JMU 2011 Football after 2 games

I, like many, had high hopes coming into this year. One of the top defenses from last year returning basically every single player and a couple players coming back from injury meant as long as our offense could show a slight improvement. Justin Thorpe coming back from injury to play QB led to cautious optimism among many fans. Dae'Quan Scott moving to running back also seemed like something that would jump start our offense.

Last week, against UNC, JMU's defense got dominated. They were much larger up front and that meant that their QB could pick apart our secondary and their giant RB had large holes to run through. So the results on defense could be overlooked as a display of how the rest of the season would go. On offense, much of the second quarter and part of the third quarter looked good. Thorpe made some very good passes (even some downfield) and our rushing was decent against a very good FBS defense. We also got out of the game with zero turnovers on offense.

Last night with 25k JMU fans behind them, the Dukes looked a little jittery, out of their element, and pretty unimpressive. I'll start with the offense. Looking at the stats, our rushing offense was nearly unstoppable. 342 total rushing yards on 45 carries equals 7.6 yards/carry. That's a very impressive stat. Scott looked good, but was tackled far too easily for our starting back. The wildcat formations were a nice mix-up, but weren't very effective. Not sure if we just need to block better, but it just didn't seem like that big of a boost. Jordan Anderson looked pretty good, and is slightly bigger, but again, wasn't a standout. Jauan Latney was maybe the biggest surprise on offense and had some outstanding runs. I'm hoping we get to see more of him in the next few weeks. Thorpe looked okay running the ball and seems to be making much better decisions than he did two years ago, but still needs some work hitting the holes instead of dancing around too much. Kerby Long had some very good rushes and seemed to work really well. While gaining yards is important, the biggest thing that this stat box leaves out is fumbles, which will be covered more later.

RUSHING	No.	Gain	Loss	Net	TD	Lg	Avg.
SCOTT,D.	20	145	7	138	1	32	6.9
ANDERSON,J.	10	66	0	66	0	17	6.6
LATNEY,J.	4	53	0	53	0	34	13.2
THORPE,J.	8	62	11	51	0	29	6.4
LONG,K.	3	34	0	34	0	15	11.3
Totals...	45	360	18	342	1	34	7.6

Passing was our biggest weakness. By far. After a decent showing at UNC, Thorpe completely fell apart against CCSU. He should have been able to pick them apart, but instead he made very poor throws the whole night. He went 5 for 11 for 47 total yards and 2 interceptions. He was also sacked once (which killed a great-looking drive). We struggled the second half on offense though because we only attempted a single pass the entire half, and it was incomplete.


Our defense was great in the first half, but struggled in the 4th quarter. I'm not sure if they were tired by the end of the game, but they gave up some bad plays that kept drives alive. Between turnovers at their goalline, a great punt, and a good kickoff (and bad return) they took over at their 1, 2, 5, and 10 yard lines. We were just one yard away from getting safeties several times during the game, but we just couldn't get it. Once we forced a fumble when the QB was hit in their endzone, but he got a quick shovel pass off before he went down. Any of these chances could have ended up completely changing the game, much less if two or three of them had ended up as safeties. We did force two interceptions, but we still did very poorly at getting to their quarterback and putting pressure on him. We also lost one of those interceptions on the runback. The number one rule after getting a turnover: if you don't know how to secure the ball, fall to the ground immediately. They got a first down because we intercepted it and then fumbled. Just fall and let the offense take over. The worst part about the defense...after two games we no sacks. That pathetic and has been a problem for a few years. We need to force the issue a lot more on defense.


So now...the most interesting part of last night's game: the drive chart.

	Drive Started				Drive Ended				Consumed
Team	Qtr	Spot	Time	Obtained	Spot	Time		How Lost	Pl-Yds	TOP	RZ
JMU	1st	H34	15:00	Kickoff	V43	12:54		Interception	4-23	2:06
CCSU	1st	V02	12:54	Interception	V34	07:52		Punt	9-32	5:02
JMU	1st	H13	07:52	Punt	V00	05:09	*	TOUCHDOWN	6-87	2:43
CCSU	1st	V10	05:09	Kickoff	V06	02:31		Punt	4--4	2:38
JMU	1st	V34	02:31	Punt	V38	00:53		Downs	4--4	1:38
CCSU	1st	V38	00:53	Downs	V40	14:53		Punt	3-2	1:00
JMU	2nd	H39	14:53	Punt	H34	12:48		Punt	4--5	2:05
CCSU	2nd	V32	12:48	Punt	V47	10:19		Punt	6-15	2:29
JMU	2nd	H14	10:19	Punt	V36	06:21		Downs	7-50	3:58
CCSU	2nd	V36	06:21	Downs	H46	03:21		Punt	4-18	3:00
JMU	2nd	H20	03:21	Punt	V40	00:33		Interception	8-40	2:48
CCSU	2nd	V18	00:33	Interception	V17	00:00		End of half	1--1	0:33
CCSU	3rd	V20	15:00	Kickoff	V22	14:01		Punt	3-2	0:59
JMU	3rd	H36	14:01	Punt	V01	11:33		Fumble	5-63	2:28	#
CCSU	3rd	V01	11:33	Fumble	H45	07:54		Interception	7-54	3:39
JMU	3rd	H33	07:54	Interception	H40	05:48		Punt	3-7	2:06
CCSU	3rd	V26	05:48	Punt	V31	03:41		Punt	3-5	2:07
JMU	3rd	H28	03:41	Punt	H37	01:48		Punt	3-9	1:53
CCSU	3rd	V25	01:48	Punt	H18	12:53	*	FIELD GOAL	10-57	3:55	#
JMU	4th	H37	12:53	Kickoff	H37	12:53		Fumble	0-0	0:00
CCSU	4th	H37	12:53	Fumble	H03	09:48		Downs	7-34	3:05	#
JMU	4th	H03	09:48	Downs	V34	05:12		Punt	8-63	4:36
CCSU	4th	V05	05:12	Punt	V02	04:53		Punt	3--3	0:19
JMU	4th	V36	04:53	Punt	V00	03:10	*	TOUCHDOWN	4-36	1:43	#
CCSU	4th	V19	03:10	Kickoff	V24	03:01		Interception	2-5	0:09
JMU	4th	V23	00:00	Interception	V23	03:01		Fumble	0-0	0:00
CCSU	4th	V23	03:01	Fumble	H00	00:00	*	TOUCHDOWN	16-77	3:01	#

Our first and last drives of the first half ended in interceptions. After our first touchdown, here's how our next 5 drives ended: turnover on downs, punt, turnover on downs, interception, fumble. I do agree with taking smart risks and going for it on the 4th downs, I just don't really agree with the playcalls. The first 4th down it was 4 and 14 and we tried a long pass. I'm fine with that. I would have preferred to put more air under it so someone catches it. If we do, great. If they do, it's basically a punt instead and they get it with a longer field. We also got to that point because Thorpe got sacked for an 8-yard loss after being at 3rd and 6. The second time we tried to convert, I'm not ever sure what the call was. Thorpe got it and just stood there 3 yards back in the pocket. He froze up when they rushed through and he just stood there with the ball and went down with it. The interception in this stretch was a bad bad pass that we shouldn't have taken on 1st down. We also could have pinned them down inside their 5 AGAIN, but we were called for a personal foul because one of our receivers thought they needed to hit him helmet first when he was already on the ground. Then the next drive Anderson fumbled it on their 4 yard line.

So just for review, here's how many plays they started inside their 5: 2, 2, 1 (pass for 6 yards), 5, 2 (rush for 4/punt), 1, 1, 2, 5 (pass for 33 yards), 3, 2, 2 (punt). That's 4 drives that had multiple plays inside their 5 and we couldn't get a safety.

We threw an interception in CCSU territory (on first down), turned it over on downs on their 38, turned it over on downs on their 36, threw an interception on their 40, fumbled it on their 1, punted on their 34, and fumbled an interception return at their 23. The first drive of the second quarter started badly because of a 15 yard tripping penalty making us start at 1st and 21 after a 4 yard run and included a 1-yard pass and an incomplete pass. The last two drives of the 3rd quarter were: Scott rush for 1, Scott rush for 3, Thorpe rush for 3, punt, Scott rush for 3, Scott rush for 4, Scott rush for 2, punt. This definitely hurt both our offense and defense with short drives, but the game shouldn't have been that close at that point to start with.

Edit: I forgot special teams. Kickoff to their 5, fumble, return of 5 yards; 34 yard punt, fair catch on their 32; 70 yard kickoff, touchback; 34 yard punt, fair catch on their 26; 38 yard punt, out of bounds at their 25; 29 yard punt, out of bounds at their 5; 64 yard kick, 18 yard return, forced fumble, fumble recovered by CCSU at their 19. And they hit both PAT's. Not outstanding, but not bad. Actually very good stats considering most FCS teams only have enough scholarships for their upperclassmen kickers and punters making recruiting the good ones very difficult. We also had a fumble on a kickoff after their field goal in the 4th quarter (missed it during the game as I had gone over to take pics from the old side and didn't see it in the play-by-play in my first run through). Fumbling on special teams is unacceptable (see 2008 Montana semifinal game) and should not be tolerated. After that fumble they drove all the way down to the JMU 3 but luckily we stopped them on 4th down.
Okay, so this has basically been a bunch of rambling, but hopefully the stats helped put some things together for you. While JMU is good in some areas, they definitely need improvement in others. JMU's passing game is struggling. Clearly. The running game is very good, they just need to mix it up sometimes, especially on first and third downs. The playcalling wasn't the main problem last night, though; it was execution. JMU had 4 turnovers, 3 in their territory. The defense also couldn't get any pressure and couldn't convert to get safeties when they had CCSU backed up to their endzone. JMU could have easily ended up with 30+ points if they're smarter and more secure with the ball. Considering JMU averaged 6.9 yards/play on offense, it seems they're just a few plays away from having an offense that puts up 20+ points on other teams, which is really all the defense needs. That's not drinking the kool-aid, that's actually looking at the numbers and seeing where JMU's weaknesses actually are instead of yelling "fire Mickey", "we won't win a CAA game all year", and many other ridiculous things. If JMU can fix a couple things we could be a playoff team, if they don't get better over the next couple games, then there will be another less optimistic post.

JMU Men's Basketball vs. Kansas State

JMU Dukes vs. #3 Kansas State Wildcats
November 12, 2010, 9pm; Manhattan, KS

JMU got left out of the ESPNU rebranding...so I thought I'd work us up our own logo...it's just a rough draft so far...

Watch on ESPNU or ESPN3
Note: Ball St/Buffalo football is on ESPNU at 6pm, so it may run over into the beginning of the broadcast.

Check out the battle for purple supremacy at any of these semi-official locations:
Harrisonburg
Ham's

NYC
The Australian - 20 W 38th St (Btwn 5th/6th Ave - Map)

DC
Bailey's

Richmond
Big Al's West End
Bailey's Southside Richmond (Robious)

Fredericksburg
Glory Days (Massaponax)

Charleston, SC
Moe's Downtown Tavern (5 Cumberland St)

The Line
The line for the game is Kansas State by 19 (though it could change by a couple points before gametime).
If I were a betting man I'd take this line for JMU...

What to Watch
The first thing you'll notice tonight is a complete shift in energy for the Dukes. We are much deeper and seem to be in much better shape as well, meaning we can go 110% for the whole game. The Dukes are a much better defensive team this year as compared to last year. Look for our blocked shots to double and steals to increase by about 50%. Denzel has been studying Dwight Howard and is ready to get after it this year. He's trying to be a much better all-around player and the effort will pay off. With Goins joining him down low, JMU has probably the best frontcourt in its history. Both of them are near unstoppable on offense and are good at kicking it out. Goins will be pushing everyone he plays out of the way. They also have Trevon as a backup who is long and can block shots and grab rebounds.

Julius has much less pressure this year to be the big scorer, so hopefully he'll take the opportunity to be selective on his shot choice, square up, and take good shots. He could be a great player if he just plays without taking so much on himself. We now have plenty of scorers so if he's on fine, but if not he can give the ball up to someone who is having a good night. We also have a healthy Andrey who can come in with energy and aggression. He also has probably the smoothest shot on the team. Andrey wears his heart on his sleeve and everytime he raises his hands at halfcourt for JMU free throws it warms my soul.

Humpty comes in, not only with a sweet name, but a great shot. He's great from the outside and is more than capable when he has the ball in his hands of spreading it around. If he's hot on any given night, he could easily break 20 points. We also have the freshman Jackson who is probably one of the most mature freshman players I've seen in awhile (and by awhile I mean since Devon got here). He rarely makes mistakes and is a solid player.

The playcaller will be a finally healthy Devon Moore. He is one of those special players that makes everyone around him better. Not only is he great at controlling the game, but he can make great cuts to the basket and has a pretty good long shot. Backing up Devon will be Louis, who has as much athleticism and basketball IQ as anyone on the team. What he lacks in natural skill, he more than makes up for in talent. He's one of two seniors on the team and brings some life to this team when he's in. Devon and Louis are also the best players at anticipating passes on defense and snagging steals. Millen, our JuCo transfer guard, is a wildcard and it will be interesting to see how much playing time he sees in this game.

Step one tonight will be not to turn the ball over. We have great leadership, so hopefully we can limit these costly mistakes. Next will be to play hard, but not to the point of picking up dumb fouls. Our starting 5 can play with anyone in the nation, so we need them to stay in the game. The final focus should be on getting rebounds. We can't let Kansas State get multiple offensive rebounds or it won't be a close game.

If we do those things, play hard on defense, and we have a couple players on from behind the arc...look out...it could be a fun night.

JMU Game Notes

And in honor of Noop from the CAAZone boards:

They think they are

But they really are

I mean, honestly...any school that doesn't put the effort in to get a full mascot costume doesn't deserve to win a basketball game... When there are so many 'Wildcats' as mascots, it doesn't help your cause to be the cheapest out of the bunch.

Meet JMU Men's Basketball 2010

This is a whole new JMU Men's Basketball team. Here are my impressions of the guys from the Philadelphia exhibition game.

Devon Moore #40 
6'4" 180 lbs. R-Sophomore
Point Guard (Starter)

At the Philly U exhibition game he was still shaking the rust off from being injured last season. He went 1-7 from the floor. 2-4 on FTs. 3 assists, 4 TOs, but grabbed 4 steals. As the starting point guard, the offense runs through him. He makes everyone around him better and provides the most leadership out of anyone on the team. Is pretty good from behind the arc, but his biggest threat offensively is his ability to slice to the basket. He's also a stingy defender and hung tight with VCU guard Eric Maynor as a freshman.

Humpty Hitchens #12 
5'9" 175 lbs. Junior (Akron transfer)
Shooting Guard (Starter)

Humpty surprisingly earned a waiver from the NCAA to not sit out a year after transferring to JMU. He was the most impressive player from the exhibition. Smaller guy, but makes up with it in talent and effort. He was our only outside threat against Philly (5-9, 4-6 3pt). Humpty will be playing off guard this season and is rabid on defense staying tight on his guy and gets loooooow in his stance. He was able to grab 2 steals and a rebound in the exhibition.

GAMEDAY EVE Report: JMU Football vs. Richmond

#22/23 JMU Dukes (4-4, 1-4) vs. #20/22 Richmond Spiders (4-4, 2-3)
Nov. 4, 2010 - 3:30pm - Richmond, VA

Online audio: MadiZONE (free)
Television: Comcast SportsNet-Mid-Atlantic
Radio: JMU n/Telos Radio Network (Harrisonburg WSVA 550-AM, Roanoke WWWR 910-AM, Richmond WREJ 1540-AM, Hampton Roads WGH 1310-AM or ESPN 94.1-FM
Live Stats: JMUSports.com

Weather Report

Tailgating	11am	48°	0% (precip)
Mid-tailgate	1pm	52°	20%
Getting into the stadium	3pm	54°	20%
Kickoff	3:30pm	53°	20%
Game over	6:30pm	47°	0%

Line for the game
JMU by 1

GAMEDAY EVE Report: UMass vs. JMU Football

#18 UMass Minutemen (4-3, 2-2) vs. #15 JMU Dukes (4-3, 1-3)
Oct. 30, 2010 - 3:30pm - Harrisonburg, VA

Online video: MadiZONE (subscription required)
Online audio: MadiZONE (free)
Television: Comcast SportsNet-Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet-New England
Radio: JMU n/Telos Radio Network (Harrisonburg WSVA 550-AM, Roanoke WWWR 910-AM, Richmond WREJ 1540-AM, Hampton Roads WGH 1310-AM or ESPN 94.1-FM
Live Stats: JMUSports.com

Weather Report

Tailgating	8am	34°	0% (precip)
Mid-tailgate	12pm	55°	0%
Getting into the stadium	3pm	62°	0%
Kickoff	3:30pm	63°	0%
Game over	6:30pm	55°	0%

Line for the game
JMU by 12

GAMEDAY EVE Report: JMU Football vs. Villanova

#11 JMU Dukes (4-2, 1-2) vs. #6 Villanova Wildcats (4-2, 2-1)
Oct. 23, 2010 - 3:30pm - Villanova, PA





Weather Report

Tailgating	8am	41°	0% (precip)
Mid-tailgate	12pm	57°	0%
Getting into the stadium	3pm	64°	0%
Kickoff	3:30pm	64°	0%
Game over	6:30pm	60°	0%

Line for the game
Villanova by 10.5

GAMEDAY EVE Homecoming Report: UNH vs. JMU Football

#15/16 UNH Wildcats (3-3, 1-2) vs. #6/7 JMU Dukes (4-1, 1-1)
Oct. 16, 2010 - 3:30pm - Harrisonburg, VA


Televised on Madizone, The Comcast Network, and Comcast SportsNet New England


Weather Report

Tailgating	8am	43°	10% (precip)
Mid-tailgate	12pm	60°	10%
Getting into the stadium	3pm	62°	10%
Kickoff	3:30pm	62°	10%
Game over	6:30pm	58°	20%

Line for the game
JMU by 3.5