Hofstra Pride (2-2, 0-1) vs. #6/7 JMU Dukes (2-1, 0-0)
Oct. 3, 2009 - 3pm - Hempstead, NY
Watch the game on Madizone
Weather Report
| Tailgating | 12pm | 70° | 50% (precip) |
| Getting into the stadium | 2pm | 70° | 40% |
| Kickoff | 3pm | 70° | 40% |
| Game over | 6pm | 69° | 30% |
Line for the game
JMU by 14
Injuries
WR Bosco Williams should be returning this week after practicing earlier in the week. WR Kerby Long will miss another 5-7 weeks. CB Mike Allen is also injured, forcing Justin Thorpe to start taking some reps as the second return man this week in practice. Center Donny Smith has an injured ankle so there may be some shifts on offensive line including Roane Babbington to center.
I haven't heard of any major injuries for Hofstra.
What to watch
Even though in the minds of most of the fans the decision should have been made, it seems Thorpe will continue to take a good amount of snaps against Hofstra. This week will be another good game to watch and see how they handle themselves in our first conference game.
While Hofstra QB Christopher will be keying in on WR Weaver most of the game, he has hit 4 receivers for touchdowns so far this year. Also, the top 6 receivers have long receptions of 27-45 yards, so they'll try to throw down the field occasionally. Our secondary will have to keep on their assignments better than they did against Liberty where they Summers get some space to make big catches. Hofstra has only had three TD's rushing, averaging 104 yards a game, while averaging 213 yards in the air. If the weather starts to get windy, it will put Hofstra at a severe disadvantage because they won't be able to keep up with us on the ground. The Pride's best chance will be if conditions stay ideal, which will allow them to get some long passes and a couple quick scores.
While Hofstra may have been a decent team about a decade ago, making it to the playoffs a few times, they have been out of the limelight for awhile and fan support has dwindled. In a 13k stadium, they averaged about 3600 fans last year. Look for there to be just as much, if not more, purple in the stands on Saturday. No doubt we will also be louder (as usual).
The Series
Last year at Bridgeforth we set the school record for the largest margin of victory against a CAA opponent winning 56-0. We were one point short of setting the conference record for largest margin of victory. JMU is up 6-2 in the series, has won the last 5 meetings, and hasn't lost since 1999.
My Thoughts
Last week I misspoke in this section. I said it wouldn't be rainy enough to effect our offense. I was wrong. It was raining all game and it was a rare time when we scored less than 30. That won't happen this time. There is less hype to this game. The forecast isn't calling for nearly as much rain. I don't think Hofstra is as good as Liberty. This leads me to believe we'll score more like 35-42. I think our defense pulls through in this one and contains the Pride offense. They'll probably put up 17 at the most. I don't see this game ever being too close. We win by at least two or three touchdowns.
Game Notes
JMU Game Notes
Score Updates
To get score updates on Twitter, subscribe to @JMUWindbreaker. I'll be posting scores at the end of each quarter and any major action that happens. Posts might be more intermittent due to weather, but I'll do my best.
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