HARRISONBURG, Virginia. – Fresh off its season-opening road win, James Madison begins its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 7 when it hosts Gardner-Webb of the Big South-OVC Football Association at Bridgeforth Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+. Pre-match radio coverage on the Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network begins at 4 p.m.

Saturday’s game is sponsored by Pepsi and the 2024 JMU football season is presented by CarMax.

SOLD OUT: BRIDGEFORTH FOR OPENING MEETING

• The first home game on Saturday is sold out. This is the sixth time in a row that Bridgeforth Stadium has been sold out since last season.
• This will be the first meeting between the teams and the Dukes’ 22nd meeting with a full-time opponent from the Big South Conference. They have a 17-4 record since 1991.

HALL OF FAME WEEKEND: CELEBRATE THE 2004 CHAMPIONS

• In addition to JMU’s first home game, the campus will celebrate the newest members of the JMU Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday night, which includes five student-athletes, one coach and one team.
• Former head coach Mickey Matthews (1999-2013) will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with his football team, which won the national championship in 2004.
• The Dukes won the first of two Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) national championships in 2004 and remain the only team to win three true away games en route to the title.
• Matthews owns the most coaching wins in JMU football history, going 109-71 in his seasons at the helm. In addition to the 2004 national title, Matthews led JMU to six playoff appearances and three conference titles.

DUKE’S WIN CHESNEY’S DEBUT IN CHARLOTTE

• JMU scored 27 unanswered points and pitched a second-half shutout to win 30-7 in its season opener on Aug. 31 in Charlotte.
• Alonza Barnett III threw two touchdowns in his second career start, completing 10 of 17 passes for 219 yards and rushing for 89 yards on just nine carries.
• Daniela Ross He totaled 94 yards, made two catches for 53 yards and one run for 41 yards. Omarion Dollison also caught two passes for 80 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown.
• George Pettaway And Ayo Adeyi three points, Pettaway ran for 25 and a touchdown and caught a 33-yard touchdown. Adeyi scored 41 yards as a running touchdown.
• JMU outscored Charlotte by a 417-324 margin, including 198-131 on the ground. After trailing 7-3, JMU’s defense forced Charlotte into two interceptions, two 3-and-outs and two turnovers on downs in the host’s final seven drives.
• JMU won the battle for possession 3-2 and was ahead in tackles with loss of space 10-6.

FIVE OPENING VICTORIES IN A ROW

• Since its inaugural season in 1972, JMU holds a record of 30-22-1 in season opening games.
• With the 30-7 win in Charlotte on August 31, JMU has now won five consecutive season opening games since 2020.
• In its five victories, JMU has won by an average margin of 46.4 to 5.4. Morehead State scored 10 points in 2021, and no other opponent has managed more than seven points during the final period.
• The week one win was JMU’s first road victory in a season opener since a 34-14 win at ECU on Sept. 2, 2017.
• JMU is now 5-15-1 in season-opening road games.
• Against FBS opponents in the 2022 and 2024 openers, JMU has given up seven points each to both Middle Tennessee and Charlotte and averaged 37.0 points itself.
• The 2022 44-7 win over MTSU was JMU’s first game as an FBS member and the first time we hosted an FBS opponent.
• The last team to beat JMU in an opening game was West Virginia, which held the Dukes at bay 20-13 on August 31, 2019, in Morgantown, W.Va.

21 HOME PLAYERS IN A ROW

• With the 31-3 victory over Bucknell in last season’s season opener, JMU improved its overall record in home openers to 41-11.
• Since 2003, the Dukes have now won 21 consecutive home openers at Bridgeforth.
• During this current phase, JMU wins its first home game by an average score of 48.9 to 8.6.
• In the last nine home games, no team has scored more than 10 points against the Dukes.
• JMU has scored over 40 points in 16 of those wins, including a home-record 80 points in the 2016 opener – also against Morehead State.
• The last opposing team to win a JMU home opener was Hampton, 31-28, on August 31, 2002.

REDEMPTION SEASON FOR ZO

• Alonza Barnett III took the field for his second career start in Week 1 as JMU’s starting quarterback.
• After a slow start in which he completed 1 of 6 passes, one interception, and lost a fumble on a sack, Barnett rebounded in great fashion to lead JMU to a win against the 49ers.
• In the final two quarters and more, Barnett was 9 of 12 for 178 yards and two passing touchdowns, including a 73-yard dart to Omarion Dollison to open the second half.
• He also wasn’t sacked again and managed 91 rushing yards on his final six carries, with a long of 36 after starting with three for -2 yards.
• This performance earned him the match ball in the locker room, just a year after a difficult performance in his first appearance.

The defense goes through hard

• After JMU allowed a touchdown in the second quarter, Charlotte’s defense was able to stymie the offense in the final two quarters.
• The 49ers gained 324 yards total, but only 146 yards in the second half.
• Trailing 7-3, the Dukes forced two interceptions, two 3-and-outs and two turnovers on downs in the 49ers’ final seven drives, allowing JMU to score 27 unanswered points.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Online: ESPN+ (subscription required)
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network Broadcast Talent

• ESPN+: Curt Dudley (pxp), Brian Barlow (analyst), David Hulvey (sideline)
• Radio: Dave Riggert (pxp), Cole Johnson (analyst)