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James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Dukes Rank No. 1 in Lindy's Magazine Preseason Poll
7/21/2017 12:13:00 PM | Football
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Fresh off winning the program's second national championship, the James Madison football team garnered top-3 rankings in three separate preseason magazines, including the nation's top spot in the Lindy's Sports Magazine.
The Dukes also ranked second by Athlon Sports and third by Street & Smith College Football.
JMU finished the 2016 season with a 14-1 overall record, setting a program record for wins. The Dukes won their final 12 games to end the year with the longest active win streak in all of Division I. They captured their second straight Colonial Athletic Association title with an unblemished 8-0 mark and rolled through the playoffs to claim the NCAA Division I national title.
The Dukes return four offensive and nine defensive starters from last season's squad, including three All-Americans in quarterback Bryan Schor, offensive lineman Aaron Stinnie and safety Raven Greene. Schor, who was voted the 2016 CAA Offensive Player of the Year, leads a group of six all-conference honorees who return this year. Also back are Stinnie (First Team), Greene (First Team), tight end Jonathan Kloosterman (First Team), defensive lineman Andrew Ankrah (First Team) and wide receiver Terrence Alls (Third Team).
JMU set numerous CAA records, including marks for scoring (700), rushing offense (4,125) total offense (7,612) and first downs (380). Nationally, JMU led the FCS in winning percentage (93.3%), completion percentage (70.8%), team pass efficiency (181.69), first downs (380), defensive interceptions (21) and punt return average (26.65).
The Dukes also ranked second in scoring (46.7), fourth in third-down conversions (50%), fifth in both rushing (275.0) and turnovers gained (30), sixth in fumbles lost (4), eighth in turnover margin (1.13) and 10th in turnovers lost (13).
Defensively, JMU saw a drastic improvement from the previous two seasons, as it ranked 17th in scoring defense (21.2) and 30th in total defense (344.3). The Dukes allowed 7.5 fewer points per game last season and nearly 60 yards fewer per outing from 2015 to 2016. JMU forced seven more turnovers and nearly doubled its interception production, going from 11 in 2015 to a nation-leading 21 in 2016.
JMU was one of five CAA schools to receive preseason recognition between the three polls.
James Madison (#1 Lindy's, #2 Athlon, #3 Street & Smith)
Richmond (#8 Lindy's, #7 Athlon, #6 Street & Smith)
Villanova (#13 Lindy's, #8 Athlon, #7 Street & Smith)
New Hampshire (#15 Lindy's, #11 Athlon)
Albany (#20 Athlon, #19 Street & Smith)
The CAA will unveil its 2017 predicted order-of-finish and the preseason all-conference team during CAA Football Media Day, which will be held on Tuesday, July 25 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
The Dukes open the 2017 season, presented by CarMax, on Saturday, Sept. 2 at East Carolina.
The Dukes also ranked second by Athlon Sports and third by Street & Smith College Football.
JMU finished the 2016 season with a 14-1 overall record, setting a program record for wins. The Dukes won their final 12 games to end the year with the longest active win streak in all of Division I. They captured their second straight Colonial Athletic Association title with an unblemished 8-0 mark and rolled through the playoffs to claim the NCAA Division I national title.
The Dukes return four offensive and nine defensive starters from last season's squad, including three All-Americans in quarterback Bryan Schor, offensive lineman Aaron Stinnie and safety Raven Greene. Schor, who was voted the 2016 CAA Offensive Player of the Year, leads a group of six all-conference honorees who return this year. Also back are Stinnie (First Team), Greene (First Team), tight end Jonathan Kloosterman (First Team), defensive lineman Andrew Ankrah (First Team) and wide receiver Terrence Alls (Third Team).
JMU set numerous CAA records, including marks for scoring (700), rushing offense (4,125) total offense (7,612) and first downs (380). Nationally, JMU led the FCS in winning percentage (93.3%), completion percentage (70.8%), team pass efficiency (181.69), first downs (380), defensive interceptions (21) and punt return average (26.65).
The Dukes also ranked second in scoring (46.7), fourth in third-down conversions (50%), fifth in both rushing (275.0) and turnovers gained (30), sixth in fumbles lost (4), eighth in turnover margin (1.13) and 10th in turnovers lost (13).
Defensively, JMU saw a drastic improvement from the previous two seasons, as it ranked 17th in scoring defense (21.2) and 30th in total defense (344.3). The Dukes allowed 7.5 fewer points per game last season and nearly 60 yards fewer per outing from 2015 to 2016. JMU forced seven more turnovers and nearly doubled its interception production, going from 11 in 2015 to a nation-leading 21 in 2016.
JMU was one of five CAA schools to receive preseason recognition between the three polls.
James Madison (#1 Lindy's, #2 Athlon, #3 Street & Smith)
Richmond (#8 Lindy's, #7 Athlon, #6 Street & Smith)
Villanova (#13 Lindy's, #8 Athlon, #7 Street & Smith)
New Hampshire (#15 Lindy's, #11 Athlon)
Albany (#20 Athlon, #19 Street & Smith)
The CAA will unveil its 2017 predicted order-of-finish and the preseason all-conference team during CAA Football Media Day, which will be held on Tuesday, July 25 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
The Dukes open the 2017 season, presented by CarMax, on Saturday, Sept. 2 at East Carolina.
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