{"id":11098,"date":"2019-09-16T06:37:40","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T10:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=11098"},"modified":"2019-09-16T06:37:45","modified_gmt":"2019-09-16T10:37:45","slug":"three-thoughts-on-jmu-63-morgan-state-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=11098","title":{"rendered":"Three Thoughts On JMU 63 – Morgan State 12"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Dukes did what they had to do in their week three contest against an overmatched Morgan State squad. Coach Cignetti and the boys stuck out a weather delay and soundly defeated the Bears by the score of 63-12. It wasn’t as close at that sounds. Ben DiNucci got the start at QB, but both Cole Johnson and Gage Maloney got reps behind center. And all three guys made plays, combining for a JMU record-tying 6 touchdown passes. Overall, JMU compiled 507 yards of offense and limited Morgan State to 2.3 yards per carry on the ground. Overall, it was another positive step forward in the journey to prepare for CAA play. Here are three quick thoughts on the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The<\/strong> Nooch<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caveat it all you want, but Ben DiNucci had a great game. While a large portion of the fanbase can’t move past his disappointing playoff performance against Colgate, he seems to have put it behind him. He opened the season making some big plays against WVU, but also had a few mistakes and a pick. Then last week against St. Francis he made some nice throws, but had decisions in the red zone that Cignetti wasn’t thrilled with. Against Morgan State though, the Nooch was dropping dimes and hitting receivers in stride all game, plus making plays with his feet. And he responded well to Cignetti’s criticism, leading the Dukes to touchdowns on all redone possessions while he was in the game. Yes, we know it was just Morgan State, but he was making the exact sort of throws that everyone claimed he couldn’t make. He’s not perfect and he’s going to make mistakes. But he’s the Dukes’ QB folks. It’s time to get behind him and root, instead of picking apart his games or waiting for the other shoe to drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About That Defense<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the Nooch, the JMU defense sured up some things and took another step forward against Morgan State. Despite two solid performance to open the season, the Dukes had failed to generate much pressure on the QB. JMU was able to get after the Bears’ signal callers to the tune of 3 sacks. The front four was aggressive and in the backfield all game. When the guys on the d-line wasn’t getting to the QB, they were suffocating the running backs. Aden Atariwa is going to be headache for CAA teams and John Daka is a handful. And while D’Angelo Amos is known for his return abilities, he was all over the field and showed everyone how valuable he is on D with his 9 total tackles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the run D looks ready for CAA play, the pass D still has some room to grow. Now it’s only week three, so there’s no need to panic. JMU has faced a Big 12 team, and two overmatched FCS teams that had to air it out to attempt comebacks. Against Morgan State though, the Dukes once again gave up multiple big plays in the passing game. We’re still confident in the defense, but there are clearly a few things the team needs to work on to prevent potentially game turning plays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developing Depth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the great things about winning big, is that it gives Coach Cignetti a chance to pull the starters. Combined with the new redshirt rule, and you end up with a situation where young guys get game reps. And lots of them have been making plays for JMU. We don’t expect JMU to play this deep into the roster come CAA play. And we’ve discussed our desire for a feature running back to emerge. But through three games, it’s been exciting to see how many backups look capable. Six running backs carried the ball against Morgan State. Eleven different players caught passes. And 25 total players got snaps on defense. Sure, some of these guys will end up redshirting and won’t likely see the field during the core of the season, but it’s encouraging to see regardless.<\/p>\n