Dukes Earn Fifth Straight Berth in Playoffs, Host Delaware Saturday in First Round

HARRISONBURG, Va. – For the fifth straight season, James Madison earned a spot in the postseason, as the Dukes were selected to the 2018 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs and hosts Delaware in the first round on Saturday, Nov. 24 at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. and the game is streamed live on ESPN3.

JMU wrapped up the regular season yesterday with an 8-3 overall record and 6-2 mark in Colonial Athletic Association play, while the Blue Hens come to town at 7-4 and 5-3. The winner moves on to the second round to face No. 8 seed Colgate, which is 9-1 and won the Patriot League.

Earlier Sunday, JMU moved up to No. 6 in the final STATS FCS Top 25 poll of the regular season.

JMU is making its fifth straight playoff appearance, which extends the program record for consecutive seasons in the FCS Playoffs. The Dukes advanced to the national championship game in each of the last two seasons, winning the title in 2016. Delaware is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

The Dukes rank in the top 10 nationally in eight statistical categories, which includes second in completion percentage (68.2%), punt return average (23.3) and kick-return defense (14.47). JMU is also third in fewest penalties (4.09), fifth in defensive touchdowns (4), sixth in scoring defense (14.6), eighth in first-down defense (168) and 10th in total defense (295.3).

JMU is one of six CAA schools to make the field of 24, as the Dukes and Blue Hens were joined by No. 7 seed Maine, Towson, Stony Brook and Elon. It's the first time any conference has had six teams advance to the FCS Playoffs.

SELECTION SHOW PRESS CONFERENCE

JMU POSTSEASON HISTORY
The Dukes are in the postseason for the fifth straight year and 15th time in program history. JMU has won national championships twice, with the first coming in 2004 and the latter in 2016. The Dukes are 16-12 in the FCS Playoffs (formerly Division I-AA), having won seven over the past two seasons.

DUKES VERSUS LEAGUE FOES IN PLAYOFFS
JMU will face off against a CAA opponent for the fifth time in the playoffs this Saturday. The Dukes are 4-0 in the previous meetings, having beaten William & Mary on the road in the 2004 semifinals, Villanova at home in the 2008 quarterfinals and both New Hampshire and Stony Brook at home in the second round the past two seasons.

JMU's first postseason win occurred on Nov. 30, 1991 at Delaware before the Dukes joined the league. They outlasted the Hens 42-35 in double overtime to advance to their first quarterfinal.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for JMU's first-round playoff game goes on sale at 3 p.m. today at JMUTickets.com or by calling 540-568-3853. CLICK HERE for more info.

JMU's run in the 2018 playoffs is presented by Excel Heating and Cooling.

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