There’s an important game ON THE FIELD at Bridgeforth tomorrow y’all. We know, we’ve also been guilty of overlooking that fact at times this week as the wait for the Sun Belt must wait another week. Next week for Homecoming against Campbell we can all blow things out and truly celebrate the “Official” future of JMU Athletics (and the end of all the dumbass campaign commercials on tv!) but this week the focus needs to be on winning a CAA game team against a 3-1 in conference Elon team. The Phoenix were up and down the first four weeks (close loss to Wofford in Week 1, close win over Campbell week 2, understandable loss to App. St., and a shootout loss to W&M) but have found their stride with three straight decisive (ten plus points) wins in conference over Richmond, Maine, and UNH coming into this week.
The Basics
Matchup: Elon Phoenix (4-3, 3-1 CAA) at #5 JMU Dukes (6-1, 4-1 CAA)
Kickoff: 2:00 p.m. EST. Saturday October 30, 2021, Bridgeforth Stadium, Rocktown
Weather: Off and on rain, 50’s
Broadcast: NBC Sports Washington (with Buckhantz!) or you can Go with the Flo
How the Phoenix Can Win
Jump up early and collapse the middle. Even with all of JMU’s recent struggles in the red zone, Elon needs to get off to a good start so they can control the clock and the game. They haven’t scored more than 33 in a game all year (and only scored 30 twice; once a loss to W&M) and simply cannot afford to get in a track meet with the Dukes. Defensively, they need to take the opportunity presented by JMU’s reshaped and banged-up O-Line to limit the JMU inside run game like a few other teams have been able to do lately.
Offensively, they need to be sharp in the quick-passing game and not rely on Davis Cheek to stay alive for slow-developing plays. He’s capable, but that’s not sustainable against this JMU rush. JMU shuts down the run and we don’t expect anything different this week, but Elon will be looking to use their quick-pass game in its place and needs to force JMU’s DB’s to show they’re ready.
How the Dukes Can Win
First, be ready early. Elon is well-coached and they’ve scored right out of the gate the last couple weeks. There is no time for a sleepy start from the Dukes. Defensively, the Dukes have to get home with their pressure on Phoenix QB Davis Cheek. Yes, he’s beaten JMU before, but he’s grown as a player and is playing the best ball of his career right now. Elon has at times struggled to run the ball but he’s been so strong, especially when he is given time, or slides to create his own time, that the Phoenix have overcome it. When teams have sent pressure and failed to get to him, he’s been hitting big plays. Additionally, Elon ran quite of bit of the quick horizontal/swing pass game stuff last week in their win over UNH. If that happens again, JMU’s defensive backs have got to make tackles and not allow extra yards.
On the other side of the ball, the obvious fix is “score TDs on red-zone trips.” Hope that happens. But we’d also like to see JMU not be so stubborn about smashing two-yard runs up the middle if Elon’s capable line holds them up a bit. If it isn’t there, move to the quick passing game and get the ball to Wells, Thornton, VanHorse, etc. in space and let them work. The Dukes seem to have an advantage outside and even with dicey weather this week, we’d like to see them use it before the second half if required.
Lastly, for both teams field position could be critical on a wet afternoon. Lots of JMU’s ability to overcome its own hiccups the last couple weeks can be attributed to controlling the field position game and that could be big again.
JMUSB Beer of the Week (BOTW)
Deschutes Black Butte Porter – A classic American Porter. Just a phenomenal beer. Perfect for a rainy fall afternoon. And probably best to enjoy it now with word that Deschutes fully abandons its formerly grand plans for a Roanoke outpost. It’s been so great having their reliably solid offerings available even in some of the Commonwealth’s most behind-the-beer-times areas the last few years and we an only hope that continues regardless of Deschutes lack of a physical presence in the state.
Official JMUSB Prediction
Dukes find a way to take remove the restrictor plate! JMU 38, Elon 16
JMU went on the road and defeated Delaware by the score of 22-10. It was a banner day for both the Dukes defense and Ethan Ratke. The senior kicker was perfect, making all 5 of his field goal attempts. The defense took advantage of yet another backup QB, limiting Delaware to only 109 total yards. If you’re scoring at home, that’s not a lot of yards. Despite the fantastic effort from the defense, the Dukes actually trailed at halftime and had to comeback to win. The offense was pedestrian at best, but did enough to get JMU over the hump. If anyone tries to tell you it was a beautiful game, they’re lying. But it was another win. And we shouldn’t overlook that. Anyway, here are some quick thoughts on the game.
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Need one more. JMU needs one more win against a sputtering old rival to get through the toughest stretch of the season at 4-1 and keep all their goals intact. With university-changing athletics news swirling around the Dukes and coming off a bounce-back win over Richmond after the loss to Nova, it’s so crucial that the team itself not overlook this game.
The Basics
Matchup: #7 JMU Dukes (5-1, 3-1 CAA) at #23 Delaware Blue Hens (3-3, 2-2 CAA)
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. EST. Saturday October 23, 2021, The Tub, Newark, Delaware
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 62 degrees
Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia or you can Go with the Flo
How We Got Here
Delaware made the FCS semis last spring before falling to SDSU. But after losing QB1 Nolan Henderson earlier this season, they’ve cycled through QB’s and struggled to get any consistency on offense. They’ve lost their last two – both on the road – to URI and Stony Brook, but will back in Newark for Homecoming this week.
The Dukes beat Richmond last week with dominant defense against another backup QB and are at end of a mostly-road game stretch where they really need to get one more win before coming home for most of the stretch run.
How the Chickens Can Win
Take advantage of a potentially tired and distracted Dukes team and not waste a single opportunity. JMU is at the end of 4 road games in 5 stretch that has seemed on paper like the season’s toughest. The players and coaches have had plenty of extracurricular social media to binge on this week if they were so inclined. And the last two weeks, JMU has given chances to their opponents by not stepping on necks when the chance was there. For Delaware to win this week, they need to cash in those chances. If the Dukes turn it over, Delaware has to get points. If a penalty puts the Dukes behind the sticks, the Hens defense has to get off the field on 3rd down. And any redzone trips they get need to be six, not three. If they can get a Homecoming crowd that’s angry with their coach and indifferent about the program’s future behind them instead of tuning out, that would go a long way towards being in control late.
How the Dukes Can Win
Do Your Own Job. Delaware is a desperate team fighting for their season. Whatever the story with their coach’s status and their program’s future, this particular Hens squad made the semis in the spring and had high hopes for this year. They will be focused even if they’re outgunned. The Dukes need to match that focus during an otherwise wild week for JMU. While Alger, Bourne, donors, and fans all have their own obligations and other things to worry about this week, for the players and coaches themselves, the only job they can do that will contribute to JMU this week is winning this damned game. The defense should be able to tee off on another backup QB leading a sputtering offense, but the JMU offense and special teams need to clean up the penalties, turnovers, and general sloppiness that have led to a loss to Villanova and a “meh” outcome against a struggling Spiders team. Allow Sroba/Vanhorse/Thornton returns to stand without being called back. No more collapsing pockets without ball protection (sacks are not horrible compared to fumbles). Hit the most open receiver, not the obvious one. Catch the ball. Hit the first guy that crosses your face when pulling. Put simply, do the basics correctly. Just do your own job and this will be ok. For those three hours, their is nothing more a player or coach can do to boost JMU than win this game.
JMUSB Beer of the Week (BOTW)
New Anthem Beer Project Ba’al – With everyone in the world trying to make massively cloudy/juicy IPA’s and most of them ending up tasting like they still had soap in the lines, it was refreshing to have my guy at the local bottle-shop (shouts to HighSide in Fairfax City) recommend something new that actually delivered. This small brewery from Wilmington, NC hit a home run and you should find this simple gold can wherever you can.
Official JMUSB Prediction
Time for the Dukes to get back to the soul-crushers they looked like against Maine and Weber a month ago. JMU 38, UD 13
JMU moved to 4-1 on the season with a 19-3 win over the Richmond Spiders in the Dukes home away from home. The defense took advantage of a banged up Spider attack, terrorizing a series of backup quarterbacks all day. The Dukes totaled 6 sacks for the game and limited Richmond to only 188 yards. On the other side of the ball, the Dukes offense moved the ball, but only managed to punch it in for a single touchdowns. Ethan Ratke put last week’s uncharacteristic off-day behind him, nailing all 4 of his field goal attempts. It was JMU’s 6th straight win over Richmond. Here are a few quick thoughts on the victory.
Meh
Beating the Ticks is always great. Always. But this game was kind of a snoozer. It was evident right out of the gate that JMU was the superior team. Force to start its backup QB once again, Richmond’s offense struggled to get anything going. The Dukes defense was outstanding. But they were so dominant that it almost seemed like an unfair fight. The JMU offense on the other hand, put together several good drives, only to settle for field goals on 4 out of 4 trips to red zone. JMU was firmly in control for all 60 minutes and it was nice to bounce back with a win after the loss to Nova. We’re a spoiled, spoiled fanbase though because sometimes seeing the Dukes stomp the hated Spiders, wasn’t even enough to get us that excited. End to end victories are appreciated. Even if they sometimes can be a bit dull.
That Defense Though
Yes, Richmond’s top QB, Joe Mancuso was out. And backup Beau English also missed a few series after getting hurt himself. But backups or not, there was very little the Spiders’ offense could do against JMU. We were very critical of the defensive play against Villanova. Well, the Dukes D answered the bell and bounced back with one heck of an effort. They limited the Richmond passers to only 83 yards in the air on 8 of 18 passing. They were equally as effective against the run, holding the Spiders to only 2.6 yards a carry. To my eyes, it looked the best game the defense has played all season. Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey was all over the field making tackles, while Mike Greene did Mike Greene things, and the pass rush suffocated the Spiders. The secondary looked to be in sync and guys generally executed their assignments. It was a big step forward for the unit and a great response to last week’s unusually subpar performance.
Offense Needs a Spark
It sounds crazy to express concern about an offense that rushed for 100 yards and threw for nearly 300. But when all that leads to just a single touchdown, that’s what happens. There is an insane amount of talent on the JMU offense. But something is missing. It’s unfair to say that the players aren’t going all out, because they obviously are playing their hearts out. But there are stretches where as a unit, the offense looks unsure of itself.
Much of the struggles probably start with the relatively inexperienced offensive line. There’s room for improvement there for sure, but sometimes other guys simply need to step up and make a play under pressure. Thankfully, there are plenty of players capable of doing that. We’ve seen that when Cole Johnson gets in a rhythm and plays with confidence, JMU is very difficult to stop. The past few games that hasn’t happened however. There are plenty of hack comments we could make here as we go full on Monday morning quarterback or worse, armchair psychologist. Instead, we’ll take a glass half full approach. It’s not that this offense is consistently failing, it’s that it’s thiiiiiis close turning the corner and harnessing its full potential. Call us homers, but we think it will.
Ugh, what a bad taste last week left in the mouths of JMU fans. This week is shaping up to be a good old-fashioned JMU/RU blood feud. On one hand we’re more confident the Dukes will play well after what we hope is the ultimate wake-up call last week. On the other hand, while it pains us to say it, Richmond really shouldn’t be as bad as they looked last week either and it’s absolutely desperation time for any hopes of saving the season for the Spatters.
The Basics
Matchup: #7 JMU Dukes (4-1, 2-1 CAA) at Richmond Spiders (2-3, 0-2 CAA)
Kickoff: 2:00 p.m. EST. Saturday October 16, 2021, Bridgeforth East, Richmond, Virginia
Weather: Showers, 81 degrees
Broadcast: NBC Sports Washington or you can Go with the Flo
How We Got Here
The Dukes stumbled in all three phases in their first loss of the year last week at home to Villanova. The Dukes do not play an FBS game this year and have one quality win at Weber St. The Spiders have lost three straight – two of which are excusable to Villanova and Virginia Tech – but last week’s home loss to Elon where they were held to seven points is a head-scratcher. Richmond opened the season with blowouts of bad Howard and Lehigh teams.
How the Spiders Can Win
They’ll have to ignore the massive home-field advantage the Dukes bring into this one. Then they need to score more than the 17 total points they’ve managed to find the last two weeks with backup QB Beau English at the controls. Three weeks ago, the ODAC’s best were flying high having won their first two and leading Villanova on the road 27-13 headed to the fourth quarter. Since then it’s been a trainwreck on fire off a mountain. First, Nova scored 21 unanswered to take that game. Then QB1 Joe Mancuso got hurt on the second play of the game at VT and then the Ticks were manhandled at home by Elon.
Richmond’s defense, particularly in the front seven, is veteran and touuughh. And they’ll need to follow Villanova’s gameplan to a tee. Try to hold the Dukes running game in check and count on the Dukes to do predictable things in “and long” situations. More than that though, unless there is some well of Boise-style trick plays up their sleeve, the defense will have to score or at the very least give the offense short fields if they’re going to keep up with JMU. Don’t take RU’s defense lightly, they were very much in the game in Blacksburg a couple weeks back, trailing just 14-10 in the second half before falling 21-10 with essentially zero offense.
How the Dukes Can Win
Quit f*cking around and do their damned jobs. That’s first and foremost. Offense, Defense, Specials. All shared in the blame for last week’s collapse and it’s on the players to execute at a higher level. On the coaching side, on offense JMU needs to be less predictable, especially in 2nd and 10 or 3rd and long situations. Not trick plays, just something other than run up the middle or chuck it to a 60% healthy Antoine Wells, Jr.
On defense, the Dukes need to get their best pass-rushing linemen in the game and do everything they can to bring pressure with just the front four. This will give them more guys to cover some weaknesses on the back-end, though admittedly we’ll be surprised if Richmond’s QB can do anything resembling the play of his Wildcats counterpart last week.
On special teams, flush last week and get back on track. We’ve seen it before and no reason to think we won’t again.
JMUSB Beer of the Week (BOTW)
It’s gonna be muggy and damp this weekend. You’ll want something lighter and refreshing that when a little is spilled on your raincoat as you take it on and off depending on that awful southern sweat-to-rain ratio won’t linger all afternoon like a wet fart. Basically, no stouts, porters, or hazy IPA’s – even those from Veil this weekend. What you need is a classic. And there’s hardly anything more classic than a Pilsner Urquell. The Czech standby is perfect for this occasion.
Official JMUSB Prediction
It’s Spatter Stomping time and the Dukes really need this one. JMU 30, Richmond 16
The Dukes come home to finish their trio of matchups against Wildcats (Weber, UNH, Nova). With injuries to QB1 at Delaware and Richmond, this is shaping up to be the toughest game of the year and Villanova is not to be overlooked in any way.
The Basics
Matchup: #3 JMU Dukes (4-0, 2-0 CAA) vs. #11 Villanova Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 CAA)
Kickoff: 2:00 p.m. EST. Saturday October 9, 2021, Bridgeforth Stadium, The ‘Burg
Weather: Mostly Cloudy high of 65 (actually only 15% chance of rain between 2-5 p.m. so looking better and better)
Broadcast: NBC Sports Washington or you can Go with the Flo
How We Got Here
Villanova is 3-1 and coming off a bye before taking on the Dukes (somehow this is about to happen to JMU two weeks in a row thanks Joey D!). The Cats destroyed two Patriot League team (Lehigh and Bucknell) early and beat Richmond 34-27 in their CAA opener before falling respectably at Penn St. a couple weeks ago. The Dukes made all the mistakes and were fortunate to sneak out of Durham with a win last week but remain perfect on the year.
How the ‘Cats Can Win
Make the game’s biggest play. Villanova is super-experienced, deep, and we’d have to think highly motivated to go after the team that’s given them fits lately. But the one thing that they haven’t been able to come up with the last few meetings has been that game-flipping play that tends to mean the difference in close games between these CAA heavyweights. That killer interception, special teams penalty, and backbreaking long run have always gone the Dukes way. The Wildcats are good enough to win this game, but they have to make the biggest play.
QB Daniel Smith is quite a bit Flutie-like. Small but crafty and more than capable with his legs. RB Justin Covington is back after dealing with injury last year. Villanova has scored 34, 55, and 47 points in their non-Penn St. games this year so they can light it up more than past years. On the other side, JMU has always talked about how awkward it can be (especially for OLines) to play against their traditional 3-3-5 stack defense with identifying the “front four” always a challenge. But Coach Cignetti mentioned this week that Nova is mixing things up more than ever from a scheme standpoint on D this year. With Malik Fisher (DL) and Owen Thomas (LB) entering the Semenov-zone of career-length with the Covid flexibility and Christian Benford (CB) probably as capable as anyone the Dukes will see all year at matching up with Wells, Jr. it will be a major challenge for Cole and co.
How the Dukes Can Win
Win on third down and learn from last week and don’t screw around or think this is ever over. Richmond was up two scores before Villanova dropped 21 unanswered to beat them a few weeks back. They’re 10x better offensively than UNH. Most important, the Dukes need to win on third downs. They left a few conversions out there last week (hate to see Harry punting on 4th and 1 or 4th and 2) that they have got to make this week to keep the Wildcats offense off the field. And defensively, Smith and Covington are such swiss-army knives that it’s vital that the Dukes find a way to not allow a bunch of frustrating 3rd and medium conversions. It’s be nice if JMU can ride the momentum of the first sold-out stadium in a couple years.
JMUSB Beer of the Week (BOTW)
Leffe Brune – Every year we search for great non-pumpkin Fall beers and this year we finally asked ourselves “why are we skipping one of the goats of fall beers?” There’s a reason this bad-boy Belgian has been made the same way for almost eight centuries. And InBev or not, it’s an outstanding choice for a chilly, wet fall day.
Official JMUSB Prediction
Villanova is good and this will not be easy. But the Dukes are home and should be locked in after a bad outing last week and some long road trips. JMU 27, Villanova 23
It’s 2021. While it’s unquestionably better than 2020, things are still in a precarious state. The world is still trying to fight through the pandemic. People all over are struggling in a number of ways. Politics seem more partisan than ever. And as of right now when I’m writing this, the Yankees appear to be on the verge of making the playoffs. Times are tough. With all this sadness in the world, it seems kind of ridiculous to do our regular schtick where we mock the Dukes’ next football opponent. So we’re not going to make a bunch of cheap jokes at New Hampshire’s expense this week. That would be insensitive and inappropriate in the current climate. We’re going to focus on a topic that unifies people, instead of dividing them.
Richmond sucks. We’re not sure if the RU campus is still littered with creeps in sweater vests. It might be or it might not now. That’s a tired old trope at this point anyway, so maybe we should retire it and replace it with whatever the modern day douche-signifying uniform is. (Someone get on that.) In the meantime, let’s all relish in the fact that the Spiders suffered one of the most painful losses in recent CAA memory two weeks ago. On September 18, the same day JMU defeated Weber State, RU went on the road to face Villanova. Things started off well. The Spiders quickly fell behind 13-0. But the joy was short lived. RU stormed back with 27 unanswered points. After 18 of the most emotionally trying months ever, citizens of Earth were facing the unimaginable horror of an emphatic and potentially momentum building win for the Spiders. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be. On this day, evil would be defeated. Villanova rallied to tie the game at 27 in the fourth quarter. Then with only 38 seconds left, Nova connected on a 47 yard pass for a touchdown. And just like that, light triumphed over darkness.
The Basics
Matchup: #3 JMU Dukes (3-0, 1-0 CAA) vs. #25 New Hampshire Wildcats (3-1, 2-0 CAA)
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. EST. Saturday October 2, 2021, Wildcat Stadium in Durham, NH
Weather: Partly cloudy with a high of 67
Broadcast: NBC Sports Boston or you can Go with the Flo
How We Got Here
JMU had last week off after an impressive road win at Weber State. In the victory, the Dukes offense ran for over 5 yards a carry and Cole Johnson continued his stellar play, completing 70% of his passes. Through 3 games, JMU has shown that it has a balanced offense with enough weapons to create matchup nightmares for the opposition. And the Dukes have an extremely physical defensive unit, with plenty of depth. The team has yet to be seriously challenged, but now heads into the meat of the CAA schedule.
UNH virtually took the last week off, hardly going through the motions in a 77-7 loss at Pittsburgh. Yes, Pitt is an ACC team, but 77 points is 77 points. And college football fans expected more fight from UNH after the Wildcats opened the season 3-0 with wins over Stony Brook and Towson in conference play, and an out of conference defeat of Lafayette. Granted, Stony Brook and Towson are probably middle of the pack (at best) CAA teams, and Lafayette is in the Patriot League and not Holy Cross, so we know the Leopards are not good. Still though, UNH didn’t even show up against Pitt. The Wildcats gave up 455 yards passing and 707 yards overall. That’s…not great.
How the ‘Cats Can Win
By taking care of the ball and turning it into a slugfest. The Wildcats have fumbled the ball 11 times in this young season, with 10 of them coming during their 3-0 start. That’s playing with fire. The UNH defense is probably better than last week’s performance indicates, but it’s not so good that the Wildcats can count on shutting down the Dukes all day. They’re going to need to keep JMU’s offense on the sidelines and limit the Dukes’ possessions. And while New Hampshire has a solid passing attack, these are not the QB1 Ricky Santos era Wildcats that could sling it as well as anyone. In short, they’re not built to win a shootout. Their best bet is to turn the game into a grinding affair and capitalize on mistakes. If they can run the ball just enough to keep the Dukes D-Line from pinning their ears back and attacking the QB, they could move the ball.
How the Dukes Can Win
Just do their thing. It would be smug and dismissive to say something like the Dukes would need to beat themselves in order for New Hampshire to win. We know that. Here’s the thing though, the Dukes would need to beat themselves in order for New Hampshire to win. That’s not to say this is a guaranteed victory. It’s not. New Hampshire absolutely can win. The fact is that if the Dukes play up to their potential, they’re better and they’ll win. JMU has a stable of studs running the ball, a QB who is playing with confidence, and the most dangerous receiving corp New Hampshire will see for the rest of this season. Defensively, they’ve got the sort of pass rush that can make things very difficult for a talented, but relatively inexperienced QB like UNH’s Bret Edwards. So if they stick to their gameplay and limit mistakes, the Dukes will win. But we’ve seen the wheels come off for JMU in Durham before. And it’s still too soon to talk about it.
JMUSB Beer of the Week (BOTW)
LazerSnake by 3 Floyds Brewing. The world has plenty of hazy fruit bombs New England IPAs. This is not one of them. It’s a good old fashioned throwback IPA. It’s not overly bitter and it goes down smooth. 3 Floyds has been known by craft beer fans for years, but has only recently been distributed near us. It was worth the wait. They make great beers and LazerSnake is worth trying. And at 7% ABV it will take the edge off for those of you forced to reckon with the sad reality of paying FloSports to watch this game.
Official JMUSB Prediction
The run game goes wild, another crisp day from CoJo, and the D creates a few turnovers. JMU rolls 35-17. New Hampshire caught a bad break playing a Pitt team motivated to play its best football after suffering an awful loss to Western Michigan. They’re better than last week’s result indicates. But JMU is coming into this game rested and focused. The Dukes train keeps marching with another road win this weekend.
The JMU Dukes took their longest road trip ever, flying all the way out to Ogden, Utah. And boy was the trip worth it. JMU took down a very strong Weber State team defeating the Wildcats 37-24. It was a hard fought contest between two very tough teams. Weber put together a couple of scores in garbage time, but the truth was that JMU pretty much dominated in the second half. Cole Johnson continued his hot play, completing 20 of 28 for 177 yards and 2 TDs. He wasn’t flashy, but he was efficient. Antwane Wells Jr. got banged up a little bit, but still managed to haul in 8 catches and score 2 touchdowns. The Dukes got contributions from all over in the running game behind some spectacular offensive line play. On defense, it was a physical effort that reminded a lot of fans of some of the “bend, but don’t break” Dukes D of the recent past. Overall though, the defense was pretty good and put the clamps on Weber before a couple of late touchdowns made the game look closer than it really was. Here are a few quick thoughts on the win.
O-Line Stepped Up
The offensive-line was the one position group that JMU fans were concerned about heading into this season. Of course, most people didn’t think the line would play poorly. It was more a concern about the depth and reliance on several younger players. Against Weber State, in a game that tested JMU’s depth at multiple positions, the offensive line had a fairly impressive performance. The guys opened up huge holes for the JMU running backs to push through and thoroughly dominated in the third quarter when JMU put the game away. When Liam Fornadel went down for the season, it created an opportunity not just for Tyler Stephens, but for the entire line to elevate its play. Through three games they have. And yesterday on the road against a top 10 team, they anchored the big second half push to secure the win.
Tough Opponents Mean Tough Games
The majority of the fanbase has complained for years about the Dukes’ lopsided affairs in out of conference play. The cries for more competitive games against top teams from other conferences have been pretty loud for a wile. Everyone says they want the Dukes to player fewer FCS minnows and more FCS powers. Well it turns out that playing tough teams make for tough games.
We realize that sounds pretty obvious, but based on the general anxiety of JMU twitter during the first half, it had to be said. The bar has been set very high for JMU football. Weber State is a top 10 team. This was arguably JMU’s best FCS regular season opponent since playing App State in 2008. Fans say they want competitive games, but it sure seems like what they really want is blowouts against more competitive teams. JMU was far from dominant in the first half, but the Dukes took advantage of some key Weber mistakes and held a comfortable 14 point lead at the break. A significant portion of JMU fans seemed underwhelmed though. And it wasn’t even particularly close. JMU turned it into a laugher after the break.
It’s great to have high standards. Football games are 60 minutes and there are no style points in the standings. And the Dukes did exactly what top teams do. They took everything a top opponent threw at them, persevered, and eventually pounced on opportunities to march to an easy victory. They’re not all going to be wire to wire blowouts.
The Bye Week Seems Pretty Clutch
JMU having it’s bye in September didn’t seem ideal when the schedule was published. It seems pretty ideal now. The Dukes took some serious lumps yesterday. Antwane Wells Jr. was hobbled and it looks like Kaelon Black could be done for a while. And the Dukes were missing several key players heading into the game. JMU has an old school CAA gauntlet on tap, with games against New Hampshire, Villanova, Richmond, and Delaware coming up. All four to those teams look good enough to make the playoffs, if not make a run. JMU needs to get healthy and stay focused in order to emerge from that upcoming four week stretch unscathed. The bye week is early, but it seems pretty perfect right about now.
The Basics
Matchup: #3 JMU Dukes (2-0, 1-0 CAA) at #9 Weber St. Wildcats (1-1, 0-0 Big Sky)
Kickoff: 8:00 p.m. EDT. Saturday, September 19, 2021, Stewart Stadium, Ogden, UT
Weather: Cloudy, chance of a stray shower or storm. Probably in 60s at kickoff.
Broadcast: ESPN+, it’s a miracle.
How Weber St. Can Win
Avoid a shootout and get at least two big defensive/special teams plays. The fall 2021 Wildcats are still a bit of an unknown after losing respectably but about as expected to FBS Utah and then boatracing transitioning-from-D2 Dixie St. last week. But having seen them go absolutely toe-to-toe with the Dukes twice – with even bigger stakes – in the last few years, we all know what Weber does well. First, they compete every play and are extremely well-coached. They’re one of the few teams in the Houston/Cignetti era that has truly competed in the trenches with JMU and we don’t expect anything different here. But the top-end offensive talent has always favored the Dukes with Riley Stapleton, Marcus Marshall, etc. eventually finding ways to break through. That said, the Spring JMU team struggled mightily on specials where Weber excels and if they got a runback (as they did vs. Utah in Week 1) and maybe one other huge defensive turnover or score, this could get as dicey as the 2017 game in a hurry.
Player to Watch: QB Randall Johnson – all eyes will be on the former dual-threat juco standout in his first start. He threw a game-winning hail mary back in the spring and performed well last week when starter Bronson Barron went down, but he hasn’t seen anything like the JMU defense and decision-making will be crucial to the Wildcats’ chances.
How JMU Can Win
Force turnovers and don’t leave this till the 4th quarter. There’s been a whole lot of talk among JMU fans and media this week (and even through this summer as we got excited for this matchup) about the elevation in Ogden and how best to prepare for it. But the best way to handle it is truly to not have to rely on a huge fourth quarter to win this thing. The longer this one is close and cagey, the more that favors a motivated-by-two-tough-playoff-losses home team. But if the Dukes defense can make some big negative plays early-ish (think sacks or even better forced turnovers), any extra and/or gift-wrapped opportunities for this JMU offense will go a long way towards forcing Weber’s gameplan towards speeding up in a way that probably tilts the field towards the Dukes.
Players to watch: WR Scott Bracey – If the Wildcats roll their safety towards Wells as we think they will (and as they did towards Brandon Polk in 2019), Bracey will need to step up on the opposite side. LB Kelvin Azanama – LB may not be the Dukes deepest group on defense and the leader will need to hang in there for as long as possible at altitude.
Record Breakers
JMU K Ethan Ratke will break the all-time FCS record for field goals made with one good kick. On the other side, Weber St. kick returner Rashid Shaheed will be looking for his astounding 7th kick return TD.
JMUSB Beer of the Week
The rare 8 p.m. kickoff means you can go about as big and heavy as you want to this week. And since it’s Utah, those of you lucky enough to be there may be able to get your hands on some western beers we don’t see back here. Among those, New Mexico’s La Cumbre Brewing’s Malpais Stout is the best of the lot the darker beer folks out there. This one is just stunning.
Official JMUSB Prediction
Dukes 31, Wildcats 20. This is no easy prediction or game but we haven’t seen anything from Weber to think they’re going to pile up points against the Dukes. The QB uncertainty only adds to that even if there’s a special teams big play somewhere along the way. We might actually be a little higher on the Dukes offensive prospects but the Wildcats probably know a shootout is unwise and Cignetti and company never play for style points. If JMU can ever get clear by more than a score, we’re thinking they salt the earth with Latrelle as long as they can.
JMU moved to 2-0 in the 2021 season with a dominant win over the Maine Black Bears. The game was as one-sided as the score indicates. JMU did a lot of things well. A lot of things. We’re sure there are fans out there who have complaints or manage to find things to get worked up about. But we don’t. It was one of the most impressive CAA openers we can recall seeing JMU play in years. They outgained Maine 512 yards to 194 yards in total offense. Cole Johnson marched the team down the field for a touchdown on the opening drive and that was pretty much all she wrote. The outcome was never in doubt. Here are three quick thoughts on the win.
Cole Outstanding Again
Cole had a terrific performance in week one. It was hard to read too much into it, given the quality of the Morehead State team. Maine is a CAA program that gave a Top 10 Delaware fits last week. And Cole carved them apart. He completed 25 of 30 attempts for 379 yards and 4 touchdowns. And he made it look easy. Ever since he returned after losing his job to Gage Moloney, Johnson has looked like a completely different player. He’s confident, poised, and making nothing but good decisions. In the beginning of Spring ball, he looked like the game was too fast for him He looked like a deer in the headlights and was crippled by poor decisions and a fear of making mistakes. Now he’s dropping dimes into receivers hands with ease. It literally looks like he and receivers are running routes without defenders sometimes. His transformation is remarkable. And we love it.
Appreciate What We’re Seeing With Antwane Wells Jr.
This kid is special. Just plain and simple. Maine could not cover him yesterday. They could not. He went off hauling in 8 catches for 179 yards and 2 TDs. Most receivers would be thrilled to beat their defender and create 3 or 4 feet of separation once or twice a game. Wells seemed to do it on 75% of his routes yesterday. There was nothing Maine could do to slow him down. One one route the defender attempted to initiate contact and wrap him up. All he did was shed the guy, catch the ball, and scamper in for a 53 yard touchdown. It is very hard to watch Wells play and not get overly excited about his potential. JMU has been blessed with a number of outstanding receivers in its history. Wells really could end up being better than all of them.
Defense is Clicking
We were optimistic that the Dukes D would hit its stride earlier this season due to playing in the Spring. Through two games, that certainly appears to be the case. Yes, we could pick nits about the number of penalties on that side of the ball, but all things considered, the unit looks great. In week one against Morehead State, JMU’s talent advantage was overwhelming. The Dukes were perhaps even more dominant against a solid Maine squad however. Maine caught a bad break with starting QB Joe Fagnano getting knocked out early. But as distasteful as it might sound to point this out, his injury was a sign of how relentless the JMU defense was all game. They managed 11 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. The D-line was getting penetration consistently and Heatherman created pressure with blitzes all day. There’s a ton of depth. And we’re seeing guys who’ve patiently waited for larger roles, take advantage of the reps they’ve earned this season.
