With James Madison’s first FBS season right around the corner, the Dukes are hoping they can show that they are more than just an FCS powerhouse. Now in the Sun Belt and with a ton of confidence and ambition, some of their opponents may not know too much about them ahead of studying film. Though the purpose of this is not to serve as any sort of scouting report for opponents, here are the three things you need to know about Curt Cignetti’s team before the season gets underway.
The offense is returning seven starters
The Dukes have a fantastic offense returning from a year ago, returning seven total starters from a team that went 12-2. The Dukes averaged 38.29 points per game, as well as 436.1 yards per game. They did lose QB Cole Johnson, but they landed Todd Centeio of Colorado State. He’s a former three-star player out of Florida who started his career out at Temple. If he can build on his 2021 season where he threw 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 60.3 percent of his passes, the Dukes could surprise in the Sun Belt.
The defense has to replace a star
Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey, the team’s all–American linebacker, is gone, having been lured to the big time, transferring to the University of Texas. In what was his senior year at JMU, he played in all 14 games and had a team-best 116 tackles, including nine for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also had two forced fumbles and three interceptions. He was the heart and soul of the team, and his departure is hard to swallow. The team must find some young guys to be impact players to attempt to replace him.
Don’t be shocked if it is rough early on
It’s not easy to make the move from FCS to FBS, so don’t be shocked if there are some serious growing pains. But if you want to look at recent, local history, Liberty University had its first FBS season in 2018. They went 6-6. JMU would probably take that in year one, though they will be aiming for higher. The key will be to compete, keep games close and show improvement. There are some tricky games on the schedule, but they play their last two games of the season at home, and the Dukes hope to be within range of bowl eligibility when that arrives. It’s a tough transition but one JMU has dreamed of. Let’s see how they begin this exciting new era with a big game at Bridgeforth Stadium on Saturday.
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