[rueful]

yeah well get voted in but we dont deserve it, yeah we beat ball state, but come on. Is sweeping the big south that great of an accomplishment?

[kuntryboimike]

Just want to point out that my seats were EXACTLY behind the band and listening to them argue and battle with JMU's band was pretty annoying while trying to focus on the game....

[ToTheLeft]

these last two weeks have been such a dissappointment. good thing we wont be ranked again for a while. Wins against big south teams wont quite cut it, no matter how great we think our football team is, winning the rest of our schedule doesnt make us a top 25 team

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

We lost to a top 3 team. A lot of people will still have us ranked. Chill out. We'll be ranked and will stay ranked in the 20's all season unless we lose.

[ToTheLeft]

This sounds like you thought the d is to blame.

WHILE IT WAS THE REASON WE LOST ON THE SCOREBOARD, REALLY DID ALL IT COULD.... BUT THE OFFENSE SHOULD BE ABLE TO OVERCOME THAT AND IT DIDN'T.

Sounds to me like I'm blaming the offense and praising the defense for giving a hard fought effort and not being put in a position to win the game. The simple fact is that touchdown is why we lost, but that the offense should have been able to overcome it and it didn't, and that the defense did everything it could.

[JMU Supporter]

I didn't get to watch much of the game. 10-3. it is what it is. The defenses seem to be ahead of the offenses so far. Best of luck the rest of the season and we'll see you next season

if not sooner!

[ToTheLeft]

To give a clearer statement on my feelings about the game, since certain people are confused:

The defense played well, and despite a couple of broken plays, did everything it could do to win the game. Props to those guys for fighting to help LU win, and they did a great job. The offense was stubborn a bit, and couldn't control the pass rush/point of attack against the run and that killed us.

Better?

[ToTheLeft]

yeah well get voted in but we dont deserve it, yeah we beat ball state, but come on. Is sweeping the big south that great of an accomplishment?

Are you really gonna be like this after losing to arguably the best team in FCS, on the road?

First of all, rankings don't matter at all. We could be unranked, but if we win the BSC we're going to the playoffs.

Second of all, yes, sweeping the Big South is an accomplishment because they would be WINS. WINS move you up the board.

[From the class of 09]

To give a clearer statement on my feelings about the game, since certain people are confused:

The defense played well, and despite a couple of broken plays, did everything it could do to win the game. Props to those guys for fighting to help LU win, and they did a great job. The offense was stubborn a bit, and couldn't control the pass rush/point of attack against the run and that killed us.

Better?

i'll just mark it up that u have an odd way of passing out compliments and me being irate that we can't beat a team when we hold them to 10 freaking points I'm still emotional about this and its already past 11

[ToTheLeft]

To give a clearer statement on my feelings about the game, since certain people are confused:

The defense played well, and despite a couple of broken plays, did everything it could do to win the game. Props to those guys for fighting to help LU win, and they did a great job. The offense was stubborn a bit, and couldn't control the pass rush/point of attack against the run and that killed us.

Better?

i'll just mark it up that u have an odd way of passing out compliments and me being irate that we can't beat a team when we hold them to 10 freaking points I'm still emotional about this and its already past 11

They're arguably the best team in the nation, at home, and we were a play away from winning. As far as losses go, it's one to not be super upset about, especially considering Mike's health.

But I strayed away from a total sunshine and flowers and smiley faces post because we lost. So yeah, it's an odd way to pass out compliments.

[HarrisburgFlame]

these last two weeks have been such a dissappointment. good thing we wont be ranked again for a while. Wins against big south teams wont quite cut it, no matter how great we think our football team is, winning the rest of our schedule doesnt make us a top 25 team

Wins against BigSouth teams will cut it this year. It's our conference and the BigSouth has an automatic bid. So wins against the BigSouth will cut it in terms of getting Liberty into the FCS playoffs for the first time ever.

The real season is the BigSouth season.

[rueful]

yeah but these last two weeks have kind of showed that yeah sure, we can make the playoffs, but i have little confidence we will win a game after that

[Sly Fox]

If we make it into the playoffs and have to play a 1st round game, I would suspect we would be favorites.

[HarrisburgFlame]

yeah but these last two weeks have kind of showed that yeah sure, we can make the playoffs, but i have little confidence we will win a game after that

It's a journey. 5 years ago we finished 6-6 overall. Then we got a winning season and won the BigSouth. Next it's let's get to the playoffs. Then it will be let's win a game or two in the playoffs.

Liberty is heading in the right direction. Tough loss tonight but JMU is pretty tough. We aren't where we need to be yet - but win the BigSouth and let's see what happens.

[rueful]

and thats basically what im saying, yeah we have been in the right direction, for a while, this year I just feel like we are stagnant in our growth, were not getting better or closer to our goal. Yeah we should make the playoffs (barring another wtf loss) but we havent done anything different than the last few years, its just we get a gimme now with the aq.

were not where we thought we were, particularly after ball st., and my dissappointment just is coming from the lack of signs of growth this year.

[HarrisburgFlame]

and thats basically what im saying, yeah we have been in the right direction, for a while, this year I just feel like we are stagnant in our growth, were not getting better or closer to our goal. Yeah we should make the playoffs (barring another wtf loss) but we havent done anything different than the last few years, its just we get a gimme now with the aq.

were not where we thought we were, particularly after ball st., and my dissappointment just is coming from the lack of signs of growth this year.

I hear you. I was hoping BSU would launch the season as well. That said, the last 2 weeks have been tough.

But we have a conference season coming up and if we take care of business we get a shot to play for something we've never played for before.

I would consider that progress and the last 2 weeks will be a distant memory - especially if we can make some noise in the playoffs.

[JMUDukes]

How can possibly making the playoffs and winning a playoff game not be doing anything different? Ya'll can definitely take the next step this year. I'm not saying championship, but I am saying getting used to the big dance

[Sly Fox]

Wrap-up from the Scribe ...

LU comes up a touchdown short at JMU


Liberty receiver Tommy Shaver barely missed a one-handed catch in the end zone and the Flames were forced to settle for a field goal, their only score against the Dukes.

By CHRIS LANG
Published: September 25, 2010

HARRISONBURG — Liberty’s football program has advanced enough in the last five years that the Flames are long past the point of moral victories, something Flames coach Danny Rocco was quick to point out after James Madison gutted out a 10-3 victory at Bridgeforth Stadium on an unusually warm Saturday evening in late September.

Click Here for Full Story

[Sly Fox]

And the story from the SIDs ...

Dukes Edge Flames in Top 25 Defensive Battle

September 25, 2010| Harrisonburg, Va.| Photo Gallery| Box Score


Kyle O'Donnell finished the game with No. 3/3 James Madison with a career-high 14 tackles.

No. 3/3 James Madison used a third-quarter field goal to give the Dukes a cushion and then outlasted the No. 22/21 Liberty in a defensive struggle, claiming a 10-3 victory inside of Bridgeforth Stadium.

The victory keeps James Madison unbeaten on the season and ups the Dukes' record to 3-0. The loss, Liberty's second in row, drops the Flames' record to 2-2 and closes out a three-game road swing.

Click Here for Full Story

[kuntryboimike]

by the way i almost lost my temper with a jmu fan tonight. after the game he decided to come over take his shirt off and RIGHT IN OUR FACES start fanning us with his shirt GOING ON AND ON about how much better JMU is better than Liberty. I was THIS CLOSE from knockin em out. I was pretty heated leaving that stadium and still am. i get celebrating but shoving it in the face of your opponent? call me what you want but i'm a thorough believer in sportsmanship on and off the field.

[JMUDukes]

by the way i almost lost my temper with a jmu fan tonight. after the game he decided to come over take his shirt off and RIGHT IN OUR FACES start fanning us with his shirt GOING ON AND ON about how much better JMU is better than Liberty. I was THIS CLOSE from knockin em out. I was pretty heated leaving that stadium and still am. i get celebrating but shoving it in the face of your opponent? call me what you want but i'm a thorough believer in sportsmanship on and off the field.

i know you probably don't deal with them very often (just stating a fact here) but that was what we like to call a drunk idiot

[JK37]

My thoughts:

*Hard-fought. Proud of the team. About what I expected playing at #3.
*Offense: After very good first quarter, seemed to get very conservative, unwilling to take chances. Poor O-line affects everything, so maybe it was an adjustment after recognizing we were being dominated up front. If so, that has to be fixed.
*Defense: While good, I saw too many missed tackles. A very good performance against #3's offense could've been the stuff of legend had some would-be tacklers been a bit tougher and more disciplined.

It says something when more fans are road-tripping to an away game than were attending home games in 2004 and 2005. Barber, Rocco, et. al., are. doing a GREAT job. The sea of red on TV was nice to see.

Oh, what could have been...

[jimflamesfan]

I was impressed with the effort tonight. The Flames never gave up...not until the very end. That's a good sign.

As far as the rankings...they really don't matter...but I'm not even sure that we'll drop out of the 1-aa top 25 with a 10-3 loss to the #3 team on the road.

Concerning the comments of the Big South being weak and a cakewalk this year...remember, Gardner Webb beat Akron last week, and Stony Brook almost upset Umass.

This may be one of the better set of teams that we've ever faced in conference.

SO...good effort, but the Flames need to move on and get to work...one game at a time.

[BJWilliams]

I didnt get to see the game (I was in the hospital the whole time) but I got to listen to Mike Schickman (sp? one of our JMU friends could confirm that for me) talking on the postgame. really it probably came down to 3-5 plays that if they go our way we win the game. It sounded like we were there punch for punch with a top 3 team and in the running for one of the top 5 seeds come the end of the regular season. Let's learn from tonight and get ready to pound Savannah State into the ground next week for Hall of Fame weekend

[TDDance234]

yeah but these last two weeks have kind of showed that yeah sure, we can make the playoffs, but i have little confidence we will win a game after that

Did you watch the JMU game? We were a dropped pass in the endzone away from being right there in the end. While we didn't win, we can certainly play with anyone in the FCS.

[FlamingChick]

We need a more productive QB

Really?? In 4 games Mike has 50 rushing attempts for 207 yards and a TD. He's 86 of 132 passing for 1,084 yards and 8 TDs. Yeah, he's had 5 INTs, but you can't expect your first year starter--or any player for that matter-- to be perfect in every aspect of the game. There is always room for improvement and I'm sure the offense as a whole will continue to improve as the season goes on.
Tommy Beecher only put up 1700 yards all season last year, so I think passing wise, Mike is off to a good start. We had a MUCH better running game last year, and it makes a difference. However, I think having a QB that can help out the offense with his feet, and turn broken plays into first downs should be considered productive. If there was a better option at QB on the roster, I'm pretty sure that they would be starting.

What I think we need is a more productive offense as a whole. A more productive OL, a more productive running game, and better play calling. The defense is hit or miss so far this season. The guys have one more week to figure some things out before we get into conference play, so hopefully we'll see some improvements.