{"id":1411,"date":"2010-09-23T23:30:59","date_gmt":"2010-09-24T03:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=1411"},"modified":"2010-09-24T06:03:00","modified_gmt":"2010-09-24T10:03:00","slug":"the-dukes-host-liberty-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=1411","title":{"rendered":"The Dukes Host Liberty"},"content":{"rendered":"

The win over the Hokies is history, the bye week has passed, and now it’s time for JMU to move on. The Dukes will host the Flames\"\"<\/a> from Liberty University for a Saturday night game in the half-new Bridgeforth Stadium. The Dukes are hoping to notch another win over an in-state opponent and Liberty is trying to get back on track after a disappointing loss to Robert Morris last Saturday.<\/p>\n

What the Rankings Say<\/strong><\/p>\n

JMU (2-0) finds itself at #3 in both the TSN<\/a> and Coaches<\/a> polls, while Liberty (2-1) checks in at #22 and #21 respectively. Interestingly enough, the supposedly forthright Liberty athletic department chooses to refer to the game as a “match-up of top 15 FCS programs”.<\/a> So, yeah, the Liberty folks might have jumped the gun and published that one a little early. Or maybe they just suck at math.<\/p>\n

This Is Kind of a Big Deal<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Liberty that is. I don’t mean to downplay the importance of the game to JMU. It’s crucial that JMU get another W before CAA play begins. However, a Liberty upset would unquestionably be the biggest win in the Flame’s history. It’s their Super Bowl and they don’t even try to hide it. They have a countdown to the JMU clock on their website. They are running a special “Hike to Harrisonburg” campaign and encouraging fans to travel in caravans to the game. Am I the only one that envision this playing out in the form of some sort of Partridge Family bus filled with Flames fans? Not that intimidating.<\/p>\n

Random Unrelated Facts Strung Together to Appear Like a Paragraph <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Flames are coached by a man named Rocco. Liberty has had four straight winning seasons. The school forbids immodest dress and alcohol. Liberty had the highest scoring offense in the FCS last year. The Flames have never beaten a team ranked in the top 10. The late Dr. Jerry Falwell founded Liberty in 1971. The Flames is an odd nickname for a school founded by a blatant homophobe. Liberty has won 84% of its home games under Rocco. Junior QB Mike Brown is the reigning Big South Offensive Player of the Year. Playing a team named Ball State made Liberty fans uncomfortable. Liberty is looking to win its third Big South conference championship in a row. The Big South contains many bad football teams.<\/p>\n

So Does Liberty Have an Unfair Advantage?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Liberty prides itself on being the largest Christian university in the world. Naturally, that leads lots of people to ask if the Flames’ ties to the big guy upstairs will give them a leg up on the Dukes. No, they will not. Trust me. Yes, God loves football. We know this. He doesn’t choose sides though. I mean, if He did Nick Saban would never win a game. You know, since he’s pure evil and everything.<\/p>\n

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

If Mike Brown does what Mike Brown does. Think of Liberty’s QB as the Flames version of former Dukes’ great Rodney Landers. He plays QB, but he could just as easily be Liberty’s top running back, or receiver, or corner. He has the potential to take over a football game.<\/p>\n

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

By putting the big win behind them and focusing on the Flames. JMU is clearly a better football team than Liberty. That is a fact. Last year, the Dukes struggled on the road against Liberty and still won by 2 TDs in a torrential downpour. JMU can’t take their foot off the gas and let this turn into a trap game though.<\/p>\n

What We’d Like to See From the Dukes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some sustained offensive scoring drives. The win over the Hokies was epic. JMU really only had two significant drives though. We’d really like to see Dudzik and the boys get in sync and develop a nice offensive\u00a0rhythm. After buckling down and stopping Tech when it mattered, we’d also like to see the Defense dominate an FCS opponent.<\/p>\n

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

This weekend’s game has all the makings of a JMU – App State 2008 style tailgating extravaganza. Nice weather. A 6:00 kick-off. Toss in a tee-totaling opponent fanbase and things are bound to get weird. It definitely calls for a quality session beer. I think Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils<\/a> fits the bill. It’s a terrific version of a Pilsen, which is the style of beer your standard macro-breweries claim to brew (but fail miserably). Plus it comes in cans, so you’ll attract less attention from Dr. Rose’s fun crushing tailgating gestapo.<\/p>\n

JMUSB Prediction<\/strong><\/p>\n

JMU Dukes 34 – Liberty Flames 14. If this game was played last weekend, I’d be more concerned about it being a trap game. Fortunately, the Dukes had a bye and should be focused on the Flames. The Dukes are 7-1 under Matthews coming off bye-weeks. I think they’ll cruise and head into CAA play at 3-0.<\/p>\n