Look, we’re pretty excited for Saturday’s FCS National Championship. And we’re very confident in the Dukes chances. But not as confident as one JMU student is. There’s “I think my team will probably win.” sort of confidence. Then there’s “I’m so damn sure my team will win that I’m getting it tattooed on my ass.” sort of confidence. Guess which one this guy has. We went with the edited version of the photo, because while we love this guy’s faith in the Dukes, nobody needs to see his bare ass this early in the morning. Or any time if we’re being honest. read more…
1.7.17 #JMUBreedpic.twitter.com/XML1EVQEAM
— JMUFB Recruiting (@JMUBreed) January 1, 2017
We’ve been waiting for over 12 years for JMU to get a chance to play for another FCS National Championship. The next few days might seem like 12 more. The point is, we’re excited for this game. Really, really excited. Fortunately, both Todd and I are going to be able to make the trip to Frisco to watch this one in person with thousands of other lucky Dukes fans. For those you who are unable to make it, you can root from home or one of any number of watch parties scheduled from coast to coast. It’s going to be one heck of an experience for everyone who roots.
We’re going to try stick to our normal football game week plan with a prediction contest and the full game day preview. We’re keeping things the same not because we’re superstitious or lazy, [Ed. Note: We are both actually.] but because we’re creatures of habit. So start thinking about your game and score predictions now. We also are knee deep in planning the tailgating and logistics for this weekend. We’re trying to get all the plans finalized before it’s wheels up for Dallas, so that we can share them here on the blog. Once tailgate plans are finalized, we’d like to extend an open invitation to all to stop by. Certainly the folks making the trip have their own agendas and meeting us probably isn’t high on any of them. It really would be great to meet at least a few of you though, so we hope some folks take us up on the invite and stop by the tailgate. And if we can’t meet you Saturday, maybe we’ll catch you Friday or Saturday night. As of right now, it’s looking like we’ll be hitting Scruffy Duffies sometime on Friday night and tailgating in the “Blue Lot” bright and early Saturday. More details to follow.
Zac won our prediction contest for the SHSU game. Due to the holidays and general business of the season, we delayed publishing his guest post until just now. We think you’ll find it was worth the wait.
(Edit: I began this before we played the Semifinal, but wasn’t able to finish in time. The beginning was written before the Bison game)
Hey guys, zac here with another guest post after correctly predicting the Dukes would blow the pants off of Soft Houston State. So glad to be back here with all you Rooters out there. After a few days of looking back and enjoying the complete and total dominance of the Dukes last Friday, I was given the task of a guest post for the JMUSB. I struggled, as I often do, to come up with a guest post topic. Part of me really wanted to make a List. Everyone loves lists! But I couldn’t come up with one that inspired me.
Then, I thought about dissing the Bison. Sure, nobody talks trash as well as old DirtyDukes. But, I just wasn’t into it. I mean do I think most Bison fans are delusional thinking they will beat us by 2 TDs? I absolutely do. But I do have a grudging respect for them and what they’ve accomplished. I also think it’s a pretty well worn subject. Every team’s fan base can make fun of North Dakotans pretty easily.
I thought about what I could write about with the most passion. At the SHSU tailgate, I had the pleasure of tailgating with Todd (we coaxed him out of the slums of D-Lot into the promised land of P-Lot). We recently realized that we were both present at an event in 2004 (no spoilers, but you can probably guess), a pretty amazing coincidence. I then realized that some of the younger guys that are such big Rooters these days (Shoutout to Evangelista) weren’t even around then. So I came upon my topic: A recap of my journey through the 2004 playoffs with the Dukes. I was lucky enough to be at every game that year, so I have a unique perspective.
FAIR WARNING: THIS IS A LONG READ. Sorry in advance. I won’t be upset if you don’t read it all or if you need to come back after the Dukes beat the Bison this weekend and we have time to kill before Frisco. And for those of you who don’t want to read it all – TLDR: Dukes rule.
(A little intro to 2004: Pregame video from 2004 with Aerosmith knockoff. So good)
Week 1: Lehigh
Thanksgiving timing for first round games is always annoying. What’s also annoying: JMU only giving students 2 days off for Thanksgiving. For those of us with family that isn’t nearby, 4 days is pretty brutal to try and fit a trip home in, especially on the worst traffic Holiday of the year. Had I gone home to GA, I would have spent over 24 hours driving and had 2 days at home. Not really worth it.
However, I was lucky enough to use the short week excuse to get out of Thanksgiving with my family and head up to Medford, NJ to spend Thanksgiving with my buddy Tommy Chill. Tommy’s family were all suuuuper Italian, and it was exciting for me being from the south and never having had an Italian Thanksgiving. I didn’t know what to expect. Ravioli on Thanksgiving? Yes, please!
Thanksgiving didn’t disappoint (Lasagna and turkey pair real well), but then we had a few days to dink around before heading out to Bethlehem, PA. I remember thinking Lehigh’s campus was kind of like ours, only if the mountains were way closer into campus. As we came into the stadium, the Lehigh fans were friendly enough – some lady asked if we were from Wisconsin. We said no ma’am, Virginia, and found our seats. That game was a low scoring affair, with lots of defense. On our last drive, we were down 13-7. We drove down to the redzone, and we were lucky to have a flag thrown on 4th and goal from the 1 to give us another 4 downs. It took us another 3 downs but we finally punched it in for the 14-13 victory.
I remember thinking we were really lucky and probably wouldn’t do so well next week against perennial Socon power Furman. read more…
Cory Clark won last week’s prediction contest and earned the right to guest post. Here’s his take on the 2016 Dukes from his perspective of a former JMU football player.
Well it took 5+ years and I finally got one right (although I wish I would have been off by 30 or more). I’ve talked about this day with my wife and a good friend. We talked for so long about what I would say when I won that when the moment got here I hit a writer’s block (Yeah, I checked the blog after the game on Friday and knew I had won. No, there weren’t enough adult beverages to calm my nerves after that win). I had suggestions to write about the game and break it down the way I always do. Then I thought I should write about what it’s like to be a former player and current coach sitting in the stands. But as I sat down to write this it hit me that I’m either the first or one of the few former players to earn this honor so I might as well tell you what it takes to be JMU Football player. Don’t worry, in the end I will give a little breakdown of our National Championship game that we can all argue about. read more…
Finalists @JMUFootball and @YoungstownStFB both received 4,000 tickets to #FCS title game. YSU returned 3,000 of them and they went to JMU.
— Craig Haley (@CraigHaley) December 20, 2016
Well isn’t that something? JMU’s pending trip to Frisco has had our social circles buzzing, both in real life and online. Still though, we weren’t sure if it was just our own little purple echo chamber, or if JMU fans were especially hyped to travel for this game. Apparently, it’s the latter. Considering how many friends and other fans we’ve heard from who already secured tickets via the secondary market, it’s safe to say that Frisco Stadium has the potential to be Bridgeforth West on January 7. Prepare to Lock the Damn Gates of Toyota Stadium and fill it with streamers!
If you’re reading this, you pretty much already know about everything from Friday’s celebration of the Dukes ending the North Dakota St. dynasty. There’s one more game to go and we can’t wait to see you all in Frisco, Texas in 2017! So we’re not gonna go too deep here because if you’re like us you’ve already rematched Friday’s game enough to know more than we do.
The Good
Duuuuuukes! – What can you say? Dukes. Never. Disappoint. (at least in football). What a night, what a team, what a fan performance in selling out the JMU allotment of tix for Frisco already!
Tyler friggn’ Gray! – We usually save that middle name for Jimmy but the Dukes’ kicker earned it Friday.
Mack Patrick, Dimitri Holloway, Ish Hyman, John Miller – “Next man up” is nice to say but in reality doesn’t always lead to the same production. This group balled out on Friday and may all be needed in the Natty. Just incredible work.
Blocking on the outside from Jonathan Kloosterman and Domo Taylor – The Bizen back seven wanted no part of these two!
Khalid Abdullah – Really not a lot to say except there were a lot of great college ballplayers on the field Friday. And one NFL running back. Best player on the field and it wasn’t close. His OLine wasn’t bad either!
Playoff Revenge Tour – JMU avenged one bitter playoff loss (’11) on Friday and will now get a chance to get payback for one of the all-time bitterest (’06) against Youngstown St. in January! Also, Dukes are the designated home team so we should get to see PURPLE!
Greensboro Watch Party at Gray’s Tavern – This is personal, and I know there were incredible watch parties all over the country because Dukes Errywhere, but that was one of the bigger thrills I’ve had as a Dukes fan to think maybe we’d get 5-10 and instead be greeted with a packed house singing the fight song, going particularly nuts for Taylor Reynolds thanks to family in the house, chanting throughout and generally celebrating a completely unexpected opportunity to go nuts with fellow Dukes. We’ll be in Frisco, but needless to say that place is begging for a chance to run it back. That. Was. Awesome. (Farley voice)
The Bad
Dukes fans complaining about Tyree Chavious – get over it. Kid is uber-talented and he’ll be starting in North Texas too. Plus that game won’t be in the Thunderdome and won’t have the noise when the Dukes are on offense. We absolutely believe he’s a beast-in-waiting.
Rumors only half the MRD’s are making the trip – We need the full band. They’re the best fans by a wide margin and if there’s anyway we can help in getting the full 400+ to Texas in January please let us know.
The Ugly
The outright disrespect of YSU and FCS fans generally for the Dukes on Any Given Saturday. Fair warning: this is the rabbit hole. Don’t go too deep over the next few weeks if you want to enjoy your holidays and not get fired.
Gameday. Dukes vs. Bison for the chance to go to Frisco. What else needs to be said? Consider this your official open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game chatter.
Go Dukes!
Lock the Damn Gates!
Keep Rootin!
The Basics
#4 JMU Dukes (12-1) at #1 North Dakota State Bison (12-1), 7 p.m. Friday
Coverage: ESPN2, which is great because the Dukes are undefeated on the Deuce this year. And as we mentioned last week, every bar in the country will accidentally have this game on.
Weather: It’s a dome (of sorts), but it’s going to be cold outside. Really cold.
What’s at Stake: A spot in the Big One down in Frisco for the whole damn enchilada against the winner of Saturday’s game between Youngstown State and Eastern Washington
Fargo, North Dakota, the Capital of FCS Football
This game will be in Fargo, North Dakota. A locale that until just recently, was known simply as the place that people settle when they flee the ethnic diversity, hot climate, and spicy cuisine of South Dakota. But that has all changed. For years the center of gravity for FCS football was somewhere on the East Coast. Sure, there was Montana, but the CAA and SoCon were the definitive big boys for a long while. However, things have shifted westward. And they’ve done so because of NDSU and its impressive string of 5 straight titles. Which means Fargo is pretty much the center of the FCS universe until someone knocks off the Bison. Based on our limited social media interaction with Bison fans this week, they seem like a good bunch. You’ll probably find creeps if you look real hard (same goes for JMU fans btw), but overall it seems like a passionate and confident (can you blame them?) fanbase that will be awfully welcoming to Dukes fans in Fargo.
A Rematch…Of Sorts
This is only the second meeting between JMU and NDSU. The first meeting took place way back in the 2011 playoffs. In that game, the Bison held serve at home and defeated JMU by the score of 26-14 on the lovingly retro astroturf of the Fargodome. It was hard fought game that ultimately came down to a few plays. NDSU made enough (D.J. McNorton’s 60 yard TD scamper comes to mind). JMU didn’t. Ballgame.
Of course even the most die hard JMU fan would need to admit that the 2011 JMU Dukes were just sorta decent. They went into that game as clear underdogs, played tough, and just lost. It wasn’t a championship contender of a team. A lot has changed since that game. JMU’s most successful coach was fired. He was replaced by a guy who lit a spark and added a much needed dose of excitement to the program, but whose core coaching abilities were limited. Then he moved on to greener pastures Texas State. He was ultimately replaced by Mike Houston, a much better coach, who has the Dukes here today.
Things have changed for NDSU as well. For one thing, they finally got rid of the astroturf and have real field turf now. For another, they’ve won 5 straight National Championships and established themselves as a dynasty. So there’s that.
North Dakota State is Unbeatable
No. They’re not. NDSU is very, very good. You don’t win 5 straight championships by accident. The Bison are the top dog and deserve every bit of respect and admiration that comes their way. But folks talk about them as if they invented the game of football and win with a combination of sheer will and mystical powers. That’s got to stop.
Again, NDSU is a damn fine football team. But so is JMU. JMU is in the odd position of winning games so decisively, that folks (including JMU fans) decide the other teams are just bad, instead of maybe realizing that JMU just makes them look that way. Given that the Bison are the champs and the game is being played in the thunderously loud Fargodome, it makes sense that JMU is an underdog though. But the Dukes ain’t scared and fans shouldn’t be either. This is a match-up of two great teams who are peaking at the right time.
How NDSU Can Win
Teams that make it this far, by and large, have formed a real identity. There’s no need to experiment or radically change things up. Sure, good coaches will add wrinkles to the gameplan to gain an advantage, but no team reinvents itself in the semifinals. NDSU knows what got it here and knows what it’s going to take to win. They’re going to try to control the clock, play physical defense, and slowly wear JMU out when they have the ball. They’ve got plenty of dynamic skilled players, so don’t think it’s going to be three yards and a cloud of dust. It’s not. But the Bison offense is more intent on just pounding the opposition repeatedly, until it finally snaps, loses its will to fight anymore, and succumbs to its fate. It’s a lot like a North Dakota winter in that regard.
How JMU Can Win
Like NDSU, JMU just needs to stick to what got them here. JMU has talented skill players for days, but that doesn’t mean the Dukes aren’t physical. They are. We’ve witnessed them use a combination of physicality and raw talent to smoke teams all season.
The NDSU defense is legit, but some argue that its one relative weakness is secondary play. So if JMU can win the physical battle at the line and get Abdullah and Sharp moving the chains, there will be opportunities for Schor to feed Ravenel, Kloosterman, Taylor, and the boys. And on defense, they shouldn’t change a thing. Seriously. We have zero idea what got into the D at halftime of the Richmond game, but it’s been a different unit since then. If they keep playing aggressive and physical, there’s no reason they can’t hold NDSU in check.
Obviously, playing in the extremely loud Fargodome presents an additional challenge. But it’s nothing JMU can’t overcome. By deciding to have its hype video played pregame, JMU almost seems to be ready to feed off the crowd. And let’s be honest, if Justin Thorpe handled the noise, we’re confident Bryan Schor can remain focused.
Unsung Heroes
It’s obvious who the standout players are for both teams. The stars’ abilities to make plays will go a long way to deciding the outcome of this game. But with both teams so intent on eliminating their opponent’s strengths, teams always need big performances from unexpected places in big games like this. Sometimes it’s guys who are simply in the right place at the right time, who make a key play. Other times, it’s players who are called to play a larger role than usual. The Dukes have plenty of guys with the talent to make a difference tomorrow. We don’t know who will step up, but two guys to really keep an eye on this week are Dimitri Holloway and maybe even Ish Hyman. And we’re pretty high on Trai Sharp in place of Cardon Johnson as well.
JMUSB Beer of the Week
It’s a cold one and this is a night game, so it’s the perfect time for something dark and rich. Let’s go with Dark Hollow from Blue Mountain Brewery. This Virginia brew is a bourbon barrel aged stout full of caramel and vanilla flavor. And at 10% ABV it will keep you nice and toasty.
Official JMUSB Prediction
We ain’t scared. Schor and the boys feed off the noise, put up some points, the D gets the job done, and the Dukes dethrone the king. JMU 35 – NDSU 24.
JMUSB turned 8 last Sunday. Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. Eight years old. That means it’s time to learn our times tables. And what’s the best part about birthdays? Gifts of course. And we are going to be so bold as to actually ask you for gifts. But hear us out before you click close.
As we mentioned in last week’s JMU vs. SHSU preview, former JMU Coby Branch caught a tough break. A real tough break. He suffered an asthma attack that left him paralyzed and blind. A couple of his former teammates, including Vad Lee and Dominick Richards, are trying to raise some much needed funds to help as Coby works his way through rehab. You can read all about it at the GoFundMe page Vad set up.
So here’s the part where we ask for presents. It would make us ridiculously happy if everyone who enjoys this blog even the littlest bit, could donate some money to the cause if they have the means. Even if it’s only 5 or 10 bucks, it would help out. There are plenty of worthy causes to support and we know many of you donate both time and money to them already. But if you’ve got a little something extra or are looking to do some good this time of year, please consider making a donation for Coby.
You asked for them and here they are. The official “Lock the Damn Gates” t-shirts are now for sale. We collaborated on these with our buddy Ben Markowitz who came up with the design. We think you’re gonna dig ’em. They’re available in both men’s and women’s sizes. And just in time for all of your Christmas and holiday shopping needs. It’s pretty much the perfect shirt to let the world know you’re rootin. Head on over to Spreadshirt right now to get yours.
