{"id":12038,"date":"2024-11-22T12:47:18","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T17:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=12038"},"modified":"2024-11-22T12:48:21","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T17:48:21","slug":"jmu-at-app-state-official-jmusb-game-preview-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=12038","title":{"rendered":"JMU at App State: Official JMUSB Game Preview #11"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

Matchup: JMU at App State<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. ET, Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, NC<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weather: Low 40s and Partly Sunny<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broadcast: ESPN+<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day Job Numbers: JMU -7 , ML -275; O\/U 59.5<\/p>\n\n\n\n

App State has been up and down this year, and the defense has frequently been lousy. That said, I can\u2019t recommend laying a full touchdown on the road in the hottest and most impactful rivalry game in the Sun Belt East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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JMU seeks revenge versus App State. (Not to be confused with other App State revenge games.)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How We Got Here<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Week 12 was when JMU found itself back in the mix at the top of the Sun Belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Count me among those who have called for a more tempered and grounded approach to what is possible in this first season of the Bob Chesney era. At the risk of repeating myself, there is nothing more normal<\/em> in college football than dropping a couple of sloppy road games after turning over several dozen players and the entire coaching staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet this JMU team has persevered through those growing pains, and through a little luck, found itself back in position to potentially make its first Sun Belt title game. Last week\u2019s win at Old Dominion, coupled with Georgia Southern\u2019s loss to Troy, leaves the Dukes in a much more realistic position to potentially win the division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More on this later, but the stakes of this week are very clear. Once again, App State looms as the biggest game of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three Things to Know About App State<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s Thriller Time <\/em>\u2013 The history of JMU vs. App State is drama, drama, drama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, App State won a walkoff in overtime, 26-23, after College GameDay was live from the Quad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The previous year, App State went up 28-3 but blew a massive lead, Falcons-style, as JMU roared back in the second half to win, 32-28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in FCS-land, App State knocked JMU from the 2007 playoffs, 28-27. The following year, JMU avenged the loss at Bridgeforth with an epic come-from-behind win, 35-32. They won\u2019t even let you into the JMU Oldhead club if you haven\u2019t memorized the highlights from that game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point here? When App State and JMU play, expect a barnburner. This year\u2019s 4-5 record means nothing to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judging Appy<\/em> \u2013 There\u2019s been a great deal of brainpower this year devoted to solving whether or not the Mountaineers are good. Since the Liberty game was cancelled in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, App State is 2-3 with home wins over Georgia State and ODU and road losses to Marshall, Louisiana, and Coastal Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frankly, there\u2019s a lot of teams in this conference that would beat last-place Georgia State at home and lose to first-place Louisiana and first-place Marshall at their respective stadiums. That doesn\u2019t actually tell us much about where App State lives in the Sun Belt pantheon of greatness. Your mileage may vary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frankly, the only thing we can be really<\/em> sure about is\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defense Stinks \u2013 <\/em>Yeah. There\u2019s no sugar-coating it. This is not a vintage App State team, and the main culprit is the defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

App State ranks sub-100 in Team EPA allowed per play, and the defense is allowing scores on about 94% of red zone trips, which is one of the ten worst marks in FBS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To my eye, they\u2019re really missing the anchor that Tyrek Funderburk gave them in the defensive backfield last year, and Nate Johnson hasn\u2019t been quite as good at linebacker, among other issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s fair to wonder how much the hurricane has complicated this season, allowing 66 points to Clemson and 48 points to South Alabama back in September were probably early warning signs that App State was going to struggle to get off the field this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How JMU Can Win<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Execute on offense, build an early lead, and let the JMU defense do what it does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

App State has allowed an average of 34 points per game since Sun Belt play started. JMU can take advantage of bad fits and sloppy assignment play to jump in front and force the Mountaineers to play another game from behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JMUSB Beer of the Week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officially, I\u2019m recommending Long Leaf IPA this week for a return trip to the high country. For anyone who\u2019s making the trip down to Boone, stop by Appalachian Mountain Brewery to get this excellent 7% American IPA that aims to equal the piney goodness of the local flora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the spirit of supporting the Carolinas, I also want to mention a collaboration between AMB and several other North Carolina breweries \u2013 Hello From the Holler<\/em>. It\u2019s a Pale Ale brewed specifically for hurricane relief, with 100% of proceeds going to Helene recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re traveling for the game, grab one and let us know how it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Appalachian Mountain Brewery (@appalachianmountainbrewery)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>