{"id":8046,"date":"2015-10-05T07:26:59","date_gmt":"2015-10-05T11:26:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=8046"},"modified":"2015-10-05T07:26:59","modified_gmt":"2015-10-05T11:26:59","slug":"jmu-beats-stony-brook-38-20-and-the-bandwagon-picks-up-speed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=8046","title":{"rendered":"JMU Beats Stony Brook 38-20 and the Bandwagon Picks Up Speed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0j8YNcvONLs\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\nThe Dukes are rolling. JMU defeated Stony Brook by the score of 38-20 in a rain soaked Bridgeforth Stadium. The win moved JMU to 5-0 (2-0 CAA) for the first time in program history. The Seawolves fell to 2-2 (1-2 CAA). Khalid Abdullah lead the way with 114 yards rushing on just 17 carries. He also scored 2 TDs, to push his season total to an FCS best 8. His backfield mate Cardon Johnson, chipped in 87 yards and a TD, while Vad Lee ran for 91 and a score, in addition to throwing for 225 and a TD. Not a bad effort in the rain. Here are a few quick thoughts on the win.<\/p>\n<p><strong>500 Yards of Offense, Again<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The weather was pretty ugly yesterday and at times, so was the play. Yet, JMU still produced 519 yards of total offense and scored 38 points. And it could have been more, had a late Vad Lee touchdown not been called back by a penalty. This was probably the most pedestrian performance of the season by the offense, yet it still averaged over 6 yards a play. It says a lot when as fans, we&#8217;re sort of underwhelmed by a 38 point effort. Behind a couple of great runs by Abdullah, the Dukes got out to an early lead. Then they just sort of went into autopilot and played out the string. It was never in doubt.<\/p>\n<p><strong>No Letdown, No Trap Game<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Was I the only one worried that all of the hype surrounding this team last week was going to result in a letdown? Thankfully, it did not. In fact, JMU came out and pretty much stepped on Stony Brook&#8217;s throat in the first half. The team was intense from the get go and put the game out of reach in the first half. With the weather, ESPN being on campus, and the growing bandwagon, it would be easy to understand if the Dukes came out flat. Credit to all the coaches and players for making sure that didn&#8217;t happen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gage is Back and Reynolds Never Left<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gage Steele had a monster freshman season playing alongside Dukes all-timer Stephon Robertson. Last year he faced a number of injuries and never seemed to find his stride. He&#8217;s back to\u00a0playing at the level we all expected him to now. Yesterday, he lead the Dukes with 18 tackles.<\/p>\n<p>Taylor Reynolds on the other hand, had a more typical freshman season. After converting to corner, he show glimpses of real talent, but also struggled at times. He elevated his game last year and has been even better this season. Reynolds picked off one pass yesterday and batted down five more. He&#8217;s become one of the top cover corners in the CAA.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Big Uglies<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While the skill position players often get the glory, the interior line play on both sides often are the difference between winning and losing. The Dukes big guys have been carrying the load thus far. Yesterday, the offensive lineman opened up huge holes for Abdullah and Johnson. They also prevented the opposition from getting a single sack for the second week in a row and gave Vad Lee plenty of time to link up with his receivers.<\/p>\n<p>On the other side of the ball, the Dukes defensive line had 3 sacks and helped hold the Seawolves to a modest 2.5 yards per rush. After a relatively slow start to the season, the line is now consistently pressuring QBs. And they&#8217;re doing it without Simeyon Robinson. Once he returns from suspension, the line should be even better.<\/p>\n<iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/like.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fjmusportsblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D8046&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=450&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;height=80\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none; overflow:hidden; width:450px; height:80px;\" allowTransparency=\"true\"><\/iframe>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Dukes are rolling. JMU defeated Stony Brook by the score of 38-20 in a rain soaked Bridgeforth Stadium. The win moved JMU to 5-0 (2-0 CAA) for the first time in program history. The Seawolves fell to 2-2 (1-2 CAA). Khalid Abdullah lead the way with 114 yards rushing on just 17 carries. He [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7255,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=7255","url_meta":{"origin":8046,"position":0},"title":"Game Preview 10: JMU vs. Stony Brook","date":"November 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The Basics Match-up: JMU Dukes (6-3, 3-2 CAA) vs. Stony Brook Seawolves (4-5, 3-2 CAA) The Line (for recreational purposes only): JMU -2 Location: Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on the campus of Stony Brook University on Strong Island Kick-off: 1:00 on Saturday, November 8 Broadcast Options: Watch via Stony Brook's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Stony Brook stadium","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/10391712.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10006,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=10006","url_meta":{"origin":8046,"position":1},"title":"JMUSB 2017 Playoff Preview #1: JMU vs. Stony Brook","date":"November 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Here we go. The regular season is behind us and it's time for the real fun to begin. This is where the rubber meats the road. It's where the men are separated from the boys. Where legends are made. And we're running out of cliches and trite ways to describe\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/59bf09b46b241.image_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11169,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=11169","url_meta":{"origin":8046,"position":2},"title":"Dukes Sneak By Stony Brook And Now We Can Breathe Again","date":"October 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"JMU went on the road for their third game in a row. This time it was a matchup with the Stony Brook Seawolves. And it ended up being a lot closer than many people, us included, expected. Thankfully, the Dukes got out of Long Island with a 45-38 win. But\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/image.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10574,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=10574","url_meta":{"origin":8046,"position":3},"title":"Three Thoughts On JMU 13 &#8211; Stony Brook 10","date":"October 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A win is a win. Just take a deep breath and keep repeating that. JMU managed to escape with a 13-10 victory over a Stony Brook team that came ready to play. It was an old school defensive battle. 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Along with Lee, this year's finalists\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Vad running","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/091314-sfu-jmu-ftb3-mr.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11250,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=11250","url_meta":{"origin":8046,"position":5},"title":"Three Thoughts On JMU 54 &#8211; UNH 16","date":"November 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"JMU found itself at #2 in the initial FCS Playoff rankings when they were released last week. The Dukes opponent for this past Saturday, the New Hampshire Wildcats, landed in tenth. This provided the Dukes with an opportunity to make a statement. Make a statement they did. 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