DURHAM, N.H. – Saturday’s loss to New Hampshire may have cost JMU a playoff bid. Even with a pair of wins down the stretch, the Dukes would almost certainly be the fifth Athletic Association team in line for the postseason.
Of the final three games, New Hampshire was the best team left on JMU’s schedule, and subsequently, the Dukes best chance to notch a quality victory to impress the selection committee. Wins over UMass and Rhode Island in the next two weeks may not be enough.
A dreadful first quarter and even harder-to-watch offense doomed the Dukes Saturday.
First down: What is wrong with JMU’s kickoff coverage?
The Dukes’ defense never really had a chance Saturday after JMU gave up big kick returns to UNH in the first quarter. The Wildcats’ Dontra Peters came in third in the CAA in kick return average and JMU wisely kicked away from him. Not that it helped.
R.J. Harris had two returns for 78 yards, including a 55-yarder. Niko Steriti took his only kickoff back 23 yards. All three returns led to scores as UNH put up points on its first four possessions.
The Dukes added to their shoddy kick coverage by committing penalties on two of UNH’s big returns.
Special teams used to be a strength of JMU, but that hasn’t been the case this season. JMU may have to put more starters on special teams to avoid giving up big returns the next two weeks.
There is no excuse for being consistently lousy on kick coverage and, now that the problem is front and center, no excuse for not fixing it quickly.
Second down: How much did injuries hamper the Dukes’ offense?
Before suffering a rash of injuries on the offensive line in the first half against Old Dominion, James Madison led the CAA in rushing offense. The Dukes were getting about 230 yards per game at that point.
But in the last two games, they’ve managed just 239 rushing yards total.
With season-ending injuries to tackles A.J. Scott (knee) and Josh Wells (foot), JMU moved right guard Matt Krout to right tackle, where he played last season. Redshirt freshman Matt Williams moved into Krout’s right guard spot and redshirt freshman Matt Cunningham left tackle.
“I think they did a good job for the most part,” quarterback Jace Edwards said. “We’ve got some young guys up there that stepped up and filled roles.”
Said Matthews: “I think they played OK. It’s hard to evaluate. This is the first time they ever played. I’ll have to watch the tape.”
Running back Dae’Quan Scott dislocated his left shoulder for a second time in the ODU loss and Saturday, but played and rushed for 111 yards, most it coming on a 56-yard carry in the first quarter.
Edwards, already playing with a dislocated shoulder himself, rolled his ankle in the first quarter.
“Jace hurt his ankle in the first quarter,” Matthews said. “We had to throw out a lot of our offense because of his limited mobility.”
In all, while the injuries didn’t doom JMU’s offense, they certainly didn’t help.
Third down: What will JMU do now that quarterback Justin Thorpe is back from suspension?
Injuries – ankle and shoulder – to Edwards may render this point moot, but adding Thorpe into the offense should energize the Dukes some. Quarterback runs haven’t been a part of JMU’s offense since Edwards suffered his shoulder injury.
Fans can argue whether Matthews would have given Thorpe his starting spot back if Edwards was healthy. The truth is, at this point, that argument doesn’t matter much.
Thorpe has looked sharp during practice his past five weeks and would go along way toward repairing his image and restoring his popularity by leading JMU to back-to-back wins and a possible I-AA playoff berth.
Whether you think he deserves to be back on the field this year or not, he may be the only chance JMU has to end its postseason drought.
Punts: The 25 points JMU allowed in the first half to UNH was the most it gave up in the opening half since allowing 28 at North Carolina in the season opener. … The Dukes had five sacks Saturday, the most since dropping Richmond’s Aaron Corp seven times in a win over the Spiders. … Next weekend’s opponent, Rhode Island, has won two of its last three games and narrowly lost at New Hampshire in that span.
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