Dukes Set for Thursday Night Bout at Marshall on ESPN

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison is back on the road this week as it heads to Huntington, W.Va., to take on Marshall on Thursday, Oct. 19 in a big Sun Belt Conference East Division matchup.

Kickoff from Joan C. Edwards Stadium is set for 7 p.m. and will be nationally televised on ESPN. Pregame radio coverage on the Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network begins at 5 p.m.

James Madison (6-0, 3-0 SBC) vs. Marshall (4-2, 1-1 SBC)
Thursday, October 19, 2023
Kickoff: 7:00 PM ET
Huntington, W.Va. | Joan C. Edwards Stadium

Game Information
Television: ESPN
Radio: WSVA 92.1 FM/550 AM
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network
Live Stats
JMU Game Notes

BREAKING DOWN THE DUKES AND HERD

Thursday marks the fourth meeting all-time between the teams, with Marshall leading 3-0.
This is JMU's third visit to Huntington but its first during the regular season.
The Dukes' first two trips to Marshall in 1987 and 1994 were during the Division I-AA playoffs.

Last season on Oct. 22, 2022, Marshall forced four turnovers and held JMU scoreless for the final three quarters to earn a 26-12 win in Harrisonburg.

6-0, A FIRST FOR A TRANSITIONING PROGRAM

JMU's win over Georgia Southern signified a first for college football in the transition era (since 2000), as the Dukes are the first team to start a season with a 6-0 record while going through an FCS-to-FBS transition.
The Dukes have five wins over FBS opponents thus far, which is tied for the fourth most by a team in year two of a transition.
Georgia Southern won eight games versus FBS foes in 2014, UTSA had seven in 2013, App State had six in 2014 and Old Dominion claimed five in 2014.
Last year, JMU started 5-0 and became the inaugural first-year transition team to earn an AP Top 25 ranking.

ONLY 11 UNDEFEATED SQUADS REMAIN

Entering this week's action, JMU is one of only 11 teams with an undefeated record, coming in at 6-0.
JMU is the sole Sun Belt Conference team without a blemish and also the only league team without a conference loss entering the week.
Of the 11 remaining unbeatens, only JMU, Air Force and Liberty hail from a non-power conference.
The Big Ten leads the way with three unbeatens with Michigan (7-0), Ohio State (6-0) and Penn State (6-0).
Two teams remain undefeated out of the ACC in Florida State (6-0) and North Carolina (6-0).
The other six unbeaten squads are the Big 12's Oklahoma (6-0), Conference USA's Liberty (6-0), the Mountain West's Air Force (6-0), the Pac-12's Washington (6-0) and the SEC's Georgia (7-0).
This is the second straight year JMU is the final unbeaten Sun Belt team, having started 5-0 last year.
Georgia is the only unbeaten team on a bye this week, while Penn State is at Ohio State.

Liberty, Oklahoma, Florida State, North Carolina and Washington are all at home, while JMU, Michigan and Air Force hit the road.

RUNNING THE WIN STREAK TO NINE

JMU's 41-13 win over Georgia Southern on Oct. 14 extended JMU's win streak to nine games dating back to last season.
The Dukes hold on to the sixth-longest active win streak in the FBS and the longest in the Sun Belt.
Defending national champion Georgia paces the FBS with 24 straight wins going back to 2021.
Washington survived with a thrilling win over Oregon to move their streak to 13 in a row.

The top-ranked Bulldogs are off this week, while all over teams are in action. UW and FSU are at home, while AFA, PSU and JMU all hit the road.

JUST OUTSIDE THE TOP 25

JMU was ranked #25 in the AP Top 25 a season ago after a 5-0 start and nearly got ranked again on Sunday afternoon.
The Dukes serve as the first team outside the top 25 in both the AP Top 25 and US LBM Coaches Poll.
A total of 32 media voters had JMU on their ballots, as the Dukes tallied 70 points, trailing #25 UCLA by 52 points for the AP ranking.
In the coaches poll, the Dukes were very close, collecting 67 points, as opposed to UCLA's 70.
This is the second-most points JMU has had in the coaches poll, as it had 70 on Oct. 9, 2022.

A win this week could catapult the Dukes into the top 25 of both polls, which would be a first as an FBS program.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television: ESPN
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network

On the radio – WSVA 92.1 FM/550 AM
Online: The Varsity Network

Broadcast Talent

ESPN: Matt Barrie (pxp), Roddy Jones (analyst), Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline)
Radio: Dave Riggert (pxp), Drew Painter (analyst), Corey Spector (sideline)

Calendar

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Drew Painter

JMU Footer

Scoreboard

Calendar

Completed Event: Football versus Weber State on August 30, 2025 , Win , 45, to, 10

Completed Event: Football at Louisville on September 5, 2025 , Loss , 14, to, 28

Upcoming Event: Football at Liberty on September 20, 2025 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Football versus Georgia Southern on September 27, 2025

Upcoming Event: Football at Georgia State on October 4, 2025

Upcoming Event: Football versus Louisiana on October 11, 2025

Upcoming Event: Football versus Old Dominion on October 18, 2025

Upcoming Event: Football at Texas State on October 28, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT)

Upcoming Event: Football at Marshall on November 8, 2025

Upcoming Event: Football versus App State on November 15, 2025

James Madison University | Official Athletics Site