The Terps have their first home-game of the year, this Saturday vs. James Madison.

While MD has no business losing at home to JMU, the Terps would be foolish to casually dismiss the Dukes as it might appear I am.

JMU enters this year, ranked 6th overall in the preseason Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll.

JMU was 12-2 in 2008, winning the Colonial Athletic Assocation title, and entering the NCAA playoffs as the No. 1 seed.

If the Terps need further reasons to not look past James Madison, the Colonial Athletic Association was 2-1 vs. the ACC last-week, as Richmond and William & Mary beat Duke, and Virginia respectively. Just last year, MD escaped with a narrow 14-7 win over another CAA foe in Delaware.

This will be James Madison’s first-game of the season. In the past two years, JMU has opened with losses to Duke, and North Carolina.

So what do we know about James Madison? We know that their Coaching staff is familiar with MD’s Defense, as Coach Brown previously was with UMass in the CAA.

We know that because it is their first-game of the season, they figure to go through typical Game 1 mistakes.

We know that that because it is their first-game of the season, they have had additional time to prepare for the Terps.

Randy Clemens of The National Sports Review, provided this scouting report on James Madison:

http://nationalsportsreview.com/sports/us/digitalsportsdaily/2009/08/17/today%E2%80%99s-fcs-preview-colonial-athletic-association/?SPSID=71029&SPID=8113&DB_OEM_ID=14400

“You’ve lost your quarterback, who led your team in rushing as well as passing. Gone is your second-leading rusher, your third-leading rusher is now playing free safety, the top-two tacklers have graduated, the players who hauled in most of your interceptions and nearly half your sacks from 2008 no longer are on campus. What’s a coach to do?

If you’re JMU’s Mickey Matthews, wearing that 2004 FCS championship ring, you reload.

That’s exactly what the three-time coach of the year is doing in his 11th season at the helm of the Dukes. Or, to be more precise, has to do. Quarterback Rodney Landers has completed his career of terrorizing opposing defenses with his arm and legs. The focus will now be on junior Drew Dudzik, who threw 32 passes last season, as well as redshirt freshman Justin Thorpe. Junior Jamal Sullivan and sophomore Corwin Acker will be expected to carry the load in JMU’s backfield. The wide receiver corps returns three of the top four pass-catchers from 2008 in seniors Rockeed McCarter, Mike Caussin and Bosco Williams.

Defensively, the front-seven of the Dukes’ scheme will have to dominate opposing offenses. Senior defensive ede Arthur Moates and his 11 sacks return, along with fellow senior defensive tackle Sam Daniels. Sophomore Pat Williams leads the linebackers while the JMU secondary will be young.

Despite all the new faces at the top of the depth chart, expect James Madison to fight for their place in the 2009 post-season. The Dukes open the season on the road at Maryland on Saturday September 12.”

At the end of the day, this game for Maryland has to be less about James Madison, and more about the Terps.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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