Liberty (8-4) faces in-state rival James Madison (9-3) in the first round of the FCS playoffs. This is Liberty’s first ever playoff appearance while the Dukes are making their first appearance since 2011 and 11th overall appearance. Kickoff is slated for 4pm. JMU has dominated the series recently winning 6 straight. The Dukes lead the all-time series 12-5.
Why James Madison can win this game
The Dukes are one of the hottest teams in the country right now. They have won 7 straight, and have scored 48 or more points in 4 of their past 6 games. During the run, JMU shellacked Towson, 62-7, and Richmond, 55-20.
Vad Lee. The transfer from Georgia Tech is good. Very good. During JMU’s current 7 game win streak he has passed for 299 yards per game, 20 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He hasn’t thrown an interception in 5 games.
JMU is one of the best teams at blocking kicks this season led by freshman Jimmy Moreland. Moreland leads the country with 5 total blocks on the season, 3 punts and 2 field goals. The Dukes have blocked 7 kicks this season, 4 punts and 3 field goals. Their 7 blocked kicks ranks 4th in the country.
Why Liberty can win this game
Josh Woodrum should play. Every indication says the redshirt junior will be back from a leg injury that forced him to miss the past 2 weeks. With Woodrum back in the fold, the Flames offense should be able to go toe to toe with the high scoring Dukes.
Liberty’s defense will be up for the challenge. The Flames shut down the vaunted Coastal offense last week and did the same to the high scoring Old Dominion offense last year.
This is the year of redemption for Liberty. They’ve already overcome the playoff drought. Now it’s time to overcome the JMU drought.
X-Factor for this game
Time of possession.
The Flames need to keep JMU’s fast-paced, high-scoring offense on the bench so its defense can rest. LU did this against Coastal, dominating time of possession 36:53-23:07. Liberty will need similar numbers to find success against the Dukes.
