JMU Vs UM Friday Night

[justafan]

I hate to do it but griz win this game. I see griz taking a lead and never letting up. They have had 2 big games in a row and I don't really see this going any different.

[Rich K]

[coloradocat]

UM just announced it is replacing the turf in the endzone for next season. One end will still say Montana, the other will say Grisslies.

[coloradocat]

If the O/U on gris offensive touchdowns is 2.5 which way are you going?

I'd go under. That line may be too high.

[BStinsMSU]

I’m usually all for cheering for Montana come playoffs time, but wandering on EFizz this week and reading the “Tommy Merlot” thread has me sitting back hoping they get blown out on national TV

[PapaG]

That amazing Grissly defense gave up 300 yards in the first half. Lucky to only be down 14-3.

[Long Time Cat]

That amazing Grissly defense gave up 300 yards in the first half. Lucky to only be down 14-3.

You mean that same amazing defense that gave up over 600 yards to EWU last week.

[GoCats18]

And just like that, there was only one Big Sky team left.

[The Great Catsby]

JMU offense looked really good against UM defense. And losing your QB and WR is really tough to overcome. That 3rd string QB looked pretty fiesty, he gave them some life.

[onceacat]

That amazing Grissly defense gave up 300 yards in the first half. Lucky to only be down 14-3.

You mean that same amazing defense that gave up over 600 yards to EWU last week.

What does that say about the Cats O?

[Bobcat4Ever]

That amazing Grissly defense gave up 300 yards in the first half. Lucky to only be down 14-3.

You mean that same amazing defense that gave up over 600 yards to EWU last week.

What does that say about the Cats O?

’Zactly what the consensus has been. There are a few loose parts including the original triggerman, who hit a nadir at Missoula. From there, it’s on an upward curve. We’ll see how far an offense can come in three weeks. I feel almost like they are getting a do-over. I’m more concerned with parts of special teams. Hope they’ve been working hard on that.

Go, ‘Cats, beat the ‘Kats.

[GoCats18]

Once again, it was the refs and injuries. Yank yank!!

[91catAlum]

Once again, it was the refs and injuries. Yank yank!!

I didn't get to see most of the game, was the officiating really that biased against the gris, like they are claiming?

[TomCat88]

That amazing Grissly defense gave up 300 yards in the first half. Lucky to only be down 14-3.

You mean that same amazing defense that gave up over 600 yards to EWU last week.

What does that say about the Cats O?

I think if the Bobcats had done the same thing over UM’s final three games, many posters here would be up in arms about MSU’s gimmicky, inconsistent defense. They would say, ‘you can’t win a NC with this kind of defense.’ They would also be upset about MSU’s conditioning program as it caused all these injuries. They would be dissatisfied with the quarterback play, but they’d LOVE the head coach. Did I miss anything?

[technoCat]

Once again, it was the refs and injuries. Yank yank!!

I didn't get to see most of the game, was the officiating really that biased against the gris, like they are claiming?

There were some calls for sure that went against them. The big one got JMU their 3rd touchdown. But they also had some things go their way that kept them in the game.

[onceacat]

Once again, it was the refs and injuries. Yank yank!!

I didn't get to see most of the game, was the officiating really that biased against the gris, like they are claiming?

There were some calls for sure that went against them. The big one got JMU their 3rd touchdown. But they also had some things go their way that kept them in the game.

The PI? Not exactly a game changer.

[seataccat]

Once again, it was the refs and injuries. Yank yank!!

I didn't get to see most of the game, was the officiating really that biased against the gris, like they are claiming?

There were some calls for sure that went against them. The big one got JMU their 3rd touchdown. But they also had some things go their way that kept them in the game.

All the BS calls they got against EWU.

[PapaG]

That amazing Grissly defense gave up 300 yards in the first half. Lucky to only be down 14-3.

You mean that same amazing defense that gave up over 600 yards to EWU last week.

What does that say about the Cats O?

That the Bobcats lack a complete QB and have all season, which limits the offense.

I thought this was obvious. McKay was the closest thing to it but for whatever reason, he regressed as the season progressed.

[GoCats18]

I didn’t get to see any the JMU game last night, but curious how the UM fan base turnout was?

[iaafan]

What’s funny is all the posters saying JMU kicks their ass are the same posters who said EWU would do the same the week prior.

JMU is favored to win and should do so at home but it won’t be a blowout. I won’t be surprised to see a Griz win as they seem to be peaking.

Agreed, with how well the Gris' special teams and defensive units are playing right now it won't be a blowout unless their offense is a total disaster and gives away a bunch of turnovers or something. I think JMU wins by one or two scores but won't be surprised one bit if it goes the other way.

What’s even funnier is people thinking um is going to keep scoring 20-25 points off D and ST plays every week just because they did it twice in a row. Luck always runs out.

With all due respect, it’s hard to have a lot of faith in your predictions. Here are some of your recent ones that weren’t close, including their stadium crowd. I’m assuming you just hate the Gris that much and that’s okay, but it’s definitely affecting your best guesses or predictions:


“They have a huge advantage for home playoff games with the crowd, but there won't be as many people there on Friday night. A lot of people stay away from night games because they don't want to get a motel. It'll be loud and it's an advantage, but EWU is a conference team and they've seen it. If it was UNI, it'd be all over. EWU is still a very good offense. MSU and WSU did a good job against them, and I hear a lot of people saying UNI did, too, but if you watch that game EWU left a lot of points on the field. They could've just as easily won 36-9. At home with a lot of crowd noise I expect UM to hold EWU down.
Final: EWU 27, UM 10”


“EWU will pick up right where they left off. Once they figured out UM's defense, they blew them out. Unless UM's doing something a lot different, I don't see EWU scoring under 40.

EWU 45
UM 24”

Well, EWU scored 41, so not far off. I said I don't see them scoring under 40 and that was correct. My mistake was not foreseeing UM scoring a bunch of points off STs and defense. I thought my rationale for a small crowd was reasonable. Thinking was that people wouldn't travel for a Friday night game. That's understandable, right? Couple that with UM only drawing 16,000 last year for a first-round game.

I don't think UM will score or set up scores like they have been the past two weeks. I mean that's reasonable, right? It's bound to end at some point. If they don't get that they don't win. The MSU game would've been close and could've gone either was without it, but I don't think they beat EWU without the ST stuff. It's how they're winning, and I don't think it's gonna continue this week on the road vs a perennial power.

I agree with you and I don't.

The Gris need special teams to be elite to win games. Their defense is awesome and their offense mediocre. That has been the story all season long. If they score on special teams or even get great field position because of special teams I think they win this game.

Where we disagree is whether or not this special teams play has to stop at some point. I don't look at special teams that way. I look at that unit like I do offense and defense. I don't think it's just a given that a great offense just has to eventually stop scoring points. I don't think an elite defense like the Cats is just destined to give up a ton of points. And I don't see any reason an elite unit like the Gris have coached by one of the best can't keep it going. It's not like their special teams plays are lucky. They are coached up and prepared to make those plays, just like all of the guys on offense and defense.

I don't see any reason to think the Gris special teams can't either score tomorrow night or give their offense the ball in great scoring position. If they do that I think they win. If that unit fails to do that tomorrow, for the first time in a long time; I think they lose.

I think that is a very fair assessment and that is how I look at it as well. Special-teams is a huge part of the game but often overlooked.

I agree that special teams are a big part of the game, but they’re not as dependable as O and D.

Mostly I love how everyone is now spelling Griz G-r-i-s!

They didn’t get much from their D or STs. It was only a matter of time. You can’t count on scoring from those area every game. If you do, and UM did, it’s going to hit the wall. Those things are great to have, but you can’t build a team around that. Starts with OL and DL and you build out from their. Return scores are out towards the fringe.