I'm thinking, "No, don't try to run it in! Play to your strength!"

Doh!

Fantastic start to the season. College football is so much better than NFL football.

Glad the Griz won. Super game. A showcase for the FCS. To echo an earlier comment, if JMU fans turn out at BFS we'd have a similar atmosphere, but you've got to have the opponent.

Echo that- it was a great atmosphere that showcased well on TV. The average fan probably wouldn't realize it was only 25k. It looked solid.

It was a great turnout and a great game, but let's be honest there are only a couple of FCS games that can possibly be like this. Anyhow, I thought Montana blew it by kicking the FG and I thought it was suspect of NDSU to get the ball back and stop the clock with an incomplete pass. You can put that either way. If they catch them off guard and get a first down, the game is probably over. Credit to Montana for hanging in there and having good fundamentals to cover that play. Both teams will be in the playoffs.

That was one of the better cfb games I've watched in awhile. It was entertaining throughout, the atmosphere was electric with 26.4k. It felt like a big boy football game.
JMU games can be like that every time if we'd stop complaining and just support your team.
I love seeing ndsu fans humbled as they have to drive a long 13 hours back to Fargo. This is what cfb is about.

(08-29-2015 04:43 PM)norman lake Wrote:  

(08-29-2015 08:24 AM)HotHamandCheese84 Wrote:  As long as we are in FCS, which I hope won't be long, we should be a featured school in a kickoff game or other highlighted game during the year. We will be a top 5 program this year and that should help get us back in the discussion.

Just curious........why should JMU be a featured game......Montana and NDSU have exceptional resumes?

Well, for one, we beat Montana for the National Championship! And, we had a nationally televised National semi-final game against them at BFS. What has Elon done?

(08-29-2015 07:06 PM)BSKB 24 Wrote:  

(08-29-2015 04:43 PM)norman lake Wrote:  

(08-29-2015 08:24 AM)HotHamandCheese84 Wrote:  As long as we are in FCS, which I hope won't be long, we should be a featured school in a kickoff game or other highlighted game during the year. We will be a top 5 program this year and that should help get us back in the discussion.

Just curious........why should JMU be a featured game......Montana and NDSU have exceptional resumes?

Well, for one, we beat Montana for the National Championship! And, we had a nationally televised National semi-final game against them at BFS. What has Elon done?

Elon joined the CAA with Alger's staunch assurances that we are going nowhere. They are now a peer. Ask anyone at JMU. Apparently, they've done enough to be the next to pass us in a decade.

(08-29-2015 07:05 PM)Potomac Wrote:  That was one of the better cfb games I've watched in awhile. It was entertaining throughout, the atmosphere was electric with 26.4k. It felt like a big boy football game.
JMU games can be like that every time if we'd stop complaining and just support your team.
I love seeing ndsu fans humbled as they have to drive a long 13 hours back to Fargo. This is what cfb is about.

We're getting 20,000+ fans to Bridgeforth Stadium considering the mood around conference realignment, only 2 playoff appearances in 6 years, and a lot more college football options for people in Virginia than in Montana.

I don't think fans complaining is the issue...

Bring NDSU to Bridgeforth and put the game on ESPN during the first week of classes to officially kickoff college football season and Bridgeforth would have been just as electric today and Montana's stadium.

(08-29-2015 06:38 PM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  It was a great turnout and a great game, but let's be honest there are only a couple of FCS games that can possibly be like this. Anyhow, I thought Montana blew it by kicking the FG and I thought it was suspect of NDSU to get the ball back and stop the clock with an incomplete pass. You can put that either way. If they catch them off guard and get a first down, the game is probably over. Credit to Montana for hanging in there and having good fundamentals to cover that play. Both teams will be in the playoffs.

I thought the same thing. I thought it was crazy to take the field goal and give the four-time national champ the ball. I thought even if the Griz got the ball back with a minute left, they would have to go the length of the field for a touchdown. A FG wouldn't do. Well, they did it!

Montana is charmed. They are as tough as nails, and they don't stop fighting until there is no time on the clock. Shades of the Griz at our place in 2008. I still can't think about that game without cussing.

When 24 teams make the playoffs, you can afford to schedule a tough FCS OOC opponent. If we are going to stay in FCS, we need to bring at least one of the remaining FCS powers to Bridgeforth every other year. With all of the resources we have, we should be an elite FCS team year in and year out. I don't want to hear that scheduling a tough OOC FCS game makes it less likely we make the playoffs. I simply do not care. Put up for shut up. Having a marquee team in Bridgeforth early in the year would help ignite passion in the new fans and would go along way towards keeping them engaged. I plan to push the administration on this issue.

(08-29-2015 09:23 PM)DolleyMadison Wrote:  

(08-29-2015 07:05 PM)Potomac Wrote:  That was one of the better cfb games I've watched in awhile. It was entertaining throughout, the atmosphere was electric with 26.4k. It felt like a big boy football game.
JMU games can be like that every time if we'd stop complaining and just support your team.
I love seeing ndsu fans humbled as they have to drive a long 13 hours back to Fargo. This is what cfb is about.

We're getting 20,000+ fans to Bridgeforth Stadium considering the mood around conference realignment, only 2 playoff appearances in 6 years, and a lot more college football options for people in Virginia than in Montana.

I don't think fans complaining is the issue...

Bring NDSU to Bridgeforth and put the game on ESPN during the first week of classes to officially kickoff college football season and Bridgeforth would have been just as electric today and Montana's stadium.

That's the thing though. I honestly don't think that right now, with ample notice, that we'd sell out this kickoff game. Ndsu wouldn't be deemed a "prime ticket" opponent to our fans either.
On the east coast, I can't think of a single ooc opponent who might attract some fans other than Liberty. In conference, Richmond or wm might.
20k as of last year (excluding the playoff game). It could be 25k if the griping fans and their groups could show up at least once a year and stop going to the fbs games instead.

I agree, what a great game! It was a great way to kick off the college football season- not just the FCS season. Both programs looked like they were in mid-season form.

(08-30-2015 07:35 AM)NYJMUSupporter Wrote:  When 24 teams make the playoffs, you can afford to schedule a tough FCS OOC opponent. If we are going to stay in FCS, we need to bring at least one of the remaining FCS powers to Bridgeforth every other year. With all of the resources we have, we should be an elite FCS team year in and year out. I don't want to hear that scheduling a tough OOC FCS game makes it less likely we make the playoffs. I simply do not care. Put up for shut up. Having a marquee team in Bridgeforth early in the year would help ignite passion in the new fans and would go along way towards keeping them engaged. I plan to push the administration on this issue.

Replace a Lehigh type of opponent with the higher end team. The cupcake game could be the difference in making the playoffs or not, regardless of if you're willing to acknowledge that or not.
You need wins to get to the postseason and scheduling a loss, missing the playoffs, doesn't typically sell tickets either. Be careful what you wish for.

Might have just been because it was the only thing on, but the game got a ton of attention at the sportsbar where I was on Saturday. Lots of people knew who NDSU was and knew about their streak. A few even remembered that JMU beat Montana for the national championship, or maybe that was just because I kept reminding them.

I disagree with those who say we wouldn't have sold this out. Great weather, the students are there, and it would have been a great end of summer weekend. I know next weekend and the holiday kind of mark that for most people but I know a lot of my friends and I would definitely have gone down whereas we won't for the OOC teams on our schedule. Great game to start the college football season.

(08-30-2015 11:03 AM)DoubleDDuke Wrote:  I disagree with those who say we wouldn't have sold this out. Great weather, the students are there, and it would have been a great end of summer weekend. I know next weekend and the holiday kind of mark that for most people but I know a lot of my friends and I would definitely have gone down whereas we won't for the OOC teams on our schedule. Great game to start the college football season.

Agreed. Nationally televised game to open the year, students on campus, no way we don't see that out.

We'll just have to agree to disagree. I see a trend of declining attendance and lower season ticket sales.
We haven't sold out a game since 2013 family weekend and haven't sold out a game more than a week out since the 2011 season.
Based on the recent trends of our fan base, it's not unreasonable for me to question if our excuse-ridden fans find a reason to not come to this one.
Count me in the "I'll believe it when I see it" camp.

(08-30-2015 11:49 AM)Potomac Wrote:  We'll just have to agree to disagree. I see a trend of declining attendance and lower season ticket sales.
We haven't sold out a game since 2013 family weekend and haven't sold out a game more than a week out since the 2011 season.
Based on the recent trends of our fan base, it's not unreasonable for me to question if our excuse-ridden fans find a reason to not come to this one.
Count me in the "I'll believe it when I see it" camp,

This would be an entirely different situation. It's the #1 team in the country with 4 consecutive national championships, the weather is perfect, the students are there, and what are you competing with? Preseason NFL? The little league World Series? One baseball game? It's really the perfect scenario to go to a JMU game. I'd be pretty embarrassed if we couldn't pack the stadium under that scenario.

I agree with you on everything you said. My point is that this is an exception. I think the JMU fan base is stronger than the administration thinks but they're not giving us any meat with these opponents and hence people are losing interest. The novelty of the expanded stadium has worn off as expected. You have to bring in better opponents and you have to move to FBS. The opportunity cost of not moving will likely be greater than moving. This is ridiculous.

Yeah, I think NDSU in Bridgeforth on Nat TV would have been/be a sellout. NDSU has won:
-4 straight NC
-5 straight over I-A
-I think this was their 11th nationally televised game in the last 4+ seasons (4 NC, 4 semis, wins over Kansas State in 2013 & Iowa St last season (both FS1) and this past Sat) (not counting the qtrfinals the last 4 seasons which all were on ESPN3 & some other games they've had on ESPN3) (Ironically 2011 & 2012 they didn't get either of the ESPN2 quarterfinal games).
-Hosted Gameday TWICE the last 2 seasons.

Have gotten more coverage over the last 4 seasons than probably any current G5...Probably with the top G5s in terms of name recognition..

Heck with their rabid fanbase that probably travels better than anyone else in I-AA they'd probably bring several k fans to Bridgeforth..

(08-31-2015 12:53 AM)BDKJMU Wrote:  Yeah, I think NDSU in Bridgeforth on Nat TV would have been/be a sellout. NDSU has won:
-4 straight NC
-5 straight over I-A
-I think this was their 11th nationally televised game in the last 4+ seasons (4 NC, 4 semis, wins over Kansas State in 2013 & Iowa St last season (both FS1) and this past Sat) (not counting the qtrfinals the last 4 seasons which all were on ESPN3 & some other games they've had on ESPN3) (Ironically 2011 & 2012 they didn't get either of the ESPN2 quarterfinal games).
-Hosted Gameday TWICE the last 2 seasons.

Have gotten more coverage over the last 4 seasons than probably any current G5...Probably with the top G5s in terms of name recognition..

Heck with their rabid fanbase that probably travels better than anyone else in I-AA they'd probably bring several k fans to Bridgeforth..

Agree. There was plenty of Yellow in the stands in Missoula. They would have come, tied in a vacation to the Valley, D.C., Beach etc.