Biggest rivalries in CAA South?

[IndianaAppMan]

I figure that CAA North teams all have pretty strong rivalries, being so closely located and having been in the same conference for a long time. With the CAA South, if I reviewed the history correctly, it looks like those teams haven't played together quite as long.

So I'm curious which rivalries are the biggest in the CAA South. How long have they been around? When were the so-called signature games?

[paward]

Richmond vs William & Mary. One of the oldest in the country.

[JmuSkinsfan]

JMU - William & Mary
Delaware - Villanova

Those are probably the two biggest ones in the south. You could scramble all the teams together, and excluding Towson, everyone matches up well and has a bit of a rivalry. JMU - Delaware and UR - W&M too.

JMU W&M is pretty big...especially after they beat us at home in 2004 and we returned the favor in Williamsburg in the semis. We've owned them since then

[IndianaAppMan]

JMU - William & Mary
Delaware - Villanova

Those are probably the two biggest ones in the south. You could scramble all the teams together, and excluding Towson, everyone matches up well and has a bit of a rivalry. JMU - Delaware and UR - W&M too.

JMU W&M is pretty big...especially after they beat us at home in 2004 and we returned the favor in Williamsburg in the semis. We've owned them since then

How far back do those rivalries go?

[Tribe4SF]

JMU and W&M have met 30 times. The advent of I-AA established the rivalry.

W&M and Richmond will meet this year for the 118th time. The South's oldest rivalry.

[GannonFan]

UD and nova have met somewhere between 40 and 50 times and the series I think is deadlocked in a tie (there have been some ties as well). Up to 1980, it was a rivalry where UD was DII and nova was DI so it had that element for awhile (the rivalry was pretty even even back then with the divisional discrepancy). W&M-Richmond is older, but the most heated one is the UD-nova one.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

I always had the impression that JMU was Richmond's archrival. Maybe it's just that that game has been the game of the year in the CAA south lately.

[GannonFan]

I always had the impression that JMU was Richmond's archrival. Maybe it's just that that game has been the game of the year in the CAA south lately.

You'd probably have to ask Richmond fans what they think. It's certainly a big game as they are both Virginia schools, so that's a factor. JMU fans don't travel well but they have a lot of alumni within easy reach of Richmond and since Richmond has empty seats you do get a lot of JMU fans there.

As for the game of the year, in the CAA South at least, it varies every year. Last year UD/Richmond was the big game as both beat JMU. Richmond wasn't very good in '06 so that would've diminished that game, and from '01 to '04 Richmond wasn't really good at all and JMU prior to '04 was in the same boat. While Towson hasn't stepped up yet, the rest of the CAA South have all taken their turns at the top and as such the game of the year from a CAA South perspective changes every year.

[paward]

We were not too shabby in 06. We were 6-5 on a rebuilding year. IMHO I would have to say the WM is our biggest rivalry. There is a trophy that exchange hands each year to the winner. There is also a ceremony for the exchange to take place. Recent years it has not been a need for the ceremony being that it has been in the same hands for a minute or two. JMU and Delaware are always tough foes. The five overtime game last year in Delaware will make this years game a big one just on it's merit alone.

[Tribe4SF]

The I-64 Bowl (W&M/UR) may be returning to the status it once held, but the game has not had the lustre of years past since the two teams switched to I-AA. Several reasons for that.

- For the first twenty years as I-AAs, W&M was 16-4 in the series, and Richmond's fan base dwindled.

- There hasn't been a competitive game since 2001, with one side or the other winning the game easily.

- Other rivals have emerged for each school, including both JMU and UD.

[GannonFan]

We were not too shabby in 06. We were 6-5 on a rebuilding year. IMHO I would have to say the WM is our biggest rivalry. There is a trophy that exchange hands each year to the winner. There is also a ceremony for the exchange to take place. Recent years it has not been a need for the ceremony being that it has been in the same hands for a minute or two. JMU and Delaware are always tough foes. The five overtime game last year in Delaware will make this years game a big one just on it's merit alone.

Weren't you guys pre-season faves in '06? And while your offense was certainly struggling to find a replacement for Tutt, most of the defense returned and it was their somewhat lackluster performance that really shot Richmond's season that year.

[UDBlueLotFan]

UD and nova have met somewhere between 40 and 50 times and the series I think is deadlocked in a tie (there have been some ties as well). Up to 1980, it was a rivalry where UD was DII and nova was DI so it had that element for awhile (the rivalry was pretty even even back then with the divisional discrepancy). W&M-Richmond is older, but the most heated one is the UD-nova one.

Yup, even if we had beat App.St., the loss to Nova, the last game of the season, makes me want to... :pumpuke: We could be beating LSU and somewhere during a TV timeout, from the dark of the night, you could hear a BlueHen faithful yell, "NOVA sucks!!" xlolx xlolx

[redspider]

I would say that UR and W&M have a good rivalry and an old one but I would say that because W&M has not been strong lately that UR has built a much bigger recent rivalry with JMU. We have battled closely for the South title and also we have both beat each other within the last three years at each others homecomings.

[ChickenMan]

UD/Villaova.. is a great rivalry between the teams.. unfortunately Nova doesn't have enough supporters to allow that rivalry to carry over to the fans.

[89Hen]

IMO UD/Towson and/or UD/JMU will pass UD/Nova one day very soon. Personally, I never really got the UD/Nova thing. When I was at UD it was UD/Temple or UD/Lehigh that was THE game because Nova had just started back up their program after a brief hiatus. I think we only played Nova my junior and senior years. xpeacex

[JMU DUUUKES]

JMU fans don't travel well but they have a lot of alumni within easy reach of Richmond and since Richmond has empty seats you do get a lot of JMU fans there.

You mean like 2 years ago when we bought more tix than UR fans on THEIR homecoming. Something like 4-6k JMU people, and our entire band. I'll never forget the huge banner "Our Fans, Our Band, Our Homecoming" --- haha

[paward]

I do not think Gannon is speaking on behalf of UR, he is a Blue Hen. There is no doubt that when you all come to our stadium you bring a very nice crowd. Our fan base is not as large as either of yours. We do however bring a spirited group. The trip last year to JMU's homecoming was one of the highligts of the season for me. I love the atmosphere at JMU and the band is among the best. Winning the game and repaying the favor was priceless.

[GannonFan]

I would say that UR and W&M have a good rivalry and an old one but I would say that because W&M has not been strong lately that UR has built a much bigger recent rivalry with JMU. We have battled closely for the South title and also we have both beat each other within the last three years at each others homecomings.

See, I don't get that. It's not like W&M has been bad for years. They did make the national semis in 2004 and had the Payton Award winner. That was just 3 years ago. They've had 3 tough years, which almost doubles their number of losing seasons for the past 30. Rivalries are now built on just 3 years worth of games? xeyebrowx

[93henfan]

I'll never forget the huge banner "Our Fans, Our Band, Our Homecoming" --- haha

What's with JMU fans and props? You guys are like the CarrotTops of the FCS. You have a prop for every occassion. Streamers, signs...

What's next? Will you be taking slide whistles and kazoos to games this year?;)

[GannonFan]

IMO UD/Towson and/or UD/JMU will pass UD/Nova one day very soon. Personally, I never really got the UD/Nova thing. When I was at UD it was UD/Temple or UD/Lehigh that was THE game because Nova had just started back up their program after a brief hiatus. I think we only played Nova my junior and senior years. xpeacex

Nah, it will be at least a decade or more before that happens. I agree, the UD/Temple game was always bigger than the nova game, but Temple ran away from that series. Actually, the same with Lehigh - both Lehigh and Temple dropped Delaware - strangely, both for the same reason (too many losses, either past or perceived future ones).

The UD/nova series will be big for years to come because it does stretch back to UD's past - neither Towson or JMU do that. The nova game was big up until nova dropped the sport, and Talley and nova being good at times since restarting the sport has kept it as heated as it is. Towson has potential, but they've still have failed so far to be important nationally. And JMU could rise to that point, but they are a bit distant geographically compared to the other two being mentioned here.

[Tribe4SF]

What's with JMU fans and props? You guys are like the CarrotTops of the FCS. You have a prop for every occassion. Streamers, signs...

What's next? Will you be taking slide whistles and kazoos to games this year?;)

xlolx xnodx xlolx xnodx xlolx xnodx xlolx xnodx

"CarrotTops"!!! That might stick.xthumbsupx

[bleedblue]

UD and nova have met somewhere between 40 and 50 times and the series I think is deadlocked in a tie (there have been some ties as well). Up to 1980, it was a rivalry where UD was DII and nova was DI so it had that element for awhile (the rivalry was pretty even even back then with the divisional discrepancy). W&M-Richmond is older, but the most heated one is the UD-nova one.

20-20-1

[Eight Legger]

Historically there is not rivlary in the CAA that even comes close to UR-W&M. For older Spiders, this is still the one game they want every year. I would trade it for the JMU game now, because 1) that game is more competitive lately; and 2) I don't like JMU. That's what makes for a good rivarly.

And if I hear another mention of how JMU "took over" our stadium, I'm going to throw up. Give me a break. Maybe the fact that our city is the state capital while yours is a cow pasture means there are a lot more of your grads living here! And in case you hadn't noticed, your enrollment is just a TAD bigger than ours. Every UR grad from the last 20 years could attend one of our home games and we still wouldn't sell out.

We also were gracious enough to allow your 9,000-person band to come into our stadium and even perform during our homecoming celebration. Why, I have no idea. I doubt the same favor would have been granted if the tables were turned.

[mcveyrl]

As far as true rivalries there are only two - UD/'Nova and W&M/UR.

Lately there has been a consistency at the top that makes for heated games, but not of the consistency that would make them, in my mind, rivalries.

For JMU right now, it's definitely the UR and UD games. But, a couple of years ago, it was definitely the W&M game. We're rivalry prostitutes.

[19Duke97]

Historically there is not rivlary in the CAA that even comes close to UR-W&M. For older Spiders, this is still the one game they want every year. I would trade it for the JMU game now, because 1) that game is more competitive lately; and 2) I don't like JMU. That's what makes for a good rivarly.

And if I hear another mention of how JMU "took over" our stadium, I'm going to throw up. Give me a break. Maybe the fact that our city is the state capital while yours is a cow pasture means there are a lot more of your grads living here! And in case you hadn't noticed, your enrollment is just a TAD bigger than ours. Every UR grad from the last 20 years could attend one of our home games and we still wouldn't sell out.

We also were gracious enough to allow your 9,000-person band to come into our stadium and even perform during our homecoming celebration. Why, I have no idea. I doubt the same favor would have been granted if the tables were turned.


Ummm you would have to have a band worth listening to for that to happen....

This year again, there will be more JMU fans at the game, granted we do have a lager fan base, but don't make excuses.

As far as location, I went to high school in downtown Richmond, left for JMU for undergrad, and got my grad degree from UofR, but calling Harrisonburg a "cow town" is the same as JMU students calling Richmond a cess pool, there is slight validity in both, but it's low class in either way. xnonox

The best rivalry at JMU was W&M/JMU, that has fallen off the past few years as W&M has been rebuilding. Delaware v JMU has always been a good game for as long as I can remember (coincidentally I don't get the animosity, I traveled to UD while in school, and for the most part,we had a great time, and returned the favor the following year to our UD brothers).

Historically speaking, UR/W&M is the one.

[redspider]

Well a few more things to add. First of all in terms or the W&M not being strong recently I think Eight Legger explained what I meant well. Secondly yes I think that people especially the students dont really like JMU at UR especially because of the "band incident". I have no idea who thought it would be a good idea to let JMU marching band perform at our Homecoming but it was terrible. First of all they were obnoxious they came close up to our student section and got louder and louder so the students started to boo. Then we they continued and would not move I remember they had ice thrown at them eventually we went on to win the game but there were alot of harsh feelings from that. That is why it was amazing when we did the same thing beating them at homecoming the next year for revenge!

[JMU2K_DukeDawg]

That whole band incident just makes me laugh. Both sides are so stupid talking about it.

1) Moving close to the stands was part of the show. If you have ever seen good bands (e.g, DCI bands) play, you would recognize it is a common General Effects tool.

2) Using that tool as part of the show after beating a "rival" at their homecoming? No, not the best idea. But as they say, the show must go on.

3) Drunken students. I am sure both sides had plenty by that point in the afternoon.

4) Get over it! xlolx

Somehow stories like these create the lasting rivalries we have in sports, no matter how silly or petty some of the arguments and fights may be. I just sit back and laugh at it all.

[89Hen]

The UD/nova series will be big for years to come because it does stretch back to UD's past - neither Towson or JMU do that. The nova game was big up until nova dropped the sport, and Talley and nova being good at times since restarting the sport has kept it as heated as it is. Towson has potential, but they've still have failed so far to be important nationally. And JMU could rise to that point, but they are a bit distant geographically compared to the other two being mentioned here.
I'm just not convinced for several reasons:

1. There will come a time when nobody recalls the history prior to 1980.

2. We don't compete with them for conference titles in any other sport.

3. They simply don't have the fans for football. JMU and to a lesser extent Towson do.

[89Hen]

calling Harrisonburg a "cow town" is the same as JMU students calling Richmond a cess pool, there is slight validity in both, but it's low class in either way. xnonox
Slight? xconfusedx xsmiley_wix :p

[bluehenbillk]

I'm just not convinced for several reasons:

1. There will come a time when nobody recalls the history prior to 1980.

2. We don't compete with them for conference titles in any other sport.

3. They simply don't have the fans for football. JMU and to a lesser extent Towson do.


The 'Nova rivalry is really there because you have to take a look at where UD's student base comes from. New Castle County, SE PA & South Jersey are 3 major ingredients of UD's student population so there is a crossover between UD & Nova there. As poor as 'Nova's attendance is, it's always been better that Towson's. JMU could become more of a rivalry but the geographical distance is a barrier. Nova is an hour away.

[Catsfan2]

As a Nova alum and Towson resident, I attend a lot of games at both schools. Nova's attendence is not great, but Towson's is non-existent. Despite attempts to add on-campus housing, Towson largely remains a commuter school.

[bostonspider]

When I was at UR, I think JMU was our biggest rival, because we were in the CAA with them for other sports, and both our basketball teams were pretty good. Now back then W&M would spank us in football, but we would hold our own with the Dukes. And lot's of UR students would have applied to both JMU and W&M as well, and were very familiar with the schools.

[89Hen]

As poor as 'Nova's attendance is, it's always been better that Towson's.
Not for long. TU's attendance is on the rise. Nova's is stagnant. I think TU was only 1k behind VU this past year. VU also gets the bene of "hosting" Penn every other year.

[89Hen]

As a Nova alum and Towson resident, I attend a lot of games at both schools. Nova's attendence is not great, but Towson's is non-existent. Despite attempts to add on-campus housing, Towson largely remains a commuter school.
Like I said to Bill... it's changing IMO.

FWIW, I think they added that phony "trophy" to the UD/Nova series because they knew that the "rivalry" is dying.

[bluehenbillk]

Like I said to Bill... it's changing IMO.

FWIW, I think they added that phony "trophy" to the UD/Nova series because they knew that the "rivalry" is dying.


Well you still have about triple the amount of UD fans on the Main Line that show up in Towson.

[BDKJMU]

You'd probably have to ask Richmond fans what they think. It's certainly a big game as they are both Virginia schools, so that's a factor. JMU fans don't travel well but they have a lot of alumni within easy reach of Richmond and since Richmond has empty seats you do get a lot of JMU fans there.

[QUOTE=JMU DUUUKES;1063167]You mean like 2 years ago when we bought more tix than UR fans on THEIR homecoming. Something like 4-6k JMU people, and our entire band. I'll never forget the huge banner "Our Fans, Our Band, Our Homecoming" --- haha

Since 04' JMU fans travel better than anyone else in the CAA except for UD.

[89Hen]

Since 04' JMU fans travel better than anyone else in the CAA except for UD.
You brought more fans than anyone to the Tub last year except DSU. xpeacex

[DB_Atlantic10]

JMU fans don't travel well but they have a lot of alumni within easy reach of Richmond and since Richmond has empty seats you do get a lot of JMU fans there.
Gannon, what have you been smoking...JMU fans don't travel well.... I think the whole CAA gets pissed when the streamers start flying.... Did you mean that Richmond fans don't travel well..they didn't even fill their 500 seats we gave them the past couple of years....and we filled their stadium when we were there...... xcoffeex

[Eight Legger]

Gannon, what have you been smoking...JMU fans don't travel well.... I think the whole CAA gets pissed when the streamers start flying.... Did you mean that Richmond fans don't travel well..they didn't even fill their 500 seats we gave them the past couple of years....and we filled their stadium when we were there...... xcoffeex

We like to save our travels for important games that could be close, not games we know we will win.

And by the way, the attendance of the 2006 homecoming game at UR was 11,150, so it's a pretty safe bet that JMU fans did not outnumber UR fans.

[DTSpider]

And by the way, the attendance of the 2006 homecoming game at UR was 11,150, so it's a pretty safe bet that JMU fans did not outnumber UR fans.

Hold on a minute, I thought that JMU brought close to 40,000 fans to the game that day xlolx

[Eight Legger]

Hold on a minute, I thought that JMU brought close to 40,000 fans to the game that day xlolx

Maybe that was the day they burned Richmond to the ground on their way back home? I can't remember. The years all blend together anymore...

[bluehenbillk]

Actually I thought UR had more fans in Newark than JMU did. JMU's fans looked annoying with the streamer thing. They seem to have a real young fanbase, mostly students, it'll be interesting in a decade or so how many of them still goto games.

It'll be good for the league if they do come out in droves.

[GannonFan]

Actually I thought UR had more fans in Newark than JMU did. JMU's fans looked annoying with the streamer thing. They seem to have a real young fanbase, mostly students, it'll be interesting in a decade or so how many of them still goto games.

It'll be good for the league if they do come out in droves.

Agreed - it was easy to see last year that Richmond brought significantly more fans to Newark than JMU did as the games were on back to back weekends (I'm not sure JMU even used the whole 500 allottment they got)Hey, JMU's got a great fanbase, but I haven't seen them travel any better than other fanbases, and like last year with Richmond (who are mocked by JMU fans), they've been bettered. UMass does a decent job of travelling, and UNH's resurgence over the past 5 years (remember, UNH actually has a pretty good pre-Santos history with the Bowes years) has resulted in good travel to Newark. I don't attend non-UD games at other CAA venues very much (last one was probably BU at nova, so that dates me a bit) but for games in Newark JMU doesn't attend very well.

As it goes for rivalries, that's a big factor for me why it will be hard to dislodge UD/nova, especially if nova does their part of the bargain and stay as competitive as they have for the past 40 years.

[19Duke97]

Agreed - it was easy to see last year that Richmond brought significantly more fans to Newark than JMU did as the games were on back to back weekends (I'm not sure JMU even used the whole 500 allottment they got)Hey, JMU's got a great fanbase, but I haven't seen them travel any better than other fanbases, and like last year with Richmond (who are mocked by JMU fans), they've been bettered. UMass does a decent job of travelling, and UNH's resurgence over the past 5 years (remember, UNH actually has a pretty good pre-Santos history with the Bowes years) has resulted in good travel to Newark. I don't attend non-UD games at other CAA venues very much (last one was probably BU at nova, so that dates me a bit) but for games in Newark JMU doesn't attend very well.

As it goes for rivalries, that's a big factor for me why it will be hard to dislodge UD/nova, especially if nova does their part of the bargain and stay as competitive as they have for the past 40 years.

Guys,
This is not surprising at all > 50% of the Richmond student body is from the Northeast, and when they graduate, most go back home. So ironically, it's easier for them to travel to Delaware than Richmond. JMU does have a young fan base, but trust me it's growing quickly (along with the school). Most JMU grads stay in Virginia, but I am surprised that more NOVA resident alumns don't make it to Delaware...
JMU will have 3-4k at the Richmond game this year, and considering it's Richmond's fall break, their may be more Duke fans than Spider fans at the game.

[paward]

Guys,
This is not surprising at all > 50% of the Richmond student body is from the Northeast, and when they graduate, most go back home. So ironically, it's easier for them to travel to Delaware than Richmond. JMU does have a young fan base, but trust me it's growing quickly (along with the school). Most JMU grads stay in Virginia, but I am surprised that more NOVA resident alumns don't make it to Delaware...
JMU will have 3-4k at the Richmond game this year, and considering it's Richmond's fall break, their may be more Duke fans than Spider fans at the game.

And the most important attendees are the ones on the field!

[BDKJMU]

We like to save our travels for important games that could be close, not games we know we will win.

And by the way, the attendance of the 2006 homecoming game at UR was 11,150, so it's a pretty safe bet that JMU fans did not outnumber UR fans.

You're right- JMU fans were about 4k at that game, over a 1/3.

[BDKJMU]

Agreed - it was easy to see last year that Richmond brought significantly more fans to Newark than JMU did as the games were on back to back weekends (I'm not sure JMU even used the whole 500 allottment they got)Hey, JMU's got a great fanbase, but I haven't seen them travel any better than other fanbases, and like last year with Richmond (who are mocked by JMU fans), they've been bettered. UMass does a decent job of travelling, and UNH's resurgence over the past 5 years (remember, UNH actually has a pretty good pre-Santos history with the Bowes years) has resulted in good travel to Newark. I don't attend non-UD games at other CAA venues very much (last one was probably BU at nova, so that dates me a bit) but for games in Newark JMU doesn't attend very well.

As it goes for rivalries, that's a big factor for me why it will be hard to dislodge UD/nova, especially if nova does their part of the bargain and stay as competitive as they have for the past 40 years.

As far as the JMU-UD game, I thought JMU used their full 500 allottment. But wasn't that game UD's homecoming? As I remember it, for JMU fans that didn't or couldn't get tickets from that 500 game allottment, they were going to have a slim chance of getting tickets. If it wasn't UDs homecoming I think JMU would have had at least a few hundred more fans there. JMU and UR I think are both about a 3.5 hr drive from Newark. After all, in 06' when JMU was 8-1 ranked 4th heading into the Nova game to play a Nova team that was 4-5 at the time, there seemed to be about 2k JMU fans there, was certainly well over 1k of the 7751 listed attendance. JMU-Nova is about a 4.5 hr drive, (but only about 2-3 hrs from JMU's alumni in NOVA, suburban MD & Baltimore).

As far as UMass, You've got to be kidding. I remember in the 97' NC game on TV it looked like UMass had a handful of fans, maybe a few hundred? at the NC game surrounded by a sea of GSU fans. In the 06' NC game UMass had more, but couldn't have been more than 1-2 k Granted, its about a 15 hr drive from Amherst to Chatty. At the 04' NC game JMU as I recall about matched Montana, with each side having about 7-8 k fans with another about 1 k of neutrals/local- attendance was listed at 16,771. Granted, its about a 7 hr drive from JMU vs like a 35 hr drive from Montana, who as I recall apparently chartered 20 some aircraft, but hey, they're Montana, maybe the top traveling program in I-AA, at least in terms of fan miles.

After all, as far as home attendance, in the CAA:
UD-3rd,
JMU-12th
UMass-19th
W&M-31st
Nova-41st
UNH-45th
Towson-61st
UR-54th
Hofstra-74th
Maine-76th
URI-97th
http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/2007/Internet/attendance/IAA_ATTENDANCE.pdf

I know home attendance and away are 2 different things, but generally teams that have good home attendance will travel better than teams that don't. Can't find any stats for away travel, but no way does UR travel better than JMU does. Its probably not even close. And even though I'm not as familiar with UMass and UNH that you mentioned, I highly doubt that they travel as well as JMU.
Northeastern-102nd

[henfan]

As far as the JMU-UD game, I thought JMU used their full 500 allottment. But wasn't that game UD's homecoming? As I remember it, for JMU fans that didn't or couldn't get tickets from that 500 game allottment, they were going to have a slim chance of getting tickets. If it wasn't UDs homecoming I think JMU would have had at least a few hundred more fans there. JMU and UR I think are both about a 3.5 hr drive from Newark.

JMU fans truly interested in attending last year had much better than a "slim chance" of purchasing tickets. It did take a modicum of commitment, foresight and common sense, however.

To clarify, UD has never restricted ticket sales. If they only allotted the JMU AD 500 tickets, that wouldn't be surprising for a Homecoming game. However, UD makes single game tickets available to the general public through Ticketmaster well in advance of the regular season. If ticket demand from JMU's fans so greatly outpaced the 500 tickets the school was allotted, why did those fans not purchase their tickets online in advance of the game?xconfusedx

[89Hen]

Agreed - it was easy to see last year that Richmond brought significantly more fans to Newark than JMU did as the games were on back to back weekends (I'm not sure JMU even used the whole 500 allottment they got)
I will have to try to remember when I get home to see if I have some photos of the JMU fans from that game. They pretty much filled Section H.

In all fairness, I was not at the Richmond game but my statement came from experience at the Tub. I had never seen a visiting team bring so many fans. Maybe it was just that it was the first year with fans in H, a skinny section so it looks like more. Didn't they all use to be in M? xpeacex

[89Hen]

After all, as far as home attendance, in the CAA:
UD-3rd,
JMU-12th
UMass-19th
W&M-31st
Nova-41st
UNH-45th
Towson-61st
UR-54th
Hofstra-74th
Maine-76th
URI-97th

I know home attendance and away are 2 different things, but generally teams that have good home attendance will travel better than teams that don't.
This is why I am shocked to hear that UR brought a lot of fans to Newark. I don't ever recall them bringing a notable amount in the past. xconfusedx

[BDKJMU]

I will have to try to remember when I get home to see if I have some photos of the JMU fans from that game. They pretty much filled Section H.

In all fairness, I was not at the Richmond game but my statement came from experience at the Tub. I had never seen a visiting team bring so many fans. Maybe it was just that it was the first year with fans in H, a skinny section so it looks like more. Didn't they all use to be in M? xpeacex

And I don't believe I was in that Section H (which is where the bulk of the JMU fans were), but was in a section next to it that also had a lot of JMU fans.

[HensRock]

If it wasn't UDs homecoming I think JMU would have had at least a few hundred more fans there.

When every game is a sell-out, it really doesn't matter whether it's Homecoming or not.

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

Interesting thread. JMU is growing rivalries with most everyone because of their recent success and because their fans are juvenile.

JMU had a great achievement in winning a NC in '04. Can anyone venture a guess how many playoff games they have won since then? You would think they were among the ASU/UD/Montana's of 1-AA the way they talk.

I hope JMU goes 0-11 this year. I guess that makes JMU my biggest rival, huh?

[DTSpider]

Home attendance is definitely inconsistently reported across schools. Last year JMU reported a capacity crowd for the UR game, yet at the game it looked to be about 75% filled.

Is attendence seats sold or people in the stands. Could be a big difference, especially when it comes to the student sections which are always considered sold out.

UR changed its policy several years ago and the season of the change resulted in a drop of a few thousand each game. Not a huge deal for schools like UD/ASU/Montana, but for the rest that counts a lot towards your attendence percentage. There was an article on this back in the Times Dispatch maybe 5 years ago if someone has the time/ability to do the research.

[Towson12]

Not for long. TU's attendance is on the rise. Nova's is stagnant. I think TU was only 1k behind VU this past year. VU also gets the bene of "hosting" Penn every other year.


Towson has added over 450 rooms for this school year. thats over 900 more kids living on campus. But alot of students that live there are from out of state, mostly NY and NJ, where high school football unfortanately isnt that big. Basketball is bigger...but at Towson that doesn't draw well either xbawlingx

[bluehenbillk]

89, you are correct they switched the visiting fans section last year, putting them all the way on the north end of the east stands. DSU did have the most visiting fans ever seen at the Tub, but that was understandable for obvious reasons. Lehigh is the only other school I've seen that I would say travels well to UD. As far as UR vs JUM vs UMass vs whoever you can really throw them all into one bunch. They're all alloted 500 tix & as previously mentioned by astute posters you can order individual game tix outside of a school allotment.

You missed the 5OT classic? Ouch. Maybe the best game I ever saw at the Tub.

[BDKJMU]

Interesting thread. JMU is growing rivalries with most everyone because of their recent success and because their fans are juvenile.

JMU had a great achievement in winning a NC in '04. Can anyone venture a guess how many playoff games they have won since then? You would think they were among the ASU/UD/Montana's of 1-AA the way they talk.

I hope JMU goes 0-11 this year. I guess that makes JMU my biggest rival, huh?

Well look who we had to play in the playoffs on the road in 06' and 07' at #4 seed YSU and @ ASU, both very close losses where the other team scored the winning TD in the last minute or 2. Look who UR got in 05' and 07'. @ Hampton (only an hr drive. Yeah they were seeded, but that was a joke) and home against WKU. HUGE difference.

I'm not knocking UR. No-one should expect them to be close to JMU in attendance home or away- UR is a small/mid sized private Univ about 1/4-1/5 the student body size of JMU. I was just making a response to Gannon claiming UR traveled better than JMU.

Clawson left behind a great program, esp considering at the privates its harder to get the # of quality walkons that the publics do to provide depth. Most JMU fans on the caazone think JMU will win @ UR in Oct. For what its worth, I think UR will win that one, go 10-2, tie for the CAA title, and be one of the seeds for the playoffs, and for JMU it will be "On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again..." I think JMU will win a re-match in the quarterfinals though.xsmiley_wix

[89Hen]

You missed the 5OT classic? Ouch. Maybe the best game I ever saw at the Tub.
Yeah. I can't recall why I missed it though. I was checking the score on my cell phone all game long and couldn't believe we weren't there. xoopsx xbawlingx xoopsx

[BDKJMU]

Home attendance is definitely inconsistently reported across schools. Last year JMU reported a capacity crowd for the UR game, yet at the game it looked to be about 75% filled.

Is attendence seats sold or people in the stands. Could be a big difference, especially when it comes to the student sections which are always considered sold out.

UR changed its policy several years ago and the season of the change resulted in a drop of a few thousand each game. Not a huge deal for schools like UD/ASU/Montana, but for the rest that counts a lot towards your attendence percentage. There was an article on this back in the Times Dispatch maybe 5 years ago if someone has the time/ability to do the research.

I believe attendance is tickets sold. The JMU-UR game was listed attendance of 14,009, so was not a sellout. Was also put at noon for TV (1st and only time that has been done for HC which is usually 3-3:30), so yeah, the stadium was maybe 3/4 full at the start, maybe 85% full in the 2nd half. Take off the 500-1k no shows, then maybe 1 k who were tailgating the whole time, either casual or non football fans and those too drunk to make it in the stadium, or who went back out at halftime and never made it back in.

One reason I think JMU should do like some other schools. Close off the tailgating lots to tailgating during the game.

[mcveyrl]

Interesting thread. JMU is growing rivalries with most everyone because of their recent success and because their fans are juvenile.

JMU had a great achievement in winning a NC in '04. Can anyone venture a guess how many playoff games they have won since then? You would think they were among the ASU/UD/Montana's of 1-AA the way they talk.

I hope JMU goes 0-11 this year. I guess that makes JMU my biggest rival, huh?

xcoolx

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

We also beat Wofford in the playoffs last year...

Mickey caught lighting in a bottle in '04. I won't hold my breath waiting for it to happen again...


Well look who we had to play in the playoffs on the road in 06' and 07' at #4 seed YSU and @ ASU, both very close losses where the other team scored the winning TD in the last minute or 2. Look who UR got in 05' and 07'. @ Hampton (only an hr drive. Yeah they were seeded, but that was a joke) and home against WKU. HUGE difference.

I'm not knocking UR. No-one should expect them to be close to JMU in attendance home or away- UR is a small/mid sized private Univ about 1/4-1/5 the student body size of JMU. I was just making a response to Gannon claiming UR traveled better than JMU.

Clawson left behind a great program, esp considering at the privates its harder to get the # of quality walkons that the publics do to provide depth. Most JMU fans on the caazone think JMU will win @ UR in Oct. For what its worth, I think UR will win that one, go 10-2, tie for the CAA title, and be one of the seeds for the playoffs, and for JMU it will be "On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again..." I think JMU will win a re-match in the quarterfinals though.xsmiley_wix

[Dukie95]

We also beat Wofford in the playoffs last year...

Mickey caught lighting in a bottle in '04. I won't hold my breath waiting for it to happen again...

Mabye so, but an argument could be made that "Dave" did the same last year, and no self-respecting CAA fan is impressed with a win over Wofford. ;)

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

Mabye so, but an argument could be made that "Dave" did the same last year, and no self-respecting CAA fan is impressed with a win over Wofford. ;)

I guess you've never played Wofford then. Wofford was SoCon champs last year. They also beat Montana on the road the week before we beat them.

You were probably unaware since you were still crying in your frosted flakes about 'the fumble' when the game was played.

[mcveyrl]

I guess you've never played Wofford then. Wofford was SoCon champs last year. They also beat Montana on the road the week before we beat them.

You were probably unaware since you were still crying in your frosted flakes about 'the fumble' when the game was played.

I guess you didn't notice the wink. Or, you're so caught up in your JMU hate you blew right by it. Pretty sure he was kidding.

[Tribe4SF]

Mabye so, but an argument could be made that "Dave" did the same last year, and no self-respecting CAA fan is impressed with a win over Wofford. ;)

Sorry Dukie (wink, or no wink), any team that beats ASU, and beats Montana in Missoula is impressive to me.xthumbsupx

[mcveyrl]

Sorry Dukie (wink, or no wink), any team that beats ASU, and beats Montana in Missoula is impressive to me.xthumbsupx

I agree, but there's a little bit of hypocrisy in BHCE saying we caught lightning in a bottle (basically, luck) when we won three road playoff games (against at least one seeded team) and beat Montana for a NC and then asking for praise for beating Wofford (and then losing its next road playoff game).

[Tribe4SF]

I agree, but there's a little bit of hypocrisy in BHCE saying we caught lightning in a bottle (basically, luck) when we won three road playoff games (against at least one seeded team) and beat Montana for a NC and then asking for praise for beating Wofford (and then losing its next road playoff game).

Agreed. And if Montana was seeded (don't remember), then you beat three seeded teams. Furman and W&M were both seeded.

[mcveyrl]

Agreed. And if Montana was seeded (don't remember), then you beat three seeded teams. Furman and W&M were both seeded.

I couldn't remember if Furman was or not.

[Dukie95]

Yeah, I was just playing off the CAA vs SoCon thing...

[DTSpider]

I think that all the 3 Virginia schools have a good rivalry with each other. These schools are recruit the same guys and, in general, attract similar students.

I'm a firm believer in hoping that JMU & W&M do well, real well, in all but 2 games a year. If we can increase the talent pool that we're recruiting from it'll help us all in the long run. Not to mention, it's so much more fun to go to a matchup of top 10 teams battling for playoff position than two teams just playing for pride.

[mcveyrl]

I think that all the 3 Virginia schools have a good rivalry with each other. These schools are recruit the same guys and, in general, attract similar students.

I'm a firm believer in hoping that JMU & W&M do well, real well, in all but 2 games a year. If we can increase the talent pool that we're recruiting from it'll help us all in the long run. Not to mention, it's so much more fun to go to a matchup of top 10 teams battling for playoff position than two teams just playing for pride.

Thanks for getting us back on topic with a great assesment. I'm with you on the Virginia solidarity thing.

[89Hen]

It should be JMU/W&M since they are both VA state schools. xtwocentsx

[JMU DUUUKES]

What's with JMU fans and props? You guys are like the CarrotTops of the FCS. You have a prop for every occassion. Streamers, signs...

What's next? Will you be taking slide whistles and kazoos to games this year?;)


Its even worse at basketball games, we plan way ahead for those props. Researching the players on Myspace, etc. We are a very organized groups. and i love the carrottop reference, haha.

[Anovafan]

Admittedly I am a little biased, but I think UD-VU has the biggest rivalry in the South. It is the last game of the year during rivalry week, and the players definitely buy into it. There have been several wars of the words in the papers between the two teams. The three Mulhern brothers from UD spring to mind. VU is a basketball school first, football is second. UD is a football school first, and first, and first. VU feels inferior to UD in football attendance, football resources and alumni support and feels superior to UD in basketball prowess. And then there is the academic debate, and then the snobby alumni debate. It all makes for a great rivalry in my opinion. And then there is this poll:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/features/si50/states/delaware/

VU and Talley are the second most hated in the state of Delaware.

PS-Did the post counts get reset? I haven't been on in a while.

[bluehenbillk]

Actually only the VU-UD rivalry involves drunken priests mowing down visiting players families after games. Anyone top that?

[Anovafan]

Actually only the VU-UD rivalry involves drunken priests mowing down visiting players families after games. Anyone top that?

I knew some UD fan was going to bring that up. The priest was not drunk, he had infections in his legs, was walking with a cane, and got his foot stuck under the accelerator. He clearly should not have been driving, but he was not drunk. It was a sad event for all involved.

[bluehenbillk]

And then he tried to leave the scene to boot. It's funny how none of what you're saying never came out in the press.....

Not saying it's not true, but.

[mcveyrl]

Actually only the VU-UD rivalry involves drunken priests mowing down visiting players families after games. Anyone top that?


I knew some UD fan was going to bring that up. The priest was not drunk, he had infections in his legs, was walking with a cane, and got his foot stuck under the accelerator. He clearly should not have been driving, but he was not drunk. It was a sad event for all involved.

Either way. Not sure I can top it.

[Anovafan]

And then he tried to leave the scene to boot. It's funny how none of what you're saying never came out in the press.....

Not saying it's not true, but.

Well, I was at the scene of the incident. VU wanted to keep it as quiet as possible so there was very little press about it. It was tragic and as a result, VU no longer allows cars where the incident happened. The priest was very old, now passed, and as I mentioned, should not have been driving, like many senior citizens today.

[bluehenbillk]

It was in the papers, front page of the Wilmington News Journal, but nothing was ever put into print as to why the accident happened.

Anyways I'm happy the game is in Newark this year, I hate going to the Main Line.

[BDKJMU]

It was in the papers, front page of the Wilmington News Journal, but nothing was ever put into print as to why the accident happened.

Anyways I'm happy the game is in Newark this year, I hate going to the Main Line.

http://www.villanovan.com/media/paper581/news/2003/12/05/News/Seven.Injured.In.Car.Accident-572654.shtml

[BDKJMU]

I couldn't remember if Furman was or not.

04' playoffs

SIU was 11-0, #1 seed, Gateway autobid. Upset in the 1st round by EWU.

Furman was 9-2 & the #2 seed, So-Con autobid.

W&M was 9-2 & the #3 seed, CAA autobid.

GSU was 9-2 & the #4 seed. Upset in 1st round by UNH.

Montana was 9-2, unseeded, beat Northwestern State, UNH, and then Sam Houston State in semis, so never had to beat a seeded team before facing JMU in the NC game.