Ah, remember this guy?! Hopefully we get a similar hard-hitting affair this weekend.
Apologies for the tardiness of this post. Life and technology got in the way last night, but we wouldn’t miss a preview, even when it is an untelevised trip to Kingston. The Dukes make their first trip in quite a few years to CAA Football’s afterthought, Kingston, Rhode Island this weekend for a matchup with the Rhody Rams.
The Basics
James Madison Dukes (8-0, 5-0 CAA) at Rhode Island Rams (2-6, 1-4 CAA), Noon Saturday, Meade Stadium, Kingston, RI
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 54 degrees (really not all that bad for a November trip up there)
Coverage: This does appear to be available on the pay-site College Sports Live here. Don’t forget to call and cancel any subscription on Sunday if you order the broadcast.
How Rhode Island Can Win
They can’t. If you want to imagine it in a humorous way, then you can read Chase Kiddy’s “Doomed Dukes” piece here. But really, barring a MRSA outbreak in the locker room or the entire defense getting stuck in an elevator at the hotel, this ain’t gonna turn out well for the Rams. We’re sure they have some good players and we know they’ve climbed out of the lowlights reel that was last season with, relatively speaking, much more competitiveness this year. But nope.
How JMU Can Win
Wake up, get to the stadium on time, execute the plays the coaches call. Mainly, take the game seriously, get their work in, and hopefully get some much-needed time for some key reserves. And since the Rams defensive front is the strength of their team, if nothing else this should be a necessary challenge for JMU’s somewhat shaky running game.
Beer of the Week
Deep River Brewing Company’s Happy Hooker Session India Pale Lager. Deep River, from Johnston County, NC, seems to come up with greatness or dreck with no in between. Despite too many overly adventurous fruit monstrosities, for a few years, their big IPL, Bitter Unicorn Tears, has been one of my favorite beers anywhere. But at over 7%, it wasn’t really a noon-kickoff tailgate special. Enter this new “session IPL,” Happy Hooker at a more family-friendly 5.5% ABV. And about that name, it’s not what you think. Rather it’s reference to the Rugby position of Hooker. Deep River is trying to develop the sport in North Carolina a portion of sales from this tasty beverage goes to support their local club and develop a rugby park in Johnston County.
Official JMUSB Prediction
Dukes 42, Rams 14 – That’s half the points JMU put up at home in this matchup last year and double the points for Rhody that they scored last year. And it’s still a blowout. We’re thinking this is exactly what the doctor ordered for JMU’s offense to get back on track.
Don’t Forget Field Hockey CAA Tourney Live Tonight (Friday) at 6 p.m. on CAA.TV. Go Dukes!
One of our longtime readers, M@, won last week’s prediction contest. He’s written multiple guest posts in the past and asked that we put in a plug for folks to donate to Autism Speaks. We’ve got to say, if you’re looking for a good cause to support, that certainly fits the bill.
First reaction: “I won!”
Second reaction: “What the heck am I going to write about?” (pardon my French)
This is my fourth time providing a guest post.
That last one still seems a bit too apropos; but I digress. Maybe I can call myself a contributor now…that’ll look great on the ‘ol resume given that I work in IT. This exercise does give me new insight (and appreciation) into how Todd and Rob have to approach the challenge of providing content all year long (especially in that interminable period when it’s hot outside and there are no collegiate sports to celebrate).
On their podcast last week, the guys spoke a bit about their favorite sports writers. I was glad to see that they included Tony Kornheiser’s 1991 Redskins Bandwagon series. For those of you who have not seen it; Chase Kiddy’s Doomed Dukes series on Hero Sports is also worth a read and in the same vain. But I wanted to take a page out of Gregg Easterbrook’s Tuesday Morning Quarterback series (though I have not read much from him since I stopped being a Redskins victim fan). What I appreciated about him is that he may write about anything. In amongst his analysis of the latest scores and standings would be a section detailing how cosmic rays may be a by-product of distant alien warfare or something similarly off-topic and generally humorous. And so, without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, I give to you…
Take a Chill Pill Dude (and other clichés)
We’ve all seen, or at least perceived, that this year’s offense isn’t as potent as last year’s offense. Some of that is just perception; some if it is reality. Last year we managed to come up with much more than 50% of those “50/50” passes for one thing. We lost three and a half starters from the offensive line and the coach from last season. This year we’re taking everyone’s best shot. With all of that we’ve still won by double-digits EVERY WEEK. I grew up a UVa fan; I grew up a Redskin’s fan; this is not those teams. Those other teams taught me to look for the cloud in every silver lining. To wait for the disappointment so that it would (theoretically) hurt less. In a lot of ways waiting for the other shoe kept me from enjoying the 2004 season as much as I should have. When last season came I decided to enjoy the ride no matter how it ended. It ended with a National Championship (in case you hadn’t heard). I enjoyed every minute.
This is a single team. Not an offensive unit a defensive unit and a special teams unit. The team wins (and theoretically loses) as a team. A case in point: JMU won the time of possession battle last week against New Hampshire. That meant that the defense got rest when they needed it allowing them to play their best when they were on the field. Without that rest time the defensive unit may not be as effective (see Everett Withers’ era). The whole team won that game. This team and coaching staff have earned the benefit of the doubt. Let’s enjoy some football before the dark times come when it gets hot and the only football available is either YouTube reruns or Arena League.
read more…
JMU takes its 20 game winning streak on the road to the Ocean State this weekend. The Dukes will face an improved Rhode Island Rams team, that is looking to avenge last year’s 84-7 beat down. Saturday’s game figures to be much closer, but JMU is still a heavy favorite. If the Dukes don’t take things seriously and look past Rhody, things could get tricky. But we don’t think Coach Houston is going to let that happen.
We think things will be just fine. But we want to know how you think the game will play out. Leave a comment below letting us know who you think will win Saturday’s game. The person who comes closest to nailing it (winner & score), will get to write a guest post. That’s it. Go Dukes!
It’s been a busy week and we have a busy podcast for you. Obviously, we talk football because, football. We’re also proud to present our interview with JMU Field Hockey Head Coach Christy Morgan, who guided JMU to its first ever National Championship in 1994 and is ready to lead the team on another run this year. Then because it’s Halloween, we need to talk about candy, so we chat about why candy corn and circus peanuts are crimes against humanity, before discussing our favorite Halloween treats.
Thanks again to our podcast sponsor Pale Fire Brewing. Drop in for a beer next time you’re in the ‘burg.
The JMU defense pitched a shutout in front of a sold out Homecoming crowd yesterday. The 21-0 win was the Dukes’ 20th in a row. Let that sink in a bit. Twenty straight Ws is no joke folks. New Hampshire had the most talented offense that JMU has seen thus far this season. And the Dukes made them look virtually inept. The Wildcats were held to just 193 yards of total offense and a measly 27 on the ground. Just a dominant performance. Here’s the Good, Bad, & Ugly from the big win. And a reminder the Dukes are 8-0 and riding the nation’s longest winning streak in Division 1 football. Yes, we’d all like to see some explosiveness on offense, but we’re not gonna put much in the bad or ugly sections as long as they keep winning.
Good
Defense – We know we sound like a broken record, but the D seems to bet better each week. Against New Hampshire, the defensive line simply took the game over. They harassed UNH’s QB all day and held the opposition to 0.8 yards per carry rushing. The Wildcats came into the game averaging 29 points per game. They ended up with a goose egg. Last weekend they put up over 500 yards off offense and 40 points on a Towson team that just beat Delaware. JMU just made a good offense look silly.
Turnovers – JMU won the turnover battle again yesterday, picking New Hampshire off twice and recovering a fumble. We saw the defensive backs get called for a ton of penalties early in the year, but said it would be worth it if it was just a sign that they were learning how to play press coverage. Well, it’s been worth it. The d-backs have all become ball hawks.
Harry O’Kelly – This kid is a weapon in the punting game. He executes rugby style punts about as well as anyone and showed once again that he can scamper for a first down on the ground. His 30 yard run wasn’t some punter running for his life and trying to get to the sticks. It was a physical player picking lanes and showing he was unafraid of contact. He had more yards rushing that the entire New Hampshire team by the way.
Intensity – This team isn’t lighting up the scoreboard or taking games over from the opening kick. But the Dukes answer the bell week in and week out and come out ready to play. We haven’t seen anything close to a let down performance in the Mike Houston era. And even when things aren’t going their way offensively (like yesterday), this team keeps charging and eventually breaks through.
Rashad Robinson – That 80+ yard return was a thing of beauty. Robinson’s running was spectacular, but the entire team rushing out ahead of him to block really enabled him to go for 6.
Bryan Schor – He’s not getting the time to throw like he did last year, but he still completed 20-27 for two TDs. He’s now the all time leading touchdown passer in JMU history. Well done.
Trai Sharp’s Block – I usually miss stuff like this, but Trai Sharp had a heck of a blitz pick up on Schor’s first TD pass. He leveled the dude which enabled Bryan to throw a perfect strike.
The Bad
Third Down Offense – We fully expect many fans to say that the entire offense should land in the Bad section (or even ugly). We’re not gonna disagree that the unit isn’t exactly clicking. It’s probably more fair to call it pedestrian, than really bad. The offense isn’t blowing anyone of the field, but they’re getting the job done and none of these games have been particularly close. The running game was much better yesterday, especially when Trai Sharp carried the ball. And it was nice to see so many different receivers catch passes. But overall the unit went 3-15 on third downs. That’s not good and the offense needs to convert at a better rate.
The Ugly
New Hampshire’s Running Game – Yes, this isn’t just a cheap ploy to mention that the JMU Defense is awesome and it held the Wildcats below 1 yard per carry again. Lock the Damn Gates indeed.
Get up, because it’s GAMEDAY! And it’s a Homecoming Gameday at that. The Dukes welcome our old friends the New Hampshire Wildcats to the ‘burg today for a match-up of two of the CAA’s top teams. JMU is looking for its 20th straight win. UNH is looking to bolster its resume to return to the playoffs for the umpteenth straight year. And the Wildcats will probably have revenge on their minds after the way their last visit to Bridgeforth played out. It’s time to Lock the Damn Gates!
Go Dukes!
Keep Rootin!
These came from the last game vs. UNH
Well here we go again telling you this is JMU’s biggest game to date. But really, it is. New Hampshire brings its ridiculous 13-straight playoff appearances and a team that has to be out for revenge after JMU locked the damn gates on ’em in the playoffs last year to The Valley this weekend. And frankly, the Wildcats will bring the first reasonably competent offense that JMU has seen all season. Seriously, it’s a joke to look back at the schedule so far and realize how collectively horrific the Dukes’ opponents have been on that side of the ball.
The Basics
#17 New Hampshire Wildcats (5-2, 3-1 CAA) at #1 James Madison Dukes (7-0, 4-0 CAA), 3:30 p.m., Bridgeforth, Rocktown, Homecoming!
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 63 degrees, 20% chance of rain. Looks like the rain is going to hold off till after the game so this should be the first truly fall-weather game of the year!
Coverage: MadiZone with the legendary Curt Dudley and friend-of-the-pod Bennett Conlin.
How UNH Can Win
By not turning the ball over. UNH is incredibly well-coached. No team in the CAA, and maybe the country, has maximized it’s talent for longer over more coaching regimes than the Wildcats. Last year when the Dukes fell asleep up north, they really should’ve stolen that game. But in the playoffs, they made too many of their own mistakes and JMU destroyed them. UNH QB1 Trevor Knight is the best offensive player the Dukes have faced all year and it’s not all that close. But he can’t try to do this all on his own and needs to play within himself. This year’s JMU team isn’t designed to boat race people like last year so if New Hampshire can simply run their stuff, chip away, and not make mistakes, they could be right there in the second half. UNH probably also needs to do something other than force-feed stud WR Neil O’Connor, who averages almost 9 receptions per contest. Even with JMU in heavy man packages this year, the talent in the Dukes secondary makes it unlikely one player will beat them.
How JMU Can WIn
By not turning the ball over. Seriously. Stop it. Even if JMU gives up more than three scores to an offense for the first time all year, they are simply more talented and much faster and than this always well-coached UNH group. Last year their athleticism gap was enormous in both games, yet UNH put up points both times. The first game, JMU made so many boneheaded plays they almost messed around and got got. On defense, the Dukes need to rise to their first real challenge of the year and they might even want to slide help to O’Connor’s side.
Record-Breaking Week?!
JMU President Bryan Schor is currently tied with two of the all-time Dukes’ greats, Justin Rascati and Vad Lee, with 51 career TD passes. You might want to save a few extra streamers in case there’s a big record-breaker this week! Also, Raven Greene only needs two more picks to tie the record for career interceptions and you never know when #5 is lurking!
A Note on UNH’s Schedule
Ain’t played nobody PAWWWLLLLLL!
Beer of the Week
I’m going homerish this week with Greensboro’s own Gibbs’s Hundred Brewing Company’s Blind Man’s Pale. Gibbs is a great little local brewery tucked into a redeveloping old industrial area of downtown between a distillery, a really cool maker space, and a Barcade. Unfortunately, they’re moving “uptown.” Fortunately, this is one of their best (they also make a solid ESB) and it’s a hoppy Pale Ale. Not quite as hoppy as Dale’s and much more traditional in that it’s unfiltered, but a really solid brew in that same genre. Plus, it’s finally out in cans. And they’re purple!
Official JMUSB Prediction
Dukes 41, Cats 17 – Lock the Damn Gates Again! (and find the tees here)
Shrowder won last week’s prediction contest. Here he takes a look at a former FCS school that recently made the jump to FBS and wonders if it was worth it.
We’re in the middle of one of the best seasons in JMU football history. The Dukes are 7-0, have the longest win streak in Division I dating back to last season, and are poised to defend their national title as the number one seed in next month’s FCS Championship Playoffs. There is not much I can say about this team that hasn’t already been said by Rob and Todd and others. So I want to take my guest post in a different direction and talk about JMU fans’ favorite pastime: the great FBS debate.
But instead of advocating for one side or the other, I want to take a more “empirical” look at the options. You see, as the FBS vs. FCS debate has raged over the past few years, most of the arguments have been theoretical. Without actually competing at the FBS level, it’s hard to know exactly how the program and its success would be affected by the jump. But a school with a similar profile to JMU recently moved from FCS to FBS, and their journey gives us a pretty good idea of what life would be like in the FBS, and can be useful in framing the discussion moving forward. I’m speaking, of course, of Appalachian State.
The Mountaineers were a very similar program to the Dukes prior to joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2014. As another medium-sized state school tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains, App State achieved sustained success at the FCS level, including three national championships in a row between 2005 and 2007. So even though the Dukes have not won three titles in a row, we are still in a pretty similar situation to where App State was when they made the jump.
Since joining the Sun Belt, the Mountaineers have certainly held their own against established FBS programs. In their first three seasons at the FBS level, they have gone a combined 28-10, including 2-0 in bowl games. They have played against college football powerhouses such as Tennessee, Miami, Clemson, and Michigan. As part of the Sun Belt Conference’s TV deal, all of their conference games are carried nationally on the ESPN platform. However, they play in relative obscurity. At the beginning of each season, there is an approximately 0% chance they will have the opportunity to play for the national title no matter how well they do in the regular season. While the Sun Belt has successfully inserted itself into the wider college football conversation (#FunBelt), the conference is more or less seen as a fun sideshow than an actual player in FBS.
Contrast that situation with the current standard bearer in FCS, North Dakota State. If JMU ultimately decides to stay in the FCS, the Bison’s consistent run of success would be what fans and the school would expect out of the team. Last season notwithstanding, NDSU has dominated the FCS level over the past decade. Since 2014, NDSU has gone 40-5 including two national titles and two wins over FBS Power 5 schools (Iowa State and Iowa). While they do not play at the sport’s highest level, they are widely respected across college football as dominating their level the same way Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater are respected for their run of dominance in Division III. But the fact of the matter remains that they do not play at the sport’s highest level, and while respect is good, there will always be the question of how well that success could translate to FBS.
The state of college football is constantly in flux, so it is only a matter of time before JMU starts flirting with the possibility of making a move again. Fortunately for us, other schools have already made decisions in both directions, and we can learn a lot from them about what to expect from either decision. Every year App State plays big time programs and has a majority of its games carried on ESPN, but has no shot of competing for a national title. North Dakota State starts every year expecting to make it to Frisco and has earned national respect and exposure, but will never really test itself against the sport’s highest level of competition.
I’m personally on the fence about a potential move, but I think that looking at these two programs gives us a good idea of what to expect in either direction.
JMU welcomes the New Hampshire Wildcats to town for a CAA clash this Saturday. It’s a chance for the Dukes to win their 20th straight, and an opportunity for the Wildcats to avenge last year’s playoff beatdown. On paper, it should be JMU’s toughest contest of the 2017 season thus far. Per usual, we want to know how you guys think the game will play out. Leave a comment below with your prediction. The person who comes closest to nailing it (winner & score) will get to write a guest post. Easy as pie.
The latest JMUSB pod is up for your listening pleasure. In this episode we talk about how it’s a little bit crazy that folks are freaking out after a 32 point win over William & Mary, look forward to a few match-ups with prolific offenses, and then chat about about some of our favorite sportswriters. Once again, if y’all enjoy listening even half as much as we enjoyed recording it, things will be alright. Enjoy.
