CAA Forecast - James Madison

[jstclmet]

The Pluses:

1. 13 Starters returning (7 Off + 6 Def).
2. O/L returns @ 3/5's strength with LT 6'4 300, LG Walker 6'3 325, & RG Brooks 6'3 385.
3. Off backup skill players are experienced and capable.

The negatives:
1. The loss of RL (aka Superman) will hurt as he accounted for more than half of JMU's total yardage last year.
2. JMU's LB & secondary corp are very thin.
3. JMU's taken hits personnel wise for a variety of reasons and cannot afford too many more losses.

The Questions:
1. The QB job is Dudzik's to lose, although Thorpe is giving him a good run for the money. Once JMU starts playing, they will not have a Bye week.
1a. What week will Dudzik lose his job to Thorpe??
1b. Will Dudzik lose his job due to injury or ineffective play??

2. Last year, JMU was able to snatch victory from defeat with last second heroics. Will JMU's forturnes be reversed this year?? In other words, will JMU be able to protect a lead??

The Schedule:

9/5 Bye

9/12 Sat @ Maryland. JMU plays the Terps tough for a half trailing 7 - 10, but the Terps pull away late enroute to a 27 - 7 win.

9/19 Sat vs VMI. JMU sprints out to a 31 - 10 win in front of the home crowd as Dudzil looks brilliant both running and passing.

9/26 Sat @ Liberty. On the road against Defending Big South Champ, Liberty. The Flames want to show the world that they can play with the big guys and erupt early 13 - 10 HT lead. However, JMU plays keep away with it's running game in addition to scoring to 2nd half TD's to win 24 - 20.

10/3 Sat @ Hofstra. The Dukes travel to Long Island to find an inspired Pride team. The Pride battles valiantly but comes up short 21 - 17 as JMU proves to be too strong and fast for the Pride to contain.

10/10 Sat vs Richmond. Family weekend, and a game where the visitor usually wins. With the score tied @ 21 - 21 with seconds remaining, UR kicks the winnng FG to keep the visitor win streak alive.

10/17 Sat. vs Villanova. Homecoming. JMU is currently enjoying a 3 game win streak vs the Cats. The Cats come out clawing first to take a 14 - 0 lead, but the Dukes battle back to go into HT tield @ 14 each. At the end of 3, the dukes take a 24 - 21 lead. However, the Cats run off 10 unaswered in the 4th with their passing game to give the Dukes their 2nd home loss in as many weeks 31 - 24.

10/24 Sat. @ William & Mary. For the 3rd week in a row, the Dukes face a top 25 team from the CAA South. The Tribe is fired up as they have not beaten the Dukes in 4 years. The Tribe is also coming of a Bye week and is rested, and needs this win as they try and make the playoffs. Having no Bye week, fatigue begins to show on the Dukes as they go down 21 - 24.

10/31 Sat @ Delaware. In a packed house at the "Tub", everyone in attendance watches a nip & tuck battle as these warriors fight it out on the field. As UD drives to get into position for the game winning FG, a late TO gives the ball back to JMU who runs out the clock and wins 28 - 27.

11/7 vs Maine. Needing to win to keep its playoff hopes alive, The Dukes explode for 45 points enroute to a 45 - 17 win.

11/14 @ UMass. Smelling blood in Amherst. The Dukes again needing the win outmuscles the Minuteman for a 20 - 17 road victory.

11/21 vs Towson. Not leaving anything to chance, JMU dominates this game from beginning to end for a 38 -14 win and winners of it's last 4 to prove to the playoff committee they belong.

Overall 7 - 4, CAA 5 - 3....but is it enough????

[mcveyrl]

The Pluses:

1. 13 Starters returning (7 Off + 6 Def).
2. O/L returns @ 3/5's strength with LT 6'4 300, LG Walker 6'3 325, & RG Brooks 6'3 385.
3. Off backup skill players are experienced and capable.

The negatives:
1. The loss of RL (aka Superman) will hurt as he accounted for more than half of JMU's total yardage last year.
2. JMU's LB & secondary corp are very thin.
3. JMU's taken hits personnel wise for a variety of reasons and cannot afford too many more losses.

The Questions:
1. The QB job is Dudzik's to lose, although Thorpe is giving him a good run for the money. Once JMU starts playing, they will not have a Bye week.
1a. What week will Dudzik lose his job to Thorpe??
1b. Will Dudzik lose his job due to injury or ineffective play??

2. Last year, JMU was able to snatch victory from defeat with last second heroics. Will JMU's forturnes be reversed this year?? In other words, will JMU be able to protect a lead??

The Schedule:

9/5 Bye

9/12 Sat @ Maryland. JMU plays the Terps tough for a half trailing 7 - 10, but the Terps pull away late enroute to a 27 - 7 win.

9/19 Sat vs VMI. JMU sprints out to a 31 - 10 win in front of the home crowd as Dudzil looks brilliant both running and passing.

9/26 Sat @ Liberty. On the road against Defending Big South Champ, Liberty. The Flames want to show the world that they can play with the big guys and erupt early 13 - 10 HT lead. However, JMU plays keep away with it's running game in addition to scoring to 2nd half TD's to win 24 - 20.

10/3 Sat @ Hofstra. The Dukes travel to Long Island to find an inspired Pride team. The Pride battles valiantly but comes up short 21 - 17 as JMU proves to be too strong and fast for the Pride to contain.

10/10 Sat vs Richmond. Family weekend, and a game where the visitor usually wins. With the score tied @ 21 - 21 with seconds remaining, UR kicks the winnng FG to keep the visitor win streak alive.

10/17 Sat. vs Villanova. Homecoming. JMU is currently enjoying a 3 game win streak vs the Cats. The Cats come out clawing first to take a 14 - 0 lead, but the Dukes battle back to go into HT tield @ 14 each. At the end of 3, the dukes take a 24 - 21 lead. However, the Cats run off 10 unaswered in the 4th with their passing game to give the Dukes their 2nd home loss in as many weeks 31 - 24.

10/24 Sat. @ William & Mary. For the 3rd week in a row, the Dukes face a top 25 team from the CAA South. The Tribe is fired up as they have not beaten the Dukes in 4 years. The Tribe is also coming of a Bye week and is rested, and needs this win as they try and make the playoffs. Having no Bye week, fatigue begins to show on the Dukes as they go down 21 - 24.

10/31 Sat @ Delaware. In a packed house at the "Tub", everyone in attendance watches a nip & tuck battle as these warriors fight it out on the field. As UD drives to get into position for the game winning FG, a late TO gives the ball back to JMU who runs out the clock and wins 28 - 27.

11/7 vs Maine. Needing to win to keep its playoff hopes alive, The Dukes explode for 45 points enroute to a 45 - 17 win.

11/14 @ UMass. Smelling blood in Amherst. The Dukes again needing the win outmuscles the Minuteman for a 20 - 17 road victory.

11/21 vs Towson. Not leaving anything to chance, JMU dominates this game from beginning to end for a 38 -14 win and winners of it's last 4 to prove to the playoff committee they belong.

Overall 7 - 4, CAA 5 - 3....but is it enough????


I think that's a realistic prediction, and to answer your final question, I don't think it's enough to get in the playoffs this year. Maybe next year, but not this year. We need to win one of the two home games vs. UR and Nova (and pull of the rest of the W's) to get in. If we can't capitalize on homefield in one of those games, we probably don't deserve to get in anyway.

I think the OL will be a bigger question than you indicate and think not having a bye week will kill our LBs and Secondary since they are pretty thin. I think that also affects the Dudzik/Thorpe issue as Dudzik may sit a game or two just to get some rest, not necessarily because of injury.

I played the optimist and said eight wins with no playoff victory. If we only have 8 wins, we're probably going to App and I don't think we can pull that off this year.

[Dukie95]

Well, we could have 9 wins, or we could have 6. Unfortunatly, we won't really be tested until the UR game.

I have us down for 8 wins with no playoff wins because we'll get ASU (unless Liberty makes the field, but they probably won't without beating us, which would likely mean we're out).

We lose to UR OR Nova, but not both. We're fortunate to have them both at home.
We won't lose to W&M.
We will lose to UD.
Thow in another loss somewhere along the line...UMass, maybe.

[BDKJMU]

Remember, this is from the guy who predicted JMU to go 6-5 last season. xrolleyesx

[BDKJMU]

Well, we could have 9 wins, or we could have 6. Unfortunatly, we won't really be tested until the UR game.

I have us down for 8 wins with no playoff wins because we'll get ASU (unless Liberty makes the field, but they probably won't without beating us, which would likely mean we're out).

We lose to UR OR Nova, but not both. We're fortunate to have them both at home.
We won't lose to W&M.
We will lose to UD.
Thow in another loss somewhere along the line...UMass, maybe.

Not if SCSU wins the MEAC. Of all the non So-Con potential playoff teams, SCSU is the closest to ASU within the 400 miles driving limit (JMU, UR, W&M, Hampton, Norfolk State, EKU, JSU, Tenn St (3 of top 4 in OVC last season) being the others. JMU would be the 2nd closest. to Boone of those 9. So JMU fans should be pulling for SCSU to repeat as MEAC champs so if the good possibility JMU makes the playoffs as a non seed, they won't be sent to ASU 1st round.

[paward]

It is a brutal schedule to say the least. If they come out of it and make the playoffs, there is a good chance to win it all. They will be battle tested by that time. I am one that never look pass JMU for any reason or thing. The QB selection will not pose a problem. I would not wish playing UR, Villanova, W&M the Deleware in four consecutive weeks on anyone. You run the table on that you deserve to win it all.

[BDKJMU]

It is a brutal schedule to say the least. If they come out of it and make the playoffs, there is a good chance to win it all. They will be battle tested by that time. I am one that never look pass JMU for any reason or thing. The QB selection will not pose a problem. I would not wish playing UR, Villanova, W&M the Deleware in four consecutive weeks on anyone. You run the table on that you deserve to win it all.

Not as brutal as last season, with 3 playoff teams on the road (UR, Nova, and Maine) plus @Duke and ASU, W&M & UMass at home.

Same 8 in the CAA but replace Duke, ASU & NCCU with MD, Liberty & VMI.

[Tribe4SF]

The Dukes face another tough schedule with some talent, but the thinnest squad they've fielded in many years. Mickey will really need to show his coaching prowess this year for the Dukes to make the playoffs. He started shuffling people in the Spring, and I expect that will continue right into September. With all the position changes, chemistry is always a question, but Mickey's teams usually cover that side of things.

The game in Williamsburg this year could be critical for both teams.

[BDKJMU]

FWIW:

JMU hasn't lost more than one game at home in 7 years, since 02', the last time JMU had a losing season. JMU at home since 03':
03': 5-1 (lost to 8-4 Northeastern, were 1-5 on the road that year, 6-6 overall)
04' 5-1 (lost 27-24 on last 2nd field goal to W&M who JMU beat in semis)
05' 5-1 (lost to quarterfinal UR team 18-15)
06' 5-0
07' 5-1 (lost to semifinal UR team 17-16)
08' 8-1 (lost to Montana in semis)

Thats 33-5 since 03'. JMU won't lose more than one at home this season.

[Dukie95]

FWIW:

JMU hasn't lost more than one game at home in 7 years, since 02', the last time JMU had a losing season. JMU at home since 03':
03': 5-1 (lost to 8-4 Northeastern, were 1-5 on the road that year, 6-6 overall)
04' 5-1 (lost 27-24 on last 2nd field goal to W&M who JMU beat in semis)
05' 5-1 (lost to quarterfinal UR team 18-15)
06' 5-0
07' 5-1 (lost to semifinal UR team 17-16)
08' 8-1 (lost to Montana in semis)

Thats 33-5 since 03'. JMU won't lose more than one at home this season.

Yes, that's why I said they'll lose to either UR or Nova, but not both. Now, it could be that they've never had as difficult a home schedule as that, but I'm sticking with history here...which tells me that loss will be UR. ;)

[jstclmet]

FWIW:

JMU hasn't lost more than one game at home in 7 years, since 02', the last time JMU had a losing season. JMU at home since 03':
03': 5-1 (lost to 8-4 Northeastern, were 1-5 on the road that year, 6-6 overall)
04' 5-1 (lost 27-24 on last 2nd field goal to W&M who JMU beat in semis)
05' 5-1 (lost to quarterfinal UR team 18-15)
06' 5-0
07' 5-1 (lost to semifinal UR team 17-16)
08' 8-1 (lost to Montana in semis)

Thats 33-5 since 03'. JMU won't lose more than one at home this season.

1. No Bye week, once play starts.
2. New QB
3. Thin @ OL, LB, & DB's (again with no Bye Week)
4. Just lost a WR to surgery, could miss first couple of games.
5. With no RL, who's the "Go To Guy" this year????

History is great, makes for some good reading, but your 09 team is not close to those of 03 - 08. However, should you guys pull it off, your HC should win COY awards, and may find some FBS suitors when all is said and done.

I'm not saying it's not possible for JMU to lose no more than 1 game at home, but you guys are looking a little suspect, and a lot of teams would like nothing more than to put you down. Losing 2 at home wouldn't be the end of the world. A lot of teams would kill to be 7 - 4. Given your circumstances, 7 - 4 would be good accomplishment. The HU's, UD's, Maine's & UMass's of the world will try very hard to make sure you don't reach that mark.

Good luck, and hopefully you'll win the UR game, this way you won't be too disappointed when Nova leaves with the Victory xthumbsupx

[BDKJMU]

1. No Bye week, once play starts.
2. New QB
3. Thin @ OL, LB, & DB's (again with no Bye Week)
4. Just lost a WR to surgery, could miss first couple of games.
5. With no RL, who's the "Go To Guy" this year????

History is great, makes for some good reading, but your 09 team is not close to those of 03 - 08. However, should you guys pull it off, your HC should win COY awards, and may find some FBS suitors when all is said and done.

I'm not saying it's not possible for JMU to lose no more than 1 game at home, but you guys are looking a little suspect, and a lot of teams would like nothing more than to put you down. Losing 2 at home wouldn't be the end of the world. A lot of teams would kill to be 7 - 4. Given your circumstances, 7 - 4 would be good accomplishment. The HU's, UD's, Maine's & UMass's of the world will try very hard to make sure you don't reach that mark.

Good luck, and hopefully you'll win the UR game, this way you won't be too disappointed when Nova leaves with the Victory xthumbsupx

The 03' JMU team went 6-6, and you're saying the 09' team isn't close? xconfusedx Agree about JMU being thin at o-line. We'll see about LB and DB, as some rising redshirt freshman and sophmores, transfers (JMU has a transfer CB from Marshall and a JUCO safty coming in) and players moved from other positions who will be among the new faces in the back 7 two deep on defense. 2 of those new full time likely starters in the secondary will be seniors with multiple game starting experience over the last 2 seasons, one being Scotty McGee.

I would take JMUs athletes over anyone else's in the CAA. Its just that they will be a little more youthful and inexperienced than the past 5 seasons with the exception of 07', who Matthews had called his youngest team since 01'.

FWIW, JMU started 8 seniors in 08'. They are likely to start 9-10 in 09' (depends on if the Army transfer Nick Emmons starts on the DL (he started 4 games for Army in 07'). The Cuse DL transfer will definitely start barring injury as he was on Cuse's 1st team defense during Spring ball).

[JMU Newbill]

I think most of these arguments are valid. To add to BDK's argument about JMU not losing more than 1 home game in the last X number of years..... look up the last time we lost BACK TO BACK home games, as such people think we may do against UR and Nova. Sorry, but we pull one of those games out one way or the other.

Also, I don't see Thorpe taking the job from Dudzik unless Dudzik gets injured. I can see us running some interesting formations to get Thorpe in the game as he is an awesome athlete, but Dudzik will be the starter throughout.

We don't run the table in the CAA this year, but I think we are strong enough to make the playoffs. After that, anything can happen.

[JMU Newbill]

Also, if we do make the playoffs, why in the world is everyone so scared of App? No one gave us a chance the last two times we have played them.

We lost one of those games on the worst coaching call in the history of sports... where we were in position for a game winning field goal that I think I could have made.... left footed.

We won the next meeting in a game where we were again the underdog, although playing at home.

Neither time we were given a chance, both times we showed well. Don't count us out if we make it that far. As I recall, we were underdogs in all 4 games in 2004 as well. That's the beauty of the playoffs!

[89Hen]

Remember, this is from the guy who predicted JMU to go 6-5 last season. xrolleyesx
You don't think 7-4 is a distinct possibility?

@ Maryland is a loss
VMI, @ Hofstra and Towson are wins
@ Liberty should be a win

Toss up in July...

Richmond
Villanova
@ William & Mary
@ Delaware
Maine
@ UMass

You do have two of the toughest games at home IMO but you also travel to the three highest attendances of those six. 3-3 in those is a very distinct possibility IMO. xpeacex

[jmufan999]

jst, i usually agree with most of your comments, and this is no different.

couple things i might disagree with... i don't know if i would call having only 13 starters back a "plus". that's kind of a negative. we had 17 returning last year.

i could see anywhere from 6-9 wins. i'm also a big believer in Dudzik. if you're not a believer also (i'm saying this to anyone reading, not jstclmet), then you didn't watch the 2nd half of the Montana game... if he can play like that for a whole half with NO preparation time/snaps with the first team offense in practice, i can't wait to see what he'll do with a whole offseason. a lot of our games in the Landers era were blowouts so Dudzik has gotten some good playing time, even if it's "garbage" time.

the o-line is a concern, the secondary is even more concerning. if scotty mcgee doesn't learn how to play CB (or if we can't find a #1 CB who can), we're screwed and have absolutely no chance of making the playoffs. and to people saying we're thin at LB... that may be, but we also play a 4-2-5 so we're starting at least one fewer LB than most teams anyway. our 5th DB acts more like a LB, kind of roams the field a la Adrian Wilson (Cardinals).

[jstclmet]

jst, i usually agree with most of your comments, and this is no different.

couple things i might disagree with... i don't know if i would call having only 13 starters back a "plus". that's kind of a negative. we had 17 returning last year.

i could see anywhere from 6-9 wins. i'm also a big believer in Dudzik. if you're not a believer also (i'm saying this to anyone reading, not jstclmet), then you didn't watch the 2nd half of the Montana game... if he can play like that for a whole half with NO preparation time/snaps with the first team offense in practice, i can't wait to see what he'll do with a whole offseason. a lot of our games in the Landers era were blowouts so Dudzik has gotten some good playing time, even if it's "garbage" time.

the o-line is a concern, the secondary is even more concerning. if scotty mcgee doesn't learn how to play CB (or if we can't find a #1 CB who can), we're screwed and have absolutely no chance of making the playoffs. and to people saying we're thin at LB... that may be, but we also play a 4-2-5 so we're starting at least one fewer LB than most teams anyway. our 5th DB acts more like a LB, kind of roams the field a la Adrian Wilson (Cardinals).

I have not seen Thorpe. Based on what I've seen of Dudzik, if I was a JMU fan, I'd be behind him.

What I've read is that Thorpe is pushing Dudzik hard, and there's some concerns about Dudzik's durability.

I had a conversation last week with someone from the JMU camp, and Dudzik is the projected starter.

Like I said earlier, it's his job to lose. I'm not suggesting he will lose it. However, when you have two good QB's, the minute one has a bad game, all of the Boo birds, and 2nd guessing comes out.

Regarding the pluses; Your 13 returning starters, and backfield with playing experience, it's not as bad as some of the other CAA teams I've seen. What makes it not look as good is some of the losses JMU has incurred since the 08 season ended.

And the really really big question is, "Who will the team turn to when they need to score??"

[mcveyrl]

I have not seen Thorpe. Base on what I've seen of Dudzik, if I was a JMU fan, I'd be behind him.

What I've read is that Thorpe is pushing Dudzik hard, and there's some concerns about Dudzik's durability.

I had a conversation last week with someone from the JMU camp, and the Dudzik is the projected starter.

Like I said earlier, it's his job to lose. I'm not suggesting he will lose it. However, when you have two good QB's, the minute one has a bad game, all of the Boo birds, and 2nd guessing comes out.

Dudzik will start. Barring injury, he's the guy (similar to Rascati/Landers a few years ago - except Rascati had a NC run under his belt, so he was a little more stable). I would not be surprised to see Thorpe start and play all of one of the earlier games, like Liberty or VMI, just to give Dudzik a pseudo bye week.

[jmufan999]

you're right, Dudzik's durability will be a question. we just won't know how his body will stand up to the pounding he's going to take... and he's going to take some poundings with the offense we run (and we're not going to be changing it, despite the fact that many JMU fans think will be airing it out way more this year... not going to happen, Mickey loves this offense). and mcveyrl, i agree that he's definitely more like Rascati. i think he's even more athletic though (just watching his balance on that play where he had to use his hand to keep him off the ground vs. Montana), and he's quicker/faster without question. the question will be: can he be as composed and accurate when he DOES pass as Rascati was... because Justin was as cool as a cucumber in the big moments.

[JMU Newbill]

So poll within the poll.... who really thinks we are going to lose to UR and Villanova back to back? I'm not taking anything away from either team as I think they are the teams to beat in the CAA (and most of the country) this year.... but I just personally don't see JMU losing two home games in a row.

The argument either way is more than valid.... but as much emphasis is based on the history of the UR vs. JMU rivalry (visiting team always wins), why can't the same sort of reasoning be used to say Villanova is screwed (we haven't lose two in a row at home in a LONG time).

[Dukie95]

Yeah, there are certain home fields that give the team an uncanny advantage like UD and NU, even in off years.

UD has just as many question marks as JMU does but aren't coming from as strong a place to start. I'm willing to concede that playing in Newark will be tough and I'm putting us down for an L when I make that prediction today.

The same can be said for Harrisonburg. History shows that teams have a difficult time playing there even in off years ('03). Sure we may be stepping down a peg relative to UR and Nova, but we're not suddenly Towson here.

Sure it's possible that we lose both of those games, but is the descrepancy between those teams that obviously significant today that home field advantage can be thrown out that much...twice? We're just making predictions here, and I think the safe prediction is that we lose one, but not both, of those games.

[BDKJMU]

Also, if we do make the playoffs, why in the world is everyone so scared of App? No one gave us a chance the last two times we have played them.

We lost one of those games on the worst coaching call in the history of sports... where we were in position for a game winning field goal that I think I could have made.... left footed.

We won the next meeting in a game where we were again the underdog, although playing at home.

Neither time we were given a chance, both times we showed well. Don't count us out if we make it that far. As I recall, we were underdogs in all 4 games in 2004 as well. That's the beauty of the playoffs!

Were underdogs in 3 of 4. We're ranked 8th and favored @ 16th ranked Lehigh 1st round.

[BDKJMU]

Remember, this is from the guy who predicted JMU to go 6-5 last season. xrolleyesx


You don't think 7-4 is a distinct possibility?

@ Maryland is a loss
VMI, @ Hofstra and Towson are wins
@ Liberty should be a win

Toss up in July...

Richmond
Villanova
@ William & Mary
@ Delaware
Maine
@ UMass

You do have two of the toughest games at home IMO but you also travel to the three highest attendances of those six. 3-3 in those is a very distinct possibility IMO. xpeacex

No, I didn't say that. I'm just pointing out this prediction is from a guy who picked JMU to go 6-5 last season, so he clearly doesn't know that much about JMU football. And to predict actual scores? How ridiculous is that? Most of the scores he predicted for JMU last season were WAY off. It would be ridiculous for me to try to do an in depth analysis/prediction of any other team besides JMU (thats why you won't see me making any specific predictions about other teams), much less predict actual scores, and its ridiculous for anyone on here to try to do the same for any other team besides their own unless they spend massive amounts of time follwoing each and every team and go through reams of info. Unless you're pretty familiar with all the personnell on a team's 2 deep, its ridiculous to make a an in depth prediction on them. Notice how Bruce Dowd who covers the CAA doesn't make specific predictions on the teams (in terms of recoprds and scores (even the week before)). Heck, I'm barely quailfied to make a prediciton on JMU, much less anyone else.

[89Hen]

No, I didn't say that.
Well pointing out his results last year would seem to imply you were trying to discredit his prediction this year. It is silly to pick scores in July, but it is July and there's really not much football to talk about other than history or predictions. xpeacex

[jstclmet]

No, I didn't say that. I'm just pointing out this prediction is from a guy who picked JMU to go 6-5 last season, so he clearly doesn't know that much about JMU football. And to predict actual scores? How ridiculous is that? Most of the scores he predicted for JMU last season were WAY off. It would be ridiculous for me to try to do an in depth analysis/prediction of any other team besides JMU (thats why you won't see me making any specific predictions about other teams), much less predict actual scores, and its ridiculous for anyone on here to try to do the same for any other team besides their own unless they spend massive amounts of time follwoing each and every team and go through reams of info. Unless you're pretty familiar with all the personnell on a team's 2 deep, its ridiculous to make a an in depth prediction on them. Notice how Bruce Dowd who covers the CAA doesn't make specific predictions on the teams (in terms of recoprds and scores (even the week before)). Heck, I'm barely quailfied to make a prediciton on JMU, much less anyone else.

I've written this before, but I'll write it again. The scores are for pure entertainment value in an otherwise dead time of year for football. I've never suggested going to Vegas with those numbers.

Now the W's/L's are another matter. I was 82% correct last year, even with my underestimation of RL, Mickey, & JMU's 4 leaf clover. To be honest, I actually think I've overshot on this year's team, but I'm trying to give Mickey the benefit of the doubt here. The gridiron is where I'll be proven right/wrong.

I can live with 82% correct.

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

You guys talk about homefield advantage as if Harrisonburg is The Swamp or Happy Valley. Your home record is a by-product of having a good football team. Richmond has only lost a handful of home games over the last 5 years and we have little home field advantage, as you would be quick to point out.

33-5 over 6 years is great, but how many Top 5 teams have you played at home over the last 6 years? Richmond and Villanova both figure to be Top 5 teams when they come to town.

[Dukie95]

33-5 over 6 years is great, but how many Top 5 teams have you played at home over the last 6 years? Richmond and Villanova both figure to be Top 5 teams when they come to town.

Fair point. I don't know if these were all top 5 at the time, but they would have been close, certainly top 10.

ASU 2008
UD 2004
UNH 2007
Montana 2008 (L)
Nova 2008 (top 10 anyway)

There may be others

[89Hen]

You guys talk about homefield advantage as if Harrisonburg is The Swamp or Happy Valley.
It was when the turf was a rock hard, steep sloping abomination. :)

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Wow...a lot of variance in the votes. JMU may be the biggest "wild card" team in the nation.

[mcveyrl]

It was when the turf was a rock hard, steep sloping abomination. :)

You mean Dante's Peak??? It looked like a conehead.

[89Hen]

Wow...a lot of variance in the votes. JMU may be the biggest "wild card" team in the nation.
Welcome to the CAA. xsmiley_wix

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Welcome to the CAA south. xsmiley_wix

Fixed it xnodx

[JmuSkinsfan]

At the time of the game?

2008: Umass was #5 and ASU was #1

2007: I believe UNH was #5 and UR was ranked top 15

That's all I can remember off the top of my head. But you also act like JMU doesn't play in the CAA South. Aside from Towson that's 2/3 tough home games a year regardless of opponent... In 2006 JMU beat 'Nova 35-7 and 'Nova ended up being 6-5 I think. If you ask me that's damn impressive ... Whooping a .500 + opponent

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

At the time of the game?

2008: Umass was #5 and ASU was #1

2007: I believe UNH was #5 and UR was ranked top 15

That's all I can remember off the top of my head. But you also act like JMU doesn't play in the CAA South. Aside from Towson that's 2/3 tough home games a year regardless of opponent... In 2006 JMU beat 'Nova 35-7 and 'Nova ended up being 6-5 I think. If you ask me that's damn impressive ... Whooping a .500 + opponent

Richmond is 12-1 at home over the last two seasons. Does that mean that City Stadium is a tough place to play?

[JmuSkinsfan]

Richmond is 12-1 at home over the last two seasons. Does that mean that City Stadium is a tough place to play?

No! Having good teams certainly help ... but since 2005 when I came to jmu we've only had 2 home (reg season) losses ... Both to solid UR teams ('05 A-10 champs I believe and '07 semi-final team) in verrrryyyy close games ... And considering the strength of the CAA and especially CAA South over those years it is nothing to sneeze at. JMU can be an extremely roudy environment as everyone knows.

I think this year JMU either breaks the away team streak against UR or beats 'Nova. Certainly could lose both, but I doubt JMU loses 3 conference games this year.

I'll probably post my specific predictions sometime soon but for now I'll stick with popular sentiment and say JMU splits the UR/'Nova homestand and loses to either Umass or UD ... As well as UMD and goes 8-3 ... EXCEPT I certainly think it is possible JMU splits with UR/NOVA and sweep the rest of the CAA to go 9-2 (7-1) and tie 3-way with UR and 'NOVA in a split title ...

And as amazing as that comeback against ASU was last year ... The crowd had a huge part in that. And the crowd certainly came thru big against 'Nova and Wofford in the playoffs and don't forget ... Had a HUGE impact in the Montana game ... Keeping the team in it til the end despite devastating turnovers inside the 20's ...

[bleedblue]

I don't think the record at home is the end all be all. However I have been to both UR (no home field advantage) as well as JMU and I for one feel JMU does have an advantage at home. Those fans get that place rockin which can only help.

On another note I love these posts from jstclmet because it is what he claims, entertaining. Keep'em coming. Can't wait to see UD's(be kind we need it).

[JMU Newbill]

City Stadium in Richmond = Bridgeforth East

[digger3210]

You guys talk about homefield advantage as if Harrisonburg is The Swamp or Happy Valley. Your home record is a by-product of having a good football team. Richmond has only lost a handful of home games over the last 5 years and we have little home field advantage, as you would be quick to point out.

33-5 over 6 years is great, but how many Top 5 teams have you played at home over the last 6 years? Richmond and Villanova both figure to be Top 5 teams when they come to town.


Come on JMU does have streamers and a blow up dog! xcoolx

[Tribe4SF]

Come on JMU does have streamers and a blow up dog! xcoolx

Speaking of home field advantage, whatever happened to the 12-foot tall mechanical Blue Hen that Ebirt took out with a cross-body block a few years ago?:D

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

City Stadium in Richmond = Bridgeforth East

Bridgeforth = City Stadium West in 05, 07 and probably 09. xlolx

[GannonFan]

Speaking of home field advantage, whatever happened to the 12-foot tall mechanical Blue Hen that Ebirt took out with a cross-body block a few years ago?:D


Huh??? xrotatehxxrotatehxxwhistlex

[GannonFan]

No! Having good teams certainly help ... but since 2005 when I came to jmu we've only had 2 home (reg season) losses ... Both to solid UR teams ('05 A-10 champs I believe and '07 semi-final team) in verrrryyyy close games ... And considering the strength of the CAA and especially CAA South over those years it is nothing to sneeze at. JMU can be an extremely roudy environment as everyone knows.

I think this year JMU either breaks the away team streak against UR or beats 'Nova. Certainly could lose both, but I doubt JMU loses 3 conference games this year.

I'll probably post my specific predictions sometime soon but for now I'll stick with popular sentiment and say JMU splits the UR/'Nova homestand and loses to either Umass or UD ... As well as UMD and goes 8-3 ... EXCEPT I certainly think it is possible JMU splits with UR/NOVA and sweep the rest of the CAA to go 9-2 (7-1) and tie 3-way with UR and 'NOVA in a split title ...

And as amazing as that comeback against ASU was last year ... The crowd had a huge part in that. And the crowd certainly came thru big against 'Nova and Wofford in the playoffs and don't forget ... Had a HUGE impact in the Montana game ... Keeping the team in it til the end despite devastating turnovers inside the 20's ...

Homefield advantage sounds nice, but in reality, when there are two really good teams on the field, it matters very, very little. It's not by coincidence that after the first round of the playoffs, you see a lot of road teams win games (I think there's been a road victory in the semifinals for several years running now) - ultimately what matters is not the noise the fans make or the configuring of the stadium, what matters is the two teams on the field. If you have really good teams, you'll have a really good home record - and a really good road record too. xthumbsupx

[89Hen]

Speaking of home field advantage, whatever happened to the 12-foot tall mechanical Blue Hen that Ebirt took out with a cross-body block a few years ago?:D


Huh??? xrotatehxxrotatehxxwhistlex
Yeah... huh? xeyebrowx

[JMU Newbill]

Bridgeforth = City Stadium West in 05, 07 and probably 09. xlolx

Well played sir!

[jmufan999]

doesn't it go without saying that there's not much of a homefield advantage if your team sucks.... is this new information? who broke that story? next you're going to tell me that the sky is blue. now if you'll excuse me, i have to go and check on this "gravity" idea.... apparently it's what keeps us from floating.

[JMU2004]

After last year's outlandish prediction, this one is MUCH better. Tough to argue against most of your predictions.

[State Line Liquors]

Rodney Landers is equally talented to Tim Tebow. What's Rodney up to these days?

[State Line Liquors]

Sandy is talking about the goofy blow up blue hen....not mechanical, just looked mechanical because of the air compressor that blew it up.

One of my favorite parts of this JooMoo thread is the love for their returnees (11 returning starters). In the returning group they boast of, the receiving corp is part of the product. This is a team that was nothing more than Rodney running right and left through their OL. The WR crew being counted as valuable retuners is a laugh. This is a thin, overly respected team in 2009.

[Hoyadestroya85]

Come on JMU does have streamers and a blow up dog! xcoolx

And camouflage.. lots of hunting camouflage.

[mcveyrl]

And camouflage.. lots of hunting camouflage.

As opposed to the bleacher camouflage that most of your "fans" wear, I'll take it. xthumbsupx

[JMU2004]

Sandy is talking about the goofy blow up blue hen....not mechanical, just looked mechanical because of the air compressor that blew it up.

One of my favorite parts of this JooMoo thread is the love for their returnees (11 returning starters). In the returning group they boast of, the receiving corp is part of the product. This is a team that was nothing more than Rodney running right and left through their OL. The WR crew being counted as valuable retuners is a laugh. This is a thin, overly respected team in 2009.

We ran that offense b/c pretty much no one could stop it. Villanova and Richmond stopped it, but still lost.

Dudzik can throw, so we hope to see a little more passing this year. Not to mention, our WR blocking is a HUGE part of our offense.

[JMU Newbill]

Rodney Landers threw 21 TD passes last year..... how many would he have to throw to gain your respect doushe bag? From what I can tell, that's 4th in the CAA. Not bad for the best rushing offense in the CAA... I would say. OH yea.... and he had the highest QB efficiency in the conference.

[BDKJMU]

At the time of the game?

2008: Umass was #5 and ASU was #1

2007: I believe UNH was #5 and UR was ranked top 15

That's all I can remember off the top of my head. But you also act like JMU doesn't play in the CAA South. Aside from Towson that's 2/3 tough home games a year regardless of opponent... In 2006 JMU beat 'Nova 35-7 and 'Nova ended up being 6-5 I think. If you ask me that's damn impressive ... Whooping a .500 + opponent

Actually that was 2007, not 2006. And Nova ended up being 7-4 and some were argueing they should have gotten in instead of 7-4 UNH. Late in the 4th JMU was up 35-0 and Nova got a late 4th qtr TD drive against JMU's backups to push them to 201 yards total offense to 507 for JMU. JMU actually passed for more than they rushed for that game. Landers was 25 of 32 (which I remember included at least 3 drops) for 300 yards. I think that was the only time he passed for 300...
http://www.jmusports.com/fls/14400/stats/football/2007/vu.htm

[BDKJMU]

Homefield advantage sounds nice, but in reality, when there are two really good teams on the field, it matters very, very little. It's not by coincidence that after the first round of the playoffs, you see a lot of road teams win games (I think there's been a road victory in the semifinals for several years running now) - ultimately what matters is not the noise the fans make or the configuring of the stadium, what matters is the two teams on the field. If you have really good teams, you'll have a really good home record - and a really good road record too. xthumbsupx

JMU since 03'
Home 33-5 (5-1, 5-1, 5-1, 5-0, 5-1, 8-1)
Road 22-16 (1-5, 8-1, 2-3, 4-3, 3-3, 4-1)

Even limiting it to I-AA games (discounting the 4 home Div II 03'-06' and the 3 road BCS 04' and 07'-08') its still 29-5 vs 22-13. Big difference for JMU home vs away.

[89Hen]

JMU since 03'
Home 33-5 (5-1, 5-1, 5-1, 5-0, 5-1, 8-1)
Road 22-16 (1-5, 8-1, 2-3, 4-3, 3-3, 4-1)

Even limiting it to I-AA games (discounting the 4 home Div II 03'-06' and the 3 road BCS 04' and 07'-08') its still 29-5 vs 22-13. Big difference for JMU home vs away.
KC Keeler since taking over the helm...

Home 37-12 (5-1, 10-0, 6-1, 4-2, 3-4, 6-1, 3-3)

Road 18-21 (1-5, 4-1, 3-3, 2-3, 2-2, 5-2, 1-5)

xeyebrowx

[jmufan999]

Rodney Landers is equally talented to Tim Tebow. What's Rodney up to these days?

that's either a compliment or really, really dry sarcasm.

he's a great athlete but he's not Tim Tebow. i've watched the passing game for both and it's not even close. rodney is probably a touch quicker, maybe a little more elusive... but Tebow is as big as a MLB in the NFL and just as tough. he's also more accurate on his passes, Rodney really struggled at times last year. missed 3 straight wide open passes [in the same series... meaning 1st down, 2nd, then 3rd, all wide open misses] during the UD game last year to end the 1st half. at least 2 would have been TD's.

anyway, if you weren't being sarcastic..... to answer your question, i don't believe he's employed right now. the Tampa Bay coaches worked him out after the first "camp" (like a minicamp but only for rookies). they tried him out at several positions, including QB, safety, and linebacker. he was not signed and has not signed to my knowledge. his only chance is maybe being a backup RB in the CFL or UFL in my opinion. another great lesson that not every great college player can play in the NFL. still, a great college player and one of the best in JMU history.

[GannonFan]

JMU since 03'
Home 33-5 (5-1, 5-1, 5-1, 5-0, 5-1, 8-1)
Road 22-16 (1-5, 8-1, 2-3, 4-3, 3-3, 4-1)

Even limiting it to I-AA games (discounting the 4 home Div II 03'-06' and the 3 road BCS 04' and 07'-08') its still 29-5 vs 22-13. Big difference for JMU home vs away.


KC Keeler since taking over the helm...

Home 37-12 (5-1, 10-0, 6-1, 4-2, 3-4, 6-1, 3-3)

Road 18-21 (1-5, 4-1, 3-3, 2-3, 2-2, 5-2, 1-5)

xeyebrowx

Agreed - perceived home field advantages based on home versus road performance are sometimes not homefield advantage and are rather just poor road performance.

Again, the fact that year after year come playoff quarterfinal and semifinal time, that home teams start to lose almost as much as road teams, and at that point the quality of the two teams is assured, is telling that home field advantage, while nice, is not as dominant as fans like to think it is.

[Hoyadestroya85]

JMU could be a Delaware situation.. They're a couple of injuries on offense away from being offensively inept. The Defense should be stout though..

[mcveyrl]

JMU could be a Delaware situation.. They're a couple of injuries on offense away from being offensively inept. The Defense should be stout though..

I agree, although the only injuries that would really kill us 2008 UD style would be the OL. Everything else is deep enough to survive our system (assuming we don't go through both QBs and all the RBs). This, of course, assumes that Thorpe lives up to the hype and doesn't fall flat on his face.

[jmufan999]

JMU could be a Delaware situation.. They're a couple of injuries on offense away from being offensively inept. The Defense should be stout though..

i see your point but i don't know that we're THAT down on offense. we have enough RB's that we took Griff Yancey (junior), who scored 22 total TD's in his first two years and moved him to safety. you don't make a move like that if you're not already deep at RB. 22 TD's (about 1 per game) is even more impressive considering how infrequently he touched the ball.... another testament to our o-line and "the system".

and also, here's a point no one seems to be making.... we start almost every drive at our own 40 yard line or BETTER. either because scotty returns it pretty far or because they shank the punt..... or kick it really high in the air and we fair catch. i'm not exaggerating when i say nearly every drive starts on the 40. that helps our offense. and we also recruited our new Scotty this year.... freshman DaeQuann Scott. former HS QB in the Armanti Edwards mold (except without the passing ability).

but you're right, if we get plagued by the injury bug, it will be trouble. of course, you can say that about every team. this is probably the most up in the air the CAA has been in a few years.

[jmufan999]

I agree, although the only injuries that would really kill us 2008 UD style would be the OL. Everything else is deep enough to survive our system (assuming we don't go through both QBs and all the RBs). This, of course, assumes that Thorpe lives up to the hype and doesn't fall flat on his face.

are we on the same wavelength, or what??? :)

[VT Wildcat Fan53]

9/5 Bye
9/12 Sat @ Maryland. Maryland 24, JMU 21. Close, but no FBS cigar this year.
9/19 Sat vs VMI. JMU 63, VMI 14. Great post-ACC opponent.
9/26 Sat @ Liberty. JMU 38, Liberty 21. Big South not ready for prime time yet.
10/3 Sat @ Hofstra. JMU 27, Hofstra 14. Hofstra getting better, but still taking its lumps.
10/10 Sat vs Richmond. UR 24, JMU 14. Tough HOME loss. ;)
10/17 Sat. vs Villanova. Villanova 31, JMU 28. OT heartbreaker goes to the Wildcats.
10/24 Sat. @ William & Mary. JMU 37, W&M 31. 2nd OT thriller, this one going to the Dukes
10/31 Sat @ Delaware. JMU 31, Delaware 21.
11/7 vs Maine. JMU 17, UMaine 7. Defensive Struggle in the cold, snowy north.
11/14 @ UMass. JMU 37, UMass 21. Minuteman D can't solve Dukes' O.
11/21 vs Towson. JMU 45, Towson 7. Strong finish vs Towson running out the string on a down year.

8-3, including 5 game winning streak to close out the regular season. Final Rank of #9. First round opener on the road vs. App. State..... stay tuned.

[JmuSkinsfan]

9/5 Bye
9/12 Sat @ Maryland. Maryland 24, JMU 21. Close, but no FBS cigar this year.
9/19 Sat vs VMI. JMU 63, VMI 14. Great post-ACC opponent.
9/26 Sat @ Liberty. JMU 38, Liberty 21. Big South not ready for prime time yet.
10/3 Sat @ Hofstra. JMU 27, Hofstra 14. Hofstra getting better, but still taking its lumps.
10/10 Sat vs Richmond. UR 24, JMU 14. Tough road loss.
10/17 Sat. vs Villanova. Villanova 31, JMU 28. OT heartbreaker goes to the Wildcats.
10/24 Sat. @ William & Mary. JMU 37, W&M 31. 2nd OT thriller, this one going to the Dukes
10/31 Sat @ Delaware. JMU 31, Delaware 21.
11/7 vs Maine. JMU 17, UMaine 7. Defensive Struggle in the cold, snowy north.
11/14 @ UMass. JMU 37, UMass 21. Minuteman D can't solve Dukes' O.
11/21 vs Towson. JMU 45, Towson 7. Strong finish vs Towson running out the string on a down year.

8-3, including 5 game winning streak to close out the regular season. Final Rank of #9. First round opener on the road vs. App. State..... stay tuned.

Solid prediction. Like it a lot. Except the UR game is at home, you did say "tough road loss," unless of course, you were jokingly referring to the away team success there and calling it a UR "home game." I still don't think JMU loses both those games, though it certainly is possible. If JMU were to beat UR at home, I could see them coming back fired the F up against 'Nova with a jacked up home crowd and wouldn't be surprised if they were able to ride the momentum to a sweep. But, anything is possible, and JMU will be a tough, underrated team. I think we could see a year similar to 2007 when Landers took over and noone knew what to expect. I'm going to go with 8-3 as well...but could certainly see 9-2.

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

JMU could be a Delaware situation.. They're a couple of injuries on offense away from being offensively inept. The Defense should be stout though..


Doesn't the defense lose a number of players also? I mean the back 7 was pretty mediocre last year and they lost a couple of their best defensive backs. McGee's ability as a returner is well documented, but he seemed to be a bit of a liability at corner. They lose Abdul Wahad and Slotnisky on the d-line.

What makes the defense that much better in 09?

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

that's either a compliment or really, really dry sarcasm.

he's a great athlete but he's not Tim Tebow. i've watched the passing game for both and it's not even close. rodney is probably a touch quicker, maybe a little more elusive... but Tebow is as big as a MLB in the NFL and just as tough. he's also more accurate on his passes, Rodney really struggled at times last year. missed 3 straight wide open passes [in the same series... meaning 1st down, 2nd, then 3rd, all wide open misses] during the UD game last year to end the 1st half. at least 2 would have been TD's.

anyway, if you weren't being sarcastic..... to answer your question, i don't believe he's employed right now. the Tampa Bay coaches worked him out after the first "camp" (like a minicamp but only for rookies). they tried him out at several positions, including QB, safety, and linebacker. he was not signed and has not signed to my knowledge. his only chance is maybe being a backup RB in the CFL or UFL in my opinion. another great lesson that not every great college player can play in the NFL. still, a great college player and one of the best in JMU history.

I believe this was a crack at Mickey Matthews for calling Rodney 'Tebow-good' last year. Hard for me to understand how you don't miss a beat when you lose a Tim Tebow caliber player either.

[JmuSkinsfan]

I believe this was a crack at Mickey Matthews for calling Rodney 'Tebow-good' last year. Hard for me to understand how you don't miss a beat when you lose a Tim Tebow caliber player either.

I think the experience from '06 and losing Rascatti and in '07 having Landers and it being a question mark. We all had a feeling he could be real good, but there was still that question. Dudzik is supposed to be a better "pure" runner than Landers, as well as faster, but without that bruising "run over 3 guys" ability. He is also a better passer. I think we are all confident in our QB situation, and the offense we run and the RBs that we return (we are stacked).

On defense, we lose Abdul-Wahid and Scholnitzky, but Sam Daniels is first team AA at DT and Arthur Moates had 10.5 sacks. Then we have a couple DL transfers and some guys who were touted as top recruits a few years back (Max Alexander, DE) and a couple 3-star DE possibilities coming in as true freshmen. Those are always question marks, however.

At LB, we only start 2 and will return Jamie Veney (soph) and Vidal Nelson (soph), alhtough Nelson may be bumped to safety. We also have a r-fr who was probably the defensive MVP in the spring game that is a former 3-star that a lot of people are hyped up about, as well as a stud 3-star MLB out of Richmond who might start as a true frosh.

In the secondary we have a lot of question marks, but moving Griff Yancey to FS seemed to be a good move as he played very well in the spring game there. Pat Williams, an all-freshman nominee at safety returns, and the move of Nelson to safety could be a good one as well (essentially playing a 3rd LB / 5th DB spot in our defense). Corner is the biggest question, but we have McGee and Taveion Cuffee (true soph with tons of potential and start experience from last year) as well as Jon Rose and Mike Allen who moved from the offensive side and have shown potential. We also could have former VT commit and 3-star athlete Peter Rose (Jon's brother) joining the team in the next week or so, and he could possibly be a starter at CB as he was very highly touted out of HS in 2008 (va. state player of the year).

So, i know that was long, but that's why JMU fans are, while somewhat apprehensive, also confident and excited about our defensive possibilities next year. Young and untested, but chalk full of potential.

[bleedblue]

Agreed - perceived home field advantages based on home versus road performance are sometimes not homefield advantage and are rather just poor road performance.

Again, the fact that year after year come playoff quarterfinal and semifinal time, that home teams start to lose almost as much as road teams, and at that point the quality of the two teams is assured, is telling that home field advantage, while nice, is not as dominant as fans like to think it is.

Nice spin. Are you a lawyer or political official? Perhaps home field advantage means a little until the second round of the playoffs?

[BDKJMU]

I think the experience from '06 and losing Rascatti and in '07 having Landers and it being a question mark. We all had a feeling he could be real good, but there was still that question. Dudzik is supposed to be a better "pure" runner than Landers, as well as faster, but without that bruising "run over 3 guys" ability. He is also a better passer. I think we are all confident in our QB situation, and the offense we run and the RBs that we return (we are stacked).

On defense, we lose Abdul-Wahid and Scholnitzky, but Sam Daniels is first team AA at DT and Arthur Moates had 10.5 sacks. Then we have a couple DL transfers and some guys who were touted as top recruits a few years back (Max Alexander, DE) and a couple 3-star DE possibilities coming in as true freshmen. Those are always question marks, however.

At LB, we only start 2 and will return Jamie Veney (soph) and Vidal Nelson (soph), alhtough Nelson may be bumped to safety. We also have a r-fr who was probably the defensive MVP in the spring game that is a former 3-star that a lot of people are hyped up about, as well as a stud 3-star MLB out of Richmond who might start as a true frosh.

In the secondary we have a lot of question marks, but moving Griff Yancey to FS seemed to be a good move as he played very well in the spring game there. Pat Williams, an all-freshman nominee at safety returns, and the move of Nelson to safety could be a good one as well (essentially playing a 3rd LB / 5th DB spot in our defense). Corner is the biggest question, but we have McGee and Taveion Cuffee (true soph with tons of potential and start experience from last year) as well as Jon Rose and Mike Allen who moved from the offensive side and have shown potential. We also could have former VT commit and 3-star athlete Peter Rose (Jon's brother) joining the team in the next week or so, and he could possibly be a starter at CB as he was very highly touted out of HS in 2008 (va. state player of the year).

So, i know that was long, but that's why JMU fans are, while somewhat apprehensive, also confident and excited about our defensive possibilities next year. Young and untested, but chalk full of potential.

Skins, what is a "pure" runner? xconfusedx

-The DL tranfers are from Cuse (was on their 1st team at DT during Cuse's Spring practice) and Army (started 4 games in 07').
-Also at corner have a transfer from Marshal. Also Rose was switch from TB to safety. If he's at corner, thats news to me.

-At the 3 safety positions:
-Have a juco/cc transfer.
-Jamaris Sanders, who has started multiple games over the past 2 seasons at both corner and saftey, I believe was moved from corner to safety.
-Pat Williams was actually the CAA defensive rookie of the year in 08', and I thought he was moved from SS to LB.
Regardless, I doubt we'll see Sanders, Rose, Nelson, Pat Williams, and Yancey all at saftey, esp if Jonaton Williams (RSo) and the transfer are on the 2 deep.

[State Line Liquors]

that's either a compliment or really, really dry sarcasm.

he's a great athlete but he's not Tim Tebow. i've watched the passing game for both and it's not even close. rodney is probably a touch quicker, maybe a little more elusive... but Tebow is as big as a MLB in the NFL and just as tough. he's also more accurate on his passes, Rodney really struggled at times last year. missed 3 straight wide open passes [in the same series... meaning 1st down, 2nd, then 3rd, all wide open misses] during the UD game last year to end the 1st half. at least 2 would have been TD's.

anyway, if you weren't being sarcastic..... to answer your question, i don't believe he's employed right now. the Tampa Bay coaches worked him out after the first "camp" (like a minicamp but only for rookies). they tried him out at several positions, including QB, safety, and linebacker. he was not signed and has not signed to my knowledge. his only chance is maybe being a backup RB in the CFL or UFL in my opinion. another great lesson that not every great college player can play in the NFL. still, a great college player and one of the best in JMU history.

It was a 'Mickey-ism', since he made the comparison between the two of them last year. However, I was actually curious to hear what he was up to. I think the issues with ball control for him were probably a lingering topic for pro offenses if he was going to be an offensive ball handler.

In terms of outcome for the Dukes this season... Lose the first game, win 3 straight, win 1 of 2 at home, and then go 2-3 or 3-2 over the final 5. Finishing the season at 7-4 or 6-5 will be a step back for the Dukes, but that's to be expected with a new QB and the lack of depth at some positions.

[BDKJMU]

It was a 'Mickey-ism', since he made the comparison between the two of them last year. However, I was actually curious to hear what he was up to. I think the issues with ball control for him were probably a lingering topic for pro offenses if he was going to be an offensive ball handler.

In terms of outcome for the Dukes this season... Lose the first game, win 3 straight, win 1 of 2 at home, and then go 2-3 or 3-2 over the final 5. Finishing the season at 7-4 or 6-5 will be a step back for the Dukes, but that's to be expected with a new QB and the lack of depth at some positions.

Youre right except for the final 5. JMU will go 4-1 over that final 5, losing one of the 3 road games (UD, W&M, UMass). 8-3 is more like it.

[jmufan999]

I still don't think JMU loses both those games, though it certainly is possible.

TOTALLY agree. I also seriously doubt that we'll lose both the UR and Nova games. when we haven't lost more than 1 home game in god knows how many years (and we only had Rodney for 2 of them), it's hard to see us losing two home games in back to back weeks. 1 of which is family weekend, the other is Homecoming. especially when we went 3-0 vs. those teams last year...... 2 of which were on the road.

and to say that UR has an advantage because they're the road team this year... is ridiculous. the "streak" of the road team winning is a coincidence. the games are usually close because the two teams are usually pretty close in terms of talent. if you let a JMU fan pick: you can play at Richmond this year or in Harrisonburg, you'd be out of your mind as a JMU fan to choose playing in Richmond.

BigHouse, no one is saying we won't miss a beat. just like you'll have to replace Sidbury, Logan, and Vaughn, we have to replace players also. guys have to step up. people were crying after Justin Rascati left and his successor was even more dangerous. that's just college football, there are a lot of unknowns. all that matters is being in the top 3-4 in the CAA, which typically will earn you a playoff berth. UR should know that better than anyone after last year. you don't have to go undefeated in FCS to win it all, just make it into the tournament.

my feeling is we definitely lose to Maryland, either UR OR Nova (not both), and 1-2 other conference games (UMass, maybe? no one is talking about them). either 8-3 or 7-4. i'd be surprised with 9 wins, i'd be surprised with 6 wins.

[jmufan999]

It was a 'Mickey-ism', since he made the comparison between the two of them last year. However, I was actually curious to hear what he was up to.

gotcha. and i can see how that quote could rile some people up, especially if you're a Florida fan. but i can at least see why he would make comparisons like that... both are "big dudes" (Rodney is big on the FCS level at least), both are better athletes than QB's, had (at the time) question marks about what NFL position they could possibly play, are the unquestioned team leader, come from a similar system, are extremely tough runners, do that little jump-pass thingy... anyway, Rodney was a great kid, i wish him the best.

[BDKJMU]

Dukes Top 10 Again? Posted 2009-07-14
That's What Experts Say
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