The 2019 James Madison Dukes football team represented

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...

during the

2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season The 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The FCS Champion ...

. They were led by first-year head coach

Curt Cignetti Curt Cignetti (born June 2, 1961) is an American football coach who has been the head coach of the James Madison Dukes since 2019. He previously served as the head coach for Elon University and was an assistant coach for the University of Alabama ...

and played their home games at

Bridgeforth Stadium Bridgeforth Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The stadium is home to the James Madison Dukes football team. The playing surface is named Zane Showker Field. With a seating ...

. They competed as a member of the

Colonial Athletic Association The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I whose full members are located in East Coast ...

(CAA). They finished the season 14–2, 8–0 in CAA play to be CAA champions. They received the CAA's automatic bid to the

FCS Playoffs The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was k ...

where they defeated

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

Northern Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois ...

, and

Weber State Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...

to advance to the FCS National Championship Game where they lost to

North Dakota State North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as th ...

Previous season

The Dukes finished the 2018 season 9–4, 6–2 in CAA play to finish in second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Delaware in the first round before losing to Colgate in the second round. On December 7, 2018, Mike Houston was formally announced and hired as the next coach of

East Carolina East Carolina University (ECU) is a public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a teacher training school, East Carolina has grown from its ori ...

, alongside nine staff members.

Preseason

CAA poll

In the CAA preseason poll released on July 23, 2019, the Dukes were predicted to finish in first place.

Preseason All–CAA team

The Dukes had six players selected to the preseason all-CAA team. Offense Liam Fornadel – OL Defense

Ron'Dell Carter Ron'Dell Lamaree Carter (born July 3, 1997) is an American football defensive end for the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at James Madison after transferring from Rutgers in 2017. Early ...

– DL Dimitri Holloway – LB Adam Smith – S Rashad Robinson – CB Special Teams D'Angelo Amos – PR

Schedule

Game summaries

at West Virginia

Saint Francis (PA)

Morgan State

at Chattanooga

at Elon

at Stony Brook

Villanova

at William & Mary

Towson

New Hampshire

Richmond

at Rhode Island

FCS Playoffs

The Dukes entered the

postseason The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

tournament as the number two seed, with a first-round bye.

Monmouth–Second Round

Northern Iowa–Quarterfinals

Weber State–Semifinals

vs. North Dakota State–Championship

Ranking movements

Players drafted into the NFL

References

{{2019 NCAA Division I FCS playoff navbox

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

James Madison Dukes football seasons Colonial Athletic Association football champion seasons

James Madison Dukes football The James Madison Dukes football program represents James Madison University in the sport of American football. The Dukes compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), beginning play ...