{"id":4318,"date":"2012-09-09T21:22:57","date_gmt":"2012-09-10T01:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=4318"},"modified":"2012-09-09T21:24:34","modified_gmt":"2012-09-10T01:24:34","slug":"quick-thoughts-on-the-jmu-win-over-alcorn-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=4318","title":{"rendered":"Quick Thoughts on the JMU Win Over Alcorn State"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The JMU Dukes cruised to a very easy 42-3 win over the Alcorn State Braves last night. The kick-off was delayed an hour due to some horrific weather, but the fans that persevered were rewarded with a dominant Dukes win. And a double-rainbow. The win moved the Dukes to 2-0 on the season. It’s just the third time the Dukes have started out 2-0 in the past 8 years. And one of those times, in 2004, included 2 season opening wins before JMU fell to WVU. Of course the Dukes bounced back from that loss by winning the National Championship. So yeah, things are setting up nicely here. Here are some quick thoughts on last night’s win.<\/p>\n

The Good<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was a whole lot of good to choose from. Justin Thorpe’s escapability and nose for the endzone. Dean Marlowe and Stephon Robertson elevating their games in Jakarie Jackson’s absence. Ryan Smith’s amazing all around effort. The kicking game. The crowd that stuck it out through the storm. But Dae’Quan Scott was a man among boys last night. He looked like a threat to take it to the house every single time he touched the ball. When he wasn’t eluding defenders, he was breaking tackles. And when he wasn’t breaking tackles, it was probably because he was already in the endzone. He had 3 touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 receiving) and 107 yards rushing to go along with another 39 receiving. Unfortunately, he turned an ankle and sat out the second half. He was unstoppable when he was on the field though.<\/p>\n

The Bad<\/strong><\/p>\n

And here is our counterpoint to the above. The bad was clearly the fact that Scott turned an ankle. It’s unclear how serious it is, but just seeing Scott holding his ankle in the endzone (after a TD of course) was enough to scare the crap out of every Dukes fan. Yes, the Dukes have tremendous depth at running back. Jordan Anderson is a beast both running and catching the ball. Hykeem Brodie can break one any time he touches it. Dejor Simmons, who didn’t play last night due to a “violation of team rules”, has game changing speed. So the Dukes have plenty of guys who can carry the load. But having Scott on the field elevates each of those guys’ games. Word is that his ankle injury isn’t serious and he’ll be back in a few days. Let’s hope so.<\/p>\n

The Ugly<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alcorn State’s defense. Look, I don’t want to bash the Braves. They were simply outmatched. The defense was practically helpless against the Dukes’ attack. And I only point this out as a way to temper our expectations for the rest of the season. Yes, we all expected the JMU offense to be better this year. And it clearly is. Scoring 55 and 42 points in back-to-back weeks is exciting. As is only surrendering 10 total points through 2 games. Last year, JMU’s offense struggled to get into a groove prior to CAA play. This year \u00a0the Dukes have taken care of business so far and been humming offensively. But St. Francis and Alcorn State are not CAA level competition. They’re both pretty miserable actually. And Alcorn’s defense was especially inept last night. I happen to think this JMU team is for real. But let’s not jump to conclusions before we get into CAA play.<\/p>\n

We’re pleased to say that the photo above was provided courtesy of Epic Snap Shots.<\/a>\u00a0We’ve entered into a partnership with them and will be running their photos throughout football season. Please give the site a visit and check out their awesome photography.<\/em><\/p>\n