hard to believe we lost that game, but it really came down to 3 things....well, really 1 thing, because #'s 2 & 3 below are pretty much related to #1

1) Coaching - whether it's Mickey making calls are not, our coaching continues to be extremely underwhelming. Too many poor coaching decisions to list.

2) 3rd downs - as in the past few years, we simply cannot stop anyone on 3rd down. it's inexcusable to give up so many big plays on 3rd and longs. I blame it squarely on coaching. we are too freakin passive in these situations. rush 3 or 4. sit in a zone. play 10 yards off the ball. The scheme is all designed to avoid the big play. problem is, when you don't pressure the QB and he has all day to throw, big plays are EXACTLY what you are going to get. horrible coaching

3) Penalties - three, in particular. the offside the negated a fumble recovery by us would have given us the ball up 13-0 on their 40. instead, they convert a long 3rd down pass (shocker, eh?) and go down and score. At least a 10 point swing their if not more. the second penalty was after they scored. we were driving at will once again and lambert broke off an 18-19 yard run on 1st down that would have given us the ball on their 40 or so. instead, a holding call negated this run and made it 1st and 20 on our 40. we failed to move the ball after this and punted which indirectly led to our fumble instead our 10. without the hold, i feel we would have scored some points easily. third, the penalty on scott. on TV, sure looks like he shoved the guy in the face. that penalty killed time and pushed us back 10 yards. we could have used those extra 10 yards and extra 10 seconds. too many boneheaded penalties are a result of coaching when it happens all the time. and for us, the last few years, we have made way too many penalties in general, and specifically way too many boneheaded penalties. That falls back on coaching.

Completely agree

Observations from a long time JMU Football Observer ('81):
1. The play calling seems more balanced this year. We are throwing on first and second down because we want to not because we have to. This may because Birdsong was injured and could not run the read option. If he wasn't hurt he sure was faking us out with a good limp.
2. Our front seven is as good as I have seen. Pressure against the pass was good and we played well vs the run. Our corners could not match up with their wideouts. Some of those throws were to wiiiiiiiiiiiiiide open receivers. A DB that chases a receiver by that much is dead with Akron's QB.
3. Penalties have always been the Dukes' bane. They always find away to have a procedure/hold/unsportsmanlike at just the right time. SMH

I really can't get over the waste of timeouts. Who calls a timeout before a FG try? Oh that's right, the opposing team. Mickey has got to be the only coach who freezes his own kicker. Also, how many 2 point conversion plays do you have. A handful, right? When the TD is scored you call one of the plays and run it. It's not that hard. Paralysis by analysis is a sign of a weak coach and last night it cost JMU the game. I don't blame Mickey for Scott's penalty on the final drive, but I do blame him for not having a time out which would have allowed JMU to win the game and made Scott's penalty a foot note.

Obviously Mickey can not manage the strategy of the game while at the same time micro-managing the play calling. (Same story different OC). I believe JMU had better players last night and would have won that game with even vanilla play calling and basic game management. The adults cost the players the game.

I see a 7-5 season with no playoffs and a new head coach in a new conference (i hope) next year.

(09-08-2013 08:02 AM)JMUETC Wrote:  I really can't get over the waste of timeouts. Who calls a timeout before a FG try? Oh that's right, the opposing team. Mickey has got to be the only coach who freezes his own kicker. Also, how many 2 point conversion plays do you have. A handful, right? When the TD is scored you call one of the plays and run it. It's not that hard. Paralysis by analysis is a sign of a weak coach and last night it cost JMU the game. I don't blame Mickey for Scott's penalty on the final drive, but I do blame him for not having a time out which would have allowed JMU to win the game and made Scott's penalty a foot note.

Obviously Mickey can not manage the strategy of the game while at the same time micro-managing the play calling. (Same story different OC). I believe JMU had better players last night and would have won that game with even vanilla play calling and basic game management. The adults cost the players the game.

+1

(09-08-2013 08:02 AM)JMUETC Wrote:  I really can't get over the waste of timeouts. Who calls a timeout before a FG try? Oh that's right, the opposing team. Mickey has got to be the only coach who freezes his own kicker. Also, how many 2 point conversion plays do you have. A handful, right? When the TD is scored you call one of the plays and run it. It's not that hard. Paralysis by analysis is a sign of a weak coach and last night it cost JMU the game. I don't blame Mickey for Scott's penalty on the final drive, but I do blame him for not having a time out which would have allowed JMU to win the game and made Scott's penalty a foot note.

Obviously Mickey can not manage the strategy of the game while at the same time micro-managing the play calling. (Same story different OC). I believe JMU had better players last night and would have won that game with even vanilla play calling and basic game management. The adults cost the players the game.

I see a 7-5 season with no playoffs and a new head coach in a new conference (i hope) next year.

Well said. I completely agree.

(09-08-2013 08:02 AM)JMUETC Wrote:  I really can't get over the waste of timeouts. Who calls a timeout before a FG try? Oh that's right, the opposing team. Mickey has got to be the only coach who freezes his own kicker. Also, how many 2 point conversion plays do you have. A handful, right? When the TD is scored you call one of the plays and run it. It's not that hard. Paralysis by analysis is a sign of a weak coach and last night it cost JMU the game. I don't blame Mickey for Scott's penalty on the final drive, but I do blame him for not having a time out which would have allowed JMU to win the game and made Scott's penalty a foot note.

Obviously Mickey can not manage the strategy of the game while at the same time micro-managing the play calling. (Same story different OC). I believe JMU had better players last night and would have won that game with even vanilla play calling and basic game management. The adults cost the players the game.

I see a 7-5 season with no playoffs and a new head coach in a new conference (i hope) next year.

the indecisiveness on the 2 point play is just baffling.

you would think a coaching staff would discuss during the week 1 or 2 plays to run in a must have 2 point conversion situation. it's simply a matter of Plan A or Plan B.

why is it so difficult and painstaking for us to call plays all the time? i just don't see this indecisiveness on other teams.

(09-08-2013 08:02 AM)JMUETC Wrote:  I see a 7-5 season with no playoffs and a new head coach in a new conference (i hope) next year.

In my opinion, 7-5 or 6-6 is a worst case scenario, because it's bad enough to discourage our fans and hurt recruiting, but I don't think it will be enough to get Mickey fired. I just can't see King or Bourne firing a coach with a winning or .500 record.

I'm hoping for playoffs this year, but if it becomes clear that we are not going to make the playoffs, then I want a losing record. I think we're going to need a couple consecutive losing seasons to get a coaching change.

(09-08-2013 08:48 AM)rufus Wrote:  

(09-08-2013 08:02 AM)JMUETC Wrote:  I see a 7-5 season with no playoffs and a new head coach in a new conference (i hope) next year.

In my opinion, 7-5 or 6-6 is a worst case scenario, because it's bad enough to discourage our fans and hurt recruiting, but I don't think it will be enough to get Mickey fired. I just can't see King or Bourne firing a coach with a winning or .500 record.

I'm hoping for playoffs this year, but if it becomes clear that we are not going to make the playoffs, then I want a losing record. I think we're going to need a couple consecutive losing seasons to get a coaching change.

Rufus, you are incorrect. 7-4 last year or comparable this year is not acceptable to the admin. With 2 years left in his contract its not enough to make a change, but if it happens again with 1 year left after this season it will be.

Personally, I would prefer it doesn't come to this and we have 8-9 regular season wins plus playoffs

FWIW, Starke missed the field goal when the time out was called.

A lot of excellent points made in this thread. The mistakes made last night were a microcosm of our issues in the last 5 years.

(09-08-2013 09:28 AM)JMad03 Wrote:  FWIW, Starke missed the field goal when the time out was called.

Of course it was. The guy probably got sent out, called back in and sent back out three times before he kicked it. I would have liked to see a decisive coach, as soon as it was clear it was 4th down just say "all right, get in there and get us three points". The poor kicker probably has to hear the grinding indecision before the call. Must really inspire confidence.

I'm having a hard time shaking off what I witnessed last night. These guys need decisiveness and positive reinforcement on the sidelines, not a three ring circus. The players all know how to do their jobs and if they fail, you move on.

(09-08-2013 09:41 AM)JMU2004 Wrote:  A lot of excellent points made in this thread. The mistakes made last night were a microcosm of our issues in the last 5 years.

This drive really encapsulated things for me.

James Madison at 8:37 JMU AKR
1st and 10 at JMU 23 Jainard Lambert rush for 7 yards to the JMads 30, tackled by Jatavis Brown.
2nd and 3 at JMU 30 Jainard Lambert rush for 7 yards to the JMads 37, tackled by Johnny Robinson for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at JMU 37 Jainard Lambert rush for 5 yards to the JMads 42, tackled by Johnny Robinson.
2nd and 5 at JMU 42 Jainard Lambert rush for 18 yards to the Akron 40, tackled by Nick Rossi and Anthony Holmes for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at AKR 40 JMU penalty 10 yard holding accepted, no play.
1st and 20 at AKR 50 DeAndre' Smith rush for 2 yards to the Akron 48, tackled by Emmanuel Lartey.
2nd and 18 at AKR 48 Michael Birdsong pass complete to Dae'Quan Scott for 4 yards to the Akron 44, tackled by Cody Grice and DeAndre Scott.
3rd and 14 at AKR 44 Michael Birdsong pass incomplete to Brandon Ravenel, broken up by C.J. James.
4th and 14 at AKR 44 Timeout AKRON, clock 05:08.
4th and 14 at AKR 44 Michael Birdsong punt for 44 yards for a touchback.

4 runs up the middle by Lambert averaging 9 yards per play. Take out lambert and run a sweep. Tackle or WR gets caught holding on the stretch play, costing 10 yards. Going away from the quick hitting plays makes it tough on the linemen sometimes. Next play, another sweep for 2 yards and the drive is dead. The announcer made a comment about why go away from the up the middle runs when they are working. Pooch punt by birdsong was okay, but went for a touch back. Why not let the punter try to pin them inside the 10. That's what he practices all week.

That was the head scratching drive which could have had JMU extend the lead with a FG or TD.

I don't think I can let last nights game go. I guess I just thought things would be different this year. Shame on me I guess.

(09-08-2013 10:35 AM)JMUETC Wrote:  

(09-08-2013 09:41 AM)JMU2004 Wrote:  A lot of excellent points made in this thread. The mistakes made last night were a microcosm of our issues in the last 5 years.

This drive really encapsulated things for me.

James Madison at 8:37 JMU AKR
1st and 10 at JMU 23 Jainard Lambert rush for 7 yards to the JMads 30, tackled by Jatavis Brown.
2nd and 3 at JMU 30 Jainard Lambert rush for 7 yards to the JMads 37, tackled by Johnny Robinson for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at JMU 37 Jainard Lambert rush for 5 yards to the JMads 42, tackled by Johnny Robinson.
2nd and 5 at JMU 42 Jainard Lambert rush for 18 yards to the Akron 40, tackled by Nick Rossi and Anthony Holmes for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at AKR 40 JMU penalty 10 yard holding accepted, no play.
1st and 20 at AKR 50 DeAndre' Smith rush for 2 yards to the Akron 48, tackled by Emmanuel Lartey.
2nd and 18 at AKR 48 Michael Birdsong pass complete to Dae'Quan Scott for 4 yards to the Akron 44, tackled by Cody Grice and DeAndre Scott.
3rd and 14 at AKR 44 Michael Birdsong pass incomplete to Brandon Ravenel, broken up by C.J. James.
4th and 14 at AKR 44 Timeout AKRON, clock 05:08.
4th and 14 at AKR 44 Michael Birdsong punt for 44 yards for a touchback.

4 runs up the middle by Lambert averaging 9 yards per play. Take out lambert and run a sweep. Tackle or WR gets caught holding on the stretch play, costing 10 yards. Going away from the quick hitting plays makes it tough on the linemen sometimes. Next play, another sweep for 2 yards and the drive is dead. The announcer made a comment about why go away from the up the middle runs when they are working. Pooch punt by birdsong was okay, but went for a touch back. Why not let the punter try to pin them inside the 10. That's what he practices all week.

That was the head scratching drive which could have had JMU extend the lead with a FG or TD.

I don't think I can let last nights game go. I guess I just thought things would be different this year. Shame on me I guess.

i think the problem is, how many times has a game like last night happened in recent years?

how many times have we heard after the game "that was a game we really should have won"? problem is, we AREN'T winning those games we should have won.

when you consistently outplay teams, out yardage them, etc , yet come up on the short end, the problem with that completely lies at the top. obviously the players are good enough, so why are we always saying " that was a game we really should have won"? WIN THE DAMN THING ALREADY!

(09-08-2013 10:41 AM)Duke Dawg Wrote:  

(09-08-2013 10:35 AM)JMUETC Wrote:  

(09-08-2013 09:41 AM)JMU2004 Wrote:  A lot of excellent points made in this thread. The mistakes made last night were a microcosm of our issues in the last 5 years.

This drive really encapsulated things for me.

James Madison at 8:37 JMU AKR
1st and 10 at JMU 23 Jainard Lambert rush for 7 yards to the JMads 30, tackled by Jatavis Brown.
2nd and 3 at JMU 30 Jainard Lambert rush for 7 yards to the JMads 37, tackled by Johnny Robinson for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at JMU 37 Jainard Lambert rush for 5 yards to the JMads 42, tackled by Johnny Robinson.
2nd and 5 at JMU 42 Jainard Lambert rush for 18 yards to the Akron 40, tackled by Nick Rossi and Anthony Holmes for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at AKR 40 JMU penalty 10 yard holding accepted, no play.
1st and 20 at AKR 50 DeAndre' Smith rush for 2 yards to the Akron 48, tackled by Emmanuel Lartey.
2nd and 18 at AKR 48 Michael Birdsong pass complete to Dae'Quan Scott for 4 yards to the Akron 44, tackled by Cody Grice and DeAndre Scott.
3rd and 14 at AKR 44 Michael Birdsong pass incomplete to Brandon Ravenel, broken up by C.J. James.
4th and 14 at AKR 44 Timeout AKRON, clock 05:08.
4th and 14 at AKR 44 Michael Birdsong punt for 44 yards for a touchback.

4 runs up the middle by Lambert averaging 9 yards per play. Take out lambert and run a sweep. Tackle or WR gets caught holding on the stretch play, costing 10 yards. Going away from the quick hitting plays makes it tough on the linemen sometimes. Next play, another sweep for 2 yards and the drive is dead. The announcer made a comment about why go away from the up the middle runs when they are working. Pooch punt by birdsong was okay, but went for a touch back. Why not let the punter try to pin them inside the 10. That's what he practices all week.

That was the head scratching drive which could have had JMU extend the lead with a FG or TD.

I don't think I can let last nights game go. I guess I just thought things would be different this year. Shame on me I guess.

i think the problem is, how many times has a game like last night happened in recent years?

how many times have we heard after the game "that was a game we really should have won"? problem is, we AREN'T winning those games we should have won.

when you consistently outplay teams, out yardage them, etc , yet come up on the short end, the problem with that completely lies at the top. obviously the players are good enough, so why are we always saying " that was a game we really should have won"? WIN THE DAMN THING ALREADY!

Pretty much sums up how I feel. As I stated in another thread, too many other teams, peer teams, got the job done against their FBS opponent. And their opponents were tougher than ours. Heck, even Nichols St. beat a MAC team. Nichols has won 2 games in the last two seasons and both were against a school no one has heard of: Evangel (MO).

One of these days we will keep our foot on the throttle when we have a team reeling.

We probably won't know more after St Francis b/c JMU outmatches St Francis at every position. It sounds like a lot of us will be watching for our QB coming out of his stance to engage in counterproductive sideline staring going forward. Nothing goods comes after JMU's O-line and WRs have been in their stances for 20 seconds while the coaches can't decide on a play call.

The timeout/clock management was piss poor, but that shouldn't surprise any of us. That has been Mickey's tragic flaw and we all know it.

The real question is... why do the Dukes continue to wear the dreaded white on white combination? Someone can do the research, but I believe the Dukes are something like 5-15 wearing white on white. If the bad record isn't enough to change someone's mind, we should consider the "Start Wearing Purple" movement as a catalyst for ending white on white crime.

(09-08-2013 07:46 AM)all4dukes Wrote:  Observations from a long time JMU Football Observer ('81):
1. The play calling seems more balanced this year. We are throwing on first and second down because we want to not because we have to. This may because Birdsong was injured and could not run the read option. If he wasn't hurt he sure was faking us out with a good limp.
2. Our front seven is as good as I have seen. Pressure against the pass was good and we played well vs the run. Our corners could not match up with their wideouts. Some of those throws were to wiiiiiiiiiiiiiide open receivers. A DB that chases a receiver by that much is dead with Akron's QB.
3. Penalties have always been the Dukes' bane. They always find away to have a procedure/hold/unsportsmanlike at just the right time. SMH

Front 7 also missing best DL, or at least most productive, from last yr. Only one to make all CAA (3rd team). If not back next week, hopefully for the UNCC game. Need him 100% for UD.

JMU should steal Turner Gill from Liberty. His MAC experience (MAC Football Champs 2008) will help with the transition to the NEW Conference.

(09-09-2013 12:44 PM)TARDledo Wrote:  JMU should steal Turner Gill from Liberty. His MAC experience (MAC Football Champs 2008) will help with the transition to the NEW Conference.

Congratulations sir. That has to be the dumbest suggestion/post of the year.