TigerFan54

This one could go either way. Davis Cheek is a good QB; Kortez Weeks is a dangerous receiver; and Elon's defense can be stout. If we come out the way we did against URI, we should be all right. Mostly, I'm looking forward to seeing how Amendola does. (I assume RA will start him; not much sense in putting 14 back out there again.)

JMU won't be eligible for the conference championship once the move to the SunBelt is announced. The v-ball team could be deflated this weekend as a result -- or more determined than ever to show they are the cream of the CAA crop. I suspect the latter will be true, so we'll have our work cut out for us.

First game back after injuring his hand, so I'd factor that in. He impressed me early in the season -- and is much better, IMO, than his backup. Too bad for us.

Mancuso, Richmond's QB at the start of the season who got injured several weeks ago, is back. He led the Spiders' to victory yesterday. So our pass defense better be much improved this week.

Any idea why Kobe is not playing? (He carried the ball against Morgan, if I recall correctly.) This seems to be a year-in, year-out issue with him.

Completely understand why JMU fans have been eager for a move up, but the competition will take a toll -- App State, Coastal, Marshall will be tough outs. Yes, that could ultimately make JMU better, but they could also wind up following ODU's path to mediocrity (at best) at the higher level.

Not to judge solely by appearances, but he often has a smirk on his face, as if he knows so much more than his questioner that it's almost beneath him to supply an answer. If the team is winning, it's tolerable. But since that's less than half the time, I find it especially off-putting.

If I recall correctly, Rayne Tucker was a key contributor for JMU last year, so she's a solid addition for us.

Agree, TSU88. Chunk plays are non-existent in this offense -- and defenses know we never go vertical, so they can concentrate on keeping those passes into the flat from gaining more than 5-6 yards. If we somehow manage to grind out wins over URI/W&M/Albany/Richmond/Elon (forget about JMU) and squeak into the playoffs at 7-4, I predict a quick exit.

I watched some of the URI game. Kasim Hill is big but slow and a so-so passer IMO -- I don't consider him a great playmaker. But he's more of a presence than our game manager QB -- who can't run the ball at all. Hill and the URI coaching staff has that team believing this is their year to make the playoffs. Any that may be the case.

Who is Sam?

Elon-Maine is terrible. No problems for me with Delaware-URI.

Didn't Trevor very publicly complain about RA's cursing and abusive language the year after we went to the FCS title game? I seem to recall he was upset on religious grounds.

I watched the game against UNH, and he was in the backfield a lot, forcing Edwards to roll out on most plays. I haven't seen much from the JMU transfer who was supposed to be a force on our D-line. I think we got the short stick in that transfer equation.

And that was with Richmond's backup QB playing most of the game after Mancuso -- who's very good -- got hurt.

I see us as having a chance of beating only three or four teams our schedule, and any of those could go the wrong way. Nova again looks like a powerhouse; JMU, of course; Richmond is strong; and Albany took it to us two years ago with the same QB (they lost to NDSU by a much closer score). That leaves Stony Brook, W&M, Rhode Island and Elon, and none of them are pushovers. I foresee a 2-9 or 3-8 season. We can all predict the excuses RA will offer.

There's an Eddie Haskell quality about RA that makes me think TSU88 is right -- he's probably impressed the prez with his "goodness gracious" fake charm.

As overmatched as we were tonight, the first-half play calling was unforgivable. And who calls the plays? We all know the answer.

I listened to that NDSU podcast. They were brutally honest -- they see NOTHING from watching our film to think we pose any threat. They say (accurately) that our lines are "huge but slow," that our QB play is poor and that our team speed is meh (we saw that too against UNH). Along with their speedy QB, they have a bunch of other threats, including two kick returners we'd better keep the ball from. They were also pissed about the lack of TV, which they blamed on Towson rather than the CAA or FloSports.

I think RA was watching a different game than I was. Are those positive comments just spin or did he really see accomplishments that I missed?

All we heard about during the preseason was how much depth we had at all positions. So the absence of Lumor and Collins shouldn't have been a problem, right? But somehow, that depth was a mirage.

I thought Rutkowski was the only sure-handed one in the bunch.

No injuries (that I know of), so that's also a plus. Let's hope we knocked the rust off today and will play better next week.

I'll be there. Don't to wait till the 18th to see this team in person.

Mat -- when RA referred to conversations about closing in one end of the stadium, was he talking about the fieldhouse/scoreboard end? Would the idea be to put in premium seating skyboxes, a la ODU?