JMU keeps new offense under wraps
The gap was evident Saturday evening at Bridgeforth Stadium. JMU is Division
I-AA. Its first opponent, Lock Haven University, is Division II.
The Dukes cruised past the Bald Eagles, 62-7.
"They’re a good D-II team," red-shirt sophomore quarterback
Justin Rascati said. "We’re a I-AA powerhouse or, at least,
I think we are with what we’ve got. They gave us a good fight."
But JMU’s real fight comes in two weeks when the Dukes travel to
Villanova University to kick off Atlantic 10 Conference play.
Last season, the Wildcats finished 7-4 overall while posting a 5-4 mark
in A-10 play, and only are a year removed from a I-AA semifinal playoff
appearance in which they lost 39-28 to McNeese State University in 2002.
"We could definitely improve before Villanova," Rascati said.
But there was a lot to test in Saturday’s contest. The Dukes come
into 2004 with a new look offense — and it’s a new look offense
that future conference opponents are very interested in scouting.
"We didn’t show a lot tonight," coach Mickey Matthews
said. "We only used four or five defenses and ran about 30 percent
of our offense."
The reason, he said, is that the Dukes don’t plan to give too much
away before their Sept. 18 date with the Wildcats in Villanova, Pa.
"I’m kind of new to this league, so I haven’t played against
Villanova before," freshman wide receiver L.C. Baker said. "Preparationwise,
we didn’t show them everything — and I think that’s a good
thing."
However, it’s hard to fully grasp a team’s capabilities when
playing an opponent that competes in a lesser division.
"That’s the only disadvantage I see in this game," Baker
said. "I wasn’t playing against A-10 corners, but I’ll
be mentally ready [to play them]."
As far as what exactly the Dukes are trying to conceal, it’s simple
for Matthews, who said it’s just what JMU plans to do throughout
the season.
"There’s no reason to give a great look," Matthews said.
"We felt like we didn’t need to, to win the game. We could’ve
used all of [the offense], but we predetermined not to before the game."
And Matthews isn’t worried about the rationing of his offense.
"We crank it up pretty good in practice so the kids know what’s going on," he said. "We better be ready, because you don’t really have a choice."
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