We recorded another JMUSB podcast last night and it’s a relatively adequate one. Tune in to here us discuss the Dukes’ tough road win up in Newark and ramble on way too much about Gameday, before venturing off topic to touch on our favorite Tom Petty songs and cheap beers. And spoiler alert: we’re having our first pod guest next week. Stay tuned to find out who it is later this week.
The Good
Tyler Gray – What can we say. Whatever else happened, Tyler iced this game in the final three minutes with a 48 yard bomb. He may make us nervous when it doesn’t matter, but he turns into Robert Horry when it matters. Money!
Raven Greene – The Human Turnover was back to work this week picking off one and forcing another fumble.
Welcome Back Brandon Hereford! – Even rotating frequently at LB, Hereford picked up where he left off back in last year’s Soft Houston game by leading the beastly defense with 11 tackles and a sack.
Winning Ugly – Yes it was ugly. Yes, the Dukes needed a massive UD botch to put any distance between the teams. But they’re 5-0 (2-0 CAA) heading into their bye week and exactly where they need to be. As we said last week, this stuff is hard, especially when you’re the hunted every week, and winning a road game at a place the Dukes haven’t had much success should still not be taken for granting. No phase was consistent, but grinding out an ugly win is just as important a skill and running out of streamers.
USC losing to Wazzu Friday Night – It’s almost impossible to believe, but there is a legit chance at this point that our beloved James Madison University could end up hosting College Gameday AGAIN in two weeks. Who knows, but it’s still stunning to even discuss.
The Bad
The Running Game – Look, Trai Sharp had a stat line that covers up a lot of inconsistency, but make no mistake, there is still inconsistency. We hope it’s still just an issue of needing to gel with lots of new faces and not a reflection of losing Cardon Johnson and Tyree Chavious early, but the running game is just not quite there yet. The Dukes got back Nick Edwards who rotated in on the right side and that may become a plus, but it’s unclear if all the shuffling on the right side has help or hurt the group. On the bright side, while we’re by no means giving up hope that Marcus Marshall can be a stud, one great thing from this outcome was the aforementioned Trai Sharp. After busting out for a career-high 185 yards in a game where they were all needed, he has likely seized the #1 job at about the same point this season as Abdullah really locked it in last year and hopefully he goes on a similar tear.
Intensity – This is a hard thing to gauge from a fan’s perspective. And the Dukes have brought enough intensity to win 17 straight and be on the verge of breaking the record for longest-ever CAA Football winning streak. But one thing that this year’s team still needs to figure out is how to match opponents who are consistently fired up to be playing the National Champs, the #1 team, and clearly each of their biggest game of the year. Even with the garbage broadcast (more on this later), it was apparent that UD’s players and coaches were fired up to a Super-Bowl-esque level from the opening kick.
The Ugly
Comcast SportsNet Plus – Now that was a horrendous broadcast. Not sure where you were watching, but that thing had to be refocused every other play. Supposedly it was windy. Well it was windy at other games and that’s still one of the worst broadcast qualities we’ve ever seen. Get us back to MASN or Madizone!
JMU faces off against an improved Delaware team today in their first CAA road game of the season. Kickoff is at 3:30 PM. It should be a tough test, but we’re confident in our Dukes. We always love games against the Blue Chickens and we’re really looking forward to it. Safe journey if you’re on the road to Newark. If you’re watching this one from a bar or the couch, feel free to chat with your fellow Dukes fans here.
It’s time to Lock the Damn Gates!
Go Dukes!
Keep Rootin!
JMU has its first CAA road game of the season this weekend. It involves a lovely trip up to the most nondescript state in the union, Delaware. Yes, Delaware, the First State (as the license plates clearly tell us). That’s the only thing that anyone knows about Delaware. Proof positive that the most significant thing that’s ever happened in the state, was the simply fact that it became a state in the first place. Before 49 other states did the exact same thing. Very impressive. Anyway, the Dukes are facing off against the Blue Hens from the University of Delaware on Saturday. Let’s get to it.
The Basics
Match-up: #1 JMU Dukes 4-0 (1-0) vs. Delaware Blue Hens 2-1 (0-0)
Kick-off: 3:300 PM on Saturday, September 30 at Delaware Stadium in Newark, DE
Weather: Partly cloudy with highs in the mid 60s
Broadcast: Televised on CSN+, CSN-P, and SNY. Streaming via UD’s Madizone equivalent (which really should be called U-Delivision.)
How We Got Here
JMU is coming off a hard earned 28-10 victory over Maine in the Dukes’ CAA opener last weekend. In the win, Bryan Schor passed for 4 TDs and the defense racked up 4 sacks and 3 interceptions. It was JMU’s 16th straight win, the longest current streak in FBS or FCS football. In short, the Dukes are pretty hot.
Delaware had a bye last week, but blew out Cornell 41-14 in its last game. The Blue Hen D completely shut down Cornell’s running game, holding the Big Red to 1.8 yards per carry. Delaware had no such problems running the ball, paced by Kareem Williams 121 yard effort. The win moved UD to 2-1, after a more respectable than it looked 27 point loss to VA Tech, and a 22-3 defeat of Delaware State. It’s hard to read too much into two wins over teams they should have beaten, and a loss to an FBS team they shouldn’t have, but UD is likely a tougher out than in years past.
Fun Fact 1
The first football game played in Delaware Stadium was on November 15, 1952 when UD defeated Lafayette 13-12. A full 97% of Delaware’s current season ticket holders were reportedly there to witness it.
How UD Can Win
Play slowly and keep the JMU offense on the sidelines. Nothing we’ve seen from the Blue Chickens leads us to believe that they’re prepared to win in a track meet. They’re a run-first team, but average fewer than 4 yards/carry. The passing attack isn’t bad, but it would be fair to say it’s a work in progress. QB Joe Walker has completed 56% of his passes for 3 TDs and 3 picks. Can we call it meh? Let’s call it meh.
The defense is solid, if not excellent against the run. Therefore, UD’s best chance to pull off the upset is to slowly grind it out on the ground, and then try to catch the Dukes sleeping with a couple big plays. The goal will to be to eat clock and limit the possessions for Schor and the boys. Then try to win a low scoring affair.
Fun Fact 2
Delaware Head Coach Danny Rocco once game himself the game ball when he was coach at Richmond. (ed. note – Yeah, we know we’re repeating ourselves. It deserves repeating. Repeatedly.)
How JMU Can Win
By sharing the wealth. Through the first 4 games of the season, 13 different Dukes have caught at least one pass. And Terrance Als finally returns from suspension Saturday, adding another weapon to an already dangerous aerial attack. JMU also has 3 healthy running backs (Marcus Marshall, Trai Sharp, and Percy Agyei Obese) averaging over 6 yards a carry on the ground, and a fourth in Taylor Woods who’s averaging 4.8 yards. In short, JMU has plenty of playmakers on offense.
JMU doesn’t need Marcus Marshall, David Eldridge, or anyone else to go beast mode to win. They just to find the right match-ups and exploit them. Last week they did this with Ezra Archie. This week it could be someone else. If they spread the ball around and keep the Delaware D on its heels, the points will follow.
Defensively, JMU needs to control the run and then get after quarterback on passing downs. Save one long TD run, it’s exactly what the Dukes did against Maine. Well, the Black Bears and Blue Chickens are quite similar. The formula worked last weekend. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
JMUSB Beer of the Week
Readers have pointed out that our BOTW selections tend to tilt heavily in the IPA direction. That’s a completely accurate assessment. There are a lot of good IPAs out there though. I went to this little bodega type shop in my neighborhood with a sneaky good beer selection tonight specifically searching for a non-IPA to feature. I swear 90% of the beers were IPAs and the majority of the rest were crimes against humanity known as pumpkin beers. So I’m going back to a beer I drank a few weeks ago for our BOTW.
This week it’s Founders DKML. A beer with a profane name (Google it kids), but a great taste. It’s a barrel edged malt liquor. Old English it is not. Think of it as a classy, beer geek malt liquor. First off, don’t drink this one if you’re driving, because it’s 14.2% ABV. And don’t drink it if you don’t like barrel edged beers. It’s a big beer and there’s no hiding the bourbon barrel flavors. Honestly, it might be more of a post game victory night cap, than a gameday beer. It’s definitely worth trying it you can get your hands on it though.
Official JMUSB Prediction
The D dominates the line of scrimmage, creates a few turnovers, and generally creates havoc all game. Schor throws for 300 yards, Als finds the end zone in his return, and then the running backs pound away in the second half. Dukes roll 35-7.
The Dukes head up to Newark this weekend for their first CAA road game of the year. It’s a match-up against our old friends the Blue Chickens, coached by the familiar oddball Danny Rocco.
You know the drill by now. Leave a comment below with your prediction for the game. The person who come’s closest to nailing it (winner & score) will get to write a guest post. Easy as pie. Now get to it and let us know how you think Saturday’s game will turn out.
Hangin’ with other old guys at a post-game party / fraternity reunion at an alum’s house in Frisco. I’m the good looking one – the one on the left.
Ken Woodburn won our prediction contest last week and earned the right to guest post. In this piece he looks back at some of the great moments in JMU sports from when he was a student.
“Predictions for 600, Alex.” “The answer is: Fall 1981” (question near the end)
“Get off my lawn!” (Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino)
I officially became an intramural player at age 14 (being cut by both the 9th grade basketball and baseball teams drove that point home), so when I finally got to JMU I chose to work with athletics. I was a student manager on the ’80 – ’81 MBB team; worked in the Sports Information Office; spent five years as the PA announcer for the Diamond Dukes; refereed HS basketball in the Valley and for JMU intramurals; and went to all FB, WBB, MBB and BB home games (maybe that’s why my GPA was 2.6)! Why did I do these things? I thought that’s what being a Duke was all about – rooting whenever and however you can. read more…
We recorded this week’s podcast last night and it’s a good one still free. In this episode we discuss the Maine game and how difficult it is to win consistently in the CAA. We also look ahead to the Dukes’ first in conference road clash this weekend up in Delaware. Then finally we veer off topic (way off topic) and talk a little Harry Potter. Come for the Dukes’ football chat, stay for when we compare Draco Malfoy to a Richmond fan.
As most close observers of CAA football predicted, JMU was finally challenged by a tough Maine team this weekend. An 18-point win that was not in doubt in the last five minutes is now the kind of ho-hum performance that has fans clutching their pearls. Good problem to have.
The Good
Defense – Four weeks, four times in the good for the D and starting to think we might be able to say this almost every time out this year. This week, the Dukes turned the ball over again, failed to find a rhythm offensively for the entire first half, and of course were missing players to injury and suspension. But led by a big day from Curtis Oliver and the secondary, the Dukes held another opponent to a minuscule output. Opponents this year have scored 14, 10, 14, and 10 points against the Dukes and a bunch of those were scored against the offense or special teams. Bottom line, no opponent is going to beat JMU with only two scores.
Dukes Never Disappoint – This team is starting to get a little of that ’08 feel when we used to say “Dukes never disappoint” even when things go wrong. For those who started watching FCS football just in the last three years, you may not be used to the fact that things go wrong sometimes. In fact, that’s really not that unusual at any level, but things like fumbling inside the opponents five yard line when you have a chance to ice a game do happen. But put simply, JMU is better than most teams and the talent takes over in the end. Yes, this game was frustrating at times in a way we haven’t really seen since at least last year’s Villanova game, but the Dukes pulled away to win by three scores despite an emotional week, a slew of new injuries, and of course the still-suspended crew. So pipe down and root people!
Archie and O’Kelly – Two young freshmen had breakout games this week and they couldn’t have come at a better time. WR Ezrah Archie had 8 grabs for 90 yards and a TD for a somewhat depleted receiver corps and looked even bigger and faster than we thought. He looks poised to be a big playmaker for years to come. And punter Harry O’Kelly had a sneaky-important day flipping the field for the Dukes often when they were struggling to find their footing throughout the first half. He’s been splitting time (competing?) with Jeremiah McBride, but those Aussie-Rules style punts are quickly turning into a weapon – even if it’s one we don’t have to deploy as often as this week.
Lobster!!!!! – No words needed. The prophetic Tim Emry of the Charlotte Dukes has been shaking his fist at clouds and predicting this would happen at a Maine game someday for years. And he was finally proven right! The Lobster finally took the crown in the food race to determine the 4th Quarter special, and yes, incredibly, JMU had $3 lobster rolls in the fourth quarter. Well played Aramark and JMU Promotions (why do I feel like Taylor Dewey was behind this?), well played.
Gabby Weiss and Women’s Golf – Yes, we’re slipping a non-football item into our gamer, but this one just made us happy. Had a chance to meet Gabby and her family when a tourney down here in North Carolina got rained out and I happened to randomly run into a soaking family in all JMU gear at lunch one day a few years back. Great bunch of Dukes from Pinehurst, NC! And this weekend Gabby, now a senior, had a fantastic closing round to lead women’s golf to their best scoring round of the year. And wouldn’t you know it, the team plays its next tourney on Gabby’s home turf in two weeks when they get to play at Pinehurst. Go Dukes!
The Bad
Injuries – Looking forward to hearing about John Miller and Garren Butler today, but hate seeing more important starters banged up after losing Cardon Johnson last week. The silver lining here is that WR Terrance Alls, LB Brandon Hereford, and the other suspended studs come back this week. How they are worked back into the fold could be a huge factor on the road at Delaware this week for good or bad.
Family Weekend Crowd – Great to see a sellout and some early rootin, especially on a hot day, but as is expected on Family Weekend, the fact the Dukes were battling through their first big test of the season didn’t stop Mom and Dad from packing it in early. When JMU hosts Villanova in three weeks the next time the Dukes are at home, it’s time to start rounding into playoff form people.
The Ugly
It’s Blue Chicken week. And as if that bastion of Havre de Grace/Newark trash wasn’t bad enough already with its ancient, awful Tub and its
Two sides of the enormous, three-sided, world-famous Delaware “Piss Wall.” Seriously, this is the men’s room at The Tub. Also, do you know how difficult and uncomfortable it is to try to snap a photo in this situation?! Talk about awkward visiting fan.
piss-wall (seriously), but now they’re coached by former Liberty and RU Coach Danny Rocco, who need we remind you once awarded a game ball to Danny Rocco. And now their entire geriatric fanbase thinks because they have a new staff and a bye (as did Maine) to prepare, they’re ready to compete with the Champs.
The Dukes have a date with the Maine Black Bears to get CAA play started today. It should be JMU’s hardest test of the season. Maine is always a tough out, but we like the Dukes’ chances. Bridgeforth is sold out for the first time this season and the Family Weekend crowd will be ready to root. Todd is taking this one in from our JMUSB NC Headquarters and I’ll be watching from lovely Newport, RI. Consider this your official open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game chat. Now it’s time to Start Wearing Purple!
Go Dukes!
Keep Rootin!
The Dukes have made it through the exhibition season (yes, we’re including ECU in the preseason) and it’s time for actual football! The Dukes face an odd matchup in that Maine is coming off an early-season bye and has had their game at UCF cancelled in the wake of Hurricane Irma. JMU has also dealt with the worst kind of adversity this week with Trai Sharp’s father passing during the game last week and the GOAT Uncle Ron Carrier following on Monday.
And make no mistake, Maine is a legit test. The Black Bears lost to New Hampshire by a point when they missed an extra point in the 4th quarter of their rare season-opening rivalry game (the Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket to be exact). Hopefully the Dukes are excited to take on someone capable of fighting back for the first time this year.
The Basics
Maine Black Bears (1-1, 0-1 CAA) at James Madison Dukes (3-0, 0-0 CAA), 1:30 p.m., The ‘burg
Weather: Partly Cloudy, High 85
Coverage: This one is on the main MASN, so if you get Nats/O’s you get this one. Outside of VA, should be on Madizone.
Note: JMU will be wearing a special “Ron Carrier” sticker on their helmets for the rest of the season.
How Maine Can Win
Control the clock with early-season CAA rushing leader Josh Mack and limit JMU’s possessions. Maine is notorious for having a strong defense, and we saw last year with young players like DB Najee Good and DT Charles Mitchell the Black Bears are capable of challenging JMU’s high-powered offense, but that D can’t hold up forever unless their O can help them out by controlling the ball a bit and limiting the opportunities for Schor and co.
If they can run the ball effectively and keep the perennially quiet Family Weekend crowd subdued, that would go a long way towards stealing one.
How JMU Can Win
Focus on the task at hand and make the playing field a refuge. The Dukes are simply better than the team that went to Maine early last season and if they can find their way to solid execution, they are better positioned to not sweat the Black Bears as much. That’s not to say this team is “better” overall than last year’s squad as that remains to be seen, but this time last year the program was still finding its footing and adjusting to new schemes under a new staff. This year’s team is well ahead of where they were in Week 4 last year.
One major thing the Dukes need to do this week is avoid turnovers. Maine will certainly be out to control the clock and they have the running game and defense to do it. This could limit JMU’s number of possessions and the Dukes can’t further hinder their number of chances by giving the ball away cheaply. The Dukes have shown over the last year that given enough chances, this offense WILL put up points, but as we saw against great defenses like NDSU and YSU last year, you’ve got to capitalize on each opportunity when you only get 7 or 8 possessions instead of 12-15.
JMU also needs to take away Josh Mack in the running game and force the Black Bears to challenge JMU’s always dangerous defensive backfield.
Beer of the Week
Stone Brewing’s Wussie Pilsner. Now that North County’s venerable Stone has opened their East Coast shop in Richmond, they’re everywhere and Dukes fans should be able to find this almost anywhere. And this is a fantastic gameday beer. Completely drinkable, but a solid 5.8% ABV and a million times more flavor than the ruination of pilsner, Miller Lite, and best of all comes in a sixer of tall boys!
Official JMUSB Prediction
Dukes 37, Maine 17
