2004 & 2016 National Champions • Eight Conference Championships • 17th Playoff Appearance • 31st Winning Season 2020-21 SCHEDULE/RESULTS #1 JAMES MADISON VS. #11 VMI SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2021 • 2 PM • HARRISONBURG, VA. • BRIDGEFORTH STADIUM Overall: 5-0 | CAA: 3-0 JAMES MADISON (5-0) VMI (6-1) Home: 3-0 | Away: 2-0 | Streak: W5 Stats / AFCA / Seed #1 / #1 / No. 3 Stats / AFCA / Seed #11 / #11 / N/A Head Coach Curt Cignetti Head Coach Scott Wachenheim DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT Career Record (Season) 86-28 (10th) Career Record (Season) 17-46 (6th) Record at JMU 19-2 (2nd) Record at VMI same Feb. 20 MOREHEAD STATE W, 52-0 Off. Coordinator Shane Montgomery Off. Coordinator Billy Cosh Feb. 27 ROBERT MORRIS W, 36-16 Def. Coordinator Corey Hetherman Def. Coordinator Tom Clark Mar. 6 at Elon * W, 20-17 Mar. 27 at William & Mary * W, 38-10 Apr. 17 #11 RICHMOND * W, 23-6 DUKES BATTLE KEYDETS IN FCS FIRST ROUND • JMU opens the FCS postseason with an in-state battle against #11 VMI on Saturday, April 24. Apr. 24 #11 VMI % 2 PM • Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Bridgeforth Stadium and will be streamed on ESPN3. Apr. 30/May 1 FCS Quarterfinals • Pregame radio coverage on the JMU Glo Fiber Radio Network begins an hour prior to kick at 1 p.m. May 8 FCS Semifinals • JMU’s run through the FCS Playoffs is sponsored by Excel Heating and Cooling. May 16 FCS National Championship 2 PM #1 IN BOTH POLLS, SEEDED THIRD FOR POSTSEASON • JMU was the overwhelming #1 team in both the Stats Perform FCS Division I Top 25 and AFCA Division I Home games in BOLD CAPS Coaches’ Poll while being seeded third for the 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship. Rankings are STATS poll • The Dukes reeled in 30 of 40 first-place votes from the media and 18 of 22 by the coaches. * CAA Game % - FCS Playoffs • JMU earned a playoff bid for the seventh straight season and was seeded third, marking the fifth time in six seasons JMU has been a national seed. BREAKING DOWN JMU VS. VMI ESPN3 • Saturday marks the 14th meeting between the teams, with JMU leading 10-3. • Play-by-Play .........................Bill Roth • The series began in 1982, but this is the first meeting since the 2009 season. • JMU has won five in a row, with VMI’s last victory coming back on Sept. 15, 1990. • Analyst ........................Hutson Mason • The Dukes are 7-0 at Bridgeforth Stadium against the Keydets. • Online: espn.com/watch • In the previous 13 games, JMU averages 30 points per contest, and VMI scores 13.5 per outing. • Digital: Watch ESPN, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku • JMU owns two shutout victories against VMI - in 1988 and 1989. DUKES IN THE POSTSEASON • JMU is back in the postseason once again, as it makes its 17th trip to the playoffs and for a program-record GLO FIBER BROADCAST NETWORK seventh straight year. • Play-by-Play ....................Dave Thomas • The Dukes are 20-14 all-time in the postseason and have won two national championships (2004, 2016). They • Color Commentary .................Clint Estes also advanced to two other title games (2017, 2019), falling just short in both to North Dakota State. • Sideline .........................Allie Barefoot • JMU is a national seed for the sixth time ever and for the second consecutive playoff. • The Dukes were also the No. 1 seed in both 2008 and 2017, No. 2 in 2019, No. 4 in 2016 and No. 5 in 2015. • In Harrisonburg: WSVA 550 AM | 92.1 FM • JMU has won at least one playoff game the past four years and has multiple playoff victories in five postseasons. • Online: WSVAOnline.com • It went 4-0 in both national-title runs, 3-1 in its 2017 and 2019 runner-up finishes and 2-1 in 2008. • The Dukes are 12-4 at home in the postseason, 6-8 on the road and 2-2 in neutral-site games. • JMU has won nine straight home playoff games, stretch back to the 2016 season. LIVE STATS • Statbroadcast ............www.jmustats.com TALE OF THE TAPE James Madison VMI 33.8 Scoring Offense 30.0 9.8 Scoring Defense 20.4 +24.0 Scoring Margin +9.6 198.6 Passing Offense 313.0 JMU Football Communications 130.2 Passing Defense 197.0 237.0 Rushing Offense 118.4 45.4 Rushing Defense 148.6 435.6 Total Offense 431.4 Chris Brooks, Football SID 175.6 Total Defense 345.6 Office Phone: 540-568-3702 51% (38/74) 3rd Down Offense 47% (49/105) 31% (21/68) 3rd Down Defense 42% (47/113) Email: [email protected] 78% (7/9) 4th Down Offense 67% (10/15) 67% (2/3) 4th Down Defense 44% (7/16) Twitter: @CBrooksSID 92% (22/24) Red Zone Scoring 86% (32-37) 16 / 5 / 1 Sacks / Interceptions / Fumble Recoveries 24 / 5 / 2 2020-21 JMU GAME NOTES WEEK THREE SCHEDULE INSIDE THE POLLS JMU QUICK FACTS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21 Stats Perform FCS Top-25 GENERAL April 19, 2021 Location ..................................Harrisonburg, Va. 3:30 PM Practice Founded ..............................................1908 Enrollment .........................................21,889 1 James Madison (30) 5-0 968 Affiliation ..............................NCAA Division I FCS 2 South Dakota State (7) 5-1 953 THURSDAY, APRIL 22 Conference ...................Colonial Athletic Association 3 Weber State 5-0 900 Nickname / Mascot .....................Dukes / Duke Dog 3:30 PM Practice 4 Sam Houston State (3) 6-0 896 Colors .....................................Purple and Gold 5 Delaware 5-0 808 Stadium (Capacity) ..........Bridgeforth Stadium (24,877) 6 North Dakota State 6-2 803 President ...................................Jonathan Alger FRIDAY, APRIL 23 7 North Dakota 4-1 788 Director of Athletics ........................... Jeff Bourne 8 Jacksonville State 9-2 700 3:30 PM Walkthrough 9 Eastern Washington 5-1 697 HISTORY First Season as a Program ............................1972 10 Monmouth 3-0 590 First Year of NCAA Varsity .............................1974 11 VMI 6-1 532 First Year of NCAA Division I ..........................1980 SATURDAY, APRIL 24 12 Missouri State 5-4 509 All-Time Record ............336-217-4 (.607) / 557 games 2 PM Kickoff 13 UC Davis 3-2 471 Division I Record ...........297-193-2 (.606) / 492 games 14 Southern Illinois 5-4 463 Conference Titles / Last .......................Eight / 2019 Bridgeforth Stadium 15 Richmond 3-1 439 NCAA Playoff Appearances / Last ............ 17 / 2020-21 16 Villanova 2-2 423 Last Postseason Opponent ...North Dakota State (1/11/20) 17 Kennesaw State 4-1 383 Round ................2020 NCAA Division I Championship POSTGAME Postgame ZOOM Interviews 18 Rhode Island 2-1 260 Result .....................North Dakota State 28, JMU 20 19 Murray State 5-2 256 Head Coach Curt Cignetti 2020 TEAM INFO 20 Southeastern Louisiana 4-3 237 Overall Record (CAA Record) .....................5-0 (3-0) Select Student-Athletes 21 Austin Peay 4-5 175 Home Record ..........................................3-0 22 ETSU 4-2 150 Away Record ...........................................2-0 23 Nicholls 4-3 141 Neutral Record .........................................0-0 SUNDAY, APRIL 25 24 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 4-0 92 Passing Leader ........................Cole Johnson (907) 25 Northern Iowa 3-4 74 Off Rushing Leader ..................Percy Agyei-Obese (381) Receptions Leader ......................Kris Thornton (17) Others receiving votes (listed on 2 or more ballots): Sa- Receiving Leader .......................Kris Thornton (311) cred Heart 73, Southern 37, Alabama A&M 34, Samford 25, Tackles Leader .......................Kelvin Azanama (34) Duquesne 23, Holy Cross 22, Mercer 15, Davidson 13, UIW 11, Sacks Leader .......................... Mikail Kamara (3.0) Northern Arizona 8, Maine 7. Interceptions Leader ..........................Que Reid (2) Fumble Recoveries Leader ................MJ Hampton (1) AFCA FCS Coaches Poll April 20, 2021 COACHING STAFF Head Coach .................................. Curt Cignetti 1 James Madison (18) 5-0 545 Record at JMU / Years ......................19-2 / Second 2 South Dakota State (3) 5-1 516 Career Record / Years ........................86-28 / 10th 3 Weber State 6-0 513 Football Office Phone .......................540-568-6517 4 Sam Houston State 6-0 460 Def. Coordinator/Defensive Ends ........Corey Hetherman 5 Delaware 5-0 441 Off. Coordinator/Quarterbacks ........Shane Montgomery 6 North Dakota 4-1 430 Offensive Line/Asst. Head Coach ......Damian Wroblewski 7 North Dakota State 6-2 408 Cornerbacks ..................................Matt Birkett 8 Eastern Washington 5-1 401 Special Teams/Tight Ends .......................Grant Cain 9 Jacksonville State 9-2 397 Linebackers/Co-Def. Coordinator ...........Bryant Haines 10 Monmouth 3-0 325 Wide Receivers .............................Mike Shanahan 11 VMI 6-1 317 Defensive Tackles ...................... Marcus Hall-Oliver 12 UC Davis 3-2 287 Safeties ...................................Eddie Whitley Jr. 13 Richmond 3-1 281 Running Backs .................................John Miller 14 Southern Illinois 5-3 260 Football Operations ......................James Ferguson 15 Kennesaw State 4-1 243 Strength & Conditioning ..................... Derek Owings 16 Villanova 2-2 228 17 Missouri State 5-4 201 CAA STANDINGS 18 Murray State 5-2 154 CAA South Overall 19 Southern (1) 5-1 141 #1 James Madison 3-0 1.000 5-0 1.000 20 Nicholls 4-3 122 #15 Richmond 3-1 .750 3-1 .750 21 Southeastern Louisiana 4-3 121 William & Mary 1-2 .333 1-2 .500 22 Alabama A&M 4-0 81 Elon 0-4 .000 1-5 .167 23 ETSU 4-2 76 CAA North Overall 24 Northern Iowa 3-4 57 #5 Delaware 4-0 1.000 5-0 1.000 25 Arkansas Pine-Bluff 4-0 32 #18 Rhode Island 2-1 .667 2-1 .667 Maine 2-2 .500 2-2 .500 Others receiving votes: UIW 24, Austin Peay 23, Holy Cross #16 Villanova 2-2 .500 2-2 .500 15, Sacred Heart 14, Duquesne 8, Mercer 5, Northern Arizona Albany 1-3 .250 1-3 .250 5, Tarleton State 5, Charleston Southern 4, Samford 4, Stony Brook 1-3 .250 1-3 .250 Davidson 3, South Carolina State 3.