{"id":9175,"date":"2016-12-23T07:28:52","date_gmt":"2016-12-23T12:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=9175"},"modified":"2016-12-23T08:35:30","modified_gmt":"2016-12-23T13:35:30","slug":"guest-post-a-former-players-insight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=9175","title":{"rendered":"Guest Post: A Former Player’s Insight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cory Clark won last week’s prediction contest and earned the right to guest post. Here’s his take on the 2016 Dukes from his perspective of a former JMU football player.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"img_2134\"Well it took 5+ years and I finally got one right (although I wish I would have been off by 30 or more). \u00a0I\u2019ve talked about this day with my wife and a good friend. \u00a0We talked for so long about what I would say when I won that when the moment got here I hit a writer\u2019s block (Yeah, I checked the blog after the game on Friday and knew I had won. No, there weren\u2019t enough adult beverages to calm my nerves after that win). \u00a0I had suggestions to write about the game and break it down the way I always do. \u00a0Then I thought I should write about what it\u2019s like to be a former player and current coach sitting in the stands. \u00a0But as I sat down to write this it hit me that I\u2019m either the first or one of the few former players to earn this honor so I might as well tell you what it takes to be JMU Football player. \u00a0Don\u2019t worry, in the end I will give a little breakdown of our National Championship game that we can all argue about. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What do an airhorn, McGraw-Long Hall, the smell of turkey\/dog food and humidity all have in common? \u00a0They all happen to be waiting for you at 6am when two-a-days start. \u00a0Well that\u2019s just for the young guys..the vets realize early on it\u2019s better to get up at 530am so you can get a head start at the bagel line and get away from that damn air horn (WAAAAAHHHHHH!!! Trust me it is worse than any baby\u2019s cry). \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Two-a-days are no joke, this is where the coaches really decide who is going to be a starter and who is going to be a tackling dummy (like me for the first 2 years). \u00a0It is every man for himself and no one should be there to make friends (make a friend at a football party..yes there are certain implications there that I\u2019m not going to touch because my wife will read this). \u00a0\u00a0Two-a-days are rife with injuries, vomiting, weight loss, weight gain, missing your family, too many meals a day to count and just an overall feeling of you are just tired of getting your ass kicked with no game to look forward to!!<\/span><\/p>\n

Then comes that glorious first week of normal practices\u2026except now you have to go to class first\u2026and actually take time to feed yourself. Oh and don\u2019t forget that we are still lifting two days a week and on Sunday. \u00a0But look on the bright side, conditioning is only Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. \u00a0While these practices are definitely easier it sounds like our boy Mike Houston has ratcheted up the intensity to the days of yore and I love it. \u00a0Iron sharpens iron after all and that\u2019s really what those practices are all about, getting better and getting ready for that week\u2019s <\/span>chump<\/span> opponent.<\/span><\/p>\n

What people don\u2019t know about scholar-athletes (which a lot of us really are trying to be) is that we have to schedule our classes so they don\u2019t conflict with our lifting or practice schedule. \u00a0And God help you if you have a professor that isn\u2019t a football supporter. \u00a0If that happens you probably will have to take the exam scheduled for Friday a few days earlier than everyone else (away games travel, home games you stay in a hotel off campus). \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Leave sometime Friday, share a hotel room with another player, bed check, more practice and hotel food. \u00a0GAMEDAY!! \u00a0Fly or bus home same day\/night. \u00a0Sunday is treatment and light lifting. \u00a0Hope you didn\u2019t put off writing that paper or studying for that exam.<\/span><\/p>\n

And NONE of what I have said even touches on off season lifting\/running, Spring Practice, summer 7on7 and weight training.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sorry, it probably sounds like I am complaining\u00a0that my 5 glorious years as a JMU Football player sucked. And it did at times. Here are my Top 3 times it sucked:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. When Mickey told a fellow OL \u201cSon you are stupid and I can\u2019t coach stupid.\u201d (although this is one of favorite Mickey stories)<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0In 1997 when Ron Prince said to me \u201cCory, of all the offensive lineman you were the last one I expected to last three years.\u201d \u00a0He took another job a few weeks later (Hey Ron, I made it longer at JMU than you did at KSU).<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. \u00a0April, 1999. \u00a0Zach Annon and I are walking by the Village. There are guys openly drinking beer and throwing Frisbee. \u00a0There are girls tanning in their bikinis. \u00a0Meanwhile we are on the way to another ass chewing from Mickey. I REALLY wanted to join the Village crew that day. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Sure it was hard but anything worth getting is going to be that way. \u00a0At least that is what I\u2019ll teach this future JMU Duke.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"15696813_10103487989807339_815271878_o\"And damn it, this fat kid right here deserved the ring:<\/span>
    \n\"dukes\"<\/p>\n

    I\u2019m sure I\u2019m past a word limit here but here are my thoughts for Jan. 7<\/span>th<\/span>. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    JMU is the better team in all three phases of the game (four if you count coaching). \u00a0They have bigger road wins than YSU and they friggin\u2019 rolled NDSU at the Fargo Dome!! \u00a0That game wouldn\u2019t even have been close if it is at JMU or a neutral field. \u00a0There won\u2019t be that normal next week\u2019s game let down because they have 3 weeks to prepare for YSU. \u00a0The 7 suspended players didn\u2019t play at NDSU and look what we did. \u00a0This will be a HOME GAME for JMU because we are buying up tickets like crazy. \u00a0So how does JMU win? \u00a0Simply put they have to do what they have done all year. Run the ball at will, throw when necessary and don\u2019t turn the ball over. \u00a0On defense just listen to Bob Trott and do whatever the F*** that man says because it\u2019s working. \u00a0My way too early prediction for the Natty is JMU \u2013 48, YSU \u2013 21.<\/span><\/p>\n