As the game approaches, I have a few thoughts.
I love the way a feeling of invulnerability and inevitability seems to encase JMU in this game. I guess that is based on the large number of points they have scored and their outstanding victory in Fargo. We know how hard it is to beat NDSU there; we have done it only twice in five attempts. But I really wonder if JMU fans realize how badly injuries had decimated the NDSU defense for that game.
Statistics can be manipulated to support virtually any position. Politicians have exploited this for centuries. Now the JMU offense looks scary good. Glancing at the most recent Sagarin ratings, JMU has played only three teams in the top 100 this season, including North Carolina. YSU has played seven, including West Virginia. At the other end of the spectrum, five of JMU wins have come against teams that ranked below Missouri State, believe it or not. So is the JMU offense very, very good or are the stats a reflection of plenty of games against unimpressive opponents? I suspect it is a bit of both.
Since they started to play college football fourteen decades ago, teams with the best line play have won most of the time. I don't expect this game to be any different.