JMU @ William & Mary

[dbackjon]

JMU looks to rebound from first loss of the season against the Tribe, who are riding a three game win streak.

[Gil Dobie]

JMU rebounds

[BDKJMU]

W&M wins I'm afraid..

[LeadBolt]

This is going to be a hard fought, close game. In two series vs. Richmond after Lee went down, Schor led JMU to scores. JMU will be in a foul mood after their loss to Richmond. Don't fall for Barney's sand bagging.

[BDKJMU]

I've watched W&M on TV 4 times (vs SBU, UD, VU, & UNH)...

When JMU has the ball:
Bad news for JMU: Obviously is losing Vad Lee, one of the best offensive players in the country.

Good news for JMU:
-The backup JMU QB, Soph Bryan Schor, in limited action has looked pretty good. Guy was a 1st team PA AAAA in HS, threw for over 6500 yds, initially signed with Bowling Green. Can really throw with a quick release. Good mobility (albeit not Vad Lee mobility).
-JMU has a very good OL, backs, & WR.
-Likely won't have to face W&M's all world LB Luke Rhodes, the only I-AA player on the Butkus awards watch list, as Rhodes was injured vs UNH, dnp vs Hampton, and I assume won't vs JMU.


When W&M has the ball:
Bad news for JMU:
-UR, who has a pretty good OL & RBs, ran all over them, and W&M's OL is at leas least good if not better. Plus they have a better RB tandem in the CAA's leading rusher Kendall Anderson (ironically his older brother was a RB at JMU), & last year's leading rusher in the CAA last year in Mikal Abdul-Saboor.
Good news for JMU:
-W&M doesn't have the passing game like UR does (UR QB Lauletta now leads the CAA in passing yds & pass efficiency) with those 2 stud WR UR has (#1 & 2 in the CAA in receiving yards).
-Devonte Dedmon, 7th in the CAA in receiving yds. Injured his his ribs in W&M's blowout win over Hampton. According to the Monday media conference call, Laycock said x-rays were negative for fractures, bruised. So question is does he play and if so, how close to 100%/effective is he?
-JMU gets its likely best DL, Simeyon Robinson, back from the indefinite suspension for unspecified violation of team rules back in Sept. Big boost to JMU defense- wish he was there for UR game..

[BDKJMU]

Line is -4.5 W&M
http://www.sportsbookreview.com/betting ... e-2823479/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TribePride]

Losing Lee is a huge deal for JMU, but they are still very capable of winning Saturday. We have not heard for certain, but it is very likely Rhodes is out for W&M. Dedmon did not play in the second half. If he is full speed, he is as good as anybody Richmond has at receiver. I expect the Tribe to move the ball very effectively. However, they have struggled all year in the red zone. My expectations are the key to the game will be how effectively W&M stops the run of JMU. Given that the Tribe has had very good defenses for the most part over the last 6 years(since 2009), it would be expected that the Tribe could hold JMU down. However, last season and in both 2010 and 2012, they were unable to do so. Fortunately, all 3 of the worst defensive efforts occurred in Harrisonburg. The best Tribe defenses were 2009 and 2013(JMU scored 3 and 7 respectively). But, even without Lee, I cannot imagine JMU scoring less than 30 with their great offense this season. My guess is somewhere around 40-35 Tribe, with perhaps a blocked punt by the Tribe Special teams being the key play. If the Tribe defense plays great, it could get ugly. I am expecting it to be very close with a playoff type atmosphere.

I haven't seen every JMU game from beginning to end, but every time I do, someone is running wide open for JMU. The Dukes are a wounded animal which makes them dangerous. However, the Tribe, like Richmond last week has major payback on their minds from last season. For Richmond, it was remembering the 55 points it gave up last season and perhaps also GameDay also inspired them. For the Tribe, it is for the defense to remember playing very well last year for 3 quarters only to give up the game in the 4th. JMU is a playoff team either way, but the Tribe needs a win over JMU or Richmond to solidify a playoff bid and possible run.

[bluehenbillk]

You can definitely run on W&M - UD had no problems.

[BDKJMU]

Losing Lee is a huge deal for JMU, but they are still very capable of winning Saturday. We have not heard for certain, but it is very likely Rhodes is out for W&M. Dedmon did not play in the second half. If he is full speed, he is as good as anybody Richmond has at receiver. I expect the Tribe to move the ball very effectively. However, they have struggled all year in the red zone. My expectations are the key to the game will be how effectively W&M stops the run of JMU. Given that the Tribe has had very good defenses for the most part over the last 6 years(since 2009), it would be expected that the Tribe could hold JMU down. However, last season and in both 2010 and 2012, they were unable to do so. Fortunately, all 3 of the worst defensive efforts occurred in Harrisonburg. The best Tribe defenses were 2009 and 2013(JMU scored 3 and 7 respectively). But, even without Lee, I cannot imagine JMU scoring less than 30 with their great offense this season. My guess is somewhere around 40-35 Tribe, with perhaps a blocked punt by the Tribe Special teams being the key play. If the Tribe defense plays great, it could get ugly. I am expecting it to be very close with a playoff type atmosphere.

I haven't seen every JMU game from beginning to end, but every time I do, someone is running wide open for JMU. The Dukes are a wounded animal which makes them dangerous. However, the Tribe, like Richmond last week has major payback on their minds from last season. For Richmond, it was remembering the 55 points it gave up last season and perhaps also GameDay also inspired them. For the Tribe, it is for the defense to remember playing very well last year for 3 quarters only to give up the game in the 4th. JMU is a playoff team either way, but the Tribe needs a win over JMU or Richmond to solidify a playoff bid and possible run.

Dedmon is very good no doubt, but with all due respect I beg to differ.

RECEIVE YDS/GAME Team Cl G Rec Yds TD Long Avg/C Yds/G
----------------------------------------------------------------
1. Brian Brown......... RICH JR 6 34 698 3 79 20.5 116.3
2. Reggie Diggs........ RICH SR 7 38 576 3 40 15.2 82.3
3. Ray Bolden.......... SBU SO 6 41 492 4 41 12.0 82.0
4. Micah Wright........ MAIN FR 7 38 498 3 51 13.1 71.1
5. Brandon Ravenel..... JMU JR 8 35 495 2 58 14.1 61.9
6. Kevin Gulyas........ VU SR 7 26 432 4 70 16.6 61.7
7. DeVonte Dedmon...... WM SO 6 32 346 5 57 10.8 57.7
8. Christian Reeves.... WM SR 7 17 357 2 53 21.0 51.0
9. Deane Cheatham...... JMU SR 8 28 406 3 52 14.5 50.8
10.Zee Roberson........ ALBA FR 7 37 355 2 34 9.6 50.7

The 6'4" Diggs is a pre season All American. The 6'1" Brown is on pace for over 1200 yds receiving, All American #s. Both of those guys have a shot at playing on Sundays. Dedmon is listed at 5'10". You can't coach height.

Regardless, if he plays Dedmon won't be 100%.

[BDKJMU]

JMU possibly get its likely best DL, Simeyon Robinson, back from the indefinite suspension for unspecified violation of team rules back in Sept. Rumor on the JMU board was a 5 game suspension, which would have meant he would have been back for the Richmond game, as I erroneously stated last week on here. God knows JMU's defense could have used him against UR. Withers was asked about him returning vs W&M this week and said "possibly"

Reinstated..Big boost to JMU defense..
http://jmusports.com/news/2015/10/28/Fo ... 55455.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TribePride]

Not a shock. It seems like every year, JMU has someone suspended that gets reinstated just in time for the game against the Tribe. Most recently, it was Andre Nation in basketball, but the most famous one was Justin Thorpe's 6th or 7th year of eligibility. He played and helped the Dukes to a win and then promptly was out again for the rest of the year.

As for the Richmond receivers, they are definitely good. I think some of the stats are based on last weekend's performance. Before that, the stats were closer, plus Dedmon only played a half last week. Brown and Diggs make things easier for each other. The Tribe has a decent dropoff at WR after Dedmon.

Definitely can see your point though, since you watched Brown go 7 for over 200 last week and Diggs go 6 for 128. If Dedmon gains 200 this week, I will revisit the topic. Of course, if Dedmon has 200, the Tribe probably will be behind. I would rather see Anderson run for 200. The bigger question for the weekend is will JMU's offense still be fantastic? Given all their playmakers, it seems possible. Somehow, I think the Tribe will block another kick and that will be the difference.

[TribePride]

You can definitely run on W&M - UD had no problems.

Can't argue that. The Tribe was terrible all across the board in that game, except for Dedmon who had 2 long touchdowns.

[BDKJMU]

Not a shock. It seems like every year, JMU has someone suspended that gets reinstated just in time for the game against the Tribe. Most recently, it was Andre Nation in basketball, but the most famous one was Justin Thorpe's 6th or 7th year of eligibility. He played and helped the Dukes to a win and then promptly was out again for the rest of the year.

As for the Richmond receivers, they are definitely good. I think some of the stats are based on last weekend's performance. Before that, the stats were closer, plus Dedmon only played a half last week. Brown and Diggs make things easier for each other. The Tribe has a decent dropoff at WR after Dedmon.

Definitely can see your point though, since you watched Brown go 7 for over 200 last week and Diggs go 6 for 128. If Dedmon gains 200 this week, I will revisit the topic. Of course, if Dedmon has 200, the Tribe probably will be behind. I would rather see Anderson run for 200. The bigger question for the weekend is will JMU's offense still be fantastic? Given all their playmakers, it seems possible. Somehow, I think the Tribe will block another kick and that will be the difference.

JMU does have 1 good cover corner (thats it), Taylor Reynolds, (2nd team All CAA last yr, pre season all CAA this season). If a team, like UR, has 2 studs at WR, along with a good OL & passing QB, JMU is screwed, like obviously were last Sat, because Reynolds can't cover both. Unfortunately JMU's true fr corner sensation from last season Jimmy Moreland was kicked off the team in the offseason...

Regardless, IF a banged up Dedmon even plays and has over 100 I'd be surprised. If Dedmon goes for over 200 this week, W&M will probably have 40+, it won't be close, and I'll throw in the towel on the season..

[TribePride]

No reason to throw it the towel. The Dukes are legit, even without Lee. Lee is a very, very special player and also sounds like a humble guy. So, it is going to hurt the national chances to have him out, but no one in Williamsburg expects JMU not to be ready and still really good. Just perhaps not "national title" good.

Since our game was at the same time as yours last week, does your comment mean that most of the 300+ plus yards Brown and Diggs got were not against Reynolds? If that is the case, W&M will clearly throw at the 2nd corner until he proves he can defend. But, JMU likely then should have rolled coverage to his side to protect him with a safety over the top. Maybe Richmond's offense is just very, very good.

[BDKJMU]

No reason to throw it the towel. The Dukes are legit, even without Lee. Lee is a very, very special player and also sounds like a humble guy. So, it is going to hurt the national chances to have him out, but no one in Williamsburg expects JMU not to be ready and still really good. Just perhaps not "national title" good.

Since our game was at the same time as yours last week, does your comment mean that most of the 300+ plus yards Brown and Diggs got were not against Reynolds? If that is the case, W&M will clearly throw at the 2nd corner until he proves he can defend. But, JMU likely then should have rolled coverage to his side to protect him with a safety over the top. Maybe Richmond's offense is just very, very good.

Well, yeah, the throwing in my towel comment was in response to your insinuation that Dedmon could get 200 yards receiving vs JMU. There won't be any throwing in the towel because there's no chance of Dedmon getting even remotely close to 200. I'd be very surprised if he got 100. His season high is 80 and he's supposedly banged up. 200 receiving yds in a game is a rarity in general. I'm pretty before Brown for UR last Sat went for 204 the last time a WR went for over 200 yds vs JMU was Victor Cruz in 2008 with UMASS. Not 1st round draft picks Hakeem Nicks in 2007 with UNC, or Tavon Austin with WVU in 2012 (he had 11 for 113), not last month with the 6'4" SMU stud Courtland Sutton (5 for 137) who will be playing on Sundays. Not in 2013 when when JMU was #1 in CAA vs run but dead last vs pass (most was 183 by an SBU WR). Not last yr when JMU's defense wasn't very good (most was 162 by UNCC WR).

As far as the game last Sat, I haven't had the time or inclination to watch the recording of it to know exactly what the happened other than JMU's defense got its ass kicked..

[LeadBolt]

Personally, I'm planing on being at the game to see how it turns out. I believe it will be a barn burner.

GO TRIBE!

[BDKJMU]

BTW the game is NATIONALLY TELEVISED on NBC Sports @ 4:00 PM ECB time..

[BDKJMU]

Halftime JMU 27, W&M 23.

Vad Lee's replacement Bryan has Schor has been really good. 1st half:
13 of 17 passing, 185 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT
12 rushes, 48 yds, 1 TD.

-The Vad Lee less JMU offense has still been its usual spectacular self- 293 yds in 1st half vs #1 defense in CAA, and Luke Rhodes IS playing..
-The JMU defense has sucked- given up 250 yds to W&M 1st half, but partially made up for it with a pick 6
-The JMU Special teams has SUCKED- had THREE XP blocked. 2 of those W&M ran back for 2 points in the other direction. One of those was nullified by a pre kick W&M penalty, so JMU then went for 2 and converted. Also gave up a long kick return..

Basically 4 JMU TDs, 3 W&M TDs has equaled 27-23...

[BDKJMU]

TD JMU.. And they extra point wasn't blocked!
34-23 JMU 8+ minutes left 3rd..

[BDKJMU]

W&M TD

JMU 34, W&M 30, 39 seconds left 3rd qtr..

[andy7171]

New upper deck on Zable looks fantastic!

[BDKJMU]

W&M TD.

W&M 37, JMU 34, 7:37 left 4th qtr..

Both teams 5 TDs. Difference is the blocked JMU PAT run back for 2 by W&M...

[BDKJMU]

JMU TD!. PAT good!

JMU 41, W&M 37, 5:12 remaining...

Too much time left & I don't have confidence in the JMU defense though..

[BDKJMU]

JMU TD!. PAT good!

JMU 41, W&M 37, 5:12 remaining...

Too much time left & I don't have confidence in the JMU defense though..

Yep. W&M TD, 44-41 pending PAT, 41 seconds remaining..

[Grizo406]

This was a fun game to watch!