{"id":11573,"date":"2021-02-28T18:06:18","date_gmt":"2021-02-28T23:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=11573"},"modified":"2021-02-28T18:25:25","modified_gmt":"2021-02-28T23:25:25","slug":"quick-thoughts-on-jmu-36-robert-morris-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=11573","title":{"rendered":"Quick Thoughts on JMU 36 Robert Morris 16"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Wow. That was a bit more than any of bargained for, huh? JMU faced a serious test from Robert Morris in week two, but rallied after halftime to win by 20. It was a hard fought game that not a lot of us saw coming. The Dukes played poorly, very poorly, in the opening half and went into the break knotted at 16. The Dukes offense struggled and Cole Johnson threw three first half picks. However, a late second quarter TD drive appeared to spark the team and right the ship. JMU rode a 27-0 surge to close things out and secure the win. Here are a few quick thoughts on the victory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Robert Morris Played Well<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the #2 team in the country goes into halftime tied in a game its favored by 35 in, the narrative will obviously be about what went wrong. And things definitely did go wrong for the Dukes. But we also need to give Robert Morris credit for what it did right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Colonials are a good football team. They’re not national title contenders, but they’re on a completely different level than Morehead State or the last Robert Morris team that visited Bridgeforth. They more than held their own on the lines of scrimmage in the first half. Their defensive line got into the backfield to slow down JMU’s running backs and pressure Johnson. And the secondary played well, reading Cole’s eyes and making plays on the ball. They’re a good football team that executed a good gameplan. Unfortunately for them, JMU adjusted and took over in the second half. But props to them for turning some heads and exceeding the expectations that anyone had for them heading into the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resilience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re not going to sit here and attempt to rationalize Cole Johnson’s three first half picks. He made poor throws and poor decisions. For JMU to be successful, he’s got play better. There’s no denying that. And while we were as disappointed as anyone with the turnovers, we’re also kind of amazed by his resilience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many players lose their confidence when the wheels start to come off. The wheels were definitely coming off for Cole, but he put it behind him and lead the team on late TD drive in the second quarter. From that point on, it was pretty much all JMU. As disappointed as we were in his mistakes, we were probably just as impressed with the fact that Johnson and his teammates didn’t fall apart. We didn’t see any signs of the team splintering. We saw a bunch of players and coaches who just kept playing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And they played a completely different game after the break. The defense held Robert Morris to 24 yards of offense. The offense scored 20 points. They turned what was a very tough battle, into a bit of blowout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Was a Blessing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is going to be a strange football season. Top teams were dropping like flies yesterday. North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Elon, Wofford, Furman, and other ranked teams all lost. While some of those losses might ultimately be due to the fact that certain teams were overrated, they’re also great reminders that teams can’t take weeks off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JMU faced some serious adversity yesterday. Robert Morris played much tougher and more physical than anyone thought they would, and the Dukes dug themselves in a hole. But they battled back and proved that they’re not going to wilt under pressure. Ultimately, that’s more valuable than cruising to an easy win against an overmatched opponent. This one wasn’t pretty and it probably had many Dukes fans freaking out, but it could pay dividends down the road. We didn’t think the Dukes would take a punch until maybe the playoffs. Well, they took a tough one yesterday and then countered. That’s a good thing.<\/p>\n