2023 James Madison Dukes football team

2023 James Madison Dukes football
Sun Belt East Division champion [a]
Armed Forces Bowl, L 21–31 vs. Air Force
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
Division	East Division
Record	11–2 (7–1 Sun Belt)
Head coach	Curt Cignetti (5th season; regular season) Damian Wroblewski (interim, bowl game)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Shanahan (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Bryant Haines (2nd season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Bridgeforth Stadium
Seasons ←  2022 2024  →

2023 Sun Belt Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
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
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant * – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules

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.

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]

Preseason

Media poll

In the Sun Belt preseason coaches' poll, the Dukes were picked to finish in first place in the East division. ^[5]

Media poll (East division)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	James Madison	78 (4)
2	Appalachian State	75 (4)
3	Coastal Carolina	71 (1)
4	Marshall	68 (1)
5	Georgia Southern	52 (1)
6	Georgia State	31
7	Old Dominion	17

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. ^[5]

Schedule

The football schedule was announced February 24, 2023. ^[6]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	6:00 p.m.	Bucknell *		Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	ESPN+	W 38–3	23,756
September 9	12:00 p.m.	at Virginia *		Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	ESPNU	W 36–35	56,508
September 16	7:00 p.m.	at Troy		Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL	NFLN	W 16–14	26,634
September 23	8:00 p.m.	at Utah State *		Maverik Stadium Logan, UT	MW Network	W 45–38	19,994
September 30	12:00 p.m.	South Alabama		Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	ESPNU	W 31–23	26,064
October 14	12:00 p.m.	Georgia Southern		Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	ESPN2	W 41–13	25,097
October 19	7:00 p.m.	at Marshall		Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV	ESPN	W 20–9	22,109
October 28	8:00 p.m.	Old Dominion	No. 25	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA (Royal Rivalry)	ESPNU	W 30–27	26,239
November 4	3:30 p.m.	at Georgia State		Center Parc Stadium Atlanta, GA	ESPN2	W 42–14	15,320
November 11	2:00 p.m.	UConn *		Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	ESPN+	W 44–6	25,240
November 18	2:00 p.m.	Appalachian State		Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA ( College GameDay )	ESPN+	L 23–26 OT	25,838
November 25	3:30 p.m.	at Coastal Carolina		Brooks Stadium Conway, SC	ESPN2	W 56–14	16,196
December 23	3:30 p.m.	vs. Air Force *		Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX (Armed Forces Bowl)	ABC	L 21–31	30,828
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Roster

2023 James Madison Dukes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 0 Phoenix Sproles  Sr WR 1 Reggie Brown  Sr QB 2 Jordan McCloud  Sr RB 3 Solomon Vanhorse  Sr RB 5 Latrele Palmer Sr RB 6 Kaelon Black  So RB 7 Ty Son Lawton  Sr WR 8 Maxwell Moss Fr WR 9 Omarion Dollison Jr QB 10 Brett Griffis  Fr QB 11 Billy Atkins  So WR 12 Jayden Mines  Fr WR 13 Elijah Sarratt So QB 14 Alonza Barnett III  Fr TE 15 Kyi Wright  Jr WR 16 Desmond Green  So TE 17 Taylor Thompson Jr QB 18 Blake Kendall  Fr WR 19 Taji Hudson  So WR 20 Yamir Knight Fr WR 21 Chris Lofton Fr RB 23 Sammy Malignaggi Jr RB 25 Wayne Knight So RB 28 Ke'Marion Baldwin Fr RB 32 Kalin Jean  So WR 37 Blake Barnes  So RB 40 Peyton Rutherford Jr TE 44 Zach Horton Jr WR 49 Payton Hunter  Jr OL 50 Carter Miller  Fr OL 52 Tyshawn Wyatt Jr OL 55 Ronald Altman Jr OL 56 Nick Kidwell  Sr OL 58 Tanner Morris  Jr OL 60 Carter Sweazie  Fr OL 62 Wesley Bostic  Fr OL 66 Cole Potts Jr OL 68 Griffin Hart Fr OL 69 Breon Brown Fr OL 70 Brett Davis  So OL 71 Isaac Owusu-Appiah  Jr OL 72 Josh Toner  So OL 74 Tyler Stephens Jr OL 75 Kyle Lenhart Fr OL 77 Aaron Gunn  So OL 78 Cameron Jones Fr OL 79 Joseph Simmons  Fr TE 81 Gabriel Hollingsworth  Jr WR 82 Troy Lewis  So WR 83 Erick Harris  Fr WR 84 Rykin Maxwell Fr TE 85 Jordan Funk Jr TE 86 Collin Carroll Fr TE 88 Ibrahim Barry Fr TE 89 Josh Phifer Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 0 Taurus Jones  Jr S 1 Que Reid  Sr CB 2 Chauncey Logan So DL 3 Mikail Kamara  So LB 5 Jailin Walker Jr LB 6 Julio Ayamel  Jr S 7 Jarius Reimonenq Sr DL 8 Abi Nwabouku-Okonji  Sr DL 9 Jamree Kromah  Sr DL 10 Jalen Green Sr LB 11 Aiden Fisher So S 12 Josh Sarratt Sr CB 14 Nehki Meredith  So CB 16 Trevell Mullen  Fr DL 17 Amar Thomas  Fr S 18 Evan Spivey Fr CB 19 D'Angelo Ponds Fr S 21 Jamari Somerville Fr CB 23 Brent Austin So LB 24 Trent Hendrick So CB 26 Devyn Coles Sr S 27 Jacob Thomas So S 28 Kye Holmes  So CB 30 Justin Eaglin  Fr CB 31 Antoine Booth  So S 32 DJ Barksdale Fr LB 33 Gannon Weathersby Fr S 34 Chris Chukwuneke  Sr S 35 Jahquil Batts  So CB 37 Jamaree Seldon  Fr S 38 Stephen Hollander  Fr DL 39 Payne Bauer  So DL 42 Carter Banks  Fr LB 43 Matthew Channell  Fr LB 46 Jackson Snyder Fr LB 47 Noah Holmes  Jr DL 48 Greyson Cadd  Fr S 49 Francis Meehan  Sr DL 51 Riley Robell Fr LB 52 Seth Noatala  So DL 53 Zai Roberts  So LB 54 Brandon Fique  So DL 55 Immanuel Bush  So DL 59 Tyrique Tucker  Fr DL 61 Spencer Toth  Fr DL 92 Darold DeNgohe Fr DL 93 Mychal McMullin Fr DL 94 Sean Johns  Jr DL 98 Samson Ogunade Fr DL 99 James Carpenter  Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 40 Camden Wise  Sr K 41 Nathan Patterson Fr LS 47 Kaden Schickel  So P 48 Ryan Hanson  Jr LS 54 Jack Mowrey Fr K 63 Nick Gonzalez  Jr K 96 Connor Madden  Sr	Head coach Curt Cignetti Coordinators/assistant coaches Mike Shanahan (Offensive coordinator / Wide receivers) Bryant Haines (Defensive coordinator / Linebackers) Grant Cain (Special teams coordinator / Tight ends / Assistant head coach) Marcus Hall-Oliver (Safeties) Jarred Holley (Cornerbacks) John Miller (Running backs) Damian Wroblewski (Offensive line / Assistant head coach) Tino Sunseri (Quarterbacks / Pass game) Pat Kuntz (Defensive line) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: August 29, 2023

Game summaries

vs Bucknell

See also: 2023 Bucknell Bison football team

at Virginia

See also: 2023 Virginia Cavaliers football team

at Troy

See also: 2023 Troy Trojans football team

at Utah State

See also: 2023 Utah State Aggies football team

vs South Alabama

See also: 2023 South Alabama Jaguars football team

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

First Quarter (12:49) JMU – Elijah Sarratt 48-yard pass from Jordan McCloud, Camden Wise kick (Drive: 3 plays, 48 yards, 0:22; James Madison 7–0) (8:04) JMU – Zach Horton 44-yard pass from Jordan McCloud, Camden Wise kick (Drive: 1 plays, 44 yards, 0:11; James Madison 14–0) Second Quarter (6:10) JMU – Camden Wise 31-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 3:56; James Madison 17–0) (5:37) USA – Jamaal Pritchett 48-yard pass from Carter Bradley, Diego Guajardo kick (Drive: 2 plays, 70 yards, 0:29; James Madison 17–7) (3:49) JMU – Jalen Green 24-yard interception, Camden Wise kick (Drive: James Madison 24–7) Third Quarter (0:21) USA – Diego Guajardo 40-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 4:37; James Madison 24–10) Fourth Quarter (11:32) JMU – Zach Horton 66-yard pass from Jordan McCloud, Camden Wise kick (Drive: 2 plays, 71 yards, 0:49; James Madison 31–10) (8:19) USA – Lincoln Sefcik 3-yard pass from Carter Bradley (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:13; James Madison 31–16) (3:56) USA – La'Damian Webb 1-yard run, Diego Guajardo kick (Drive: 7 plays, 89 yards, 1:48; James Madison 31–23) Win Probability Line Over/Under

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

See also: 2023 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

at Marshall

See also: 2023 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

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)
• Pregame line: James Madison –3.5

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter (11:38) JMU – Camden Wise 27 yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:53; James Madison 3–0) Third quarter (11:57) MRSH – TyQaze Leggs safety (James Madison 3–2) (7:17) JMU – Camden Wise 38 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards, 3:00; James Madison 6–2) (1:12) JMU – Jordan McCloud 6 yard run, Camden Wise kick (Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards, 4:55; James Madison 13–2) Fourth quarter (14:08) JMU – Reggie Brown 28 yard pass from Jordan McCloud, Camden Wise kick (Drive: 5 plays, 37 yards, 1:17; James Madison 20–2) (13:55) MRSH – Jayden Harrison 94 yard kickoff return, Rece Verhoff kick (James Madison 20–9)

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

See also: 2023 Old Dominion Monarchs football team and Royal Rivalry

at Georgia State

See also: 2023 Georgia State Panthers football team

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
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Win Probability Line Over/Under

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

See also: 2023 UConn Huskies football team

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

at Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, Virginia

• Date: November 11
• Game time: 2:02 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 55 °F (13 °C)
• Game attendance: 25,240
• Referee: Marshall Lewis
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Curt Dudley, Vad Lee, Corey Spector
• Box Score

Game information

First Quarter JMU – Wise, Camden 34 yd field goal, 0:10. Dukes 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 78 yards, TOP 06:51 Second Quarter JMU – Wise, Camden 29 yd field goal, 9:25. Dukes 6–0. Drive: 8 plays, 33 yards, TOP 04:00 JMU – Brown, Reggie 80 yd pass from McCloud, Jordan (Wise, Camden kick), 7:40. Dukes 13–0. Drive: 1 plays, 80 yards, TOP 00:11 CONN – Ruelas, Noe 41 yd field goal, 3:26. Dukes 13–3. Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, TOP 04:14 Third Quarter JMU – Wise, Camden 28 yd field goal, 12:09. Dukes 16–3. Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, TOP 02:26 CONN – Ruelas, Noe 31 yd field goal, 7:42. Dukes 16–6. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, TOP 04:21 JMU – Horton, Zach 21 yd pass from McCloud, Jordan (Wise, Camden kick), 5:54. Dukes 23–6. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:48 JMU – Brown, Reggie 55 yd pass from McCloud, Jordan (Wise, Camden kick), 2:06. Dukes 30–6. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, TOP 01:53 Fourth Quarter JMU – Sproles, Phoenix 5 yd pass from McCloud, Jordan (Wise, Camden kick), 6:43. Dukes 37–6. Drive: 10 plays, 90 yards, TOP 05:04 JMU – Austin, Brent 81 yd interception (Wise, Camden kick), 3:43. Dukes 44–6.

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

See also: 2023 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team

at Coastal Carolina

See also: 2023 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team

Rankings

Further information: 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	—	—	RV	RV	RV	25	23	21	18	24	24	24	RV
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	24	21	21	RV	25	25	RV
CFP	Not released									—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released

Notes

1. James Madison was ineligible to participate in the SBC championship game due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules. ^[7]

References

1. News-Record, NOAH FLEISCHMAN Daily (May 2, 2023). "How Likely Is a Bowl Game For JMU In 2023?". Daily News-Record. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
2. "NCAA denies James Madison's bid for waiver to gain bowl eligibility". The Virginian-Pilot. April 27, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
3. Salerno, Cameron (November 16, 2023). "NCAA denies postseason eligibility waiver for James Madison, Dukes must hope for dearth of bowl-eligible teams". CBS Sports . Retrieved November 26, 2023.
4. Murray, Jack (November 25, 2023). "James Madison Guaranteed CFB Bowl Berth Due to Lack of 6-Win Teams". Bleacher Report . Retrieved November 26, 2023.
5. "Sun Belt Announces Football Preseason Awards & Poll". sunbeltsports.org. July 24, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
6. "2023 James Madison Football Schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved April 22, 2023.