(09-30-2018 09:59 AM)Dukester Wrote:  

(09-30-2018 09:51 AM)Potomac Wrote:  This is our toughest FCS opponent to date on paper. I am not remotely concerned from a matchup standpoint. Dukes will keep rolling.

This is the next best CAA team. And we will be a 3 touchdown favorite.

I still contend that Maine is #2, but we do not play them. I will take Maine on 11/17 to take down Elon. Doesn't hurt that the game will be in Maine.

I don’t think I saw anyone note it, but this game is finally sold out today.

The final two home games are also decently close to selling out. Only the corners remain mainly.

Last year I was worried about this game. I was very wrong. This year I am still worried about this game. I hope I am wrong again. Cheek looks to be similar to 'Nooch in that he is highly efficient (completes a high percentage of his throws) but lacks the mobility we see on our side. Summers is a beast. It looks like USF had their way with Elon until late in the third quarter. I will be honest, I didn't watch any of that game, so I'm not sure if it took 2nd string defenders to allow Elon to score or not. Throttling UNH and Furman appears to not carry much more weight this year than us throttling W&M or UR.

I think we are the better team on paper by far. However, I don't think we will have a cake walk through the conference and I think we will have several one score games by the end of the regular season (ala Richmond or Delaware last year (one score game going into the 4th)). All that being said, I think Towson (road) will end up being our toughest game followed by Stonybrook (home).

I'll go with a close halftime game (13-10) with the Dukes depth winning in the end 30 - 13. Someone will call for DiNucci to get benched because he didn't hit Dean on a 50 yard go route, others will get mad about the tame family day crowd, and everyone else will sip their bourbon and be happy.

Go DUKES!!!!!!!!

Elon's two most recent games are interesting. Last week vs. UNH, they led throughout, but didn't truly start to put them away until halfway into the 2nd quarter. This is an 0-4 UNH team without their starting QB, mind you. Yes, we also didn't really put UR away until the beginning of the 2nd ourselves last week.

The previous week vs Charleston Southern (1-2 with their lone win against a very bad Hampton team), they trailed them 22-10 until 9:48 remaining in the 3rd quarter. They had to rally from behind in the second half to beat CSU.

Neither of those performances against some mediocre at best teams screams "we can hang with the #2 team in the country in their house in front of a loud 25K fans".

(10-02-2018 07:39 AM)Potomac Wrote:  Elon's two most recent games are interesting. Last week vs. UNH, they led throughout, but didn't truly start to put them away until halfway into the 2nd quarter. This is an 0-4 UNH team without their starting QB, mind you. Yes, we also didn't really put UR away until the beginning of the 2nd ourselves last week.

The previous week vs Charleston Southern (1-2 with their lone win against a very bad Hampton team), they trailed them 22-10 until 9:48 remaining in the 3rd quarter. They had to rally from behind in the second half to beat CSU.

Neither of those performances against some mediocre at best teams screams "we can hang with the #2 team in the country in their house in front of a loud 25K fans".

IF we come prepared and focused every week, there is Zero reason to worry about anyone left on our schedule. we can only beat ourselves IMO.

Family weekend blows. Probably the best matchup we'll have all season until the playoffs but it's going to be the worst crowd.

It'll be 45-10, or something similar. And that's assuming we don't have multiple defensive/special teams scores.

(10-02-2018 06:37 AM)JMU_Newbill Wrote:  Last year I was worried about this game. I was very wrong. This year I am still worried about this game. I hope I am wrong again. Cheek looks to be similar to 'Nooch in that he is highly efficient (completes a high percentage of his throws) but lacks the mobility we see on our side. Summers is a beast. It looks like USF had their way with Elon until late in the third quarter. I will be honest, I didn't watch any of that game, so I'm not sure if it took 2nd string defenders to allow Elon to score or not. Throttling UNH and Furman appears to not carry much more weight this year than us throttling W&M or UR.

I think we are the better team on paper by far. However, I don't think we will have a cake walk through the conference and I think we will have several one score games by the end of the regular season (ala Richmond or Delaware last year (one score game going into the 4th)). All that being said, I think Towson (road) will end up being our toughest game followed by Stonybrook (home).

I'll go with a close halftime game (13-10) with the Dukes depth winning in the end 30 - 13. Someone will call for DiNucci to get benched because he didn't hit Dean on a 50 yard go route, others will get mad about the tame family day crowd, and everyone else will sip their bourbon and be happy.

Go DUKES!!!!!!!!

That likely reads more like a game-day recap than a prediction.

Nicely done!

(10-02-2018 09:26 AM)jmuwyhamhgawd Wrote:  Family weekend blows. Probably the best matchup we'll have all season until the playoffs but it's going to be the worst crowd.

Guess we'll have to get extra loud in 109 then huh HTP?

(10-02-2018 12:29 PM)DirtyDukes Wrote:  

(10-02-2018 09:26 AM)jmuwyhamhgawd Wrote:  Family weekend blows. Probably the best matchup we'll have all season until the playoffs but it's going to be the worst crowd.

Guess we'll have to get extra loud in 109 then huh HTP?

uurite

The James Madison Dukes will blow the Elon Phoenix doors through the hinges Saturday. Elon may be a good team but they are not good enough at every position to keep it close

Versus has it:

JMU - 33
Elon - 12

Massey has us winning w/ a "most likely" score of 35-7.
Ran a 7 game simulation and we won them all. Never scored less than 21 and never gave up more than 10.

May have been mentioned elsewhere, but according to Madia, some good news:

“Some JMU updates to pass along: LB Landan Word, WR Ezrah Archie and TE Mack Cullen returned to practice today.”

(10-02-2018 07:30 PM)Lyric Wrote:  May have been mentioned elsewhere, but according to Madia, some good news:

“Some JMU updates to pass along: LB Landan Word, WR Ezrah Archie and TE Mack Cullen returned to practice today.”

Thanks Lyric for the good news
We needed some on that front.

(10-01-2018 09:31 PM)Potomac Wrote:  I don’t think I saw anyone note it, but this game is finally sold out today.

The final two home games are also decently close to selling out. Only the corners remain mainly.

I wished there was a note that it wasn't a sellout before Monday. I had to sell on stubhub, I posted on Sunday with over 600 listings and by Monday evening the inventory had been really picked over. Anyway, glad some parents and their lucky JMU kids will get a chance to enjoy great seats for the game. Go Dukes!

(10-02-2018 08:41 PM)olddawg Wrote:  

(10-02-2018 07:30 PM)Lyric Wrote:  May have been mentioned elsewhere, but according to Madia, some good news:

“Some JMU updates to pass along: LB Landan Word, WR Ezrah Archie and TE Mack Cullen returned to practice today.”

Thanks Lyric for the good news
We needed some on that front.

Can’t ever have too much good news! At least no one was banned this week

All of these games selling out could perhaps get us closer to finishing the lower bowl. Maybe that is an unintended consequence of only having 5 home games. Fewer opportunities to see the Dukes so more likely to sell out. Like Airplanes. Fewer flights creates fuller planes.

This is going to be another brutal whipping!

The game to look at in evaluating Elon, in my opinion, is the game against winless Charleston Southern, which was spanking Elon something fierce in the first half, then the wheels fell off their game in the third quarter, when they allowed the Phoenix 21 points, the final result being a 9-point Elon win, 31-22.

By all appearances, Elon sucks. Their defense couldn't stop the winless Buccaneers of Charleston Southern on the ground. The Bucs ran the ball down Elon's throat - 37 carries for 238 yards for 6.4 ypc average. Elon is especially susceptible to the big play. Our backs are going to have a field day! We could score four or five touchdowns in the first quarter.

Looking at the Charleston game, it is hard to gauge how good Elon's pass D is because Charleston Southern is such a horrible passing team. Against Elon, the Bucs were 3 for 12 passing for a phenomenal 26 yards. They completed nearly as many passes to Elon defenders (2 picks).

Offensively, the Phoenix appear to be a little better, but that is due to one back, Summers, who ran well against a normal defense. The Dukes do NOT field a normal defense! Summers will NOT light it up against the Dukes. I expect his ypc average to be around 3 yards, if that. Elon passed well against the (again) winless Bucs - 220 yards, but obviously JMU's d-backs and pass rush are going to shock them after playing the likes of Charleston Southern. I see another pick-six in Jimmy's near future.

Even Elon's special teams is pretty bad. Against Charleston Southern, the Phoenix averaged 30 yards per punt, with a long of 35. Nasty!

The Dukes should be up by 40 at the half. I predict the final score to be 59-10, Dawgs. Our offense could easily take the score into the 70s for this one, but I expect them to let off the gas in the 50s, with the second and third teams coming in late for mop-up, and they are likely to score too.

(10-02-2018 10:03 PM)BSKB 24 Wrote:  All of these games selling out could perhaps get us closer to finishing the lower bowl. Maybe that is an unintended consequence of only having 5 home games. Fewer opportunities to see the Dukes so more likely to sell out. Like Airplanes. Fewer flights creates fuller planes.

I agree that it could be beneficial in that light. Frankly when I had season tickets, I simply could not make six games and never two in a row. Coming in from Charlotte takes a big commitment. Normally I would give one game of my four tickets to some friends, but of course the ones given away were the cupcake games so even that was a challenge to find a taker. I realize many feel cheated with only five home games but personally it's fine with me, as Nation preaches to me, we get playoff games at home. That can reach nine games and for those of us who have a 10 hour round trip, it can be a bit much. I have never had a problem with our season ticket prices, for me, they are very affordable.