2023 James Madison Dukes football team
American college football season
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The 2023 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University as a member of the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Curt Cignetti, the Dukes played home games at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia as members of the East division of the Sun Belt Conference. The James Madison Dukes football team drew an average home attendance of 25,372 in 2023.
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
East Division
Record11–2 (7–1 Sun Belt)
Headcoach
- Curt Cignetti (5th season; regular season)
- Damian Wroblewski (interim, bowl game)
| 2023 James Madison Dukes football | |
|---|---|
| |
Sun Belt East Division champion[a] | |
Armed Forces Bowl, L 21–31 vs. Air Force | |
| Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
| East Division | |
| Record | 11–2 (7–1 Sun Belt) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Mike Shanahan (3rd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Bryant Haines (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 4–2–5 |
| Home stadium | Bridgeforth Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| James Madison* x | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appalachian State y | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coastal Carolina | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Old Dominion | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia State | 3 | – | 5 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marshall | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Troy xy$ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas State | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas State | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Alabama | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Miss | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana–Monroe | 0 | – | 8 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Troy 49, Appalachian State 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The season was the final year of a two-year transition from the Football Championship Subdivision. The team was not originally eligible for a bowl game;[1] a request for a waiver was denied by the NCAA in August,[2] and a waiver for relief was also denied in November.[3] However, as there were not enough bowl eligible teams, they were given a berth. JMU was selected to play in the Armed Forces Bowl.[4]
Schedule
The football schedule was announced February 24, 2023.[5]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Bucknell* | ESPN+ | W 38–3 | 23,756 | ||
| September 9 | 12:00 p.m. | at Virginia* | ESPNU | W 36–35 | 56,508 | ||
| September 16 | 7:00 p.m. | at Troy | NFLN | W 16–14 | 26,634 | ||
| September 23 | 8:00 p.m. | at Utah State* | MW Network | W 45–38 | 19,994 | ||
| September 30 | 12:00 p.m. | South Alabama |
| ESPNU | W 31–23 | 26,064 | |
| October 14 | 12:00 p.m. | Georgia Southern |
| ESPN2 | W 41–13 | 25,097 | |
| October 19 | 7:00 p.m. | at Marshall | ESPN | W 20–9 | 22,109 | ||
| October 28 | 8:00 p.m. | Old Dominion | No. 25 |
| ESPNU | W 30–27 | 26,239 |
| November 4 | 3:30 p.m. | at Georgia State | ESPN2 | W 42–14 | 15,320 | ||
| November 11 | 2:00 p.m. | UConn* |
| ESPN+ | W 44–6 | 25,240 | |
| November 18 | 2:00 p.m. | Appalachian State |
| ESPN+ | L 23–26 OT | 25,838 | |
| November 25 | 3:30 p.m. | at Coastal Carolina | ESPN2 | W 56–14 | 16,196 | ||
| December 23 | 3:30 p.m. | vs. Air Force* | ABC | L 21–31 | 30,828 | ||
| |||||||
Rankings
Preseason
In the Sun Belt preseason coaches' poll, the Dukes were picked to finish in first place in the East division.[6]
Offensive lineman Nick Kidwell, defensive lineman James Carpenter, and punter Ryan Hanson were named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team. Linebacker Taurus Jones was named to the second team.[6]
Game summaries
vs Bucknell
at Virginia
at Troy
at Utah State
vs South Alabama
South Alabama Jaguars (2–2) at James Madison Dukes (4–0)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars | 0 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 23 |
| Dukes | 14 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
at Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA
- Date: September 30, 2023
- Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
- Game weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 26,064
- Referee: Trennis Livingston
- TV announcers (ESPNU): Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Hutson Mason (analyst)
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Statistics | USA | JMU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 20 | 15 |
| Total yards | 326 | 377 |
| Rushing yards | 3 | 7 |
| Passing yards | 12 | 6 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 28–50–2 | 12–22–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:46 | 31:14 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Alabama | Passing | Carter Bradley | 28/50, 299 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | La'Damian Webb | 12 carries, 36 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Caullin Lacy | 6 receptions, 132 yards | |
| James Madison | Passing | Jordan McCloud | 12/22, 241 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Rushing | Jordan McCloud | 10 carries, 61 yards | |
| Receiving | Zach Horton | 3 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD |
vs Georgia Southern
at Marshall
Game Seven – James Madison Dukes (6–0) at Marshall Thundering Herd (4–2)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dukes | 0 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 20 |
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia
- Date: Thursday, October 19, 2023
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 22,109
- Referee: Wayne Winkler
- TV announcers (ESPN): Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline)
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | JMU | MRSH |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 19 | 10 |
| Plays–yards | 69–405 | 62–169 |
| Rushes–yards | 36–131 | 32–-4 |
| Passing yards | 274 | 173 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–33–1 | 17–30–1 |
| Time of possession | 33:49 | 26:11 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison | Passing | Jordan McCloud | 21/31, 264 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Jordan McCloud | 6 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Reggie Brown | 6 receptions, 126 yards, 1 TD | |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 17/30, 173 yards, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Ethan Payne | 20 carries, 62 yards | |
| Receiving | Jayden Harrison | 4 receptions, 40 yards |
vs Old Dominion
at Georgia State
Game Nine – James Madison Dukes (8–0) vs Georgia State Panthers (6–2)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dukes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: November 4, 2023
- Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 15,320
- TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins (play-by-play) and Kirk Morrison (analyst)
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Statistics | JMU | GSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Georgia State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
vs UConn
UConn Huskies at James Madison Dukes – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huskies | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Dukes | 3 | 10 | 17 | 14 | 44 |
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
Statistics
| Statistics | CONN | JMU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 15 | 23 |
| Total yards | 319 | 503 |
| Rushing yards | 79 | 46 |
| Passing yards | 240 | 457 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 29:08 | 30:52 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| UConn | Passing | Ta'Quan Roberson | 20/36, 207 yds |
| Rushing | Cam Edwards | 12 att, 43 yds | |
| Receiving | Cameron Ross | 4 rec, 91 yds | |
| James Madison | Passing | Jordan McCloud | 33/37, 457 yds, 4 TDs |
| Rushing | Kaelon Black | 4 att, 38 yds | |
| Receiving | Reggie Brown | 9 rec, 202 yds, 2 TDs |
vs Appalachian State
at Coastal Carolina
Roster
| 2023 James Madison Dukes football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes
- James Madison was ineligible to participate in the SBC championship game due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules.[7]