James Madison at #8 Colgate
Incredibly, James Madison was the only one of four Colonial Athletic Association teams to win in the First Round. But they had the benefit of playing another one, beating Delaware, 20-6. The Dukes defense was the big player in the victory, holding the Blue Hens to 185 yards. Two interceptions also helped and were more than needed as the JMU offense sputtered most of the day also.
If there has ever been a team that could tout defense, it’s the Red Raiders. An insane 3.2 points allowed per game. If you could take away their first and last games, they gave up a total of 12 points in eight games, including five, yes five, shutouts! The offensive numbers look below average, ranking #78 in the nation. But they need only be adequate, not to mention those rankings are dependent totally on yardage. The offense still creates 30 points per game, nothing wrong with that. Quarterback Grant Breneman does what the offense needs and the effectiveness when in the red zone is very solid, an over 90% success rate. But as mentioned before, the offense has been able to be adequate and allow the defense to set them up.
If James Madison had this kind of trouble with Delaware’s defense, no offense to the Blue Hens, then facing Colgate might turn out to be a very lousy experience. That being said, Colgate hasn’t played the same kind of schedule that James Madison has. However, the leading factor in Colgate getting a seed over James Madison is the fact that the Raiders beat New Hampshire this year and the Wildcats beat the Dukes just a month or so ago. This game looks like a total slobberknocker that could send both offenses back to the Stone Age. This is a tough one to judge.
Prediction: James Madison 10, Colgate 7
