{"id":2971,"date":"2011-09-15T23:21:01","date_gmt":"2011-09-16T03:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=2971"},"modified":"2011-09-15T23:21:01","modified_gmt":"2011-09-16T03:21:01","slug":"jmu-faces-off-against-liberty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=2971","title":{"rendered":"JMU Faces Off Against Liberty"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Well folks it’s time for the Dukes to clash with the Liberty Flames. Admittedly, I didn’t know too much about the Liberty football program or the school itself before last year’s game. I did a little poking around online though and\u00a0Liberty seems like a neat place full of incredibly nice people. Incredibly nice people who thought Kevin Bacon played a bad guy in Footloose, but nice people nonetheless. And while the Flame fans who visited JMUSB last season or chimed in about us on Twitter were completely devoid of anything even resembling a sense of humor and collectively had the thinnest skin of any group of fans I’ve ever encountered, let’s assume they were outliers. In any case, this is a huge game for Liberty and for JMU. The Flames will\u00a0have the luxury of playing it at home in front of what is expected to be a record crowd. And it’s a night game so the Liberty fans will have all day to tailgate and stay extra sober.<\/p>\n

Striking Similarities<\/strong><\/p>\n

JMU and Liberty are both 1-1, after each losing to an ACC opponent on the road, and defeating an NEC opponent at home. Liberty lost to NC State 43-21 and then cruised to a 38-7 win over Robert Morris. The Dukes as you know, lost 42-10 to UNC before opening Bridgeforth with a 14-9 win over CCSU. As a result, JMU is currently ranked 14th and Liberty 19th in the FCS Coaches Poll. Yes, the poll is worthless and illogical.<\/p>\n

A Clash of Styles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Liberty has a high powered offense led by Mike Brown, a talented dual threat QB. They’re very tough to beat in Lynchburg and are currently riding a 9 game home winning streak. During the winning streak, they’ve averaged almost 50 points a game. Yes, 50. The Flames defense has been better than expected, but this is an offensive football team. JMU is all about defense however. And the Dukes defense was able to shut down Liberty last year, holding them to just 3 points. The offense ran all over CCSU last weekend, but struggled passing and couldn’t hold onto the ball. As a result, JMU still caries the stigma of “All D, No O” into this game.<\/p>\n

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

By striking quickly and forcing the Dukes to pass. No matter if you believe Justin Thorpe just had an off day last Saturday or if you think he’s terrible, the fact is he has yet to prove himself as a passer. Liberty’s best chance to win might be to jump out to a lead and force the Dukes to play catch up by airing it out.<\/p>\n

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

By shutting down Mike Brown and eliminating the turnovers. I know everyone is anxious for the Dukes to show some explosiveness on offense. The fact is they can win this game just like they won last year’s 10-3 slugfest (as boring as it might have been), by clamping down on D and scoring just enough.<\/p>\n

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

As we all know, beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. We’re sticking close to that theme this week and choosing Chimay Blanche as our BOTW. One of my all time favorites, this Belgian tripel is brewed by Trappist monks in Scourmont Abbey. It’s a good crisp beer and since it’s brewed by men of the cloth, it’s almost like you’ll be praying for a Dukes win by drinking it.<\/p>\n

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

I’m not going to lie, I’ve got a bad, bad feeling about this one. Despite the fact that Flame fans will say it’s disrespecting their program by claiming that a win Saturday would be a signature moment for the program, it’s true. It would. Get over it. This is the game they’ve had circled on the calendar since last year and it’s their seniors last chance to beat JMU or any team from a top FCS conference. The Dukes have been searching for an offensive identity since 2008 and I don’t think they’ll find it Saturday. My heart says Dukes 24-10. My head says Liberty 17 – JMU 6. Pull for the heart.<\/p>\n

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