So unless you’ve been in a hole or on a Leaving Las Vegas-esque bender the last five days or so, you know that JMU Head Ball Coach Everett Withers – the man who’s brought all kinds of accountability, excitement, recruiting prowess, and general 21st-century style to the program the last two years – was pretty clearly a finalist for the open position at East Carolina. In the end, both Withers and former Michigan coach Brady Hoke were simply also-rans and the names the press got ahold of first as the Pirates (a 2017 Dukes opponent by the way) surprised everyone (though not necessarily themselves or a bad decision) by hiring Duke Offensive Coordinator Scottie Montgomery this weekend.
We get it. Now fix the damned defense.
In the meantime, a lot of Dukes fans seem to have found a lot more ways to scrutinize Withers, the program, and the progress or lack thereof that all of us on the couch have seen. We’ve even heard some diehards and optimists use the word “betrayal” in reference to Withers’ dalliance with a different shade of purple and gold. Our take? Settle down! Look, criticism of the sieve known as the JMU defense is valid, massive criticism actually. Criticism of Withers, allegedly a defensive guy who has presided over a similarly awful unit at OSU before finding a landing spot at JMU before likely being thrown under the bus by Urban Meyer, is valid. But to criticize Withers or feel betrayed by his interviewing for the ECU job is simply ridiculous. Even if you think Withers is overpaid at FCS/CAA JMU, Ruffin McNeil was let go at ECU making 1.4M a year, more than three times what JMU shells out. East Carolina is in the American Athletic Conference, which is quite obviously the clear-cut top conference outside the P5 (see Houston headed for a big boy bowl, Temple/Memphis/Navy all getting some brief playoff shine this year, and UConn still hanging banners in hoops). ECU is easily as much in his recruiting wheelhouse geographically as JMU. And most importantly, Withers is 52 and if he wants to keep moving up the ladder, he simply can’t pass up the chance to grab for opportunities like this no matter how badly ECU bungled this situation and what an uphill battle that’s going to be replacing a popular, successful coach like McNeill.
To the fans? If we want to keep playing at a high level, we need to recalibrate our thinking and remember that having other people trying to poach your people means things are going way better than the alternative. And to those of us that want to move up, if that ever happens we might as well get used to this.
Our own message to Withers? Get back to work, lock down the recruits you’ve got in the pipeline, and most of all fix the Defense come hell or high water.
JMU and George Mason were founding members of the CAA. The two schools played some epic basketball games and had a heck of a rivalry until Mason bolted for the A10. Thankfully, the powers that be at both schools decided to start playing each other again. Yesterday, the two teams played each other for the first time since 2013. It wasn’t a particularly close game. The Dukes dominated their friends from Fairfax by the score of 69-46. If there was a better way to renew the rivalry, we can’t think of it. Here are some quick numbers from the game.
11
That’s the number of JMU Dukes who scored yesterday. Matt Brady managed to get all 13 guys into the game yesterday. Coach has gone particularly deep into the bench this year, but JMU was so in control yesterday he got to clear the whole damn thing. And all 13 managed to contribute in one way or another. Ron Curry led the way with 11 points. Jackson Kent was the only other Duke to reach double figures with 10 points. Yohanny Dalembert grabbed a team high 11 boards and had 2 blocks. Shakir Brown had 8 points, 3 boards, and an assist. We could go on, but the point is this was a total team effort.
31
If you guessed GMU’s shooting percentage, please collect your prize. The Patriots struggled to hit only 7 of 26 shots in the first half. They improved slightly in the second, going 11 for 32. That’s a rough night. It’s also what happens when teams can run 10+ players at you as JMU did. The Dukes have been letting opponents shoot over 42% agains them this year. Limiting an opponent to 31% is a huge step in the right direction for a squad that needs to improve team defense come CAA play.
1,347
The number of students who were in attendance. Old folks like to complain about nothing is a good as it used to be. (It’s kind of our thing.) I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding JMU hoops fans who can tell you wonderful stories about how great the crowds were back in their day. Some of those stories might even be true. But those stories aren’t going to do anything to put more buts in seats. Big wins over in state opponents will. So we applaud the students who showed up, dressed for the blackout, and cheered the team on to a great win. And we can’t thank the athletic department enough for finally giving the students some good seats in the lower section. We’re looking forward to seeing the crowds grow as the season moves along.
Our pal Ben Markowitz is a JMU alum and hoops season ticket holder. We’re forced to watch the Dukes from afar on television, which means we miss out on some of the subtle little things only those folks in the Convo catch. Guys like Ben. He agreed to share a few quick thoughts with us immediately after the Dukes win over Mason. Note, they are not the normal scores and “analysis” (heavy emphasis on the quotes) that we normally provide. Just a little something different we think folks will enjoy. Anyway, here are Ben’s quick thoughts on yesterday’s game. We might try to mix in a few more of these as the season moves on. Follow him on twitter at @bpmarkowitz Enjoy!
– Great game this afternoon. Dukes were in control the whole time despite a poor night of shooting and the outcome never really seemed in question.
– In all my years attending sporting events I have never heard someone talk so continuously (and loud) as the Mason fan sitting behind me. I think this guy was vaccinated with a phonograph needle.
– As such, I now know in minute detail the reasons behind all of Mason’s struggles on the court this year. He was screaming at the refs about a foul with 2 minutes left and Mason down by 25, so I think he had a good night. Come back soon.
– The student turnout was fantastic. They should consider giving a second lower section to the students. Easily the best student turnout of the season and totally changes the vibe.
– Giant face sign roll call: Waldo, Miley, Steve Urkel, and McKayla Maroney. The most awkward was the guy with a giant Matt Brady face in the student section only about 20 feet from the real Matt Brady.
– What happened to the giant Mike Deane face sign?
– A large contingent from the football team was in attendance at the game, always cool to see.
– At halftime many members of the crowd were vying for a photo-op with a certain member of the football team on crutches that they thought was Vad Lee. It wasn’t, and the rest of the players were amused at their confusion.
– I saw some of Everett Withers’ family, none were wearing any ECU apparel so I’ll take that as a good sign.
– Great moment at the end. Dukes up by a ton and Brady had the whole bench in the game. He walked down and crouched on the floor in front of his starters and had a few laughs as time ran out, good to see these guys having fun.
It’s time to turn the page from football to basketball. There’s no better way to do that than with a renewal of the JMU – GMU rivalry. The Dukes haven’t played the Patriots since 2013. As a result, the matchup might not resonate with current students. For longtime fans of JMU hoops though, this is a big one. Mason was a great rival during its time in the CAA and it’s great to have the Patriots back on the schedule. To get ready for the game, our pal Alan Kelly from Masonhoops.com agreed to do this Q&A with us. We were also given the chance to do the same over on his blog. Enjoy the game today everyone.
1) How’s the A-10 working out?
In the long run, the move to the Atlantic 10 will almost certainly
benefit George Mason University and its basketball program. We are
already seeing some benefits in terms of exposure, and while the
basketball team hasn’t won much of anything, Mason has won seven A10
championships in six other sports. It’s easy for outsiders to point to
the disastrous final two seasons of Paul Hewitt’s tenure and say that
Mason wasn’t ready to move up, but reality is more complicated. The
flaws and mistakes that doomed Hewitt’s teams likely would have doomed
them in the CAA as well. But Mason has the facilities, budget, and
institutional support to compete at the A10 level, and with
second-year AD Brad Edwards and rookie coach Dave Paulsen, it seems
that they now have the leadership to succeed as well.
2) How’s the new coach?
Dave Paulsen has been a breath of fresh air for the program and the
fanbase. Transitions are hard, and I think we all know this is going
to be a bumpy season for Mason, but Paulsen has brought new energy and
some much-needed attention to detail and accountability (on the court
and in the classroom). His entire freshman class has been impressive
thus far, and the remaining hold-overs seem to be buying in as well.
It will be a process. Turnovers are down, and ball movement and
assists are vastly improved. There is a defensive plan. But there are
also lengthy lapses where the team fails to score or defend. They’re
still learning how to play a new style of basketball. We’ve seen
incredible highs like beating Ole Miss and Oklahoma State on a neutral
court, but we’ve also had deep lows like the blowout loss at Towson.
3) Does this game against JMU register anymore with fans?
It does, but not as much as it once did. VCU is probably the most
important opponent to Mason fans, dating back even to the end of our
time in the CAA, and GW and Richmond have gained attention now that
they are conference foes. JMU is still an important opponent and
rivalry for alumni who are old enough to remember all of the old
battles in the CAA, but it doesn’t register the same way with current
students as it did when I was an undergrad. The two years off from
playing each other can’t have helped, either.
4) Who should we look out for?
First of all, senior center Shevon Thompson. When he plays well
offensively and earns playing time, he is capable of grabbing 15+
boards on any given night. Last week, Penn didn’t have a single
offensive rebound until the final seven minutes of the second half.
Second, watch out for freshman guard Jaire Grayer, who leads the
Patriots in scoring at 11.7 ppg, including dropping 23 points and 5
treys against Oklahoma State. Mason doesn’t have a lot of offensive
weapons, and their offense is much better when Grayer is on his game.
Third, Mason as a team has struggled to shoot free throws. If they can
get that turned around, it could turn some of the close losses into
wins.
5) Status of Mason football?
The official position seems to be to wait and see. Mason has a lot of
other facilities issues that need to be addressed before they can
really talk about adding new sports. And to their credit, they have
been tackling those renovations. They have built new tennis courts and
a new throwing field (for track and field), in addition to renovating
the locker rooms in EagleBank Arena and some other cleanup tasks. In
the near future, they will be breaking ground on an overhaul of the
baseball stadium, and the next task after that is probably to build
dedicated practice space for men’s and women’s basketball. If Brad
Edwards is successful in fundraising for smaller projects, he can
begin to think about bigger ones like a new basketball arena, or the
startup costs for a football team. But the reality is, the barriers to
entry to high-level college football are very expensive, and it’s not
going to happen anytime soon unless Mason gets their own Kevin Plank
or T. Boone Pickens to contribute $50-100 million to kick off the
project. read more…
Last night, Vad Lee was chosen as the Dudley Award winner for 2015. The award recognizes the top Division I college football player in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Vad also won it last year and is now the only two time back-to-back winner in award history. It’s the third straight year a Duke has won, with Stephon Robertson taking home the honor two years ago. Other past winners of the award include JMU’s Rodney Landers, the Hokies’ Tyrod Taylor, and UVA’s Tiki Barber.
Lee had a monster season before going down with an injury. Despite missing 4 games, he led the CAA in total offense, throwing for 2190 yards and rushing for another 870. He also managed to rack up 8 TDs rushing and 21 passing. It was one of, if not the, most impressive college football seasons in the Commonwealth in years. It’s scary to think what his stats, and the Dukes’ season, would have looked like had he not gotten injured.
One team remains. One #CAAFB stands united! pic.twitter.com/XKDSqlRRbN
— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) December 8, 2015
The powers that be at CAA Football Twitter seem to be implying that all of us are rooting for Richmond. Um, no. There’s no way we’re rooting for Richmond. And we doubt the overwhelming majority of non-Spatter CAA fans will be either. Look, we may be snarky at times, but we’re completely aware of how the rest of the CAA views the JMU fanbase. A small, but very vocal, minority bash the league every chance they get. It’s got to get old if your a fan of another team from the league. We’re quite sure that the entire league wouldn’t line up in unison behind JMU if the Dukes were to make a run. And we’re completely fine with that.
Richmond though, is just Richmond. There are countless reasons why reasonable people won’t support Richmond. I’m struggling to think of a single scenario in which I would ever cheer for Spider football. Short of them lining up on the gridiron against ISIS in some sort of a “loser agrees to vacate the planet” battle, I’m not sure I can come up with one. The sports hate runs deep when it comes to Richmond. And it’s not just us. It’s reasonable fans from across the CAA. You want to make a Tribe fan angry? (ed. note: of course you do) Ask him how excited he is about Richmond making a run.
Yes, the Spiders and Dukes share the same conference. That doesn’t mean we get any satisfaction at all when they win. In hoops it’s a little different. We can get excited when CAA teams pull off an upset. It helps the conference notoriety and lines the pockets of all league members. But in football CAA isn’t an underdog conference. We want JMU to win. That’s it. There’s no joy when some other CAA school wins. Sure, we can be happy for our friends who are W&M fans when they win, but we’re still not cheering for the Tribe. Did you see the way Lehigh fans were carrying on when Colgate was beating JMU Saturday? That was weird, no? JMU stomped Lehigh. Colgate beat Lehigh. Nothing that happened Saturday changed that. At all. Good sportsmanship is important. But screw Richmond.
Another winning season, another playoff bid, and another year of going home after one game for JMU. The Dukes went 9-2 in the regular season and earned both a seed and an opening round bye for the playoffs. For the second year in a row however, they were upset at home. The playoffs were over practically before they even started. Last year it was to Liberty. Yesterday it was to the Colgate Raiders from the Patriot League. Colgate played well and earned the win. Make no doubt about it though, the Raiders 44-38 win was an upset.
We gave ourselves a much needed cooling off period after the game. The hope was that we’d gain some sort of perspective that could better sum up the disappointing end to the season. We didn’t. We’re still as frustrated and confused about what happened yesterday as we were when the final seconds ticked off the clock. But there’s no sense putting it off any longer. In no particular order here are some thoughts on the loss and the program in general.
Upset? Epic Choke? Just an Ugly Loss?
The Dukes were a 20 point favorite over Colgate. Anyone who has watched JMU play the past month or so, knew that was a bit much. The Dukes were supposed to win though. Without taking anything away from Colgate, a team that came to play and earned the win, JMU was the better team on paper. But the Dukes lost. They made mistakes from the opening kick (literally) and let Colgate storm out to an early 17-0 lead. Despite gifting Colgate points, JMU was still poised to take control of the game. Multiple times. Yet they never did. The D would shut down Colgate one series. Then let them rumble for a big scoring play the next. Then with first and goal late in the game, the FCS’s top offense failed to march in for the likely game winning touchdown. Ball game.
It was definitely an upset. It might have been an epic choke job. It was without a doubt, an ugly loss. read more…
Here we go. Playoff time. It’s a beautiful day in the ‘burg for all those fortunate to be attending the game in person. For everyone else, it’s a good day to root from home or a bar full of Dukes fans. JMU will face a Colgate Raiders team that comes into Bridgeforth with plenty of confidence after defeating New Hampshire on the road last week. The Dukes are anxious to get their first postseason win of the Everett Withers era. Consider this your official open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game chatter. Keep rootin!
Dukes are finally wearing ALL purple this week. We approve!
And so it begins. Thankfully this year it begins in the Round of 16 against a Patriot League team (sound familiar anyone?)
The Basics
Match-up: Colgate Raiders (8-4, 6-0 Patriot, beat UNH 27-20 in opening round) at #5 JMU Dukes (8-2, 5-2 CAA)
Kickoff: 1:00 PM at Bridgeforth Stadium
Weather: Sunny, high of 55 – really couldn’t be a better December Saturday in the ‘Burg
Broadcast: Streaming on ESPN3 and available on ESPN’s CollegeExtra at bars with DirecTV on Ch. 791 or thereabouts
Tell Me About Colgate
We actually know next to nothing about Colgate. JMU and Colgate have never met in football. Colgate and JMU have one common opponent this year in Lehigh, who the Raiders outgunned 49-42 late in the year. Colgate did make a run all the way to the title game in ’03 (the year before JMU won the title) but otherwise are just 2-8 (including last week and they do claim two national titles in 1916 and 1932) in the FCS playoffs all time. Colgate is located in New York, but you’d be excused for thinking PA. They are Patriot League, not Ivy, but they’re often mistaken themselves on that. Their helmet says simply ‘gate and they were actually originally called Madison University before the school was renamed for an important contributor during the school’s early years (seems like this makes them morons, but we should all probably be thankful that happened or who knows what school we all would’ve attended). Eugene Robinson played there which is not cool. Coach Dan Hunt is in his second year after succeeding the legendary Dick Biddle (yes, that’s funny).
How Colgate Can Win
Follow the pattern that allowed them to “upset” New Hampshire last week. Win the time of possession battle while still occasionally letting dual-threat QB Jake Melville make plays and turning punishing fireplug of a RB James Holland (think MJD) loose in the red zone. He had four rushing TD’s accounting for all of Colgate’s scoring last week. They also probably need to jump out to a big lead and hang on like last week as they almost wore down enough to give away a 27-6 lead late to UNH and again will be at a depth disadvantage. They’ve got to avoid falling behind and letting the Dukes’ pace take over and they’ll likely try to do so by pounding the ball as much as possible.
How JMU Can Win
By not beating themselves first and foremost. Protect the football, catch the ball in the return game, make the makeable kicks without getting them blocked, and tackle. Really just tackle and the rest will take of itself. Work on finding a rhythm on offense and commit as much as possible to stopping the run on the other side. A few big plays in the first half could make a huge difference. This one really feels like it has the potential to tip JMU’s way in a hurry if, and that’s a big IF, the Dukes play to their potential.
JMUSB Beer of the Week
Foothills Brewing’s Frostbite Black IPA. Tricky style that we love, but lots of people get wrong. Not these guys. Such a good combination of a beer that smells like good herb but has a lot more balance and substance than the IPA’s we usually get carried away with. This is the rare IPA that stout and porter people will really like.
JMUSB Prediction
I’m sorry, but we’re in the spirit now and none of you attendance-complaining (hardcore fans + students = fine atmosphere so cool it), we-miss-Vad-too-much, we-can’t-defend naysayers are going to talk us out of it. JMU can still be great with Bryan Schor and with this defense. Stop overrating the FCS field and start thinking about the team that still has only scored under 38 points in a single game this season (24 in W over UD). They’ve scored 38 twice and 40+ eight times. Just think about that. Colgate is good. Colgate beat UNH fair and square and deserves respect. Colgate ain’t JMU. They’ve scored 30+ only three times this season. Settle down and root!
Dukes 41, Raiders 27
It’s time for our prediction contest, playoff edition. The JMU Dukes welcome the Colgate Raiders to Bridgeforth this Saturday for a second round matchup in the 2015 FCS Playoffs. ‘Gate earned its playoff bid by winning the Patriot League, and knocked off New Hampshire last week in round one. The Raiders probably can’t match the athleticism of the Dukes, but they run the ball very effectively and won’t be an easy out.
Leave a comment below letting us know which team you think will win and what the final score will be. The person who comes closest to nailing it (winner & score) will get to write a guest post. That’s it. Go Dukes! Keep Rootin!
