James Madison fans were warned about Billy Napier, now the chickens have come home to roost

A little less than two weeks ago, the James Madison Dukes were one of the toasts of the world.

The Sun Belt darlings were 7-0, and new head coach Billy Napier looked like he had exorcised all of at his previous stop in the Sunshine State.

The Dukes were lighting up the scoreboard, and talks of a College Football Playoff appearance were starting to crop up all around Harrisonburg.

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Since then, the mood has soured considerably in the Shenandoah Valley, thanks to a two-game losing streak that has effectively ended any CFP dreams that purple and gold-clad fans had swirling around in their heads.

But it isn't just the number in the loss column that has JMU fans vexed, it's how those losses happened and who they happened against that is causing all of the consternation.

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Both games were almost identical to one another in terms of how they went, as the Dukes were healthy favorites against both Appalachian State and Troy and raced out to considerable first half leads before stagnating in the second half, losing both games in overtime.

What's even more damning is that the second half swoons have been happening quite a bit this year, with James Madison being outscored in the final 30+ minutes in four of the eight games they've played against FBS competition.

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In other words, this isn't a new development.

If only someone could have warned Dukes fans before they hired a guy like Napier.

Oh wait...

If you read my buddy and fellow Gator fan Zach Dean's of Nightcaps, you're already aware that there is somewhat of a mea culpa happening on social media between James Madison fans and Florida supporters.

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My Orange and Blue brethren spent all offseason repeatedly cautioning the JMU faithful about Napier's tendencies and pig-headed nature when it came to coaching.

Dukes fans were confident the issues had been fixed, even pointing to the fact that a self-reflective Napier went on a speaking tour talking about how he "looked in the mirror" and took ownership of how things fell apart in Gainesville.

He even hired an offensive coordinator, something he was practically begged to do for four years while coaching at Florida.

The national media got on board, too, wondering if Florida really was just some toxic situation where even the best coaches went to kill their careers.

The media and Dukes fans even doubled down when JMU got off to that aforementioned 7-0 start.

Then it all came crashing down, and the same issues that sank Napier in The Swamp reared their ugly head in the Commonwealth.

Poor clock management, stagnant second half offenses, head-scratching play calls in high-leve