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As a JMU fan and alum, it was tough to sit inside a cold Toyota Stadium this past Saturday and watch my team lose. What was even tougher was knowing that JMU lost because North Dakota State simply executed better.
When looking at James Madison’s road to Frisco and the FCS National Championship game this weekend, you have to look farther back than just the beginning of this season.
We are just over a week out from the FCS National Championship game in Frisco, TX. By all accounts, this should be a tightly contested, close matchup featuring the two best teams in the country. Let’s take a position by position look at the number two team in the country, the James Madison Dukes.
The Dukes were not happy with their offensive production. Between penalties, turnovers and missed field goals, Coach Curt Cignetti felt the team left a lot of points on the board. A normally efficient red zone offense struggle to add to the early lead. It didn’t cost them this week, but the coaches know they need to tighten that up the rest of the way.
James Madison used a suffocating defense and just enough offense to defeat Northern Iowa 17-0 in the Quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.
The Panthers play exceptional defense. They allowed only 220 yards against South Dakota State and 213 against San Diego. They will need a similar performance to stay in the game against James Madison.
The opening fifteen minutes and five seconds of the second round FCS playoff game between Monmouth and Jamses Madison featured six touchdowns, three by the visiting Hawks and three by the hosting Dukes. After that thrilling start, however, James Madison would score 45 unanswered points on the way to a dominating 66-21 victory.
Week two brought a mixed bag of results. The highlight of the weekend was the triple OT thriller in Meade Stadium that saw Delaware outlast the host Rhode Island Rams. That game set the stage for what should be an excellent season of conference matchups.
A new season is finally upon us. The Colonial Athletic Association is always among the top conference in the country and 2019 looks to be no different. Villanova already made a statement in week zero against Colgate. Most everyone else gets going this week.
James Madison fell short of expectations, missing out on the conference title and losing in the second round of the FCS playoffs to Colgate. The Dukes struggled in the red zone and with turnovers. A 9-4 season was certainly a disappointment in Harrisonburg.
James Madison at (8) Colgate When: Saturday, December 1, 1:00 PM Where: Crown Field at Kerr Stadium, Hamilton, NY TV/Streaming: ESPN College Extra, ESPN3 James Madison Dukes Harrisonburg, Virginia Colonial Athletic Association Enrollment: 19,000 FCS Sagarin Rating: 4 How They Got Here: James Madison used a suffocating defense and a good enough offense to defeat Delaware.
At 2:30 Wednesday, Bruce Feldman set JMU Nation ablaze with one tweet: SOURCE: #JMU’s Mike Houston is expected to become the new head coach at #Charlotte. Over the next four and half hours, JMU fan reaction ranged from rage to congratulatory and everywhere in between. There were people calling him a liar, classless and a.
James Madison 20, Delaware 6 Video Highlights Courtesy NCAA.com HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison used a suffocating defense and just enough offense to defeat Delaware 20-6. QB Ben DiNucci had an efficient day for the Dukes, going 23 of 31 for 223 yards passing and a touchdown. The early part of the game was a.
Delaware at James Madison When: Saturday, November 24, 3:00 PM Where: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA TV/Streaming: ESPN3 Delaware Blue Hens Newark, Delaware Colonial Athletic Association Enrollment: 18,353 FCS Sagarin Rating: 22 Season Recap: Delaware’s season started with a thud, losing to Rhode Island. After four weeks they were 4-4 and had questions after a loss.
James Madison at Towson When: Saturday, November 17, 2:00PM Where: Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson, MD TV/Streaming: College Sports Live James Madison Dukes One week after getting pulled in the first quarter in an ugly loss to New Hampshire, James Madison quarterback Ben DiNucci had a great bounce back game in a big win over Rhode.
Rhode Island at James Madison When: Saturday, November 10, 2:00 PM Where: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA TV/Streaming: MASN, SNY, Eleven Sports Next/Twitch, CAA.tv Rhode Island Rams Rhode Island got JuJuan Lawson back in the lineup last week against Elon after missing four games due to injury. Lawson threw for 349 yards and 3 touchdowns but.
Stony Brook at James Madison When: Saturday, October 27, 3:30 PM Where: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA TV/Streaming: MASN/SNY/Eleven Sports/CAA.TV Stony Brook Seawolves Stony Brook has been lighting up the scoreboard this season, scoring at least 28 points in ever contest except their opening weekend loss at Air Force. The Seawolves are led on offense by.
James Madison at Villanova When: Saturday, October 13, 1:00PM Where: Villanova Stadium, Villanova, PA TV/Streaming: Fox College Sports Atlantic, Fox Sports Go (subscription req’d) James Madison Dukes James Madison is coming off of their first conference and home loss of the Mike Houston era. The Dukes never got into a rhythm against Elon and gave.
Elon at James Madison When: Saturday, October 6, 1:30 PM Where: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA TV/Streaming: MASN/SNY/Eleven Sports(Twitch)/CAA.TV Elon Phoenix Under Curt Cignetti, Elon has become a very tough team to play against. The Phoenix have an above average defense and a bruising running back that keeps the chains moving on offense. Elon has only.
Richmond, Virginia – The James Madison Dukes returned the opening kickoff 93 yards and never looked back in their dominant 63-10 win over in-state rival Richmond. As returner Juwon Hamilton cut left and hit the hole he went untouched to the end zone. The Spiders outplayed the Dukes for the rest of the first quarter,.
Villanova at Stony Brook When: Saturday, September 29, 6:00 PM Where: Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, Stony Brook, NY TV/Streaming: Fox College Sports Atlantic/Fox Sports Go (subscription req’d) Villanova Wildcats Villanova enters this game 3-1 on the season after handily defeating Bucknell last week 49-7. The one loss, however, is a conference loss to Towson. Villanova.
James Madison at Richmond When: Saturday, September 29, 3:00PM Where: Robins Stadium, Richmond, VA TV/Streaming: NBC Sports Chicago/NBC Sports Philadelphia PLUS/NBC Sports Washington PLUS/SNY, College Sports Live James Madison Dukes James Madison has won three straight games after their opening weekend loss at NC State. In the three games against FCS opponents, the Dukes have.
Harrisonburg, VA – From the opening kickoff, the difference in talent between James Madison and William & Mary was apparent. Every time Shonn Mitchell dropped back to pass, there were white jerseys surrounding him. James Madison used a dominant defense and an efficient offense to overwhelm the William & Mary 51-0. The Dukes offense got.
William & Mary at James Madison When: Saturday, September 22, 3:30 PM Where: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA TV/Streaming: ESPN+ (subscription required) William & Mary Tribe Since 1980, Jimmye Laycock has patrolled the William & Mary sideline as the head football coach. In August, Laycock announced the 2018 season would be his last on the sideline. In his.
Week three was a wild week in the FCS. The top three teams, North Dakota State, James Madison and South Dakota State all solidified themselves with blowout wins. The rest of the division was carnage with 12 of last week’s FCS top 25 teams losing. 5 more teams in last week’s rankings did not play.
Harrisonburg, VA – James Madison got what he wanted this week: play 4 quarters and get experience for much of his young roster. The Dukes jumped ahead of Robert Morris early and often, rolling to a 73-7 win in the team’s home opener in Harrisonburg Thursday night. Less than three minutes into the game, Marcus.
Norfolk, Virginia – Weather was the story of the day for the James Madison Dukes in their matchup against Norfolk State Spartans. The start of the game was delayed an hour and a half due to a lightning delay. After kickoff, the teams got to play one full quarter before the lightning hit the area.
James Madison stayed with North Carolina State throughout the game on Saturday. In the end, the Dukes came up just a bit short, falling 24-13 in Raleigh. Playing a team of that caliber that close would be considered a moral victory for many FCS schools. But for James Madison, the 3 time defending CAA Champions.
James Madison at North Carolina State When: Saturday, September 1st, 12:00 PM EDT Where: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC TV/Streaming Coverage: ESPNU, WatchESPN App (ESPNU subscription required) James Madison: CSJ’s 2018 Preview Capsule James Madison has its sights set on a third straight trip to Frisco, Texas in the first weekend of 2019. They enter the season as the.
The JMU Quarterback battle is raging on.. apparently up until the opening kickoff. If Coach Mike Houston knows who is starting at quarterback for the #2 team in FCS, James Madison Dukes, he isn’t telling anyone. Houston has been telling the local members of the media that everyone would know “at 12:01pm on September 1,”.
James Madison Dukes Location: Harrisonburg, VA Coach: Mike Houston (28-2) 3rd Season Stadium: Bridgefort Stadium (Capacity: 24,887) CSJ Projections: 1st: CAA 2nd: Virginia 2nd: FCS 44rd: Division I 2017 In a Sentence: James Madison was dominant throughout the season in 2017 led by a defense that was almost impenetrable. Until the FCS National Championship game,.
