{"id":3068,"date":"2011-10-09T21:12:48","date_gmt":"2011-10-10T01:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=3068"},"modified":"2011-10-09T21:15:03","modified_gmt":"2011-10-10T01:15:03","slug":"looking-back-at-the-jmu-loss-to-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=3068","title":{"rendered":"Looking Back at the JMU Loss to Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>JMU suffered its first home loss of the season, falling 25-24 to Maine in overtime. Before anyone accuses me of pulling a Mitch Albom, let me tell you that I recorded this one on the DVR with plans to go into full “cone of silence” mode so that I could watch it without knowing the outcome later. Unfortunately, my curiosity got the best of me about 10 minutes after kick-off and I started following it online and via Twitter. I guess it’s a good thing, because my DVR cut off just before the OT started. Lucky for me (not really) Maine’s nifty (read: crappy) 2 point conversion was unavoidable on the morning highlight shows.<\/p>\n

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let me get something else off my chest. We need to give Maine some credit here. They won the game. I’m sure lots of people are frustrated or think the Dukes gave one away. JMU had chances to take control yes, but Maine got it done and earned the W. Let’s not lose sight of that. Maine is a good team. And truth be told they could have won in regulation if not for a phantom block in the back call that took a go-ahead TD off the board.<\/p>\n

With that being said, we all saw some things the Dukes need to work on if they want to go anywhere this season. First and foremost is the pass defense. JMU has relied on a “bend but don’t break” defense in the past, but yesterday there was way too much bending. Maine’s QB, Warren Smith, was picking the Dukes apart with underneath throws. JMU was giving the receivers 5-8 yard cushions all day and failed to adjust at all. And without a pass rush getting to Smith, it was just too easy for him. As a result Maine’s back-up tight-end, Justin Perillo, looked like Mark Bavaro out there.<\/p>\n

There were some good things to. Obviously Jordan Anderson is proving to be an absolute beast. There seems to be a constant surge of JMU fans screaming for the Dukes to pass more. Whatever your thoughts are on the ideal rush-pass balance, we all should be screaming for Anderson to run more. Dae’Quan Scott has had some nice games, but I don’t see how Anderson can’t be the #1 running back at this point. He makes one cut and hits the hole quick. And as he showed on the 80 yard TD, if he gets past the linebackers, he’s gone. He rushed for over 200 yards yesterday and is averaging a ridiculous 7.7 yards a carry. Make him the starter already.<\/p>\n

Jace Edwards also continues to impress. He showed a lot of poise throughout the game and has a better arm than Thorpe in my opinion. He missed a long toss to Brown that would have been a TD, but I continue to be impressed by his play. He’s got command of the offense and certainly didn’t look like a guy making his second career start. The future is bright with this kid.<\/p>\n

So it was a tough loss, but not a terrible loss. Had Edwards connected with Brown or Deandre Smith not bobbled the ball on the end-around, JMU might have won. They didn’t though. And Maine stepped up big with a gutsy 2 point conversion call in OT, and even gutsier execution. The CAA isn’t really down this year folks. It’s just that the toughest teams, like Maine, aren’t the ones we expected. The Dukes are still in a good position. They’ve just got to put this one behind them and close out the homestand with a win over Nova next Saturday.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesey of JMUsports.com<\/em><\/p>\n