{"id":4687,"date":"2012-11-18T21:27:04","date_gmt":"2012-11-19T02:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=4687"},"modified":"2012-11-18T23:11:57","modified_gmt":"2012-11-19T04:11:57","slug":"poor-second-half-dooms-the-dukes-against-odu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=4687","title":{"rendered":"Poor Second Half Dooms the Dukes Against ODU"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Well, it’s over everyone. The JMU Dukes came out swinging and actually built up a lead against the ODU Monarchs, but failed to do much of anything after halftime. Maybe it was a game JMU wasn’t meant to win. Or maybe they were. In any case, they didn’t. ODU defeated the Dukes 38-28 in Bridgeforth Stadium last night. First things first, we’ve got to thank the Dukes’ seniors who left it all on the field yesterday (and everyday of their JMU careers). As fans, we’re all frustrated, disappointed, pissed off, etc that JMU failed to make the playoffs for the 3rd time in 4 years. I’m sure it’s a whole lot easier on us than it is the graduating seniors though. And one more thing before we get into the game. Give it up for ODU. I don’t like them any more than any of you do (trust me), but they’ve got a hell of an offense and had a heck of 2 year run in the CAA. I’m sad to see them go. And that’s all I want to say about that.<\/p>\n

The Morning After<\/strong><\/p>\n

I circled this game on the calendar as soon as the scheduled was released. A few months ago, I would have told you it was one my most anticipated JMU football games ever. The last few weeks though, I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t dreading it. So when I woke up this morning after a season ending defeat for our Dukes, I was actually sort of relieved. After getting my hopes up after a few early season wins, I sort of resolved to myself that this year’s team was fool’s gold right around mid-October. Not coincidentally, it’s the exact same thing I’ve done the past 3 seasons. I had very little confidence things would magically click and JMU would right the ship with a big win over a very good ODU team. But JMU lost and I was just relieved that I no longer had to dread a demoralizing blowout. And when you think about it, that’s way worse than being pissed off by a loss.<\/p>\n

Things We Liked<\/strong><\/p>\n

The crowd was great. There was much trepidation over how many fans would show up and if any students would actually stay over Thanksgiving break. Thankfully, the stands were pretty full and the atmosphere was outstanding. It would have been nice to pack a few more thousand in and have a sell out, but the fans that were in attendance were rocking. And as much as I hate ODU, I must admit that it added some excitement to play a team with a passionate fanbase that traveled to Bridgeforth. It’s a shame they’re CUSA bound, because this really would’ve become an epic rivalry.<\/p>\n

The enthusiasm, energy, and effort on the field in the first half was also amazing. JMU came out of the locker room and proceeded to actually put together a long scoring drive. JT’s acrobatic TD was exciting, but the drive was nothing flashy (shocking I know). It was just a case of players exerting their will and outplaying their opponents. And the defense was outstanding. The defensive line, which has struggled to apply pressure all year, was in Tyler Heinicke’s face the whole first half. And everyone else on D was flying to the ball and hitting guys. It was great. It was also short-lived unfortunately.<\/p>\n

Things We Didn’t Like<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>This list could be a whole longer, but we’re going to try to just hit the highlights (err lowlights). I feel like this stuff sort of writes itself by now, but the Dukes got outcoached. Completely. The defense seemed to be effective in the first half purely because of the effort mentioned above. It didn’t seem to be due to any sort of scheme or gameplan and as a result, it was pretty clear to everyone in the stadium that if the intensity dipped (as it was bound to), there was going to be trouble. And that’s not to say that the players weren’t giving it their all. It’s just that they were playing like crazy people in the first half and at a certain point, there wasn’t enough juice in the tank to keep going that hard. It would have been nice, if after that intensity wore off, the coaches actually did something like make an in-game adjustment. And it is not speculation on my part that they didn’t adjust. Mickey said that they didn’t make any adjustments in his post-game presser.<\/p>\n

With regard to the offense, I’m simply exasperated. \u00a0After the Richmond game, I told anyone who listened that JT didn’t deserve to shoulder the blame. And I still believe that. He’s a heck of an athlete, but he can’t throw the ball well enough to play QB for \u00a0team with championship aspirations. And we all know that as fans and have known that for a few years. So it’s maddening that Mathews continues to try to fit the square peg that is JT, into the round hole that is the JMU offense. He’s a damn 5th year QB. Coaches jobs are about putting their players in position to succeed. If you decide JT is the guy, then change the offense to suit him. Trotting a true freshman as starter for one game and then immediately reneging and going back to a 2 QB system the next week is not changing the offense to suit him. It’s just distracting.<\/p>\n

The thing is JMU actually has talented playmakers on offense. They’re might not be any Walter Payton Award types, but there are plenty of guys who can make plays. You probably wouldn’t know that if you watched the Dukes the past 4 or 5 weeks though. At running back alone, the Dukes have a stable of athletes who can make a difference. Yet they’re banished to the sidelines or forced to try to make a difference with only 3-4 touches a game. It’s clear that the coaches don’t trust JT to throw the ball, so for the love of God it would have been nice if they at least attempted to keep defenses guessing by switching up the guys carrying the ball at least. And I don’t think we even want to get into the short yardage from the shotgun situation.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Coach Matthews, we’d really like it if you won some more games. If you must lose however, could you at least not make a total ass of yourself in the post game press conference? Starting some silly feud with the press covering the Dukes does not make you look tough or like you’re in control. Questioning if a reporter ever played sports or attempting to insult him by asking him if he played cricket, doesn’t project an air of confidence. Constantly stating that the offense was terrible doesn’t help things. Pointing out that JT struggles throwing the ball and talking about what might have been with Birdsong is pointless. And absolutely refusing to accept any responsibility for the team’s woes is immature.<\/p>\n

Plenty of folks want you fired. You’ll notice we’ve never advocated for that. However, we would like you to lead by example, acknowledge that everyone in the program (starting with YOU) has to improve, and then proceed to make some changes for the better. It’s perfectly reasonable for folks to question why a team with so many advantages at its disposal, has missed out on the playoffs 3 of the last 4 years. Talking down to reporters and acting like an arrogant fool, doesn’t make those questions go away. It just increases the likelihood that many fans won’t cut you any slack if you are ever are forced to answer them.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of epicsnapshots.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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