That said\u2026 there\u2019s still value in this game! Bowl season offers a chance to get meaningful bonus practices with a young team with a lot of growth ahead of it. These are real reps for remaining players against a quality opponent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m always a little skeptical about overreading the value of a bowl win, but it probably wouldn\u2019t hurt to score a win over a team that just played in the Conference USA championship game. So let\u2019s go bowling, eh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Basics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kickoff:<\/strong> 5:30 p.m. ET, FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, FL<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weather:<\/strong> High 70s and Cloudy<\/p>\n\n\n\n Broadcast:<\/strong> ESPN<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day Job Numbers:<\/strong> JMU -7, ML -275; O\/U 51.5<\/p>\n\n\n\n Western Kentucky has some real challenges on the defensive side of the ball, as I\u2019ll talk about later on. But I\u2019m still a little surprised to see JMU giving this much away to WKU, considering the quarterback matchup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best bet might be the over \u2013 I think both teams will have some success on offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How We Got Here<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n JMU\u2019s 8-4 season carries a lot of room for interpretation. Apologists would say that a clear winning record after such a dramatic offseason marred by catastrophic turnover is a win no matter what. (I tend to be in this camp.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Critics would point to several circumstances that really water down the impact of that eight-win mark. For instance: JMU\u2019s three FBS opponents from the month of September all eventually fired their coaches. In conference play, the Dukes finished with a middling 4-4 Sun Belt record \u2013 the first non-winning conference record since 2013. That season ended with Mickey Matthews\u2019 dismissal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of where you might fall on the season evaluation, I think we\u2019d all agree that a 9-4 record with a bowl win over Western Kentucky would be a refreshing pallet cleanser before we all move on to conference play for hoops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a bonus, a win against WKU would be the first win of the season against a team that finished with a winning record. For critics, that result could go a long way toward reframing this season as more than a litany of easy wins against bad opponents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, Like, Who\u2019s Actually Playing In This Game for JMU?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bowl season is typically code for opt-outs and transfer portal announcements, but JMU is actually pretty clean on this front. The Dukes are losing starting left tackle Jesse Ramil to Mississippi State. Redshirt freshman Darold DeNgohe, who rotated in as very effective interior DL, is headed to the Big Ten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both players flash a lot of potential at their respective positions, which is why they\u2019re transferring up to power conferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bigger impact here is team health. Several players were sidelined down the stretch run for this team, and \u2013 as you\u2019ve likely heard \u2013 starting quarterback Alonza Barnett was injured at the very end of the Marshall game. He won\u2019t play on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That means the JMU offense will be manned by junior quarterback Billy Atkins, who last saw real action in the infamous 2022 Marshall game. After Todd Centeio suffered a freak injury at the very end of the week, Atkins was pressed into service with no real experience and virtually no practice with the ones during the week. The end result was, understandably, a memorably disastrous offensive performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But let\u2019s be fair to Atkins here \u2013 that was a situation where virtually no one would succeed, and he\u2019s had the chance to sit and learn for two and a half full seasons since that game. I\u2019m excited for him to get this new opportunity to prove himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three Things to Know About Western Kentucky<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Holy Transfer Portal, Batman!<\/em> If you think JMU has personnel issues for Wednesday\u2019s games, might I invite you into the crossroads outside of Bowling Green, where literal dozens of WKU players have put their name forward into the transfer portal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last I saw, there are somewhere around 25 players on the 2024 roster who may not be available for this game. That includes the entire starting defensive line and starting linebacker Darius Thomas. But fans shouldn\u2019t assume that WKU won\u2019t have those players available just because they\u2019re in the portal. In fact, Chesney even told the media that he\u2019s entirely ignoring WKU\u2019s transfer portal status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c[We should] assume that everyone is playing. To assume anything less would be ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advantage Under Center<\/em> \u2013 Starting quarterback Caden Veltkamp is one of the many WKU names in the portal, but he has made clear that he\u2019s going to be playing in the bowl game. He\u2019s likely just put his name in the portal to see what kind of offers are out there for a competent sophomore that scored 30 total touchdowns this year. It\u2019s pretty smart on his part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact that Veltkamp is playing gives WKU a pretty clear experience advantage at the quarterback position. In fact, Western Kentucky\u2019s entire starting offense from Week 14 may be available and playing in this game, which means this game will likely orbit around an explosive WKU offense against a stingy JMU defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gorging on the Ground Game<\/em> \u2013 As many JMU voices have already homed in on in recent days, Western Kentucky\u2019s run defense has a pretty pathetic reputation. The Hilltoppers allow 225 rushing yards per game, which is one of the 10 worst marks in FBS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Jacksonville State\u2019s dominating C-USA championship performance, the Gamecocks gashed WKU for 386 yards on the ground, good for about seven yards per carry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amusingly, this will be the fourth opponent JMU has faced this year that has a bottom-10 rush defense, alongside Georgia State, Charlotte, and Southern Miss. The Dukes averaged 180 rush yards against those opponents, which is actually a bit underwhelming when you consider the per-game aggregate for those defenses is closer to 220.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How JMU Can Win<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Commit to running the ball and controlling the clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If WKU\u2019s offense really does show up whole, the Hilltoppers are probably going to score some points. JMU can limit the damage and keep its defense in good position by stringing together domineering drives that suck up time and finish in the end zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Official JMUSB Prediction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n JMU 32, WKU 27. Even with its defensive issues, I absolutely think Western Kentucky could steal this game because of its advantage in the passing game. But conventional wisdom says that a strong ground game is a quarterback\u2019s best friend, and I think Atkins will be handing off a lot in this game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll take a healthy dose of George Pettaway and Jobi Malary to pace the game and keep the ball out of Veltkamp\u2019s hands just enough for a win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boca Helping Hands<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you\u2019re heading to Boca Raton or watching from home, please consider a donation to Boca Helping Hands<\/em><\/a>. The fundraiser, which was organized by Rob, is in line with JMUSB\u2019s longstanding tradition of generosity in the communities where JMU plays key away games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you can give $1 or $100, there is no amount of charity that is too small or insignificant. Let\u2019s continue to spread the spirit of giving that makes the James Madison community so unique!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/image.png?ssl=1\")
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