The Breeze JMU Football Season Recap 1.18.24 by The Breeze

look out, fbs A recap of JMU football’s historic 2023 season

The Breeze JANUARY 2024

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FOOTBALL RECAP

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Letter from the sports editors After a 10-0 start, a visit from ESPN College GameDay and the chance to play in its first-ever bowl game after months-long controversy, the 2023 JMU football season will go down in program history. What the Dukes did this fall, in just their second FBS season, was unprecedented and captured the attention of college football fans nationwide. From the beginning to the end, story lines galore filled JMU’s season. From the Dukes’ win at U.Va. 40 years in the making, to Virginia politicians threatening to take action against the NCAA over JMU’s lack of bowl eligibility to the departure of head coach Curt Cignetti, JMU Nation was captivated from start to finish — and The Breeze was there to report on all of it. Now, heading into the 2024 season with new head coach Bob Chesney and 96% of last season’s production graduated or transferred, according to a post on X from JMU football at a team meeting, the Dukes’ two-year transition into the FBS is over, and the only thing that would keep JMU from the Sun Belt Championship or a bowl game is its performance on the field. In the meantime, if JMU Nation wants to take a trip down memory lane and

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commemorate the Dukes’ monumental season, find all your necessities in our football recap, “Look Out, FBS.” The special edition paper is no longer purchasable but is available on campus inside Thursday’s main paper. Thank you to all those who purchased the edition in December. Your support allows The Breeze to continue to report on JMU to the best of our ability.

Sincerely,

Kaiden Bridges Jackson Hephner Sports Editors

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FOOTBALL RECAP

FROM GAMEDAY TO NEW HEIGHTS: TOP 10 MOMENTS OF JMU'S FOOTBALL SEASON By KAIDEN BRIDGES & JACKSON HEPHNER The Breeze

Between ESPN College GameDay’s third visit to Harrisonburg, a 36-35 comeback win over U.Va. and the program’s first-ever bowl game, there were many historical moments for JMU football this season. The Breeze attempted to rank the best 10 moments of the Dukes’ season.

no. 10: stout defense pushes jmu to win over south alabama Down by eight with 3:56 left in regulation, the Jaguars took the field for their final offensive position. On 2nd-and-10, former sophomore linebacker Aiden Fisher made a tackle for a loss of seven yards. The next play, senior defensive end Jalen Green sacked South Alabama senior quarterback Carter Bradley for another loss of nine. As the clock ticked down on the Jaguars’ final play of the game, Bradley’s last pass flew right to the hands of JMU redshirt senior safety Francis Meehan — a sequence that foreshadowed more to come from the defense that finished the season ranked third in the Sun Belt in yards allowed (333.8 per game). JMU defeated South Alabama 31-23 and advanced to 5-0 (2-0 Sun Belt).

no. 9: dukes defeat reigning sun belt champ troy on the road Despite finishing first in the Sun Belt East Division in 2022, JMU was ineligible to play Troy in that year’s Sun Belt Championship game. Instead, the Dukes faced the defending conference champion Trojans on the road Sept. 16 and walked away with a 16-14 win. JMU’s defense held Troy to -12 rushing yards and sacked senior quarterback Gunnar Watson six times. Watson threw for 333 yards, and both of the Trojans’ touchdowns, but McCloud’s 187 passing yards and lone touchdown along with three field goals from redshirt senior kicker Camden Wise secured JMU’s third straight win.

Sophomore safety Jacob Thomas fights to tackle South Alabama’s sophomore wide receiver Jamaal Pritchett. Ryan Sauer / The Breeze

No. 8: DE Jalen Green racks up five sacks against Marshall Senior defensive end Jalen Green tallied 15.5 sacks before going down with an injury during JMU’s 42-14 win over Georgia State on Nov. 4. Despite not playing in the Dukes’ final four games, Green finished second in the FBS in total sacks, a half-sack behind Troy junior defensive end Javon Solomon. The highlight of Green’s 2023 campaign came during JMU’s 20-9 win over Marshall on Oct. 19, when he sacked redshirt freshman quarterback Cam Fancher five times, tying JMU’s single-game record that Jim McHugh and Bob Dunn both previously set against Emory & Henry (Va.) in 1975. For his year-long efforts, Green was named College Football Network Player of the Year, Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year and the winner of the Bill Dudley Award, among other accolades. Redshirt senior quarterback Jordan McCloud prepares to snap the ball against Marshall on Oct. 19. Ryan Sauer / The Breeze

no. 7: jordan mccloud: backup qb to sun belt player of the year Days before Week 1 against Bucknell on Aug. 30, Cignetti named redshirt freshman quarterback Alonza Barnett III as the starter. The quarterback battle between Barnett and redshirt senior Jordan McCloud had begun in spring practices after former quarterback Todd Centeio departed and declared for the NFL Draft. But after Barnett finished the first half against Bucknell 3-for-11 with an interception, Cignetti knew the offense needed a changeup. With 6:25 left in the third quarter, McCloud got the nod and finished his first game with the Dukes 7-for11 and throwing two touchdowns. JMU moved to 1-0 with a 38-3 win and, from that point on, McCloud became face of JMU’s offense. Leading the Dukes to a 11-2 (7-1 Sun Belt) finish, McCloud ended the year with 3,657 passing yards, 276 on the ground and 43 combined touchdowns and was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year. Senior defensive end Jalen Green cheers on his teammates during the U.Va. game. Ryan Sauer / The Breeze

no. 6: wide receiving duo surpasses 1,000 yards in same game In the last regular season matchup of the year, a dominant 56-14 JMU win over Coastal Carolina, redshirt senior Reggie Brown and sophomore Elijah Sarratt both surpassed 1,000 single-season receiving yards. “They’ve been tremendous all year, both have 1,000 [yards], both special playmakers,” Cignetti said after the milestone. “They work hard and challenge each other in practice every single day. They don’t let anything slide and that’s just [a] testament, obviously, to their yards of offense.”

Redshirt senior wide receiver Reggie Brown stands ready to run his route against Air Force. Kaiden Bridges / The Breeze

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no. 5: bob chesney hired as program's ninth head coach After former head coach Curt Cignetti announced his departure from JMU for the same position at Indiana, Director of Athletics and his search team went on the lookout for the next face of the Dukes. Just a week after Cignetti left, JMU signed former Holy Cross head coach Bob Chesney to a five-year contract to continue wearing purple in Harrisonburg. In Chesney’s introductory press conference on Dec. 7, Bourne recalled that when his team initially interviewed Chesney, he thought to himself, “‘We got our guy.’”

New JMU head coach Bob Chesney speaks to the team during practice. Ryan Sauer / The Breeze

no. 4: jmu plays in first-ever bowl game Despite not being directly eligible, JMU still qualified for its first-ever bowl game due to there only being 79 six-win FBS teams and 82 spots. The Dukes were selected to face Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23. Despite losing 31-21, the game marked an historic moment for JMU, which made their final appearance in the FCS playoffs just two seasons before.

Former JMU tight end Zach Horton waits for the ball to snap in the Armed Forces Bowl Game. Kaiden Bridges / The Breeze

no. 3: homecoming weekend capped off with close win over odu Bridgeforth Stadium filled with an all-time record 26,239 fans Oct. 28 to watch the Dukes win a close Homecoming game against Old Dominion, 30-27, topping the previous attendance record from the previous year’s Homecoming, a 26-12 loss to Marshall. This year’s football Royal Rivalry was a nailbiter though. The Monarchs exposed JMU’s defense in a way it hadn’t seen this season with its up-tempo offense that lines its receivers wide against the sidelines. The Dukes held on though and remained perfect with the narrow win.

Redshirt senior defensive lineman Jamree Kromah and former junior linebacker Jailin Walker fight through ODU’s offensive line. Abi Middleton / The Breeze

no. 2: college gameday makes third appearance in harrisonburg After the Dukes’ win over UConn on Nov. 11, ESPN College GameDay announced it would make its third trip to JMU the following week for JMU versus Appalachian State. Not only did the GameDay crew make the trek to Harrisonburg for the anticipated game between the Dukes and Mountaineers, it also commemorated the 30th anniversary of ESPN College GameDay on the Quad. Thousands attended the “Pat McAfee Show” on Friday and then a record-breaking 26,000 on Saturday morning for GameDay and a mini concert from the Jonas Brothers and Bailey Zimmerman.

ESPN College GameDay talent Rece Davis, Pat McAfee and Lee Corso talk during Saturday morning’s GameDay show. Kaiden Bridges / The Breeze

no. 1: jmu's 36-35 comeback over in-state foe u.va. For the first time in 40 years, JMU and U.Va. faced off in Week 2. With 56,508 fans in attendance for U.Va.’s first home game since three players, D’Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler, were shot and killed in November 2022, JMU found a way to remain unbeaten with a double-digit comeback. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Dukes trailed by 11 points when a weather delay halted the action. After a 70-minute wait, the rain subsided, and the teams went back on the field. With the weather deterring many U.Va. fans from staying, former redshirt junior linebacker James Carpenter described the post-delay atmosphere as a “home game” for the Dukes. Former head coach Curt Cignetti said the team used the storm as a “reset button,” and JMU completed the comeback and defeated U.Va. 36-35. The Dukes won back-to-back road games and moved to 2-0 on the season.

CONTACT Kaiden Bridges and Jackson Hephner at breezesports@gmail.com. For more football coverage, follow the sports desk on X @TheBreezeSports.

Former sophomore wide receiver Elijah Sarratt celebrates after scoring a touchdown against U.Va. Kaiden Bridges / The Breeze

Thursday, January 18, 2024 | breezejmu.org

FOOTBALL RECAP

jmu football falls to air force in armed forces bowl, finishes 11-2 By JACKSON HEPHNER The Breeze

FORT WORTH, Texas — JMU football (112, 7-1 Sun Belt) played in its first-ever bowl game on Dec. 23, but it’ll have to wait for another year to get its first-ever bowl win. Facing Air Force (9-4, 5-3 Mountain West) in the Armed Forces Bowl, the Dukes ended their season with a 31-21 loss. It was one of few low points in a historic season that saw the Dukes start 10-0 and finish first in the Sun Belt Conference East Division for the second year in a row before head coach Curt Cignetti departed for the same position at Indiana. “Obviously, you can ask for a better finish,” redshirt senior wide receiver Phoenix Sproles said, “but I think as a team, we finished the way we wanted to, which was being here together and enjoying our company these last three last three weeks with coach [Wroblewski] and the guys he brought in. It felt like playing football as a kid again.” Air Force also had a historic start to its season. The Falcons went 8-0 and debuted in the College Football Playoff rankings at No. 25 before losing their last four games, knocking them out of contention for the Mountain West Conference championship game. Motivated to end their season on a high note, the Falcons struck early, with senior fullback Emmanuel Michel bursting free for a 54-yard rush on their first offensive play. He found the end zone seven plays later. “You always want to go out with a bang and finish out your career strong,” Michel said. In his final game with the Falcons, he finished with 203 rushing yards. Air Force as a team ended the afternoon with 351 rushing yards, marking the first time the Dukes have allowed over 300 rushing yards since they gave up 312 against Delaware in 2016. Wroblewski said the Dukes prepared as best they could for the triple option given

Indiana football signed JMU sophomore linebacker Aiden Fisher (left) and six other Dukes the day after the Armed Forces Bowl. Photos by Kaiden Bridges / The Breeze

the circumstances, bringing in multiple coaches to prepare with experience against the scheme, and he wasn’t surprised by the Falcons’ touchdown in the opening drive. Redshirt senior defensive lineman Jamree Kromah said the defense adjusted to Air Force’s speed as the game went on but wasn’t able to stop the Falcons’ explosiveness. Air Force scored 21 of its 31 points in the first half, adding one more touchdown in the third quarter after a 31-yard run from Michel. Defensively, the Falcons pressured McCloud all game, tallying four sacks and plenty more hurried passes, including one with 11:57 in the second quarter that Falcons’ senior linebacker Johnathan Youngblood picked off. “There’s a rhythm that you want to have as a quarterback,” Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun said, “and then all of a sudden, things are a little closer to you, or somebody’s moving you off the spot — now you’ve disintegrated that rhythm.” As the final seconds ticked down, emotions came out on the JMU sidelines as its 2023 season came to a close. “Definitely a lot of tears, and that’s a good thing,” Sproles said. “That means guys cared. My face is still a little wet, and that’s just the passion that we have for this game.” While JMU’s season, and Wroblewski’s tenure as acting head coach, ended with a loss, he said he’s confident that the future of the Dukes is still bright. “We’re coming,” Wroblewski said. “And the fight of the people of this community and the passion of the people of this community is special, and when we get knocked down, the Dukes get back up.” CONTACT Jackson Hephner at breezesports@ gmail.com. For more football coverage, follow the sports desk on X at @TheBreezeSports.

Air Force finished with 351 rushing yards — the most the Dukes had given up since 2016 — led by senior fullback Emmanuel Michel, who racked up with 203.

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FOOTBALL RECAP

offensive line coach named jmu's acting head coach for bowl game By KAIDEN BRIDGES & JACKSON HEPHNER The Breeze

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This story was originally published on Dec. 3 and updated for this special print edition. Alongside the reveal of JMU’s first-ever bowl matchup on Dec. 3 came another announcement. After former head coach Curt Cignetti, who left for Indiana on Thursday, said he was uncertain about his status of coaching JMU’s first-ever bowl, Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne said in a press release on Dec. 3 that Damian Wroblewski, offensive line coach/associate head coach for the offense, would be the acting head coach for the Armed Forces Bowl versus Air Force (8-4, 5-3 Mountain West) on Dec. 23. Wroblewski has been with the Dukes since 2018, initially starting as an assistant head coach before transitioning over to his current position in 2021. He said while he hasn’t had much time to reflect on the opportunity yet, he’s optimistic about what’s ahead for him and the team over the next few weeks. He added that during this time of uncertainty for the Dukes, he felt the need to step in and help get work done that he knew was needed. “As the opportunity became more and more obvious, more and more things went through my head that needed to be done,” Wroblewski said in a Zoom press conference

on Dec. 3. “There’s a checklist to do, and I’m within the program, he feels equally touched excited to do it. It’s a humbling feeling at the by what being a member of the JMU Athletics end of the day, you know, it’s really pretty community means. fascinating.” “I can’t put my finger on it, I’m not exactly As a coach, Wroblewski said he’s fueled by sure why, but James Madison University passion. He said his favorite part of the day is attracts successful, happy, proud people,” inspiring JMU football players — whether it’s Wroblewski said. “It’s really impressive. It’s in meetings, on the practice field or coaching really amazing to be a part of, and [it] inspires position groups. But while Wroblewski will you or myself to be the best coach that I can have to oversee more players, he said his be, and to be a member of the community is style won’t change. an awesome feeling.” “I get to teach Players have and influence these praised Wroblewski young people to be all season, especially the best that they his offensive linemen. can be,” Wroblewski “He never lets us said. “And now, the get down energy task is bigger because wise,” redshirt there’s more people sophomore offensive that I’m responsible lineman Josh Toner for, but that’s not said on Nov. 14. “He’s going to change. At always on us to keep the end of the day, us ready to go. I mean, every one of us is he’s a great coach. He trying to be better. coaches the crap out Every one of us of us every single day. is trying to chase There’s never a dull excellence, and we’re moment.” looking forward to Wroblewski called that opportunity the previous week, tomorrow.” before his interim He added that JMU acting head coach Damian Wroblewski at gig came about, an while he tries to the Armed Forces Bowl versus Air Force on Dec. “emotional roller motivate people 23. Kaiden Bridges / The Breeze coaster,” as he saw

the players needed guidance amid adversity. But despite what was a chaotic few days for the Dukes, he added that it’s time to be excited and embrace the opportunity the team and university has been fighting for the last eight months. “There’s this uncertainty of the future, but yet there’s this really awesome experience that’s coming up upon us,” Woblewski said. “So I think the moods [have] been pretty solid, people are resilient … They’re an impressive group. To go 11-1 in the Sun Belt Conference is a testament to their dedication day in and day out, and we’re looking forward to this one more experience together with this particular season — the 2023 James Madison Dukes.” Wroblewski said he wanted the players to get a good workout in on Dec. 8, then decompress over the weekend before returning to work on Dec. 11. Despite many impact players entering the transfer portal for the Dukes, they mostly all played versus Air Force. “We are all outrageously excited,” Wroblewski said. “We can’t wait to get there, but there’s a lot to be done between now and then. We’re looking forward to that and the daily work in preparation as well.” CONTACT Kaiden Bridges and Jackson Hephner at breezesports@gmail.com. For more football coverage, follow the sports desk on X at @TheBreezeSports.

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FOOTBALL RECAP

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bob chesney introduced as dukes' next head coach By KAIDEN BRIDGES & JACKSON HEPHNER The Breeze This story was originally published on Dec. 12 and updated for this special print edition. JMU President Jonathan Alger, Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne and football’s new head coach Bob Chesney walk down the stairs to the club suite in Bridgeforth Stadium. Duke Dog greets and shakes the hands of all three as cameras click, and a round of applause from family, friends and colleagues erupts inside the room. Chesney and Bourne sit down, grinning from ear-to-ear, while Alger takes the stand to speak. “What a special day at James Madison University,” Alger says. After five days of anticipation following the announcement of Chesney’s hiring, the head coach finally had the chance to introduce himself to JMU on Dec. 6 in a room with roughly a few dozen fans, family and JMU football players. As he began, he thanked Alger and Bourne and the people who he’s worked with at previous schools — head coaches he’s worked under, assistants who have worked with him, athletic directors who hired him and his players. Next, he turned to his family. His immediate family sat to his left, as well as a few from his extended family. Football has always been a family affair for Chesney. His father was the head coach of his high school team, and his grandfather and uncle were on his father's staff — all while his father and uncle’s brother-in-law Former Holy Cross head coach Bob Chesney took was the athletic director and his neighbors over the helm at JMU in December. Ryan Sauer / rounded out the support staff. The Breeze “I never saw that as a profession,” Chesney

said of being a head coach. “I didn’t see it as a job. I saw it as a way of life.” Growing up in that environment taught him the importance of developing players as people. He said part of what drew him to JMU was how Alger was looking for that initiative in a head coach. Chesney also acknowledged the difficulty of that process, especially given what the Dukes have gone through these past few weeks following the abrupt coaching change and players subsequently entering the transfer portal. “I could feel it in the room when I met with the players,” Chesney said. “I can feel just their angst and the pressure on them and that uncertainty, and my job is to make sure that I am able to sit with them and get a chance to meet and learn every single one of them because we have big goals ahead, but it’s going to start with trust.” With plenty on his to-do list while still adjusting to his new position at JMU, he said one primary task is making personal connections with his team. Chesney said he prides himself on the relationships he’s had with his coaching staff and players — something that’s always been a priority for him during his career. With a new group of people to grow said relationships with, Chesney has already started to craft connections but said they won’t mature overnight. “Spending time with them, that’s got to be the most important thing I do right now,” Chesney said. “They don’t know what to expect from me just yet. I stood in front of the whole team twice up to this point in time … but finding the windows to sit down with each of them — moving into position groups and finding time to spend a lunch with each of them before the plane takes off for the bowl game.” Chesney said he not only wants to connect with his players off the field but drive them toward lofty goals on it. He said that every player’s goal should be to make the NFL, noting that he had seven players from his time at Division II Assumption make the league. Two are still playing: wide receiver Deonte Harty and long snapper Zach Triner. To get his players to the NFL, Chesney said he needs to find the right assistants, while also putting them in the best position for their individual coaching careers. When asked if this could include coaches already at JMU, ones who Chesney has previously worked with or new outside hires, Chesney said he’s looking for “the perfect blend of all of it.” “I have a responsibility to them to make sure that I put them in the best position,” Chesney said. “But I have responsibility to JMU to make sure that we find the guys of the most competent football coaches that can connect the best with our players.” With a laundry list of tasks, Chesney faces a big one over the next few weeks. However, Bourne expressed full confidence in the coach, sharing that he knew he was the right fit for JMU when he visited Chesney’s home in Worcester, Massachusetts, namely because of Chesney’s preparedness and knowledge of JMU’s program. “It took about 10 minutes of his presentation, and I just intrisically thought, ‘We got our guy,’” Bourne said. CONTACT Kaiden Bridges and Jackson Hephner at breezesports@gmail.com. For more sports coverage, follow the sports desk on Twitter @TheBreezeSports.

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Thursday, January 18, 2024 | breezejmu.org

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the fight for bowl eligibility How JMU leadership, Virginia politicians fought to ensure the Dukes a spot By JACKSON HEPHNER The Breeze

Despite losing only one regular season game, JMU football was considered ineligible for a bowl game this past season because of it being in the second year of its transition to the FBS. While the Dukes still secured a spot in a bowl due to there not being enough eligible teams, their postseason was never guaranteed, and many Virginia politicians and JMU leadership vouched for the football program to secure full eligibility. Here's a timeline of how they got involved:

oct. 3 - jason miyares urges ncaa to

reconsider granting jmu bowl eligibility Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) sent a letter to the NCAA on Oct. 3, urging the Division I Council to reconsider the decision it made in April to deny JMU’s waiver to shorten its transition process. In the letter, Miyares, a 1998 JMU graduate, highlighted the Dukes’ at-the-time 13-3 record as an FBS program and their 5-0 start to the season. “I understand the two-year transition period is intended to ensure that programs are able to operate and compete at the highest level of intercollegiate football to which they are graduating,” Miyares wrote. “However, it is obvious that JMU’s football program has demonstrated it is more than capable of operating and competing at the FBS level, and it has satisfied all other NCAA requirements of FBS eligibility.”

oct. 18 - ncaa denies miyares' request The NCAA responded with a letter from President Charlie Baker, formally rejecting Miyares’ request. “The Division I Board of Directors and council believe clear standards and timelines for reclassification processes will promote strategic membership growth and allow for a uniform experience for all reclassifying institutions,” Baker said in his letter. “The board and council agreed that if changes to the FCS-to-FBS reclassification process are warranted, these should be handled through legislation that applies to all schools reclassifying from FCS to FBS.”

oct. 22 - college football playoff confirms it will not consider jmu in its rankings A spokesperson from the College Football Playoff told the Daily News-Record that JMU will not be considered for the CFP rankings or a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl, regardless of whether the Dukes make a bowl on the condition there weren’t enough eligible teams to fill every matchup.

nov. 6 - jmu sends 2nd letter to ncaa In a last-ditch attempt to secure JMU’s bowl eligibility, Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne and President Jonathan Alger sent an informational letter to the NCAA, requesting that JMU be considered a full FBS member because of its compliance with the standards for full FBS membership. “Winning at this level the way that we have this year really accentuates the preparedness for where we are,” Bourne said on a Zoom call the next day, “and I think it adds significantly to our case and what the general public’s perception is.”

nov. 15 - the ncaa denies jmu's request The NCAA rejected JMU’s request for bowl eligibility, as first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, then confirmed to The Breeze by Bourne later that evening. “This is the end for us with that opportunity, so we’re still hopeful, really hopeful that we’ll get an opportunity for postseason game for our team,” Bourne said. “They certainly deserve it, and we track every week the numbers, so that ends up being a really important element for us. And I think [a bowl] can be a nice opportunity for reward for the studentathletes in our program.”

nov. 18-21 - miyares threatens to sue ncaa, but jmu backs out after first loss Just a few hours before JMU’s game against Appalachian State, Miyares told the Daily News-Record and WHSV-TV that his team was in the final stages of preparing litigation against the NCAA. “What I can say right now is stay tuned for Monday,” Miyares said then. But after the Dukes 26-23 loss to the Mountaineers in overtime, The Breeze was unable to confirm Miyares had filed a lawsuit that Monday, and one day later, JMU confirmed that no lawsuit was filed in a statement to the DN-R and WHSV-TV. “JMU’s president and senior administration, upon advice of an in consultation with the Attorney General’s office and outside counsel, decided to hold off based on the results of last week’s game and the timing involved,” the statement said. “The university is continuing to pursue all avenues to get into a postseason bowl game.”

nov. 25 - regular season ends with 3 open bowl spots, securing dukes for a matchup After months of letters and threatened litigation, JMU secured its slot in a bowl game through an NCAA bylaw that allows transitioning FBS teams to be selected when there aren’t enough eligible teams to fill every bowl. With only 79 eligible teams and 82 spots, JMU, Jacksonville State and Minnesota, a 5-7 team, filled the spots. On Dec. 3, the Dukes were selected to face Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23.

CONTACT Jackson Hephner at breezesports@gmail.com. For more football coverage, follow the sports desk on X at @TheBreezeSports.

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Thursday, January 18, 2024 | breezejmu.org

Paving the way Despite JMU (11-2, 7-1 Sun Belt) falling to Air Force 31-21 in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23, the Dukes made history in 2023 between ESPN College GameDay’s third visit to Harrisonburg and the program’s first-ever bowl game. But now with the 2024 season on the horizon, a lot will look different, as head coach Bob Chesney takes over a team that lost 96% of last season’s production, according to a JMU football X post from a team meeting. Chesney and co. will lead the Dukes as they come out of their two-year FBS transition - with them fully eligible for postseason play next fall.

Thursday, January 18, 2024 | breezejmu.org

FOOTBALL RECAP

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Thursday, January 18, 2024 | breezejmu.org

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national media disagrees with ncaa's stance on jmu's bowl ineligibility ahead of gameday By HAYDEN HUNDLEY The Breeze

This story was originally published Nov. 17 and updated for this special print edition. Eric Sollenberger (’07), better known as PFT Commenter, the co-host of the “Pardon My Take” podcast since 2012, said the game that generated the most buzz from national media during his time as a student was when the club rugby team beat Virginia Tech in the Blumpkin tournament. “On campus, everybody talked about that,” said PFT, who has over a million followers on X. “The scrum-half for JMU played a hell of a tournament. That’s what you hear about in the national media: ‘Oh, that game was so, very important. What a great job that scrum-half did.’” Ironically, JMU football won the FCS National Championship over Montana in 2004 as an unseeded team, upsetting No. 2-seed Furman and No. 3 William & Mary en route to the program’s first-ever title. Quite the story, but as PFT said, most of the hoopla surrounding JMU athletics was about the scrum-half’s performance against Virginia Tech in rugby. Fast forward 19 years later, men’s basketball cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history. Men’s and women’s soccer received at-large bids for the NCAA tournament — with the men’s side upsetting Pitt 3-2 in the first round — and football, which is 11-1 and now playing at the FBS level, is playing in a bowl game. “It’s insane,” PFT said in an interview with The Breeze shortly before College GameDay revealed him as the guest picker at JMU. “To think that both the basketball team and football team are ranked in the top 25, never in a million years would I have expected that thinking back to when I went there.” In mid-November, JMU was one of six schools, joining Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Tennessee and North Carolina, ranked in men’s basketball and football. The Dukes competed in a bowl game due to the FBS regular season coming to a close with not enough six-win teams to fill the 82 slots. On Oct. 19, JMU played Marshall on ESPN on a Thursday at 7 p.m. It was the biggest platform the Dukes played in all year, and commentators Matt Barrie and Rody Johnson thrashed the NCAA for its stance regarding the Dukes' eligibility. Johnson called the situation an “easy fix” but remained doubtful about the NCAA stepping back on its original decision because it consistently steps “wrong with everything.” “You can make a list of things that drive me insane, but this is at the top of the list,” Barrie said on the broadcast. The two shifted their conversation to NCAA President Charlie Baker, who was the governor of Massachusetts from 2015-23. “You’ve got a politician running it, and he seems to consistently refuse the political wins, the wins that don’t cost them anything but great goodwill,” Johnson said. Barrie piled on. “Aren’t politicians trying to be popular?” Barrie asked. “This is also the same institution that penalized someone for putting cream cheese on a bagel.” True story. Until 2013, the NCAA had a bylaw prohibiting all student-athletes from putting cream cheese, jelly or any other spreads on bagels because they were typically allowed three meals a day, and putting a spread on a bagel would make it a meal instead of a snack. After going 8-3 in JMU’s first season in the FBS, it sent a waiver to the NCAA requesting its transition to be shortened, but it was denied on April 26. On Nov. 6, JMU sent a letter to the NCAA Board of Directors requesting relief from the rule, but the NCAA again maintained JMU’s status as a transitioning team, which keeps the Dukes out of prestigious New Year’s Six bowl games. “The facts here haven't changed regarding JMU,” College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock said following the decision on Wednesday night. “The committee considers all teams that are eligible to play in the postseason, and that's where things stand.” Hunton Andrews Kurth, a law firm represented by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R, ’98), sent a three-page letter to the NCAA on Nov. 16, threatening to file suit under the antitrust law against the NCAA if it doesn’t allow JMU to compete in “whatever bowl game its performance warrants.” Miyares, who already sent a letter to Baker on Oct. 3 requesting JMU’s bowl eligibility be restated, wrote, “I am prepared to expose the NCAA’s unlawful conduct and seek justice for James Madison University through litigation, provided the University authorizes me to do so.” With politicians joining members of large media outlets such as ESPN in support of the Dukes’ bowl eligibility efforts, Chris Vannini, senior college football writer for The Athletic, said to The Breeze he isn’t sure the extensive protesting is the best idea, but he isn’t surprised, saying today’s culture “incentivizes” people to join a movement. “I don't know if [protesting is] ultimately good for everything,” Vannini said. “But the NCAA has always been an easy punching bag, and when you have something like this that is really easy to explain — a team’s undefeated, and they’re not getting to play in a bowl game even though they’re clearly one of the best teams — people are going to get behind that. Public shaming is a popular tool these days.” With College GameDay coming to JMU on Nov. 18, the attention surrounding its football program and criticism for the NCAA is unlikely to die down anytime soon. Vannini said he expects everyone on the set to be “railing” against the NCAA. “I expect Pat [McAfee] to rip his sleeves off, stand on a table, get people chanting against the NCAA,” PFT said. “He's going to play into the crowd for sure, and I’m going to appreciate every minute of it.” PFT said he is already clamoring for JMU to be crowned “national champions” if it finishes the season undefeated. So far, he hasn’t held back in his disapproval of the NCAA’s decision, saying Baker, the NCAA president, is a “big dummy.” “I’m very, very happy and excited about it,” PFT said. “Let’s take whatever publicity we can get, and it just so happens we’ve aligned ourselves against the most unlikable foe in the history of sports in the NCAA. So, public opinion is going to be on our side.”

Landon Shackelford / The Breeze

CONTACT Hayden Hundley at hundlehf@dukes.jmu.edu. For more football coverage, follow the sports desk on X at @TheBreezeSports.

JMU students, fans and alums showed up in droves for the school’s third ESPN College GameDay appearance in eight years on Nov. 18. The Dukes (11-1, 7-1 Sun Belt) were not eligible for a bowl game, which made NCAA criticism a large topic of the week’s show.

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April Weber / The Breeze

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Kimberly Aikens / The Breeze

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As with every College GameDay, JMU supporters — an estimated 26,000, the largest in the show’s history — displayed their creativity through signs often caught on TV for ESPN’s national audience. Common sign themes included disses on the NCAA and nods to the university’s namesake, James Madison.

ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY Kaiden Bridges / The Breeze

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Shackelford at breezephotography@ gmail.com, Kaiden Bridges at breezesports@ gmail.com, April Weber at weber2ap@dukes. jmu.edu and Kimberly Aikens at aiken2km@ dukes.jmu.edu. For more multimedia content, visit breezejmu.org/ multimedia.

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Thanks to our DFW Alumni Chapter for their awesome hospitality at our first-ever bowl game!

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JALEN GREEN PREPARES FOR NFL DRAFT AFTER RECORD-BREAKING SEASON JMU defensive end finished season with second-most sacks in the country By JACKSON HEPHNER The Breeze This story was originally published on Nov. 6 and updated for this special print edition. Senior defensive end Jalen Green’s JMU career ended during the Dukes’ 42-14 win against Georgia State on Nov. 4. Former head coach Curt Cignetti announced on Nov. 6 that Green suffered a knee injury at the end of the game that would require surgery. Green finished the year ranked second in the FBS in sacks (15.5) and tackles for loss (21.0). He is ineligible to return next season. “He put a lot into this season,” Cignetti said. “The silver lining is that he attracted the scouts’ attention, the NFL scouts’ attention, which I know is his goal — to play in the league.” Green finished his season and JMU career one sack shy of breaking the program’s singleseason sack record of 16.5, set by former defensive lineman John Daka (2016-19) in 2019. However, Green does now hold the Sun Belt’s single-season sack record, which Arkansas State’s Javon Rolland-Jones (2013-17) previously set with 13.5 in 2016. “While it was going on, I didn't really have the time to reflect on what exactly I was doing or what was going on,” Green said Dec. 21. “But the injury kind of allowed me time to sit back and look back at what I was able to do. You know, I'm just really proud of everything I was able to accomplish.” The highlight of Green’s season came in JMU’s 20-9 win over Marshall on Oct. 19, when he recorded five sacks, tying JMU’s singlegame record that Jim McHugh and Bob Dunn both previously set against Emory & Henry (Va.) in 1975.

“That last sack happened so fast, and I didn’t even see it,” Cignetti said after the Marshall game. “I didn’t think anyone could be sacked that quickly. He’s just been an incredible player for us this year.” Two months later, Green was in Fort Worth, Texas, helping the Dukes prepare for their first ever bowl game. “The perspective changed a little bit,” Green said, “me kind of coming from more of a coaching and advising point of view, but you know, the guys, we’re brothers. It’s a real genuine relationship. Nothing changed as far as that aspect. They still love me being around, and that encouraged me to still be around.” While helping out his teammates, Green was also preparing for the NFL Draft. He said that providing mentorship for the Dukes had allowed him to look at the mental aspect of football more. When sharing his plan for preparing for the draft, Green said the first priority is getting healthy. He said he’s rehabbing, lifting and eating right every day, and he plans on being healthy enough to bench press at JMU’s NFL Pro Day. Green said so far, he’s ahead of schedule in his preparations and would like to keep it that way. While Green said it was amazing to have his childhood dream of the NFL so close to being realized, he’ll be focused on working during the next few months to make it a reality. “I’m going to be busy these next couple months, for sure,” Green said. CONTACT Jackson Hephner at breezesports@ gmail.com. For more football coverage, follow the sports desk on X at @TheBreezeSports.

JMU defensive end Jalen Green shows his love to the crowd during his five-sack performance at Marshall on Oct. 19. Ryan Sauer / The Breeze

Thursday, January 18, 2024 | breezejmu.org

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JMU finished 2023, its second season in the Sun Belt Conference, an unprecedented 11-2 (7-1), marking the best record by an FBS transitioning team ever. Grace Sawyer / The Breeze

In its second game of the season, JMU made history, defeating U.Va. 36-35 in their first matchup in 40 years. Ryan Sauer / The Breeze

By JACKSON HEPHNER The Breeze

is how the NCAA continued to double-down on its stance rather than reverse its decision and avoid the national backlash. “I am utterly stunned the NCAA is so tonedeaf that they’d rather take one of the worst PR disasters in the history of that organization to basically continue to act like a bully,” Miyares told the Daily News-Record and WHSV-TV on the Saturday of GameDay. But even without a perfect season, conference championship or legal win, JMU achieved something that could be much more impactful — national attention. It won the approval of fans across the country and established itself as a major player in the Group of Five moving forward, and that reputation could carry the Dukes far. JMU’s situation is similar to the one UCF found itself in 2017 and 2018. The Black Knights finished both regular seasons undefeated but were left out of the College Football Playoff both years. The Golden Knights stirred enough attention that West Virginia University President Gordan Gee referenced UCF when discussing the possibility of expanding the Playoff format with The Athletic in December 2018. “I think that there’s arrogance of us not taking a look at someone like the University of Central Florida, just saying, ‘Well, they’re not worthy of it,’” Gee said. Now, not only will the College Football Playoff be expanding to 12 teams next year but the Black Knights are wrapping up their first year as a Power 5 program in the Big 12. “It was clear they have an aspiration to play at the very highest level in everything they offer,” Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby told The Athletic in July.

analysis: bowl loss aside, nothing takes away what jmu accomplished This story was originally published Nov. 20 and updated for this special print edition. Against all odds, JMU played in a bowl game this year. The Dukes capped off its second season as an FBS program with a 31-21 loss to Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23. JMU finished its season with a record of 11-2 (7-1 Sun Belt) after a 10-0 start and multiple waivers sent by the university to the NCAA attempting to grant the Dukes full bowl eligibility, which would’ve guaranteed a spot in a bowl game and made a conference championship and New Year’s Six bowl appearance possible. Amid JMU’s historic start, Virginia politicians and national media outlets alike threw their support toward the Dukes in an unprecedented fashion. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (’98, R) threatened a lawsuit against the NCAA after the organization once again denied JMU bowl eligibility on Nov.15, and the story of JMU’s ineligibility made enough national noise that ESPN College GameDay decided to make its third-ever trip to Harrisonburg on Nov. 18 despite then-No. 11 Oregon State hosting thenNo. 5 Washington. “There was a little bit of a feeling that we wanted to tell this story about JMU trying to get the waiver,” GameDay host Rece Davis said on Nov. 17. But that story hit a road bump after Appalachian State’s 26-23 overtime win over the Dukes the afternoon GameDay concluded. Afterward, JMU could no longer claim that it

was being robbed of the Group of Five’s spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game, as the Dukes were not a shoe-in to finish the year as the highest ranked non-Power 5 team. As a result, Miyares did not sue the NCAA, JMU confirmed in a statement on Nov. 21. But JMU’s postseason fate was finally decided at the end of the regular season, when there weren’t enough six-win teams to fill every bowl spot, providing the Dukes with an open spot in the Armed Forces Bowl. Now, with JMU’s first bowl game behind us, let’s take a moment to appreciate the impact of the Dukes’ 10-0 start because it could change this program for years to come. College GameDay was a perfect example of how. With the entire country watching, an estimated 26,000 people descended on the Quad, breaking the record for the biggest College GameDay crowd ever, previously set at 18,000 by Missouri in 2010. Sure, some of those fans were probably there for the Jonas Brothers, but plenty were also there to show their support for JMU and its fight for bowl eligibility. “Let us bowl” became a rallying cry for the JMU fanbase and was chanted regularly by the crowd. College GameDay made comments throughout the three-hour show on the passion of the fanbase, tossing in a few jabs at the NCAA. “You don’t think bowl season deserves to have this situation cooking behind it?” GameDay personality Pat McAfee said, gesturing toward the crowd. “College football’s better because JMU’s football is crushing.” McAfee had a point. It’s hard not to question why a 10-0 team like JMU was continuously barred from bowl eligibility because of the NCAA’s transition rules. What’s more confusing

The Dukes’ 10-0 start caught the attention of ESPN College GameDay, which came to the Quad to film its Nov. 18 show. Kaiden Bridges / The Breeze

JMU finds itself in a similar situation — an up-and-coming program looking to compete at the highest level, stopped only by the governing bodies that run the sport. “They have all the ingredients,” former JMU head coach Mickey Matthews said to The Athletic in June. “James Madison can be as good as they want to be. The possibilities are endless.” For now, the fact of the matter is, JMU didn’t play in the conference championship, and on top of everything, head coach Curt Cignetti he announced on Nov. 30 he would be leaving the program for the same position at Indiana. Now, Bob Chesney will be tasked with making a run at the Sun Belt Championship, this time without 12 players, many of who were key contributors, who transferred out of the program. But none of that changes the fact that JMU, in just its second year as an FBS program, started 10-0 and excited the fanbase enough to not only stay for all four quarters but show up in record numbers for GameDay, drawing national attention in a way that has never been seen before — and the notoriety that JMU received from that spotlight could change how the country views the Dukes for years to come. “I have had a sincere appreciation just for the anomaly that has happened here, that they went from an FCS power to a ranked FBS team in record time,” ESPN College Football Senior Writer Pete Thamel said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Nov. 17. “I have never seen in college football history a team do what has been accomplished here at James Madison.” CONTACT Jackson Hephner at breezesports@ gmail.com. For more football coverage, follow the sports desk on X at @TheBreezeSports.

JMU’s season ended with a 31-21 loss to Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23. The Dukes now enter a new era with head coach Bob Chesney in 2024. Kaiden Bridges / The Breeze

Thursday, January 18, 2024 | breezejmu.org

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