{"id":1705,"date":"2010-11-18T23:22:50","date_gmt":"2010-11-19T04:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=1705"},"modified":"2010-11-19T09:03:45","modified_gmt":"2010-11-19T14:03:45","slug":"season-finale-jmu-vs-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=1705","title":{"rendered":"Season Finale, JMU vs Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"

And so it comes to this.\u00a0JMU makes the long trip up\u00a0to Orono to face the Maine Blackbears\u00a0this Saturday. Neither team is playoff bound, so\u00a0this is it.\u00a0Thanks to last week’s huge victory over William & Mary, a win\u00a0for the Dukes\u00a0would\u00a0salvage a winning record.\u00a0Finishing 6-5 would be a consolation prize at best,\u00a0considering the expectations many had for this team a few months ago.\u00a0However, it’s way better than the alternative and would at least close the season on a high note.\u00a0Maine is fresh off a win of its own, defeating Towson last Saturday 28-18. Maine can’t finish with a winning record, but a victory would push them to .500 in CAA play.<\/p>\n

Match-Up –<\/strong> JMU Dukes vs Maine Black Bears\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Records: <\/strong>JMU <\/strong>(5-5, 3-5 CAA), Maine (4-6, 3-4 CAA)<\/p>\n

Kick-Off:<\/strong> 12:00 PM<\/p>\n

Viewing\/Listening Options: <\/strong>This one isn’t on tv, but the audio is available for free on Madizone<\/a> or\u00a0you can watch the online broadcast for $7.95<\/a>. Or you can try your luck with the JMU Football App for your phone, which is about as reliable as the JMU passing game.<\/p>\n

A Little Perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take a look at the CAA standings<\/a>.\u00a0Everyone has been saying that a 7-4 team from the CAA might deserve a bid to the expanded playoffs. Well, depending on how things shake on Saturday we could be looking at 5 CAA teams testing that little theory, including William & Mary and Villanova (with a win), two teams who were ranked #1 this year. It doesn’t mean this season wasn’t a major disappointment for JMU, but maybe it wasn’t the complete disaster some of us made it out to be. Maybe it was just a down year in a really competitive conference.<\/p>\n

Maine’s Legions of Support<\/strong><\/p>\n

You ever try to research University of Maine football? I have. It sucks. I don’t recommend it. Here is the biggest thing I learned, apparently nobody gives a damn about University of Maine football. And if they do, they certainly don’t write about it. So anyway, based on my research here is a list of things the residents of Maine would rather do than watch Blackbears’ football: eat lobster, talk about the Red Sawx, wear flannel, watch Maine hockey, read about Maine hockey, attend homecoming craft fairs<\/a>, discuss Maine hockey, prepare for the upcoming war against New Hampshire, and finally write about Maine hockey. Like we said in our season preview<\/a>, Maine is a hockey school. Football, not so much.<\/p>\n

Same But Different<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maine has a relatively solid passing attack, but struggled rushing the ball for most of the season. The net result is an offense that averages just about 18 points a game. Coincidentally, JMU also averages about 18 points a game, but they have a strong rushing attack and a\u00a0passing attack that ranges from relatively inept\u00a0most weeks to\u00a0completely non-existent last week.\u00a0The\u00a0big difference between these two teams is the fact that JMU has an\u00a0excellent Defense, while Maine’s is\u00a0ranked dead last in the CAA.<\/p>\n

What We’re Looking For This Weekend<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top on the list is definitely Dae’Quan Scott. The redshirt freshman WR stepped into the QB role last week and took over the game, rushing for over 100 yards and 3 TDs. I’m anxious to see how he runs the ball again this week, but also want to see how well he can throw. Maybe by the end of this game, we’ll know if we have a game-breaking slash or wildcat guy, or if we need to get ready for another QB battle in August. I’m also curious to see how the defense plays without redshirt freshman LB Stephon Robertson, who is supsended due to a scuffle in last week’s victory.<\/p>\n

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

By shutting down JMU’s\u00a0ground game and establishing their own.\u00a0As stated above, Maine does not have a strong rushing attack and enters the game ranked\u00a09th in the CAA in rushing. However,\u00a0RB Pushuan Brown has put together several strong games in a row and\u00a0could be a key factor in Saturday’s contest. JMU\u00a0was dead set on running the ball last week and will probably look to do so again this weeked. Maine’s best chance on D might be to try to get Dae’Quan Scott throw the ball in only his second game as QB.<\/p>\n

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

By doing what they did against William & Mary and I don’t mean refusing to pass. I mean establishing long, clock killing scoring\u00a0drives. Lost in all the shouting about “zero passing yards” last week, was the fact that JMU put together one hell of an impressive TD\u00a0drive to open the third quarter. It lasted over 8 minutes! If JMU puts together a few more of those, the Dukes will win easily.<\/p>\n

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

It’s been a long season, so let’s drink something special. The JMUSB Beer of the Week is Allagash Curieux<\/a>. It’s\u00a0a Belgian Tripel aged in bourbon barrels and it’s one of my personal favorites. Plus, it’s brewed in the great state of Maine so it’s appropriate for this weekend. Pour yourself one after the game, toast the completion of another football season, and\u00a0make the transition to basketball.<\/p>\n

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

The momentum continues, JMU wins, and Dae’Quan Scott bandwagon grows larger. JMU Dukes 21 – Maine Black Bears 13.<\/p>\n