Just One Drive<\/strong><\/p>\nWatching the game, we had the distinct impression that Coach Houston’s plan was to play possession football and ride the defense to a win. The offense stalled a few times in the red zone, settling for field goals and turning the ball over on downs at the goal line (disappointing result, but we loved the decision btw). However, there were no signs of panic. In fact, the players and coaches seemed quite content to keep pinning Delaware back and letting the Dukes defense go to work. Until Delaware made its second field goal to pull within one score in the third quarter that is.<\/p>\n
After that happened, the Dukes offense responded by putting the pedal to the metal and marching 75 yards on 13 plays for a big touchdown. It was a beautifully called and executed drive. Nooch hit several big passes and ran for a first down, before hitting Jake Brown for six points. Just clinical. And it put any fears of this one being close to rest. It was as Nooch and the offense just said enough is enough, we’re done playing conservative, and we can end this right here. Then they did.<\/p>\n
We would have loved a repeat of some of JMU’s past playoff blowouts. It wasn’t in the cards though. Delaware deserves a ton of credit for putting together a great defensive game plan and executing it. Again though, it seemed to us that JMU had enough confidence its defense, that they were perfectly content to protect the ball and try to ride the D to a victory. When the Dukes had to put together a big scoring drive though, they did it. And then the D took it from there.<\/p>\n
That Defense Though<\/strong><\/p>\nThe real story of the game was the JMU defense. The Dukes simply destroyed the Blue Hens, surrendering only 116 yards in the air that came on 13 completions out of 32 attempts. JMU picked up two interceptions and sacked Kehoe 5 times. The Blue Hens didn’t have much luck running the ball either. They rushed for only 69 yards all game. And of course they failed to score a single touchdown.<\/p>\n
We’ve seen talented QBs make plays against JMU this season. But if teams don’t have legit talent behind center, the JMU defense just overwhelms folks. Kehoe is a decent QB, but far from spectacular. This game showed us once again that decent doesn’t get it done against the Dukes defense. The teams still playing at this stage, tend to have good QBs though and should provide a tougher test than Delaware did.<\/p>\n
Survive and Advance<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Blue Hen defense was no joke on Saturday either. Trai Sharp and Nooch found spots and ran the ball effectively, but the running game still never really clicked overall. Delaware’s line closed gaps and got good push off the line all game. The Blue Hens sacked Nooch three times and had nine tackles for loss total. And of course, they limited JMU to just two touchdowns. It was an impressive showing.<\/p>\n
The Dukes were able to put together more than a few drives where they moved the ball and the passing game was efficient. But Delaware stopped JMU and forced the Dukes to settle for field goal attempts several times and gave up only two touchdowns. Rocco is a good coach, so it shouldn’t be too shocking. The Blue Hens’ defense looked much better than advertised though.<\/p>\n
There’s no denying that the JMU offense looked pretty pedestrian at times. Should we be worried? It’s obvious that this isn’t the 2016 unit and probably foolish to expect things to suddenly click to the point where the Dukes are scoring 40+ points a game. But it’s also not time to panic. For this particular game, we chalk a lot of it up to the plan and apparent desire to play a conservative game. Because when the urgency ticked up, JMU showed it was more than capable. We’re not saying that the JMU was throwing out it’s “B” offense or not trying for the rest of the game. The Dukes obviously were. But they also seemed prepared to play a low scoring affair and not press. Even when they got “aggressive” and went for it on the goal line, it was probably as much about liking the potential field position they’d hand UD, than it was about trying to light up the score board.<\/p>\n
The Dukes offense did enough to win. More than enough really, with the way the defense played. Things only get tougher from here though and JMU is going to need to score some points. The Colgate defense made shutouts a habit this season. The Raiders are legit. The Dukes have playmakers though. And they made enough plays against a Delaware defense that was determined to stop them. That’s the name of the game. No style points. Just win. JMU got it done against Delaware, but the Dukes are going to need to elevate their game now. That’s the way things work. Survive and advance.<\/p>\n
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Round one of the 2018 FCS Playoffs is in the books. The Dukes took care of business with a comfortable 20-6 victory their CAA rival the Delaware Blue Hens. The margin on the scoreboard was only 14 points, but this one was never really in doubt. JMU’s defense was simply too much for the Blue Hens to handle. Props to Delaware QB Pat Kehoe who rallied to start the game after exiting the regular season finale with an injury. He never found his rhythm was ineffective for the game. Ben DiNucci on the other hand, had another solid performance. He connected with eight different receivers and completed 23 of 31 for 223 yards and a touchdown. With the win, JMU earned the right to play Colgate on the road in round two. Here are three quick thoughts on the game before we all turn our attention toward the Raiders.<\/p>\n