New Sports Network Poll, JMU stays at No. 7

 The newest poll courtesy of The Sports Network. The Dukes remain No. 7 in the polls with the top 8 teams not changing. New Hampshire, the Dukes next opponent, has made its way up in the polls, moving to 16 from 22.

-MO

Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Appalachian State Mountaineers (106)	5-0	3,586	1
2. Delaware Blue Hens (29)	6-0	3,472	2
3. Jacksonville State Gamecocks (10)	6-0	3,290	3
4. William & Mary Tribe	5-1	3,160	4
5. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (1)	4-1	2,982	5
6. Villanova Wildcats	3-2	2,759	6
7. James Madison Dukes	4-1	2,747	7
8. Massachusetts Minutemen	4-1	2,649	8
9. Montana State Bobcats	5-1	2,445	10
10. South Carolina State Bulldogs	4-1	2,430	9
11. Montana Grizzlies	4-2	2,081	12
12. Eastern Washington Eagles	4-2	1,969	13
13. Cal Poly Mustangs	4-2	1,769	14
14. Wofford Terriers	4-1	1,489	21
15. North Dakota State Bison	4-2	1,347	18
16. New Hampshire Wildcats	3-3	1,203	22
17. Southern Illinois Salukis	3-3	1,093	23
18. Southeast Missouri State Redhawks	5-1	995	25
19. Liberty Flames	4-2	822	24
20. Richmond Spiders	2-3	820	11
21. Georgia Southern Eagles	3-2	700	16
22. Northern Iowa Panthers	2-3	539	15
23. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats	5-0	390	NR
24. Elon Phoenix	2-4	382	19
25. Penn Quakers	3-1	309

Game Recap #4

 #3 James Madison Dukes 10  #5 Delaware Blue Hens 13

It was over when…Delaware kicker Mike Perry nailed an easy 28-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to lift the Blue Hens to back to back wins in the state of Virginia. Delaware converted on a very successful final drive that included 14 plays lasting over 7 minutes long. 

What I liked: The JMU run defense. Going into the game, JMU was up against an inexperienced but bruiser back in freshman Andrew Pierce. The Dukes limited him to only 55 yards on the afternoon, and didn't let him into the end zone all game, a first for Pierce. The Dukes have not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season. 

What I didn’t like: JMU allowing the FRESHMAN back up QB to beat them at home. The highly touted transfer from Penn State, Pat Devlin, was knocked out with a concussion on the first drive of the game, and it looked as if JMU might have gotten off easy. I mean who would have thought a back-up quarterback that has only attempted 10 passes prior to Saturday would be able to overcome the nation's hottest team on their turf? Not me that's for sure. I know the offense was miserable and should be in this category too, I just think the leadership is on defense this season, and you have to be able to rattle a freshman quarterback on the road. 

Game ball goes to…Trevor Sasek, QB Delaware. Give the man credit where credit is due. I predicted Delaware to win, but not under these circumstances. Sasek took over and didn't really miss a beat. He connected on 13-21, had one interception, and had a very good passing rating at 101.98. The lone touchdown on the day for Delaware was courtesy of Mr. Sasek as well. 

Key Stat: This was the first time Delaware had beaten the Dukes at home since 2001. It kind of stings to know this stat and how they were able to win with an inexperienced quarterback. JMU is going to have to be able to start generating some more offense if they want to remain at the top of the CAA. Unfortunately, for now they are in the cellar at 0-1 and Delaware is 2-0 in the CAA, with 2 huge road wins. Expect the unexpected Blue Hens to start turning heads in the CAA and be a threat the rest of the season. 

Up Next: JMU will hit the road next week, as they travel to Towson, for a Saturday night game. This is a game that should get them back on track. Colleen is predicting the Dukes to struggle on the road and be on upset alert, but once Saturday evening rolls around, she will sure be wrong. Towson ranks 9th in total offense, (Dukes aren't much better at 7th) and is dead last in total defense. Dukes will get back on track, and check back on Friday for the game preview where I will break down Towson a little more.

-MO

Well that was....embarrassing.

"Penalties, penalties, penalties." That's what Mickey Matthews said in the post-game conference regarding what cost his team another W. I actually watched the whole conference and tried to keep count of how many times Matthews said the word penalty. I lost count somewhere in the thirties. You know, fine, blame the loss on penalties and poor field position. I choose to blame the loss on Drew Dudzik and the lack of, yet again, an offense. 10 penalties for a loss of 81 yards, several that negated lengthy returns in the kicking game.


But credit needs to be given to Delaware's back-up QB Trevor Sasek who completed 13 of 21 passes for a total of 124 yards.  In comparison, Dudzik threw 12 for 20 for 120 yards. Yes, our redshirt senior was essentially even with a true freshman back-up quarterback. How comforting. What is most frustrating is we have the weapons. Dudzik, when he trusts himself, can throw lasers. We saw it against Tech. When Jamal Sullivan gets open, he can fly. He had moments of greatness today, earning 93 of JMU's 161 rushing yards. On second down at the JMU 31, Sullivan rushed up the middle for 16 yards near midfield.  He followed that with the longest play of the day for either team, a 47-yard rush down to the Delaware six.


I never thought I would say this, but I am looking forward to the return of Justin Thorpe. He is said to have about three weeks left dealing with his injury, so I am hoping to see the return, according to Matthews, "the best athlete he's ever coached" at least for the William & Mary game on 11/13, if not sooner. 


Kudos, once again, to JMU's stellar defense. I almost wrote a post about freshman running back Andrew Pierce and what the Duke's D-line was going to have to do to prepare for him. But in true form, they shut Pierce, who entered the game leading the CAA averaging nearly 150 yards a game, to 55 yards on the afternoon.  JMU has not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season. 


Next up for the Dukes is a road game against the Towson Tigers this Saturday. A game I would normally never worry about considering they are ranked dead last in the CAA, I now should probably reconsider. I am looking forward to seeing the shake-up in the polls tomorrow. No. 1 Villanova lost in a shocker to William & Mary 31-24. Depending on how well Appalachian State did (No. 2) I could see Delaware moving into the new No. 2 slot with App St. taking the prestigious top spot. I don't think JMU will drop out of the top 10, but with huge wins by Delaware, W&M and a solid, but predictable performance by Massachusetts, there will certainly be some changes.


Once again, college football proves to be unpredictable. Here is a video from the local news station that makes JMU look a lot better than they actually were, nice editing guys. NBC 29 News JMU vs. Delaware Recap


-CH

JMU Football Preview #4

#3 James Madison Dukes (3-0) @ #5 Delaware Blue Hens (4-0)

What to watch for: If this isn’t the CAA biggest match-up of the early season, I’m not sure what is. The Delaware Blue Hens, who have really came out of no where, spanked #5 Richmond last week on the road, 34-13, and are looking to make it 2-0 in the Commonwealth. The Dukes, on the other hand, are coming off a sloppy loss, to then ranked #22 Liberty Flames, 10-3. If the Dukes want to keep up their home success and start the CAA on the right foot, the better bring their offense this weekend. Delaware is led by the transfer quarterback from Penn State, Pat Devlin, and look to bring more shock to the CAA at the beginning of October.

Key Matchup: JMU Linebackers vs. Andrew Pierce, RB Delaware

This is going to be a matchup within a matchup. While Pierce, who had no offers to play football in college anywhere, is leading the CAA in rushing through four games, 149.5 YPG. Now yeah you can think it’s only been four games, but the Blue Hens have beaten two teams in the top-10 (Richmond, South Dakota St.). The running back can solidify his case for CAA Rookie of the Year, and who knows, maybe CAA Player of the Year.

Players to Watch: Pat Devlin, QB Delaware

As far as any highly talented recruit out of high school, Devlin has seen it all. He was the all time record holder of the Pennsylvania high school career passing yards and was recruited by Joe Pa at Penn State. Devlin transferred after 2 years and this past year led the conference in passing (242.2 yards per game). Devlin has been battled by an injury to his wrist at the beginning of the season, but has been fighting it off, and making opponents pay for it. Last week against Richmond connected on 14 of 31 and had 240 yards. While he didn’t throw for a touchdown, expect Devlin to get out of that funk and challenge the Dukes defense that has only let up 13 points per game in the past 2 games.

Difference Maker: Andrew Pierce, RB, Delaware

While Pierce went off last week, scoring three touchdowns and 114 yards, Pierce has got to the player JMU contains to prevail to win this game. This defense did an excellent job shutting down Mike Brown last week (203 passing, 26 rushing), so expect the Dukes to lay the wood on Pierce and welcome him into the CAA. Pierce has ran for over 150 yards in half his games the season and has had a touchdown in every game since he became a Blue Hen. Expect Pierce to get in the endzone against, but I’ll make a slightly bold prediction and say Pierce won’t rush over 100 yards.

Prediction: Delaware 21 James Madison 17. I think the noon start time hurts the Dukes, and it’s unfortunate because the game is at noon because of television standards. Matthews asked the students and fans to get to the game early, so noise level could help the Dukes in the first quarter and after. I expect Delaware to move down the field late and steal a win and make it 2-0 in the “Old Dominion” state.

-MO

We won....again. Barely. Here is proof.

JMU Beats Liberty
I work as sports editor for The Breeze and we try to make game recaps of each football game. Here is the most recent one about the game against Liberty. (The link is actually there you just have to scroll over it to see it.) Go to the YouTube channel for videos about other games, including when we beat that school called....oh gosh what was it, oh that's right. VIRGINIA TECH.

-CH

Mondays with Mickey

Every Monday at Ham's Restaurant, JMU head football coach Mickey Matthews holds a press conference talking about the previous game and the game coming up. It is pretty much the same guys as always media wise, except this time the fans can come and ask questions while dining on Ham's delicacies. (ha).  I think my favorite part of the whole experience is sitting next to these two elderly couples, obvious JMU faithfuls, who have their own opinions about Matthews. I like listening to the old ladies mumble when they disagree with Matthews while slurping their soup that they get every single week. Anyway, here are some of my favorite quotes from Mickey's conference today. I think I will make this a regular post every Monday. Some of the stuff that comes out of this guy's mouth is hilarious.

"The fans need to get to the game quicker. I was really disappointed to see about half the stadium empty. We need home field advantage. Maybe some of our crowd was hanging out with the offense this week because they both didn't show up Saturday." - Regarding the lack of fans getting into their seats on time.

"How we played offense was....deplorable. I think that's the word I would use." - Regarding the complete absence of offense against Liberty.

"At halftime I told them we were extending the halftime from 20 to 30 minutes so they could have an extra 10 minutes to go sign autographs. Then maybe they would be ready to play football" - Again, referring to the mysterious lack of offense.

"He got hit 18 times Saturday. The kid took a lot of punishment. He wasn't running for his life, but I'm sure he slept good that night." - Regarding JMU's defense and their ruthlessness against Liberty QB Mike Brown.

"He should've been nominated for player of the week." - Regarding defensive end D.J. Bryant.

"Scott was a shot in the arm for us offensively."- Regarding Scott Noble and how he was seemingly the only offensive player to make an impact.

"We couldn't make a first down against a stiff wind in the first half. But in the second half I thought we played our best defensive game of the year. We had eight sacks and hit the kid everywhere you can hit them." - Regarding last year's win over Delaware.

"They are nationally ranked in every category. They think they have a national championship team this year. It's the best Delaware team I've seen in years." - Regarding this weekend's tough match-up.

"Quads, hip flexers, knees, I am talking about kickers here, not linebackers." - Regarding his frustration with the injured kickers and how he is perplexed with why they are all hurt at the same time.

So as you can see, Mickey is quite opinionated. I always enjoy his off the cuff comments. And regarding my last post, lets just say the JMU defense must have read it specifically to make me look stupid. Kudos to Liberty though, they definitely humbled us by keeping it such a tight game. Look back later in the week for my thoughts on Delaware, since I seem to be so accurate these days.

-CH

Game Recap

 #3 James Madison Dukes 10  #22 Liberty Flames 3

It was over when…Taveion Cuffee picked off Liberty’s Mike Brown pass at the Flames 47 under 2 minutes left, on a 3^rd and 15. That was Cuffee’s second great defensive play of the game, as he blocked a field goal from 47 yards out in the 3^rd quarter.  

What I liked: The JMU Defense. The Dukes didn’t look good on their first defensive drive (as I called in the preview) and gave up 95 yards. After that drive, the Dukes held Liberty to 169 yards on offense. JMU limited the Flames on the ground to only 61 yards on 32 rushes, less than 2 yards per carry. They also limited all-everything Mike Brown to 26 rushing yards and picked him off once. 

What I didn’t like: JMU Offense. While Mickey did get the win and goes into conference play undefeated, he’s got to be scratching his head about the lack of offense on his team. The only had 283 total yards, with 78 coming thru the air. They have only averaged 13 points in its last 2 games, and that number needs to improve.  If JMU wants to contend in the CAA they will have to do more in the air. Teams will start putting 7 and 8 guys in the box to stop the run, and make an inexperienced Dudzik air it out.

Game ball goes to…Griff Yancey, WR JMU. Tough decision to find a player of the game here. No one stood above the rest but when there is only one touchdown in the game, I’m giving it to the guy that scored it. His 25 yards touchdown reception from Dudzik gave the Dukes a 7-3 right before halftime, and they were able to keep that lead. Yancey led the team with two catches for 56.

Key Stat: This is the first time ever JMU has started 3-0 in Mickey Matthew’s tenure. Pretty remarkable isn’t it? For a team that has always been an I-AA powerhouse, 3-0 doesn’t seem to be all that tough. But when you schedule ACC teams as your opening game, 3-0 does seem like a stretch. Maybe this will be the year we talk about an undefeated season? Ha, lets get by some of the CAA juggernauts before we start hinting at that.

Up Next: The Dukes play their most important game of the season thus far, CAA home opener #7 Delaware. Delaware just crushed #5 Richmond 34-13 on the road and will try and continue their success in the “Old Dominion” state. It’s parents weekend in Harrisonburg so expect a sold-out loud crowd behind the Dukes. Kickoff is 12:05.

-MO