2004 I-AA Champion Football Team (2024) - JMU Athletics Hall of Fame

2004 I-AA Champion Football Team

Induction:
2024

While there were multiple high achievements for JMU football prior to 2003, it was the 2004 squad under Head Coach Mickey Matthews that proved what was possible for James Madison and redefined the trajectory of the program by capturing the I-AA (now FCS) national championship. The Dukes had made five total playoff appearances in their first 32 seasons with a 180-162-4 overall record, two postseason wins and double-digit wins just once in 1994. JMU had gone 19-27 in its previous four seasons leading up to 2004 before then going 9-2 during the 2004 regular season and sharing the Atlantic 10 crown at 7-1 in league play. Through the 2023 college football season, the 2004 JMU squad remains the only FCS title winner to claim the trophy without a playoff home game, taking down a quartet of top-15 ranked programs on the road en route to the title. The Dukes opened the postseason trudging through a 14-13 victory at No. 15 Lehigh and followed with a game-winning drive the following week at No. 5 Furman. JMU then avenged its only I-AA loss of the season, traveling across the Commonwealth to down No. 3 William & Mary in an epic Friday night clash. In the national title matchup on Dec. 17 against No. 2 Montana in Chattanooga, JMU rushed for 314 yards and controlled play with 36 minutes of possession, pulling away in the second half for the 31-21 victory. JMU finished 13-2 thanks to a balanced squad led by a stingy defense, solid special teams, balanced run game, dominant offensive line and a Hall of Fame quarterback in Justin Rascati. JMU led its opponents in rushing for the season 3,194 to 1,302 (212.9-86.8 per game). In the years following the 2004 title, JMU reached the playoffs in 12 of 17 remaining seasons at the I-AA/FCS level, including an additional title in 2016 and four other times reaching at least the semifinals, before then transitioning to the FBS Sun Belt Conference in 2022.