After last week’s successful business trip to ECU to take out the Pirates, the Dukes open the home slate against the Buccaneers in grand fashion this weekend with what’s looking like spectacular Valley weather and of course the big highlight, raising that banner!
The Basics
ETSU (1-0) at JMU (1-0), 6:00 p.m., Bridgeforth Stadium, The ‘Burg
TV: CSN+ and Madizone (out of market)! Seriously this is great news after the ESPN3 debacle last week. Also, JMU announced the full slate of television games for this season at last, and boy do we owe them a mea culpa. Though some people will always find a way to complain, using a combination of MASN and CSN is pretty sweet for most folks in the JMU market and is outstanding nationally for watch parties where almost all the games should be available at bars with DirecTV.
Weather: 68 degrees, mostly sunny. Temps dropping to 47 overnight so be prepared for fall in the Valley.
How ETSU can win?
They probably can’t. JMU beat ECU. ETSU’s win was over something called Limestone. While Limestone might be better than JMU’s next opponent, Norfolk St., it’s pretty clear a 31-10 victory over the Fightin’ Saints in the big game to open ETSU’s new stadium was not an indicator they’re ready for BFS on a Saturday night. That said, we’d encourage you to think back to the Dukes game at UNC-Charlotte a couple of years ago. Another brand new program making it’s way to respectability scared JMU a whole lot more than they should’ve and ETSU is a new SoCon member now, which is certainly a solid level of play even if they struggle.
How JMU can win?
Like last week, do what they do and don’t believe the hype. Just buy into Coach Houston’s “they’re such a tough team” thing and execute.
Really, if you want in-depth analysis, you should check out JMU Sports’ great new “What They’re Saying” Roundup of coverage. Great work on this one JMU!
What We Know About ETSU
ETSU is located in Johnson City, Tennessee. When I was a kid I went nuts for a tiny basketball player in March Madness named Keith “Mister” Jennings who led the Bucs. Most famously, despite the fact he goes on College Gameday every year in the hat of some bandwagon bigger team, Kenny Chesney has to be ETSU’s most famous attendee (unclear if he’s actually an alum). Kenny was a frat guy and in the ETSU bluegrass program, because of course he was.
A Note on a CAA Rival
During football season, and actually during any season, we often forget that The College of Charleston is really a CAA member. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about them this week. With Hurricane Irma threatening, JMU Men’s Golf had their trip to the Holy City cancelled this weekend and we should all be thinking about the Cougars this Saturday instead of getting angry at some on-field mishap.
The REAL Big Game In The Burg This Weekend
So as of the writing, Field Hockey is 4-0 and ranked 15th in the country. Tonight they host St. Joe’s, and if they can resist the temptation to overlook this potential trap game, they will head into Sunday for a 1 p.m. game that is by far the biggest game in JMU Athletics so far this fall. The Dukes host the #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils at the JMU Field Hockey Complex (ISAT). It’ll also be on Madizone if you feel like second-screening it during the first NFL Sunday.
Shameless Plug: Did we tell you we’re doing a podcast now?
Check it out on the Bumpers app or search for it and subscribe in Apple Podcasts at “JMUSB”
And Did We Tell You We’re Back in The Breeze
20 years after our last byline, we’re back doing a weekly roundtable with everyone’s favorite media source this year. Feel free to submit Darts telling us to STFU anytime.
Beer of the Week
Go to the patio of the amazing Pale Fire Brewing downtown. Get a Deadly Rhythm Pale Ale. Be happy and root. This beer is great, and for the record much maltier than our usual selections. And the fact that many things at Pale Fire are named after Guy Clark lyrics alone means this won’t be our last choice from them this season.
Official JMUSB Prediction
JMU 41, ETSU 17
89 Dukes won our first prediction contest of the year, so he earned the right to guest post. Here’s his piece on his evolution from a fan who wears a tie to support his team, to one who Starts Wearing Purple every Saturday.
As I was thinking of what to write as the ‘celebrity guest writer” and musing between which style of prose to write in (Faulkner? Hemmingway? Clive Cussler?) I started to think about what JMU football means to me. I thought back to my first JMU football experience — being in the stands at Scott Stadium in 1982 with my father watching the Dukes upset UVA 21-17. During the game, I remember seeing their fans and thinking that JMU looked like a cool school to attend. Although, the only comment my father could muster about JMU was “I can’t believe that we lost to a school that is mostly women and just a party school”. To which this high school freshman’s first thought was “YES!” When UVA played JMU again the following year, I was secretly rooting (It would have been a long walk home from Charlottesville) for another Dukes upset. While Gary Clarke did his best with two punt returns for touchdowns, JMU came up short, but my love for the purple and gold had been cemented. read more…
After an exciting win on the road at ECU, the Dukes are set for a home opener Saturday against East Tennessee State University. Most pundits are picking JMU to win easily, but we’re more interested in what you think. Leave a comment below with your prediction for JMU’s game against ECU. The person who comes closest to nailing it (winner & score) will get to write a guest post. It really couldn’t be simpler. Unless there’s a tie. Then things get weird and we scramble to create and award a tiebreaker. But I digress. Give us your thoughts on the game below and Go Dukes!
We finally had a game to discuss on the JMUSB podcast. In this episode we talk all about the season opening win over East Carolina and then go a little off topic to discuss our songs of the summer. Fun fact: JMU has never lost a football game since we started the podcast. Ever. Coincidence? We thing not. Give it a listen.
JMU defeated ECU 34-14 in Greenville, NC last night. It was the Dukes’ 13th straight win overall and second in a row against an AAC opponent. The FCS vs. FBS element might lead to some assuming it was an upset. It wasn’t though. JMU is just a better team than ECU. The Dukes outplayed and out-coached the Pirates in all phases. Here’s the good, bad, and ugly from the win.
The Good
Rushing Attack – With all due to respect to former JMU stud running back Khalid Abdulllah, he wasn’t missed last night. That’s because Cardon (or is it CJ?) Johnson went straight beast mode. After missing the playoffs due to injury, Cardon came back with a vengeance yesterday. He ran for 265 yards and 2 TDs. He popped off an 85 yard touchdown on the first play of the second half, and added an 80 yard touchdown for good measure. Marcus Marshall had a 70 yard touchdown of his own and the Dukes managed 422 yards on the ground. Not bad for a team replacing one side of its offensive line and its leading rusher from 2016.
Offensive Line – See above, but these guys deserve a mention of their own. The o-line was one of the big question marks heading into this season. There were a few breakdowns with pass blocking, but overall, the guys pretty much overpowered their FBS opponents. They opened up a few holes you could drive a truck through and consistently owned the line of scrimmage. And shout out to freshman Liam Fornadel and redshirt freshman Zaire Bethea who both rotated in and played well.
Halftime Adjustments – The Dukes didn’t play very well in the opening half. They carried a 7-0 lead into the break, but failed to take advantage of several opportunities. ECU was very much in the game. Coach Houston and his crew righted the ship at halftime though and the Dukes took control after the break. You have to think that with a better first half and a full complement of players, JMU could have won by much more.
Defense When it Mattered – We’ll have more about the defense later, but the squad made the plays it needed to. Every time ECU started to get some momentum, the Dukes came up with a stop. And holding an FBS team with 85 scholarships to 14 points (7 of which were in garbage time) is pretty impressive. Also good, picking the ball off three times.
Bryan Schor – This kid is special. Last night he showed us once again that he has complete command of the offense. He played with complete poise, like he always does, and never seemed to get rattled. He’s not a burner, but he used his feet very well to extend plays and did a great job of scrambling for quick yards when things broke down. Just another efficient night for the Dukes signal caller.
The Bad
Penalties – Oh, the penalties. Cry all you want about the refs, but the fact is that JMU had 14 penalties for 172 yards. It’s stunning that ECU couldn’t take advantage of them. Better teams (and JMU will play better teams this year) will pounce if given that many free yards. We love the aggressive coverage that sometimes lead to pass interference calls, but JMU needs to clean things up in the secondary.
ECU Passing “Attack” – We don’t want to pour salt on the wounds, but it takes a special kind of awful passing game to not capitalize on a situation where the refs basically threw a foul every time the receivers got breathed on. ECU’s receivers dropped several easy ones and both of ECU’s QBs missed wide open receivers consistently. The Dukes won’t be so lucky against better passing offenses.
The Ugly
ESPN3 Broadcast – That was some hot garbage. If this game breakdown is even less informative that usual (and that’s saying something), it’s because I was forced to listen to huge chunks of the game when ESPN3’s stream dropped. When it was working, it was high quality. But then it just dropped for much of the second and third quarters. Fans were stuck staring at a error message or at commercials, which still worked just fine for some reason. It was a huge disappointment for those of us who couldn’t make the trip to Greenville.
It’s Gameday! Our beloved JMU Dukes kick off their National Championship defense tonight with a 6:00 game at East Carolina University. Weather looks iffy, with chances for thunderstorms in the area. No worries. Dukes ain’t scared of a little muck & mud.
If you’re headed to Greenville, be safe, stay dry, and make some noise. If you’re tuning in via your couch or a watch party, have fun and make some noise there too. Be sure to make your pick in our prediction contest and give the latest pod a listen if you want our thoughts on the season. Consider this your official open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game chatter. Now it’s time to Lock the Damn Gates and start rootin!
Once more into the breach…
Hallelujah! We made it. After thawing out from Frisco and suffering through some disappointment with Softball in Waco, we all made it through the long, hot offseason and back to football season! The Dukes open this year tomorrow in ‘Merica’s most underrated bastion of all things redneck – eastern North Carolina. That’s right, “eastern” North Carolina. All you need to know about the academics at East Carolina is that the NAME of the damned school is grammatically incorrect. They’ll try to tell you now that because it’s technically a proper noun that excuses something so ridiculous, but the next time you run into an ECU fan with a mouthful of boiled peanuts you tell us if you believe that was intentional? That said, and with all due respect to Texas after our trip in January, this is the true home of the world’s best barbecue. Any number of places within 30 miles of the stadium can challenge for the best pulled pig in the world and this is not to be missed. We’re probably gonna make it a double by hitting the Skylight Inn in Ayden for brunch before Parker’s at the Duke Club tailgate later on.
The Basics
JMU (0-0) at ECU (0-0), 6:00 p.m., Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC
TV: ESPN3
Weather: 80 degrees, Isolated Thunderstorms (5-9 p.m. looks like the best weather of the day on the early hourly, but rain expected throughout the day)
What’s Rare About This FBS Matchup?
A few things. First, JMU QB Jon Alger Jr., er, Bryan Schor, is likely to be the best player on the field for either team. Second, and even more important, this game means way, way, way more to EZU’s season than it does for the Dukes. The Pirates go to WVU, then host VT, then travel to AAC favorite USF after this weekend. They went 3-9 in Coach Scottie Montgomery’s first season and could easily be 0-4 when they drop this game to JMU. Needless to say, ECU’s passionate fanbase could turn the heat on that seat, and that of their AD (JMU grad Jeff Compher) all the way up real quick if things go that way. And third, JMU is both a slot ahead of ECU in the preseason Sagarin rankings, but also the Vegas favorite in this game.
How East Cupcake U can win?
Stop the run and stay in the game through the half. ECU was flat-out bad defensively last year, specifically against the run. But if they can find a way to slow down the Dukes four-headed RB monster they could control down and distance. While we all believe in Schor’s ability to throw, with Kloosterman and Alls suspended and Ravenel/Davis/Taylor all graduated, JMU’s receiving corps, while still featuring a good bit of experience in Hyman and Miller, will be challenged to step up right away. Bigger picture, ECU just needs to make sure this doesn’t get away from them early. If they’re in this thing in the second half, the huge size, depth, and scholarship differences could pay off huge for the Pirates. If you recall, the Dukes came out and threw a hell of a punch at UNC last year, but the heat, the athleticism, and most of all the depth caught up to them big-time in the second half.
How JMU can win?
Don’t believe the hype and execute the gameplan. JMU is ranked #1. JMU is favored against an FBS team. JMU Nation and all the idiots like us are talking 10-1, 11-0, back-to-back. The team needs most of all to remember that this is all bullsh*t and they’re facing a big-time program on the road in Week 1 from the one G5 conference with a legit argument to make the P5 a P6 (a dream conference for the Dukes by the way). Simply avoiding complacency and hesitation will go a long way towards showing why we’re all so hyped about this squad and this game. Secondly, having seen one season of ECU under Scottie Montgomery (after a small, possibly enormously misguided, group of Pirate alums ran one of college football’s best people, Ruffin McNeill, out of town) and one season of JMU under Mike Houston, we are very confident the Dukes won’t be outcoached. The players just need to avoid mental mistakes in a big atmosphere and not try to do to much individually. If they execute the plan, JMU will be in great position to score a second win over an AAC team in three years.
Shameless Plug: Did we tell you we’re doing a podcast now?
Check it out on the Bumpers app or search for it and subscribe in Apple Podcasts at “JMUSB”
We’ve got a much deeper season preview up there from earlier this week and if you need our best source check out Chase For Greatness.
Beer of the Week
So one of our toughest critics, but one with a great sense of humor in @nickphilllips, of course tried to call us out on our IPA-heavy selections today. And I have to admit as I tried different beers throughout the offseason, I was more conscious than ever about looking for other styles for this space. And so we’re of course ready with a curveball out of the gates: a Double IPA ha. We’re always on the lookout for the rare good beer that comes in purple. And the first of the Dukes’ two visits to the Old North State calls for something from this state’s vast stores. In this case, it’s Charlotte’s Triple C Brewing Company’s BabyMaker DIPA. While we occasionally tire of the ever-more-rdiculous names, it’s hard not too smile at the high-ABV BabyMaker. It’s going to be raining, it’s going to be ugly, it’s going to be perfect this weekend and if you’re stuck in your vehicle during a lightning delay, this will get your primed for some serious rootin!
Official JMUSB Prediction
JMU 41, ECU 31
The Dukes travel to Greenville, NC this weekend to start the 2017 season with a game against East Carolina University. It’s always difficult for FCS teams face off against FBS teams, primarily due to difference in roster sizes. But JMU fans generally seem pretty confident heading into Saturday.
We want to know what you think though. Leave a comment on this post with your prediction for Saturday. The person who come’s closest to nailing the final outcome (winner & score) will win the right to guest post next week. Be sure to use an email address you actually check, because we’ll notify the winner via email no later than Monday.
We’ve been doing this each game for years. Not only has it been a fun way to get the game talk going a few days before kickoff, it’s resulted in some pretty fantastic guest posts. We’re hoping for more of the same this season. So let’s hear what y’all think. Will the Dukes pull off the “upset” and continue their winning streak? Give us your prediction in the comments.
Go Dukes!
We promised you a lightning preview and we delivered, um, something else. Last night we recorded our season preview and it went on a little longer than we planned. But can you really blame us? We’re just so excited for the Dukes to defend their title.
Give it a listen to hear us break down the position groups, discuss the other CAA contenders, and talk about our expectations for the Dukes. And to prove we’re well rounded, we even offer a few last minute summer reading selections.
We made it folks. It’s finally game week. As we always do, let us please extend our deepest gratitude to those of you who stuck around all summer and managed to wade through the muck on the blog to get to this point. Or maybe we should apologize for putting you through it. And while we’re at it, welcome back to those of you who (wisely?) gave JMU sports and this blog a break for the summer, but are now tuning back in. We’re certainly ready for the 2017 season to kick off and we’re sure you are too.
So what did you miss? Well, not much to be honest. We got hacked last week. That was something. Thankfully, it looks like we managed to recover everything by restoring to a backup. We did lose about 2 weeks worth of comments though. Other than that, we actually took it pretty easy for the summer. We tried to limit the absolutely worthless filler crap, and instead just post some relatively worthless filler crap. Oh, and we started a podcast. Please give subscribe and give it a listen via Bumpers or iTunes. We’re still in the training wheels stage, but we’re having a blast and plan on continuing on a weekly (or close to it) basis.
Here’s what we have in store for this week and the rest of the season. We’ll be sticking to what we’re good the least crappy at. Our first of game prediction contest will be ready to go on Wednesday and our first game preview should be posted Friday. Expect some sort of game recap/analysis after each game as well. The one new wrinkle is the podcast. Monday night we’re recording our 2017 JMU/CAA Football lightning preview. It will basically be a few of our thoughts on the upcoming season in 15 – 20 minutes. Nothing Earth shattering. More just revving the engine and something to start the hype train rolling all the way back to Frisco.
Sound good? Good. Just a few more days until we Lock the Damn Gates and start rootin.
