After a week of reflecting on exactly what Maryland's opening-game beat-down meant for James Madison, the answer was bittersweet for Dukes fans.
Yes, JMU could compete with a team from the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-AA). And yes, JMU would suffer the latest in a series of heartbreaking losses for the program, which has been on the cusp of greatness since its 2004 I-AA national championship.
After taking an untimely exit in the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals last year with a 35-27 loss to Montana, the Dukes impressed in their 2009 season opener, but lost in overtime 38-35 in College Park.
Starting with possession in overtime, JMU moved only one yard in three downs and was forced to attempt a 41-yard field goal. Dixon Wright missed wide right, and Maryland capitalized on the ensuing possession with a 26-yard field goal to win the game.
JMU quarterback Drew Dudzik went 9-of-15 for 141 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 112 yards and another score. Jamal Sullivan rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown, while Da'Rel Scott, the Terps' leading rusher, had only 13 yards on the ground.
Maryland quarterback Chris Turner went 25-of-38 for 236 yards and a touchdown, also grabbing one on the ground, and helped his team escape from being the latest ACC team to falter against the Colonial Athletic Association.
Penalties were costly for JMU, which racked up 11 for a total of 105 yards.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
A Familiar Foe
While the fallout from the CAA's recent surge against the ACC has drawn significant attention going into Saturday's matchup between JMU and Maryland, there is another notable storyline that has been in the works the entire offseason.
The Terps' defense, which got drubbed 52-13 at Cal, was recently taken over by former Massachusetts coach Don Brown. Brown has gone 5-2 against Matthews in CAA play, dating back to Brown's days as coach at Northeastern.
In this Daily News-Record article, Mike Barber talks about how despite last week's upsets, Maryland is still poised to rebound from its shellacking at Cal.
Brown brought with him a repertoire of blitzing schemes that attracted positive attention in the preseason, but while Cal is a national championship contender in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A), I would say the Terps should still be wary going into their matchup with JMU, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) opponent.
The Terps' defense, which got drubbed 52-13 at Cal, was recently taken over by former Massachusetts coach Don Brown. Brown has gone 5-2 against Matthews in CAA play, dating back to Brown's days as coach at Northeastern.
In this Daily News-Record article, Mike Barber talks about how despite last week's upsets, Maryland is still poised to rebound from its shellacking at Cal.
Brown brought with him a repertoire of blitzing schemes that attracted positive attention in the preseason, but while Cal is a national championship contender in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A), I would say the Terps should still be wary going into their matchup with JMU, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) opponent.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Terps in Trouble
In today's Washington Post Maryland football video feature, by Eric Prisbell, the following was said regarding Saturday's game between Maryland and JMU: "We're getting ready for a James Madison game where it can't get much worse for Maryland after last weekend."
Well, actually, it could.
If you consider losing to a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) team worse than losing to Cal, one of the top teams in the Pac-10, then Maryland actually should be concerned.
Whereas Maryland's defense has been exposed as a weakness, instead of the dynamic force it was billed as in the preseason, JMU's defense is its strength.
With Maryland experiencing offensive line woes on top of it all, look for JMU's front four to cause serious trouble for the Terps this weekend.
Well, actually, it could.
If you consider losing to a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) team worse than losing to Cal, one of the top teams in the Pac-10, then Maryland actually should be concerned.
Whereas Maryland's defense has been exposed as a weakness, instead of the dynamic force it was billed as in the preseason, JMU's defense is its strength.
With Maryland experiencing offensive line woes on top of it all, look for JMU's front four to cause serious trouble for the Terps this weekend.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
$5,200 A Week — Not Bad
In the latest development of former JMU defensive lineman J.D. Skolnitsky's saga, the 6-foot-5, 265-pound tackle has signed to the Redskins practice squad.
His reward? $5,200 a week.
Skolnitsky will not attend games with the Redskins while he's on the practice squad — something I'm sure he would enjoy — but a little over a grand a day isn't bad recompense.
This, all according to a Daily News-Record article on the subject.
After having his final year of collegiate eligibility stripped by the NCAA because of a failed drug test, Skolnitsky continues to impress at the next level.
His reward? $5,200 a week.
Skolnitsky will not attend games with the Redskins while he's on the practice squad — something I'm sure he would enjoy — but a little over a grand a day isn't bad recompense.
This, all according to a Daily News-Record article on the subject.
After having his final year of collegiate eligibility stripped by the NCAA because of a failed drug test, Skolnitsky continues to impress at the next level.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Q&A Greatness
So, in Googling the term "ACC vs. CAA," I have come across the funniest blog post I've seen in recent memory.
Desmond Conner publishes a blog about Connecticut football, and in his question and answer feature, he had to answer the following question: "Should ACC Be Concerned About CAA Taking Its BCS Bid?"
Wow. Hilarious.
John Feinstein wrote a scathing article about the ACC's abysmal showing last weekend, in which he lampoons the conference's addition of Miami and Virginia Tech a few years back. He calls it the "now infamous football expansion of 2005."
I'm not sure where I stand on the issue. The ACC is clearly a lower-tier BCS conference, but I'm waiting to see how Miami and Virginia Tech's seasons play out before I indict the ACC as a whole.
What do you think?
Desmond Conner publishes a blog about Connecticut football, and in his question and answer feature, he had to answer the following question: "Should ACC Be Concerned About CAA Taking Its BCS Bid?"
Wow. Hilarious.
John Feinstein wrote a scathing article about the ACC's abysmal showing last weekend, in which he lampoons the conference's addition of Miami and Virginia Tech a few years back. He calls it the "now infamous football expansion of 2005."
I'm not sure where I stand on the issue. The ACC is clearly a lower-tier BCS conference, but I'm waiting to see how Miami and Virginia Tech's seasons play out before I indict the ACC as a whole.
What do you think?
Monday, September 7, 2009
CAA fells ACC
OK, so only two teams from the CAA did this.
But they were the only two teams to play against ACC competition, and it says something about the toughness of the Colonial Athletic Association, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) conference. Villanova also beat Temple on Thursday, the first of the CAA's three wins against major conference schools.
Of course, I'm speaking of Richmond's 24-16 win at Duke and William & Mary's 26-14 upset at Virginia, games that were scheduled by the major conference schools as easy wins.
Hank Kurz Jr. of the Associated Press wrote an interesting article about this phenomenon, in which he diagrams the fallout from Duke and Virginia's losses.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a similar article about the weekend's action, but focused solely on Richmond's perspective.
The RTD's main point was that 2000 was the last time the CAA had three wins against Football Bowl Subdivision teams, and one of those wins was against Connecticut, a transitionaI I-A program at the time.
So now, the question becomes: Is the CAA good for a fourth? James Madison travels to Maryland for its season debut against the Terrapins, who lost 52-13 at California on Saturday. Stay tuned.
But they were the only two teams to play against ACC competition, and it says something about the toughness of the Colonial Athletic Association, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) conference. Villanova also beat Temple on Thursday, the first of the CAA's three wins against major conference schools.
Of course, I'm speaking of Richmond's 24-16 win at Duke and William & Mary's 26-14 upset at Virginia, games that were scheduled by the major conference schools as easy wins.
Hank Kurz Jr. of the Associated Press wrote an interesting article about this phenomenon, in which he diagrams the fallout from Duke and Virginia's losses.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a similar article about the weekend's action, but focused solely on Richmond's perspective.
The RTD's main point was that 2000 was the last time the CAA had three wins against Football Bowl Subdivision teams, and one of those wins was against Connecticut, a transitionaI I-A program at the time.
So now, the question becomes: Is the CAA good for a fourth? James Madison travels to Maryland for its season debut against the Terrapins, who lost 52-13 at California on Saturday. Stay tuned.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Photoshop Endeavors
This week marked the publishing of my feature on Bridgewater College football players making the journey from Hampton Roads to the Shenandoah Valley. I put together the photo illustration above for the story, which made the cover of the Shenandoah Journal.My editor pitched me the idea about a month ago, and we decided to run it before the first football game of the season, which BC won last night, 44-34 over Averett.
Two of the player photos were contributed from the Bridgewater athletic department, and the rest of the photos were taken by me.
So, I'm looking for some feedback. Any suggestions on photo placement within the illustration, and what could have been altered to bring out the character of the feature?
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