Well now wasn’t that just about a perfect afternoon? Ok, maybe that end of the second quarter was like a tracker-jacker hallucination, but JMU beat the Ticks by FIVE touchdowns in a must-win situation for both teams. FIVE. Anyone still not feeling this squad?!
Yes, you can now officially begin using the P word at your convenience. Yes, the Dukes can’t afford another bad loss next week, but is there a team in the CAA you’d rather be playing, at home, to get a ninth win than Elon? We’re planning a huge tailgate next week and more to come about Celebration Saturday and playoff implications and expectations later this week. But for now, let’s enjoy reviewing yesterday’s pure ownership of the Ticks.
The Good
Taylor ‘effin Reynolds! – There is no way to overstate Reynold’s impact on this game. Basically, as a DB, he single-handedly accounted for 28 points. That’s Deion-esque. He scored two TD’s on pick-sixes and prevented not one, but two TD’s with incredibly smart hustle plays when he twice punched the ball out from moronic Spider ball-carriers. The first was great, but the second punchout was THE play of the season. As many of you felt (more to come later on this of course), the combination of the Ticks and the referees had completely stolen JMU’s momentum on either side of halftime and with the Ticks cruising in for a TD that would have pulled them within three points, Reynolds miraculously punched the ball out right before the goal line through the back of the end zone for a touchback. Put simply, from that moment on the Dukes were playoff bound! It’s just wonderful to see a kid that’s really had a rough road after being such a highly touted recruit tap his considerable talent and potential at the moment it was most needed. Way to go Taylor!
In case you were wondering what National Defensive Player of the Week looks like in action.
Second-Half Shutouts -Two weeks in a row the Dukes have struggled to keep an opponent off the board in the first half. And now two weeks in a row they have flat-out slammed the door shut in the second half. This team can go a looooong way if they can limit an opponent’s scoring to one half because this team will keep scoring in all quarters!
The O-Line – Despite the final score Richmond did one of the better jobs all year of keeping Vad Lee contained to the pocket. But thanks to the O-Line, he was given time to throw for a school-record 433 yards. He had time to let plays develop which led to huge gainers for Dukes receivers. It’s just wonderful to see the line coming together this way as line play has always been the main hallmark of JMU’s best seasons and is really the difference between good and great.
Backup Tight Ends – When Deane Cheatum went down last week, we were nervous given that he’s been a huge contributor and the team leader in catches. But development appears to be a strength of this staff and team, and Jonathan Kloosterman and Brandon Brown who chipped in with five important grabs and didn’t let the offensive juggernaut miss a beat.
This Machine – Vad Lee is breaking all kinds of records you can read about here, but we don’t want to focus on him this week because this winning streak is an all-around team effort. Clutch kicking from Maglio, less mistakes in all three phases, improved play on both lines, great play-calling and adjustments from the staff, and seemingly an inexhaustible ability to keep progressing as a team each week. This team has become a machine, capable of scoring points by the truckload and equally capable of settling in and shutting people down when necessary. It’s been exhilarating to watch and we’re starting to pick up a real us-against-the-world-we-don’t-care-what-is-thrown-at-us vibe from this group. Actually feels more ’04ish than ’08ish. We can’t even tell you how impressive it was to recover from that end to the first half and come back even stronger in the second half. That was a level of mental toughness from the staff and players that was, needless to say, considerably greater than our own ability to not lose our cool.
NBCSN – As a fan, it really is fantastic when we get the high-quality production of the national game on NBCSN after weeks of Stretch Internet’s bullshit on JMU’s side and last week’s elementary school level production from Stony Brook. That said, NBCSN signed up for a CAA that doesn’t exist anymore and it’ll be a miracle if they extend the deal with a conference that looks more small-time with each passing year thanks to insane officiating (more on that below) and a slew of high-school style stadiums and less-than-high-school crowds.
Purple Helmets – Those things are just perfect.
The Bad
Really, there’s almost nothing bad about not only beating up the Ticks, but doing so in a way that was absolutely soul-crushing. Just a beautiful thing. Oh yeah, I guess one bad thing was the giant red condom look RU’s Coach Rocco had going yesterday.
Thanks to Varina HS for the halftime entertainment!
The Ugly
There is no possible way for us to even write about the back-to-back targeting penalties called on the Dukes at the end of the half yesterday without risking cardiac arrest. We do sort of apologize for losing our damned minds on Twitter and feeding every conspiracy-theory beast that the most crazed of our own fans were pondering at the time. The truth is the first flag on Peak was probably warranted, and at least understandable as there seemed to be clear helmet-to-helmet contact even if Peak didn’t seem to have any intent or even necessarily be aware of exactly where he was in relation to the receiver before the hit. But the second one, oh the second one. On Marlowe, which amounted to his third ejection of the season for a horsesh*t call. We can’t even possibly deal with this properly, but just know that the Targeting rule is ruining the game. When an offensive player has the ball and turns to charge forward with his head down, what in the world is a defender supposed to do? Stop himself in mid-air? It’s just ridiculous. And the fact there was replay yesterday and it wasn’t overturned is just further evidence of the amateur-hour status of CAA officiating and the conference as a whole. And the craziest part is we wouldn’t be surprised if ole Tommy Yeags turns around and suspends Marlowe beyond the half he’s already sat out by the rule for “multiple infractions.” Well fine then. Just like the team did yesterday, they’ll just say screw it and proceed to throw another half-a-hundred on another opponent!
Last Word
Finally, just feels worth mentioning, we’ll both be in The ‘Burg for next week’s game and you’re all welcome to come tailgate with us! Purple Kool-Aid all around!
Big game today folks. Big, big game. The Dukes face their old pals the Ticks. The game will be nationally broadcast on NBC Sports Network. Check your local listings or tune into the free stream here. The Dukes are riding a 5 game winning streak. RU is coming off a disappointing loss to Maine. A win would do a lot for both teams’ playoff chances. And then there’s that whole in-state rivalry thing. Like we said, it’s a big game. Consider this your open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game chatter. Go Dukes! Beat Richmond!
JMU hoops got its season started last night in front of a raucous sold out crowd at the Convo. The Dukes, who were without the services of suspended players Andre Nation and Tom Vodanovich, lost to the UVA Cavaliers by the scored of 79-51. To be fair, UVA was shorthanded as well after Evan Nolte and London Perrantes were suspended. In the end though, UVA was simply too much for JMU.
When this home and home series was announced, a lot of JMU fans (myself included) pointed to this home leg as a chance for the Dukes to really compete. UVA is well coached and talented team. But at the time of the announcement JMU was coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and had a solid core of freshmen on which to build. It was easy to picture a team led by Andre Nation and Charles Cooke rising to the occasion to beat UVA in the Convo. It wasn’t meant to be apparently.
UVA’s calling card under coach Tony Bennett has been team defense and the Cavs held JMU to 28% shooting on the night. In the first half, JMU managed to put up some points though. Unfortunately, the Dukes couldn’t stop UVA so it still wasn’t close. The Cavs shot 58% from the field. Whether it was a case of UVA being a vastly improved shooting team or JMU’s young lineup struggling to gel defensively, is up for debate. It was probably a bit of both. UVA’s bigs were virtually unchallenged down low for stretches and the entire Cavs team seemed to get follow-up after follow-up off the offensive glass. The Cavs raced out to an early lead and cruised for a wire to wire victory.
Looking for Positives
Hari Hall scored 15 points in the first half. He was held scoreless after the break, but he’s an aggressive and athletic player who should develop nicely. Yohanny Dalembert is still pretty raw, but in the second half it was evident he put in a lot of work on his post game. Jackson Kent added some muscle to his frame and dropped in 14 points. And freshman Joey McLean looks capable at the point.
Aside from Kent and Hall, the entire team struggled shooting the ball. Poor shooting plagued the Dukes last year and it simply has to improve if JMU wants to be competitive in the CAA. There is some talent and potential on the roster, but it’s going to be a work in progress for at least a few weeks while Coach Brady tries to find the lineup. Nation’s return will help and we’d like to think Ron Curry and Winston Grays shooting a combined 1 for 13 was an anomaly. Let’s chalk it up to first game jitters and stay positive. It’s only one game.
Time for another Hoodie Sammy? Darn right it is.
Congrats JMU Nation! At long last, we’ve made it back to a big one! Not a flash-in-the-pan tourney win in a watered down year or a struggling for mediocrity and sneaking into a road playoff game at the end, but rather a building-through-the-season, slowly piling dormant fans back onto the bandwagon, grassroots big game. In case you haven’t noticed, and judging by the attendance you haven’t, this game more closely remembers the last great game of the Mickster’s heyday in this same city against this same crappy, carpetbagger-filled, “university.” Kick it to Scotty!
The Basics
Match-up: JMU Dukes (7-3, 4-2 CAA) vs. Poormond Ticks (7-3, 4-2 CAA)
The Line (for recreational purposes only): Richmond -4.5 (opened at Richmond -7, just thought you should know)
Location: Robins High School Stadium, West End, Richmond, Virginia
Kick-off: 12:30 on Saturday, November 15
Broadcast Options: NBC Sports Network (National Game), NO excuses for not watching this one if you can’t be there.
How They Got Here
Poormond went on the road and laid an egg at Maine, losing 33-20. They were so full of themselves and sitting pretty after upsetting Villanova, it must be very humbling that so quickly they’re now 60 short minutes of purple hell away from begging they can hang onto the bubble.
JMU of course comes into this game riding a five game win streak. You know this, or at least you should. Last week Vad Lee and the offense did what Vad Lee and offense do. On the other side, the Defensive bus was 30 minutes late to Long Island, but managed to find their way to the field around halftime and shut out the Seawolves in the second, thus giving Vad and co. the chance to come back and take down another road victory.
What’s at Stake?
From a playoff standpoint, we’re not exactly sure what a loss means for either team. The Ticks still have William & Mary and they’ve already banked that ‘Nova win, but a loss here would only motivate the Tribe even more in the finale. For JMU, they’ll be seriously sweating out the final week while hopefully dismantling Elon if they can’t pull this out. But a win…oh, a win…a win will go a looooong way towards locking the Dukes into the field.
The Spatters (“RVA” Fake Accent) Will Win If
They manage to control the pace and force JMU to play from behind. Richmond’s whiny-assed little girlyman coach (by way of Liberty of course) doesn’t want JMU’s offense running 80+ plays and has said as much this week. He’s also said he plans to have the officials come to his office to explain to them that they control the pace, not JMU’s offense, which is just bush league and has already been whining about holding. We’re really not sure when Rocco began channeling his inner K.C. Keeler, but screw them all.
The Dukes Will Win If
They keep Richmond guessing, spread the ball around, and keep it up tempo. Maybe more importantly, they need to play from ahead in this one. Richmond might be the second best defensive team we’ve seen in the CAA after Stony Brook, but needless to say, their offense is a whole lot more capable than the Seawolves were and the Dukes need to play this one from ahead ala Charlotte to feel good about this one. If Vad Lee is doing Vad Lee things, the running backs are finding holes, and multiple receivers are catching passes, it’s a lot for a defense to worry about. If JMU does those things Saturday, it should be able to break through and score. And if Sage Harold continues to go beast mode and the D plays like it did for must of last week’s game, they’ll keep points off the board. Especially if injured UR QB Strauss actually returns to the lineup like Coach Rocco says he will and ends up standing back there like a statue and getting rocked by Harold, Lee, Robinson, and company! Like most JMU/UR games, and like almost all top-level CAA games, this one is likely to be very tight and it goes without saying a big turnover or a special teams play. On that note, just two words. On second thought, make it three words: Jimmy ‘effin Moreland!
JMUSB Beer of the Week
Flying Dog Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout. It’s a month that end in R and just about the start of the real Oyster season, so this solid stout made with Rappahannock River oysters is just about perfect for a little morning oyster roast. Flying Dog is not our all-time favorite on the whole, but this is a really fun beer this time of year and we’re huge fans of their little partnership with CAO cigars that’s offering a tasting pair with beer and cigars. Look for the pack and thank us later.
JMUSB Prediction
JMU 38 – Poormond 31. If that score rings a bell from more hallowed years of this rivalry, it should. The McGee is strong in Moreland and In Vad We Trust!
Bonus Links
The Purple Wave has made a special one-night-only appearance for the big Tick-squashing.
Old funny Richmond “Spatters” guy Sachmo is back! Love this guy.
Lastly, an early gift to the week thanks to the Hampton Pirates knocking off Bethune-Cookman and reducing the MEAC’s playoff possibles from 2/3 to 1/2, though we all know it should be a one-bid league!
Zac is particularly fired up for Richmond week and agreed to add to the excitement with a guest post. Enjoy!
I’m not holding back. After a week of GETTING HYPE for this game, I’m ready to let them have it. This isn’t going to be a feel good post like my W&M Top 10. This is the real f***ing deal and nothing but pure old fashioned hate. Without further ado, my top 10 reasons I f***king hate RU.
Dukes4 won the prediction contest and earned the right to guest post. Here’s his take on his JMU fandom through the years.
Blogname – “Dukes4”. It’s that simple…I’m a 1979 grad along with the three kids my wife and I had the privilege of sending to the JMU spa. In 1982 my wife got her first taste of JMU athletics from watching the above video with me. (After knocking off Ohio State in the first round, JMU shoulda / woulda/ coulda beat North Carolina (with Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins and James Worthy ), NCAA tournament 81, 82, 83 ) . Since that time I consider her an honorary JMU fan we hope to make it “Dukes5”.
Football: Hmmm, this year smells like 2008 and there have been comments to the like. There are similarities, so talk amongst yourselves. Perhaps I recall moments from 2008 because I am losing my memory….. I just recall that in 08 we played some rollercoaster close games and WON! I recall many games outside of 2008 that were close and we lost. It is said: if you play enough close games your gonna lose one so I hope we paid the price with the Hens.
The element of similarity beyond winning close games this year is the “ticker effect”. In 2008 some called the team the “cardiac kids”. Likewise, here was my prediction from the SB game:
“another cardiac test. JMU 28: “Lawngeyelin” SeaDwawgs: 24.but only if JMU doesn’t get ahead, then try to sit on the lead with a “running” game. We need to be pass crazy. “
In 2008 I printed this banner from the CSN site and it has been stuck to my office board for 6 years. I believe it was following the Mail-Mary win at Villanova and the Scotty return for a TD at Richmond.
Please, how about a Richmond game where we kick butt and my ticker doesn’t ache in doing so!
It’s Richmond Week. Now any game against the Ticks is one JMU fans want to win. This Saturday’s contest might mean even a little more than usual though, with JMU still fighting for a playoff bid. Richmond is a solid team that should not be taken lightly. And despite the fact that as JMU fans we’re practically obligated to poke fun at the Ticks’ high school-esque stadium, JMU has yet to win there. (ed. note: I just Googled “high school stadium” to see if Robins came back in the result. Sadly, it does not. However, there are some very impressive high school stadiums out there. We might need to come up with a new insult, because Richmond’s facility doesn’t really hold a candle to those of say, Stadium High School in Tacoma, WA or Allen High School in Allen, Texas to name a few. But I digress.) Will this be the year the Dukes get it done in Robins Stadium? And for any of you who’d like to test your sports betting acumen, Richmond opened as a 7 point favorite. Let us know who you think will win and what the final score will be in the comments. The person who comes closest to nailing it (winner & score) will get to write a guest post next week. Pretty simple, right? Now get to it.
[polldaddy poll=8441859]Vad Lee and the Dukes have now won five straight games. That’s JMU’s longest winning streak since all the way back in 2008 when a guy by the name of Rodney Landers was lining up behind center. JMU has a huge game against the hated Ticks this Saturday with a lot on the line. A big win would do a lot to boost the playoff resume. Richmond is also looking solid its playoff chances and get back on track after a disappointing loss at Maine. Following the game at Richmond, the Dukes will return home to face CAA newcomer Elon. It remains a very real possibility that the game could be Elon’s final shot to get a conference win. The Phoenix will definitely come to play and try to end the season on a high note. JMU obviously has a lot to play for. And so do its opponents. Do the Dukes have what it takes to get the job done? Vote in the poll above and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
So consider this the first in what will be a very intermittent series here at JMUSB we’re calling TMZ Tuesday. After all, we’ve got eyeballs and interest this week with the gridiron Dukes rolling so why not shamelessly roll back out the theme that’s given us our biggest posts ever? Remember this?
Former Dukes Soccer Star Karly Skladany marries that other guy (Chris Kirkpatrick) from N’Sync w/ JT in the wedding party!
Or this?
Dagger!
Of course you do! So in that spirit, how about these two new entries.
First, we have legendary Dukes alum Arthur Don’t Cross the Moats, now contributing heavily for the Pittsburgh Steelers, mugging with The Biebs! Somehow this took place at Steelers Bible Study last week.
And second, something I’ve been meaning to touch on for awhile that I still kind of can’t believe and is just cool. As some of you may know, former JMU TE Mike Caussin has quietly kept his NFL dream alive the last few years after stints on various practice squads and by enduring injuries. This year he’s actually on IR with the Redskins after getting hurt in the preseason. But did you know he’s dating budding country starlet Jana Kramer?! Yes, that Jana Kramer, the one who made the hit song “Why You Wanna?,” a song that made no sense because no guy would leave her. We tend to give her huge points because Mike, simply being a Duke, is obviously a huge upgrade over Ms. Kramer’s according-to-Wikipedia ex-boyfriend Brantley Gilbert!
Dating Up! (Kramer Dating up with a Duke that is)
Now back to your regularly scheduled Poormond Ticks Week! Speaking of, consider this a test balloon for the first-ever North Carolina Triad Area (not Triangle Area) JMU Watch Party this Saturday. JMUSB’s southern half (that’s me) has already set things up with Greensboro’s finest (i.e. trashiest) dive bar – the infamous Suds n’ Duds laundromat bar – for sound and the bigscreen in the ping-pong/living room area. Some type of food ranging from possibly Crock Pot Chili Fritos to delivery pizza and your first shot after a Dukes TD will be sponsored by JMUSB and we’ll give away whatever random purple and gold swag we grabbed up during Homecoming’s fiasco!
Wow! Five in a row for the Dukes and the swagger is back after another huge 2nd half comeback propelled the Dukes to their fourth road victory of the year at Stony Brook on Saturday. And now…. It’s Tick Week and the main reason we want to get this gamer out of the way is so we can move on to all that week means to JMU fans! (Hint: Satchmo the old guy with the YouTube channel is back this year and they try to throw their own streamers now). Seriously, just get you tickets to Richmond’s cute little high school stadium, better known as Bridgeforth East, now if you’re in the vicinity and rest assured that this one’s on NBCSN if you’re not.
The Good
In full control now!
Halftime adjustments – As we’ve been saying all year, one place this coaching staff seems to show why a change was warranted is in their in-game adjustments. JMU has trailed at the half five times (non-Maryland division) by our count this year and is now 4-1 in those games. I’d say that speaks for itself.
Vad Lee – Was simply magical in this game. Stony Brook’s defense was every bit as good as their #1 FCS ranking said and one guy made them look ordinary. Lee has now broken broth Birdsong’s passing TD’s record and Rodney Landers’ all-around yardage record. Yeah, the offense has a ton to do with it, but he’s still got two games left in just the regular season! His ability to keep plays alive and make something out of nothing were the difference in this game and he was so clearly the best player on the field that all doubts have been erased all remaining doubts. Seriously, the 3rd and 29 scramble and the ridiculous Romo/Vick combo scramble to pick up the first down on the game-winning drive were 100% reminiscent of Landers’ finest work.
Maglio and the special teams – Missed a kick he probably shouldn’t have been asked to attempt, but made two big kicks that kept the Dukes in the game in the first half. And the rest of the special teams at least didn’t commit any major botches after last week’s punt block misadventures against the Tribe.
Second half Defense – pitched a shutout in the second half to give JMU’s offense the chance to comeback and win it. While somewhat counter-intuitive, coaches will tell you they all start with defense and this was no exception. This second half performance was complete with an epic four-down goal line stand that ended with Simeyon Robinson destroying an ill-advised fake FG attempt and a game-clinching sack/fumble on Stony Brook’s last drive when trailing by three and nearly in FG range. Just huge.
One-bid SoCon is locked up. One-bid Patriot is locked up. Both good news for at-large playoff candidates.
The Bad
Not much in this section. This game was mostly good or ugly with little in between, but the fourth down/gadget play decisions require revisiting. If you’ve been reading a while, you know I’m the “go-for-it” guy. Mathematically, it’s almost always the right thing to do and it frustrates me no end when coaches clam up. So it goes without saying that I was fine with both decisions in the first half. First the Dukes went for it on 4th and very long from Stony Brook’s 30. This was an odd one, but there was really no right/wrong answer as a FG was really dicey and a punt would likely gain you only 10 yards of field position. The second was an attempted onside kick. Again, though some hate it I was fine with it. The Dukes had fallen behind by multiple scores and were trying to regain momentum. It also appeared it absolutely would’ve worked were it not for a horribly executed kick that barely went five yards. We’re usually not critical of individual players aside from QB’s but with Maglio doing the placekicking, Arnone really only has one job. Get on it. (While we’re at it, you all know we have huge crushes on Jimmy ‘effin Moreland for his huge plays and ballskills, but man could he use some tackling drills). Then in the second half JMU had two chances to go for it on fourth down in the maroon zone and chose instead to punt once and to ask Maglio to make a really long kick the other which didn’t work. Thankfully none of these decisions came back to haunt the Dukes, but our complaint is more with mixed messaging. Whether you’re aggressive or conservative on these might not matter, but some consistency in decision-making would seem in order. (Aggressive please!)
The Ugly
First half defense. It was ugly and awful and atrocious and pathetic. Terrible tackling we thought was behind us and even more disturbing, for the first time all year it seemed the emotion wasn’t there. Maybe the coaches should start giving the halftime speech in pregame?
Stony Brook’s streaming video production. Look, it was free so there’s that. But it is not at all an exaggeration to say that most middle-school morning announcement newscasts are approximately 38 times higher in quality than what we saw from Stony Brook. I might’ve even been tempted to get more effusive in my praise of Vad Lee above if only I had seen half of the runs and passes he was involved in. That said, the stream never cut out on us which is more than we can say for JMU’s switch to ratchet Stretch Internet this year. (Again, the good news is the Tick game is on NBCSN).
Sweater vests. It’s Poormond Week! Let’s Go Dukes!
