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James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Saturday, August 31
Charlotte, N.C.
8 p.m.
James Madison University
at
Charlotte
JMU Opens 2024 Season Saturday Night at Charlotte
8/27/2024 4:30:00 PM | Football
HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison opens its 53rd season of football on Saturday, Aug. 31 with a trip to the Queen City to face Charlotte out of the American Athletic Conference.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be nationally televised on ESPNU. Pregame radio coverage on the Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network begins at 6 p.m.
The 2024 JMU football season is presented by CarMax.
BREAKING DOWN THE SERIES
THE CHESNEY ERA BEGINS
JMU IN SEASON OPENERS
BEST RECORD IN A TRANSITION
DUKES KINGS OF THE EAST AGAIN
TWO DECADES AT .500 OR BETTER
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: ESPNU (cable subscription required)
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be nationally televised on ESPNU. Pregame radio coverage on the Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network begins at 6 p.m.
The 2024 JMU football season is presented by CarMax.
James Madison (0-0) at Charlotte (0-0)
Saturday, August 31, 2024
Kickoff: 8 PM
Charlotte, N.C. | Jerry Richardson Stadium
Game Information
TV: ESPNU (cable subscription required)
Radio: WSVA 92.1 FM/550 AM
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network
Live Stats
JMU Game Notes
Saturday, August 31, 2024
Kickoff: 8 PM
Charlotte, N.C. | Jerry Richardson Stadium
Game Information
TV: ESPNU (cable subscription required)
Radio: WSVA 92.1 FM/550 AM
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network
Live Stats
JMU Game Notes
BREAKING DOWN THE SERIES
- Saturday night marks the third all-time time meeting between the Dukes and 49ers, but the first with both programs at the FBS level.
- JMU is 2-0 against Charlotte, recording a home win in 2013 and a road triumph in 2014.
- Saturday will also be JMU's third matchup against an American Athletic Conference foe, having captured road wins at former member SMU in 2015 and at ECU in 2017.
THE CHESNEY ERA BEGINS
- The Bob Chesney era officially kicks off Saturday night when Dukes kick off against the 49ers.
- Chesney is entering his 15th season as a head coach, holding a career record of 111-45 (.707).
- He's a proven winner at every head coaching stop of his career, most recently turning Holy Cross into a consistent playoff contender in the FCS, going 44-21 in six seasons with five straight Patriot League championships, four FCS playoff appearances and an undefeated regular season in 2022.
- He also earned victories over FBS opponents in back-to-back seasons, defeating UConn 38-38 in 2021 and Buffalo 37-31 on a hail mary touchdown in 2022.
- Chesney won three Patriot League Coach of the Year Awards (2019,2021,2022) and was the AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year in 2022.
- Prior to Holy Cross, Chesney also had coaching stops at Assumption College (44-16 record) in Division II and Salve Regina (23-9 record) in Division III.
JMU IN SEASON OPENERS
- Dating back to its inaugural season in 1972, JMU holds a 29-22-1 record in season openers.
- JMU has won four consecutive season openers, since 2020, and has won those games by an average margin of victory of 50.5 to 5. That includes JMU's 44-7 victory in the 2022 home opener against Middle Tennessee, which was JMU's first game as an FBS member and first time hosting an FBS foe.
- The Dukes last opened the season on the road in 2019, as West Virginia held off JMU for a 20-13 win in Morgantown, W.V.a., on Aug. 31.
- JMU seeks its first season-opening win on the road since Sept. 2, 2017, when JMU rolled to a 34-14 win at ECU.
- The 2024 season marks JMU's 21st season opener on the road, and wins have come at a premium, as it holds a 4-15-1 record in those matchups. Of the 15 setbacks, only three were to non-power programs.
BEST RECORD IN A TRANSITION
- JMU completed its reclassification from FCS to FBS with the best record in history.
- Over two seasons, JMU put together a 19-5 overall record while playing full FBS schedules in both years.
- That also included finishing atop the Sun Belt Conference East Division in each of those seasons, going a combined 13-3 in conference matchups.
- In 2023, JMU went 11-1 during the regular season and 7-1 in Sun Belt play, finishing with an 11-2 mark after facing Air Force in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
- It was JMU's first Bowl Season berth, and despite going through reclassification and due to a lack of bowl-eligible teams, both JMU and Jacksonville State, both in year two of FCS to FBS, earned bids.
- Prior to last season, no team had ever won more than its first five games during a transition up the FBS level, though JMU was one of those teams in 2022.
- The Dukes won 10 games over FBS opponents in 2023, which is a record for any year-two transitioning team, with Georgia Southern previously beating eight.
- In 2022, JMU started 5-0 and became the inaugural first-year transition team to earn an AP Top 25 for seven straight polls entering the postseason and in the US LBM Coaches Poll for six of seven.
DUKES KINGS OF THE EAST AGAIN
- JMU was not a team to struggle in the transition from FCS to FBS, wrapping up their second straight first-place finish in the Sun Belt East Division in 2023.
- That mark finished them ahead of App State, which would go to the Sun Belt title game in place of JMU, based on reclassification rules.
- The 7-1 mark was also tied for the league lead, as Troy, which is back-to-back Sun Belt champions, also went 7-1.
- JMU handed the Trojans their only SBC defeat in a 16-14 triumph in Troy back on Sept. 16.
- Since moving up to FBS and the Sun Belt, JMU has won 13 of 16 conference games.
- JMU is no stranger to finish atop of the standings, having won six of its last seven CAA titles from 2015-2021.
TWO DECADES AT .500 OR BETTER
- JMU has produced a plethora of wins on the gridiron year in and year out.
- With an 11-2 record a season ago, the Dukes easily secured its 10th consecutive winning season (2014-23).
- Additionally since moving up to FBS, JMU is 19-5.
- It has secured a .500 record or better now in 21 straight seasons.
- Only four teams at the Division I level (FCS or FBS) have gone .500 or better every year over the previous 21 seasons – JMU, Boise State, Wisconsin and Oklahoma.
- Since 2003, JMU has produced 19 winning seasons with a pair of 6-6 records added in.
- Dating back to year one of the program in 1972, JMU has a winning record in 34 of 52 seasons.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: ESPNU (cable subscription required)
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network
- On the radio – WSVA 92.1 FM/550 AM
- Online: The Varsity Network
- ESPNU: Justin Kutcher (pxp), Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
- Radio: Dave Riggert (pxp), Kelvin Azanama (analyst)
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