{"id":8250,"date":"2015-12-06T23:08:28","date_gmt":"2015-12-07T04:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=8250"},"modified":"2015-12-06T23:14:26","modified_gmt":"2015-12-07T04:14:26","slug":"jmu-goes-one-and-done-in-the-playoffs-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=8250","title":{"rendered":"JMU Goes One and Done in the Playoffs…Again"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"maxresdefault\"<\/a>Another winning season, another playoff bid, and another year of going home after one game for JMU. The Dukes went 9-2 in the regular season and earned both a seed and an opening round bye for the playoffs. For the second year in a row however, they were upset at home. The playoffs were over practically before they even started. Last year it was to Liberty. Yesterday it was to the Colgate Raiders from the Patriot League. Colgate played well and earned the win. Make no doubt about it though, the Raiders 44-38 win was an upset.<\/p>\n

We gave ourselves a much needed cooling off period after the game.\u00a0The hope was that we’d gain some sort of perspective that could better sum up the disappointing end to the season. We didn’t. We’re still as frustrated and confused about what happened yesterday as we were when the final seconds ticked off the clock. But there’s no sense putting it off any longer. In no particular order here are some thoughts on the loss and the program in general.<\/p>\n

Upset? Epic Choke? Just an Ugly Loss?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Dukes were a 20 point favorite over Colgate. Anyone who has watched JMU play the past month or so, knew that was a bit much. The Dukes were supposed to win though. Without taking anything away from Colgate, a team that came to play and earned the win, JMU was the better team on paper. But the Dukes lost. They made mistakes from the opening kick (literally) and let Colgate storm out to an early 17-0 lead. Despite gifting Colgate points, JMU was still poised to take control of the game. Multiple times. Yet they never did. The D would shut down Colgate one series. Then let them rumble for a big scoring play the next. Then with first and goal late in the game, the FCS’s top offense failed to march in for the likely game winning touchdown. Ball game.<\/p>\n

It was definitely an upset. It might have been an epic choke job. It was without a doubt, an ugly loss.<\/p>\n

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

It ain’t good. It hasn’t been good all year. We knew this. But we still let ourselves get sucked into the foolish belief that things would turn around. They didn’t. Sure, the defense had a couple good series in the second half. But once again, they let a couple guys on the other team have career days rushing the ball. Colgate’s QB, Jake Melville, rambled for 163 yards (with only 14 carries) on the ground. Nobody was mistaking this guy for Mike Vick. Most his yards came via his deadly “continue to run in a relatively straight line while the defenders stand around flat footed before taking awful pursuit angles” technique.<\/p>\n

The Raiders’ running back, James Holland, broke through arm tackles all day on his way to 162 yards rushing. Holland is a nice player. A nice player who only went over 100 yards in one other game prior to facing JMU. And with the season on the line, in a home playoff game, JMU let him run away with the game. Melville is a good player as well. He’s not an 11 yards a carry sort of rushing threat though.<\/p>\n

We could debate the scheme all day. The simple fact is that the defense just fails to make plays. Week in and week out we see opponents go for career bests against the Dukes. Defensive Coordinator Steve Sisa is getting heat from fans, but at a certain point (and that point was probably back in October), the head coach needs to fix it. Firing Sisa and replacing him with another $70K coordinator isn’t going to do it. The same struggles we saw on defense in September, were still visible yesterday. To wake up this morning and pretend like we didn’t see this coming, is foolish. We saw it all year and yet we never heard anyone on the coaching staff step up and admit the truth. Coaches can hold others accountable, without calling them out personally. Instead we got a bunch of “haven’t watched the tape yet” non-quotes that never really seemed to accept the reality of the situation.<\/p>\n

Vad Lee Was Really, Really Good<\/strong><\/p>\n

Obviously Lee was a special player. He was so special in fact that when he was playing, we were all able to ignore the glaring issues elsewhere.<\/p>\n

He Wasn’t the Only Good Guy on the Roster<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, Lee was an all-time great. The Dukes’ offense was an absolute machine with him at the helm. Bryan Schor played very well once Lee went down though. Johnson and Abdullah continued to run the ball well. Brandon Ravenel went full on beast mode. The offense looked off and struggled to stay in rhythm yesterday. Yet, JMU still put up 38 points. That should have been enough to beat most teams. It certainly should have been enough to beat Colgate. However, after watching the offense click under Lee, we started to view any non-scoring JMU drive as a failure. We were spoiled. The offense wasn’t amazing yesterday, but it was good enough.<\/p>\n

Except When it Wasn’t<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colgate opened a door when its kicker missed an extra point late. Trailing by only six points instead of seven, the Dukes marched down the field and had first and goal with a chance to take the lead. They didn’t punch it in though. They ran three times. Then they failed to complete a fade route. Turnover on downs. Season over.<\/p>\n

Obviously, it’s a completely hack blogger move to question playcalling. But, what was up with that playcalling?<\/p>\n

Losing Is Better Than Watching<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a glass half full perspective. We’re sitting here complaining about JMU coming up short in the playoffs. Read that last part again. It says “in the playoffs.” Everett Withers has been JMU’s coach for two years and JMU has gone to the playoffs two times. It definitely stings to lose in the postseason, but getting there two years in a row is great. In fact, no JMU coach has ever made the postseason in his first two years. The losses sting, but after failing to qualify for the playoffs consistently in the end of the Mickey Matthews’ era, the Dukes are approaching regulars status.<\/p>\n

Integrity Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n

The defense was missing a trio of talented players all season. KJ Ford, Raheem Stallings, and Jimmy Moreland were all kicked off the team prior to this season for violating team rules. Coach Withers made the call. He set a standard for the program and he committed to holding everyone accountable. Some coaches would have looked the other way and made exceptions for players as talented as Ford, Stallings, and Moreland. Withers didn’t, even if he knew their absence would hurt. They did. It was the right move for the long term though.<\/p>\n

More Good Memories Than Bad<\/strong><\/p>\n

Clearly, the loss stings and it’s gonna leave a bad taste in our mouths for a while. This was a really fun season though. We got to watch Vad Lee play. Go back and check the highlights. It was a pleasure and a treat. We witnessed one of the most talented and exciting receiving corps the ‘burg has seen in a while. We had College Gameday on campus. That’s not a typo. We really had College Gameday broadcast from the Quad. And despite what you might have read in our rambling, overemotional, and frankly senseless in-game Tweets, the new uniforms were amazing. They added additional excitement to a program that was craving it. The season ended on a sour note, but it was still a heck of a lot of fun overall.<\/p>\n

Future is Still Bright<\/strong><\/p>\n

We’re all frustrated about the loss. If you’ve read this far, you understand that. Getting upset two years in a row in the playoffs stinks. But there is a lot to be happy about regarding the JMU football program.\u00a0Like all of us, Withers has areas for improvement. He’s completely changed the culture of the program for the better though. The folks calling for his head either see something we don’t, or they’re just a bit nuts. Two years. Two playoff appearances. Two playoff losses \u00a0that sting. The program is pointed in the right direction though.<\/p>\n