{"id":8080,"date":"2015-10-17T08:39:48","date_gmt":"2015-10-17T12:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=8080"},"modified":"2015-10-17T08:39:48","modified_gmt":"2015-10-17T12:39:48","slug":"guest-post-jmu-needs-to-get-nasty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=8080","title":{"rendered":"Guest Post: JMU Needs to Get Nasty"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r8fqhHE5zaE\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Shadow won last week&#8217;s prediction contest for the JMU vs. Towson game. Here&#8217;s his guest post.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hello to all fellow JMU Football fans!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I go by \u201cShadow\u201d in the blog comments \u2013 it kinda plays into my name and what I do for work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s an honor to post here on the JMU Sports Blog page. \u00a0Rob &amp; Todd do a great job of consistently putting out great posts &amp; keeping us fans in the loop!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I hope my post will be in line with the the great post tradition. \u00a0Thanks for the opportunity guys!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ve been an active supporter of Dukes football as far back as the early days of Mickey ball. \u00a02004 was the first year I had season tickets \u2013 and boy did that pay off! This was THE TEAM that after losing to WVU early in the season decided \u201cNO MORE\u201d and went on to beat every team they faced thereafter.<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The defending national chumpion Blue Chickens came to the \u2018Burg that year and got flat-out punched in the face! \u00a0(As well as most others who came to town). \u00a0I remember hearing the loud \u201cslobber-knocker\u201d hits made by the defensive in those days &#8212; always followed by \u201cOhhhh!\u201d responses from the fans. \u00a0During the 2004 championship run and the few years that followed, my voice would always be hoarse for a couple of days after each game. \u00a0Back then it was easy to get jacked up for home games. \u00a0It\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve felt that same intensity at Bridgeforth (since 2008). \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But now, I\u2019m feeling it start to come back around again. \u00a0For me, I feel the excitement and energy coming back, especially now that the \u201creal\u201d season is about to begin (vs. UR, W&amp;M, UD, \u2018Nova). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coach Withers has done an outstanding job of rebuilding a program that had lost its luster. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t get me wrong &#8212; I still believe that the real Superman wears \u00a0a #7 (not an \u201cS\u201d) and his name is Rodney Landers. \u00a0But, games are really FUN and exciting again \u2013 definitely worth attending even despite a 3+ hour drive through the mountain wilderness. \u00a0Coach Withers seems to have Vad Lee and the offense running on all cylinders. \u00a0I just wish more JMU supporters felt the same about the football team. \u00a0I would love to see Bridgeforth have another packed turn-out like the App State game from 2008 (remember that Crappy Appy?).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, over the years I\u2019ve noticed a seemingly persistent problem within JMU sports \u2013 the inability to continue and build upon success. \u00a0I say NO MORE \u201cone and dones\u201d! \u00a0We need deeper playoff runs! It\u2019s time again for JMU football to say \u201cNO MORE\u201d. \u00a0Far too long has JMU football lived in the shadow of UNH, Richmond and Villanova\u2019s post-season successes. \u00a0Bridgeforth stadium is the HOME OF CHAMPIONS!!! \u00a0Have we all forgotten that??? \u00a0Mickey may have come and gone\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(hit by that same bus that he threw Durden under \u2013 or maybe just cursed by the Mumme) <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but Mickey didn\u2019t build the new Bridgeforth stadium. \u00a0Neither did Jeff Bourne (star of \u201cThe Bourne Complacency\u201d). \u00a0The 2004 National Champions DID. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their blood, sweat, hard work &amp; sheer nastiness built that 62 million dollar stadium. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">JMU Fans and football players alike must NEVER forget the legacy forged on that field by those players.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s TIME to get back to the top \u2013 and STAY there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s TIME to bring back that swagger. \u00a0It\u2019s TIME to bring back the NASTINESS.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s TIME to start stomping mud holes in the opposition! \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We have the players. \u00a0We have the coaching staff. \u00a0We have the stadium and facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, WE the fans need to get off our asses and go out and yell for the best team in Virginia!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I know all this to be true because\u2026 I BLEED PURPLE.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And rest assured, come hell or high water, I\u2019ll see you on Saturday!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go Duuuuuuukes!!!<\/span><\/p>\n<iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/like.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fjmusportsblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D8080&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>Shadow won last week&#8217;s prediction contest for the JMU vs. Towson game. Here&#8217;s his guest post.\u00a0 Hello to all fellow JMU Football fans! I go by \u201cShadow\u201d in the blog comments \u2013 it kinda plays into my name and what I do for work. It\u2019s an honor to post here on the JMU Sports Blog [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"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":9913,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=9913","url_meta":{"origin":8080,"position":0},"title":"305 Days Passed and Purple and Gold Remains Untouched; the Answer to Why You Should be There to Witness Greatness","date":"November 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The following is a guest post from Colleen, a current senior at JMU.\u00a0 The fans of the James Madison University Dukes know better than anyone what it means to be a part of a winning program. After the JMU football team plowed through nearly every opponent they faced in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/dukes-football.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11660,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=11660","url_meta":{"origin":8080,"position":1},"title":"Guest Post: A Small JMU World","date":"May 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Dukes4 is a 1979 JMU grad, (with honorary JMU rooting wife) and their three gainfully employed, JMU alumni kids. He won the prediction contest for the VMI game and sent in this fun guest post reminding us that it's a small world when it comes to JMU sports. Thanks again\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/JB.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9827,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=9827","url_meta":{"origin":8080,"position":2},"title":"Guest Post: Bleeding Purple","date":"October 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Jay Deck won last week's prediction contest and earned the right to guest post. Here are his thoughts on bleeding purple and how great we have it as JMU fans.\u00a0 I have been following JMU football since 2007 my oldest son entered JMU, and my youngest is in Grad School.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/543606bf3d4ca.image_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9043,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=9043","url_meta":{"origin":8080,"position":3},"title":"Guest Blogger: JMU and SEC in the Same League","date":"November 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"We had a tie in last week's prediction contest, so we offered all the top finishers a chance to guest post. First up is Andrea, a mother of two Dukes who definitely roots. I grew up in the SEC. I sold Cracker Jacks in Knoxville at UT games when I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"jmu-blog-photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/JMU-blog-photo.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9111,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=9111","url_meta":{"origin":8080,"position":4},"title":"Guest Post: Top 10 Things to be Thankful For With JMU Football","date":"November 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Deacon Danny won the prediction contest for the Elon game. Due to the fact that nobody reads the blog on Thanksgiving, we delayed posting his guest post until today. Here's his post about the Top 10 things to be thankful for with JMU football. I appreciate the opportunity to submit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"FullSizeRender-6","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/FullSizeRender-6-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4261,"url":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=4261","url_meta":{"origin":8080,"position":5},"title":"Predict the Winner of JMU vs. St. Francis","date":"August 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"We had so much fun with our weekly JMU football prediction contest last season that we're running it back this year. Here's how it's going to work. A few days before each JMU game, we'll publish a predictions contest post asking readers to pick the winner using the comments. If\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;JMU Football&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/jmusportsblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/IXTWRBIFDARXBBL.20111121161210.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8080"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8080"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8081,"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8080\/revisions\/8081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}