Archive For The “James Madison” Category

Know Your 2015 Opponents: James Madison (And The CAA)

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Know Your 2015 Opponents: James Madison (And The CAA)

In a typical Lehigh football season, there is one early “stretch game” that tests the Mountain Hawks in regards to their potential stature in thw wider FCS world.

There’s little question that Lehigh’s trip to Harrisonburg, Virginia is going to be that test.

Last year, first year head coach Everett Withers guided the Dukes, whose fan base expects FCS playoff appearances and deep playoff runs, probably exceeded expectations, going 9-4 and making the playoffs in his first year as James Madison head coach.

In 2015, the Dukes will be in an unfamiliar place – living up to the expectations.
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Virginia Bill to Micromanage Athletics Funding Hurts Smaller Schools

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Virginia Bill to Micromanage Athletics Funding Hurts Smaller Schools
James Madison vs. Virigina Tech (HamptonRoads.com)

This article from the Virginian Pilot-Online might have escaped your attention, but it could be something that has deep-ranging effects on collegiate athletics.

While the bill only affects schools in Virginia, if other state houses take up similar legislation across the country, it could deeply impact and potentially hurt smaller public universities across the country.

The article, written by Harry Minium, says it like this:

Old Dominion, Norfolk State and many other state schools will have to depend more on fundraising and ticket sales and less on student fees to fund their athletic budgets under a bill signed into law by Gov. Terry McAuliffe Sunday night. 

McAuliffe signed HB 1897 without any amendments. The bill, sponsored by Del. Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, sets limits on the percentage of athletic budgets that can be funded through student fees. 

“I am very happy to see that Governor signed the bill,” said Cox, the House Majority Leader. 

Cox said he introduced HB 1897 to try to slow the increase in student athletic fees, which he said has been one of the major drivers behind a 122 percent increase in tuition and fees since 2002.

At first glance, this bill might seem to have a worthy goal – an attempt to halt the reliance on certain public institutions on reliance on soaking students in order to fund their athletics departments.  Look at the bill more closely, though, and you start to wonder if that was the intent of the legislation at all.
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Having "Faith" After The Tough Loss to JMU

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Having "Faith" After The Tough Loss to JMU

It’s no secret I don’t take losses well.

Despite the fact that I picked JMU to win, and logically, I saw the task of beating JMU as a tough one for these young Mountain Hawks, starting over a dozen new names, emotionally I can’t separate the logical and emotional sides of my brain very well.  When the Lehigh offense was driving down the field with about a minute to play, I saw the win at the end of tunnel of light.

It would have made my day, given me a rush of adrenaline that would have carried me through the day, and perhaps a good chunk of the week.

But it didn’t happen.  The adrenal rush never happened.  I drove home, the loss not sitting well with the Chinese food we ate, nor the breakfast I ate.  The food didn’t taste good.  The tiredness took over.

Something funny happened, though, on the way to next week.

A spark of “faith” that after one game, things might be OK.
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Lehigh Fights Hard, But Bolt Of Lightning and James Madison Power Surge Leads to Defeat, 31-28

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Lehigh Fights Hard, But Bolt Of Lightning and James Madison Power Surge Leads to Defeat, 31-28

It could be that a bolt of lightning, which hit ground supposedly eight miles from Murray Goodman stadium, helped short out a possible Lehigh victory.

Going into halftime, all the electricity was on Lehigh’s side.

Sophomore CB Brandon Leaks unleashed a powerful hit on scrambling JMU QB Vad Lee, stopping him a yard short of the end-zone pylon and giving Lehigh a 21-10 lead going into halftime.

Momentum was all Lehigh in an incredible first half for the Mountain Hawks.-

Before that lightning came down, that is.

The strike – if there actually was a strike, because I didn’t see or hear it – caused a half-hour delay at halftime, despite nothing but blue skies with some clouds at Murray Goodman stadium.

But the lightning gave James Madison, gathering under a tree right before the second half began, the power surge they needed to earn the victory.
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Game Breakdown: James Madison at Lehigh, 9/6/2014

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Game Breakdown: James Madison at Lehigh, 9/6/2014
JMU S Dean Marlowe (AP)

We break down the James Madison game and we give our fearless prediction below the flip.

The Dukes have only met Lehigh twice in their history.  One time was the “7th-and-goal” game in the I-AA playoffs.

The other was back in 1980, during one of the more stellar Engineer football seasons under head coach John Whitehead.

The Brown and White played a tough schedule, including Colgate, Army, and five teams that would, at one point, end up in the CAA: Delaware, Maine, Rhode Island, Northeastern, and, of course, JMU.

Lehigh went 9-0-2 that regular season, thanks to the efforts of WR Mark Yeager, one of the best wideouts in the small-college circuit.  The ties came against Colgate and Army, which meant the Engineers would win the Lambert Cup with ease.  They’d lose in the I-AA playoffs to Eastern Kentucky, coached by hall-of-famer Roy Kidd.
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Game Preview: James Madison at Lehigh, 9/6/2014

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Game Preview: James Madison at Lehigh, 9/6/2014

(Photo Credit: AP)

What’s in a game?

You’re a typical Lehigh fan.  You know Lehigh is playing James Madison next weekend.  You know that the Dukes have been a pretty good football team over the years.  After reading this fantastic Lehigh blog you found, you learned of that national championship they won with QB Justin Rascati, after that championship run that started with converting that 7th-and-goal against the Mountain Hawks in the playoffs.

But then you read a recap of James Madison’s game last weekend against Maryland, and then you don’t know what to think.

The Terps are a FBS team, playing their very first game as a member of the Big 10 against the Dukes, coasted to a 45-0 lead against James Madison and were never really threatened.  You read about mistakes, penalties, scoring only in garbage time.  You might have caught some of the BTN broadcast, showing a sullen QB Vad Lee angry at himself after his second interception.

What’s in that game?  Does it mean anything, in the grand scheme of things, in regards to Lehigh’s chances this Saturday?
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Game Preview: James Madison at Lehigh, 9/6/2014

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Game Preview: James Madison at Lehigh, 9/6/2014

(Photo Credit: AP)

What’s in a game?

You’re a typical Lehigh fan.  You know Lehigh is playing James Madison next weekend.  You know that the Dukes have been a pretty good football team over the years.  After reading this fantastic Lehigh blog you found, you learned of that national championship they won with QB Justin Rascati, after that championship run that started with converting that 7th-and-goal against the Mountain Hawks in the playoffs.

But then you read a recap of James Madison’s game last weekend against Maryland, and then you don’t know what to think.

The Terps are a FBS team, playing their very first game as a member of the Big 10 against the Dukes, coasted to a 45-0 lead against James Madison and were never really threatened.  You read about mistakes, penalties, scoring only in garbage time.  You might have caught some of the BTN broadcast, showing a sullen QB Vad Lee angry at himself after his second interception.

What’s in that game?  Does it mean anything, in the grand scheme of things, in regards to Lehigh’s chances this Saturday?
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Game Preview: James Madison at Lehigh, 9/6/2014

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Game Preview: James Madison at Lehigh, 9/6/2014

(Photo Credit: AP)

What’s in a game?

You’re a typical Lehigh fan.  You know Lehigh is playing James Madison next weekend.  You know that the Dukes have been a pretty good football team over the years.  After reading this fantastic Lehigh blog you found, you learned of that national championship they won with QB Justin Rascati, after that championship run that started with converting that 7th-and-goal against the Mountain Hawks in the playoffs.

But then you read a recap of James Madison’s game last weekend against Maryland, and then you don’t know what to think.

The Terps are a FBS team, playing their very first game as a member of the Big 10 against the Dukes, coasted to a 45-0 lead against James Madison and were never really threatened.  You read about mistakes, penalties, scoring only in garbage time.  You might have caught some of the BTN broadcast, showing a sullen QB Vad Lee angry at himself after his second interception.

What’s in that game?  Does it mean anything, in the grand scheme of things, in regards to Lehigh’s chances this Saturday?
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Opening CFB Weekend Thoughts, 8/31/2014

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Opening CFB Weekend Thoughts, 8/31/2014

Some quick thoughts about the opening college football weekend.
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Know Your 2014 Opponents: James Madison

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Know Your 2014 Opponents: James Madison

(Photo Credit: Lehigh Athletics)

When the Dukes come to Murray Goodman Stadium this September 6th, it won’t quite be a full decade since James Madison last came to Bethlehem.

But the occasion of that almost-decade-old meeting – the first round of the FCS playoffs in 2004 – is not easily forgotten by either side.

For fans of the Purple and Gold, it was the first step towards a memorable FCS National Championship run – all four wins coming on the road.

For fans of the Brown and White, however, the memory always goes back to those seven downs.
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