JMU football’s loss to ULM led to major questions and complaints from fans regarding the offensive line. Why did the unit score 133 points in 2 weeks but only 19 points against ULM??
Now, let’s break down the film. The tape shows that JMU wasn’t actually that far away from scoring a ton, but ULM used blitz and pressure to throw JMU’s offense off rhythm. Even with so many false starts, ULM played just enough defense to prevent JMU from scoring more than 20 points to take the road win. The Warhawks faked the blitz so well that defensive coordinator Ernest Hill should have his head down. His group was well prepared and excellent.
This disguised pressure came at a critical moment and turned what could have been a blowout loss for JMU into a victory for ULM.
Key failed on 4th down
On this play, JMU leads 10-0 in the first quarter and has a chance to go up 17-0. The Dukes play third-and-four and fourth-and-four, get an incomplete throw on third down, and get sacked on fourth down.
On third down, JMU throws a slant to Taj Hudson and the ball is dropped. Now, not all drops are created equal. The ball is slightly in front of Hudson, who stretches toward it. Also, he tries to make the catch while the ULM safety hits him on the downhill. I should have made contact and caught it, but it didn’t happen. Hudson is probably blaming himself for dropping the ball, but it wasn’t the easiest catch he’s seen. Still, the play is well designed, and it’s not Alonza Barnett’s fault. Credit ULM for immediately disputing its prey.
On fourth down, JMU appears to be in a hurry. By the time Barnett snaps, the play clock is near zero. The Dukes are reading the coming blitz while rushing to finish the play. Serif and Barnett read the play incorrectly. JMU didn’t know which linebacker was blitzing, and two linemen blitzed one player while the ULM linebacker ran free on Barnett, producing a drive-end sack. This resulted in a block.
If the protection works, JMU leaves both Taylor Thompson and George Pettaway wide open for potential touchdowns.
Burnett’s spirit
No one would consider a 20-47 record to be elite-level quarterback play, but Barnett wasn’t bad in this game. He was always under pressure, but his grit as a runner should make him a fan favorite.
Barnett did everything he could in this match. Yes, he missed some throws, but he avoided sacks and threw the ball away to avoid loss of yards or interceptions. He showed good pitching, dropping the ball. He put his body on the line with multiple runs. Burnett was JMU’s highest-graded offensive player on Pro Football Focus this season, and Power Four teams will likely try to play him next fall.
Alonza Barnett gave JMU a chance to win on Saturday. The run featured above shows his willingness to put his body at risk to get a first down. He is a spirited runner and will likely compete for the Sun Belt Player of the Year award. Don’t mistake one rough result for major concerns about whether Barnett is ready to lead JMU to more than 10 wins. He’s still very healthy.
2 point conversion failure
Ah, a two-point conversion. This game is difficult.
JMU ran a slant pattern aimed at Cam Ross, but the play was well covered. Taylor Thompson gets open on the left side, but Barnett doesn’t have enough time to look left and that’s not his first read. The play-calling here could definitely be questionable, but Ross is one of JMU’s fastest receivers. He couldn’t create enough separation and ULM defended the play perfectly.
ULM executed a nice blitz here as well, with the defensive end stunting to the middle of the OL to move JMU’s left tackle Jesse Ramil to the center. This gives Barnett more room to blitz off the edge from his blindside. Purdy tries to pick up Blitz, but is late. ULM forces quick throws into tight spots, trusting the defensive backs to make plays.
Sometimes the defense plays better. That happened several times last weekend. Combined with the Dukes’ sloppy play (fifth false starts were fatal) and poor performance at times, almost everything went right defensively for ULM to pull off the upset. The Warhawks deserve credit for their good game plan, and the Dukes deserve plenty of blame for some poor play calling, sloppy pass protection, and below-average performance from both QB and WR. JMU was off and ULM was in the middle of a game.
This doesn’t mean JMU’s offense is broken, as the Dukes may not face a defense like ULM’s for the rest of the conference season.
Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications
