Dukes go to Delaware

Dukes look to hand Hens fourth-straight A-10 loss

By Meagan Mihalko, assistant sports editor

The JMU football team’s white away jerseys won’t be white for long.

After last weekend’s muddy loss to the University of Massachusetts, the Dukes won’t get a break as far as field conditions go.

The University of Delaware is re-sodding their field for this weekend’s Atlantic 10 matchup, which is exactly what happened last season in Chattanooga, Tenn., at the Division I-AA national title game. However, coach Mickey Matthews said at Monday’s press conference that the conditions in Massachusetts made the Chattanooga game look like “Central Park.”

Regardless of the field conditions this weekend, things will get messy. While the   Fighting Blue Hens’ record sits at 0-3 in conference play, that’s not what the Dukes will be thinking about come Saturday’s game time.

“The rivalry is so intense, we really don’t care about their record,” coach Mickey Matthews said. “When Delaware and JMU play, it’s big.”

And this is a big weekend for JMU. They will have to prove, once again, that they can bounce back from a tough loss. The only problem is it’s hard to prepare for a game where some factors are going to be beyond the realm of control. There’s no way for JMU to practice on a muddy field or a field that was just re-sodded, so this week they will have had to work on things they can control.

“Both defenses got an inflated view of themselves, and we didn’t play very well on offense,” Matthews said. “We did not run very well.”

The running game has been something that the Dukes have been able to use to their advantage this season and will continue to work on, although senior running back Raymond Hines is still plagued by an injury.

The Blue Hens also have a strong running game and their top running back, Omar Cuff, has rushed for seven touchdowns and 627 yards so far this season. Cuff leads the A-10 in all-purpose yards and is second in receptions/game.

“From what I’ve seen, he’s the best back in the league,” Matthews said.

In addition to being a talented back, Cuff also leads the Blue Hen’s in receiving. He has five touchdown catches and leads the Hens with 27 total receptions.

Matthews also praised Delaware’s transfer quarterback Sonny Riccio. Riccio, who transferred from the University of Missouri, has thrown for an average of 204.8 yards per game and nine touchdowns.

Defensively, Delaware will look to linebacker John Mulhern, who has 57 tackles on the season and two sacks. Mulhern is second in league in tackles. They also have one of the top defensive linemen in the league in Tom Parks, who has three sacks.

 As far as the Dukes go, they’ll need to continue with what they’ve been working on throughout the season.

“We’re fine, we just need to play, and get better at what we’re doing,” Matthews said. “We’re not going to get used to losing.”

While coming off a tough loss is challenging, the Dukes have continued to raise their level of play and are improving with every game, especially on the defensive side.

“Kevin Winston and Demitrius Shambley had career games [at UMass],” Matthews said.

Matthews also said that senior cornerback Clint Kent’s effort as a corner and on special teams has made a huge difference. Additionally, junior linebacker Akeem Jordan has played a vital role in JMU’s defense with an interception in each of his last two games.

“We are a better football team than we were at any time last year,” Matthews said.

The Dukes will get the chance to prove that to the Blue Hens this weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Del.