Stony Brook (10-2) at James Madison (11-0)
The Seawolves did what everyone expected in the First Round and that was rout Lehigh. The only thing shocking about the 59-29 outcome was that nobody scored in the first quarter. Imagine the numbers if the first quarter could have been like the final three? Now Stony Brook gets a chance to prove themselves to the rest of the CAA and the country. There has been some feeling all season that Stony Brook was the beneficiary of not having to play James Madison in conference play. And while that may be somewhat true, don’t believe for a minute that this still isn’t a good team. Sans the home loss to Delaware, the Seawolves beat many of the same teams that James Madison played.
Finally, the defending champion Dukes get a chance to represent and get to the business of thwarting challengers to their throne. It started early this season, as James Madison traveled down the road and defeated FBS East Carolina. Oddly, most pundits saw JMU as the favorite, even to a school with more scholarships and home field advantage. The perception of the Dukes for some time has been that of a team with an explosive offense. Don’t let that image fade, as these guys can still put up crooked, crooked numbers. What’s suddenly different is that this team now has an elite level defense. A defense that hasn’t surrendered more than 14 points in a game all season! Not even 100 for the year (99 to be exact).
If James Madison’s defense is going to play at this ridiculous of a level, there may not be hope for anyone in the FCS this year. When Stony Brook and James Madison weren’t scheduled to meet in the regular season, you have to figure both had the “what if” scenario playing in the back of their minds. Well, “what if” has now morphed into “who wins.” The de facto CAA championship game happens this weekend.
Projection: James Madison 28, Stony Brook 13
