JMU Plays Host to Marshall on Family Weekend

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Following a two-game road trip, James Madison returns home to take on Marshall on Saturday, Oct. 3. Kickoff at Bridgeforth Stadium is set for 3:45 p.m. ET, and the game will air live on ESPNU.

It's Family Weekend at JMU, and all tickets are sold out. Fans who are still in need of seats can buy through the official secondary ticket marketplace, SeatGeek.

The Dukes (4-0, 1-0 SBC) are coming off a 46-20 win at Old Dominion in the TowneBank Royal Rivalry last weekend. It marked JMU's fifth straight win over the Monarchs and the squad's 11th win in conference openers in its last 12 tries.

Quarterback Camden Coleman completed his first nine passes and 14 of his first 15 to lead the Dukes to victory. In all, the Winston-Salem, Nort Carolina, native finished 24-of-42 for 243 yards and four touchdowns. Of note, all four of his touchdown passes went to different receivers.

For his efforts, Coleman was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.

On the ground, running back George Pettaway rushed for 110 yards on 16 carries, good for his third career 100-yard performance.

JMU was stout defensively throughout the night, issuing nine sacks, which tied the program's FBS record. The Dukes also held the Monarchs to -14 yards rushing.

Linebacker Nakian Jackson led the way with a team-high nine tackles, including two TFLs and 1.5 sacks.

Kicker Morgan Suarez made four field goals in the victory and became the first JMU kicker to accomplish the feat since 2021. For the year, the Wellington, Florida, native is a perfect 9-for-9 on field goal attempts.

Marshall (3-1, 0-0 SBC) enters Saturday's game on a three-game win streak. The Thundering Herd have won all three games by one score, including last week's come-from-behind, 36-35 win over Gardner-Webb at home.

Head coach Tony Gibson is in his second season leading the Herd.

Pregame radio coverage of Saturday's game begins on Saturday at 2 p.m. on the Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network.

The game is sponsored by University Outpost and the 2026 JMU football season is presented by CarMax.

BROADCAST INFO
Watch: ESPNU (Ted Emrich – PXP, Fozzy Whittaker – Analyst)
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network (Dave Riggert – PXP, Isai Bradshaw and Cole Potts – Analysts)
Radio: WSVA 550 AM | 92.1 FM | Sirius XM Channel 998
Online: The Varsity Network

THE MATCHUP
Saturday marks the seventh meeting between the Dukes and Thundering Herd. Marshall owns a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series, including 2-0 in Harrisonburg.

In the Sun Belt era, the two sides have split four meetings with the road team winning each game. JMU and Marshall also met twice in postseason competition at the FCS level in 1987 and 1994.

Last year, JMU earned a 35-23 win over the Herd in Huntington.

SUN BELT SUCCESS
Following last weekend's win at ODU, the Dukes enter with a 26-7 mark in Sun Belt play since entering the league in 2022. That includes a 13-3 record at home and 19-6 against East Division foes.

JMU, the defending Sun Belt champion, has won nine straight conference games, as well as nine straight games at Bridgeforth Stadium. It also has the most wins of any Sun Belt team since 2022, with 44. Troy is second with 37 victories.

Marshall was the last league opponent to win in Harrisonburg, a 35-33 thriller in double overtime on Nov. 30, 2024.

GOOD IN ALL THREE PHASES
Through four games, the Dukes have shown to be successful on offense, defense and special teams. JMU is one of five schools to be ranked inside the top 15 nationally in scoring offense and defense (Indiana, Miami, Ohio State, Utah). The Dukes rank No. 7 in the nation in scoring offense (44.8), as well as No. 11 in scoring defense (12.3).

JMU also is No. 1 nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 50.0 per attempt, and No. 10 in punt returns (21.9).

Individually, wide receiver Michael Scott remains the nation's leader in kick returns and ranks No. 4 nationally in punt returns. In the kicking game, Suarez appears at No. 7 in the nation in scoring (11.8).

IN THE POLLS
JMU is receiving votes in both polls again this week. The Dukes earned 17 points – the most in any poll this season – in the US LBM Coaches Poll, as well as 10 points in the AP Poll.

The squad's point totals are up in both polls since last week, when the Dukes had seven points in the AP and two from the coaches.

JMU has received votes in all five editions of the AP Poll so far this season and remain the only Sun Belt team to do so at any point in 2026.

UP NEXT
Following Saturday's matchup with Marshall, the Dukes return to the road to take on Georgia Southern on Saturday, Oct. 10, in Statesboro, Georgia. Kickoff at Allen E. Paulson Stadium is set for either 7 or 7:30 p.m. ET, and will air live on ESPN2 or ESPNU.

A final determination on the game time and network will be made following game action on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Calendar

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Camden Coleman

Nakian Jackson

George Pettaway

Michael Scott

Morgan Suarez

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Scoreboard

Calendar

Completed Event: Football versus Liberty on September 5, 2026 , Win , 20, to, 13

Completed Event: Football versus Wagner on September 12, 2026 , Win , 87, to, 3

Completed Event: Football at San Diego State on September 19, 2026 , Win , 26, to, 13

Completed Event: Football at Old Dominion on September 26, 2026 , Win , 46, to, 20

Upcoming Event: Football versus Marshall on October 3, 2026 at 3:45 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Football at Georgia Southern on October 10, 2026 at 7 or 7:30 pm

Upcoming Event: Football versus Georgia State on October 17, 2026

Upcoming Event: Football at App State on October 22, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Football versus Troy on October 29, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Football at Southern Miss on November 5, 2026 at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT)

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