plus they’re playing at home (though we hope it will be close in terms of which team has more support in the stands). We’ll go with 52 – 14 and Spartans cover late.
Jared won last week’s prediction contest and earned the right to guest post. Here he briefly looks back on the season opening loss and then looks ahead to Saturday.
First and foremost, I regret that I won the prediction contest for week 1 against NC State since I took the pack over our beloved Dukes, but hey, here we are. Thank you to the guys behind the blog to allow me to hopefully entertain you, JMU Nation.
Growing up I always loved ESPN Gameday on Saturday mornings, wishing I could one day be an anchor. To be on set with Coach Corso, Herbie and other members over the years giving the details on what to watch for, who to watch for and of course, Coach’s head gear selection would have been a dream of mine. Since ESPN has blessed our campus over the past few years, I still, every now and then wonder what would it be like? To sit down on the set and turn around to see a roaring fan base behind the set, screaming their lungs out, streamers flying (even if they did get onto the cable system for the fly over camera…dukes) and some of the cleverest signs (although provocative occasionally) that young adults have to offer. Well here’s my chance…except I’m on my couch with a beer in hand winging it. read more…
After a hard fought loss against NC State, the Dukes are back at this weekend against Norfolk State. As you might recall, JMU defeated the Spartans by the score of 75-14. That’s all we need to say about that. We want to know how you think this year’s match-up will go down though. Leave a comment below with your prediction for Saturday. The person who comes closest to nailing it (winner & score) will get to write a guest post. It’s just that easy. So give us your prediction and Go Dukes!
The Dukes went toe-to-toe with NC State yesterday but fell in the end 24-13. Sure there are nits to pick, but we feel absolutely confident saying we’re more sure of the sky-high potential from this year’s squad leaving Raleigh with a hard-fought loss against a team that could easily end the year in the top 10 than we were leaving Greenville last year after punishing a terrible ECU team last year.
As always, here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good
So, so much good in this game. We’re gonna put a few things in the other column, but if you think the Dukes don’t leave this game with tons to look forward to this year, the shade of purple in your glasses is simply too dark. Finley is the #1 QB on NFL Draft boards and a number of those receivers will be drafted ahead of Riley.
Crispness – There was a drive with back-to-back false starts in the second quarter, but overall, this was a very crisp, clean game from the Dukes for a season lid-lifter against a BCS team. In fact, it was State that committed most of the dumb penalties. Kicking game was on-point with two made FG’s and a couple of outstanding punts that pinned the Pack deep.
Reloading not rebuilding – We all hear this cliche every year from top programs at every level from high school to the NFL. The Patriots, Alabama, NDSU, etc. We’ve often tried to trot this phrase out in some of the salad days of JMU football. Late-aughts Mickey, year 2 of Withers come to mind, but it’s never really been true. Until now. Keshaun Moore, Mike Greene, Josh Sims, Mateo Jackson, Matt Terrell, The Nooch. We could go on and on, but JMU didn’t miss a beat yesterday and we feel better about this year leaving Raleigh than we did leaving Greenville last year.
Tackling – Other than NC State’s first TD, which was really well blocked, JMU’s tackling was really solid, especially for the first game of the year. We knew State was going to get their yards, but so many times, the Dukes managed to prevent gamebreaking plays with solid tackling. Even the desperation plays, like Amos’ tackle on the huge huge play late where JMU got caught, and of course Harry O’Kelly laying the lumber on that big punt return, continued to give JMU a chance.
Rush Defense – What can we even say?! The Dukes were missing expected contributors Darious Carter, Landan Word, and Byrce Maginley from the front seven. They simply plugged in players and basically punked the Wolfpack’s running game all day. If the Dukes can keep this up, that will go a loooong way towards easing the strain on a secondary that will need some time to adjust to the loss of Rashad Robinson along with graduating Brown and Greene.
Those helmets! – No need to stay on this too much but those unstriped whites with the Duke Dog logo were icey. Also, while we’re on the equipment beat, is that a small fan in Ron’dell Carter’s mouthpiece?!
The Bad
Missed chances – This could apply to the big picture chance to beat a P5 team or numerous plays throughout this game. The Dukes were inside the 10 four times (excluding the game’s final seconds). The scored a TD the first time, but had to (chose to?) settle for Field Goals twice and turned it over on DiNucci’s fumble the other time. DB’s had a couple shots at picks and they defense overall had multiple chances to get off the field on third down, particularly on NC State’s game-killing drive in the 4th. Again, not to take anything at all away from JMU’s effort, but that’s a lot of missed opportunities that have to be cashed in (or plays made) to get back to Frisco and dethrone the Bison.
Riley needs to eat – Look, we really can’t complain about a gameplan that just about pulled off the upset, and we love the commitment to the run in the second half, but as the former players sitting next to us said, “throw it to ‘Ridley,'” which appeared to be their loving name based off of rookie NFL player and former ‘Bama star Calvin Ridley. When Stapleton had chances, he made plays, and it’d be great to see him given more opportunities no matter who’s covering him.
The Ugly
Rashad Robinson out for the year – no sugarcoating this one, getting the news that JMU’s All-American CB and top NFL prospect was out for the year on Saturday morning was a tough pill to swallow. And mostly we feel bad for Rashad. That said, if you want to put a silver lining on it, imagine having Rashad back with all of this young talent next year to defend a crown!
The heat – One last item. I’m not sure I’ve ever been hotter than I was on Saturday. I’m absolutely sure I’ve never abandoned vanity and accepted a full sweat-through of all my clothing the way I did. Honestly, I considered heading home at halftime because I thought I might stroke out and I have a feeling I wasn’t alone. Of course, even though this is in “the ugly” I’ll end on a high note with a HUGE shoutout to JMU’s strength and conditioning staff and the hard work the players must’ve put in this year. The Dukes were clearly the fitter team as other than the cramps from two players who earned them the hard way (Ron’Dell Carter and the Nooch), JMU was the team that seemed to get better, or at least hang in there better, as the game progressed despite having 22 less scholarships.
We can’t speak for everyone, but we are ready for some football. Thankfully, our beloved JMU Dukes are set to hit the field this weekend. That’s right, the wait is over. The 2018 college football season is upon us. Coach Mike Houston and the Dukes are ranked #2 in the FCS and are ready to come out of the gate with a big FBS game in week one. There’s no cupcake game to work out the kinks this year. Instead, JMU will face a big test against a very talented NC State team from the ACC with its own high expectations for the season. So break out your tailgating supplies, warm up your streamer throwing arm, and buckle up. It’s time to Start Wearing Purple. Let’s dive in, shall we?
The Basics
Match-up: JMU Dukes 0-0 (0-0 CAA) vs. NC State Wolfpack 0-0 (0-0 ACC)
Kick-off: 12:00 noon Saturday, 1 September in Carter Finley Stadium in lovely Raleigh, NC
Weather: High of 88 with 40% chance of afternoon thunderstorms
Broadcast: ESPNU
Getting Up to Speed on the Wolfpack
In the interest of full disclosure, like the rest of the natural world outside of the Raleigh metro area, I went back to not paying attention to NC State athletics roughly 15 minutes after Lorenzo Charles slammed it home against Phi Slamma Jamma. So bear with me while I fire up the Google machine and see what I missed. Huh. Apparently I missed, um, nothing. That night in March of 1983 was pretty much the peak. They managed to luck box their way into a ACC tourney title in 1987, but for the past few decades, it’s been a little bleak for NC State. And hoops is their good sport. The last ACC football title they won was in 1979. That was a long time ago. A gallon of gas cost 86 cents in 1979. The median price of a home in the U.S. was $71,800. It was 9 years before future Big 10 Championship winning QB Russell Wilson was even born. Long time ago folks.
We kid, but we’ve got nothing against NC State. From our vantage point, it seems like the fans are decent folks who support the Pack with plenty of passion. And they do so while surrounded by fans of the Triangle’s other ACC teams, Duke and UNC. That must be a treat. The Duke and UNC fanbases are sworn enemies bound not only by the way the snobby way they both look down on NC State, but by their complete ignorance of the fact that outsiders think they’re both insufferable. Being left out of that little douche picnic isn’t a bug State fans, it’s a feature. read more…
