# 2022 James Madison Dukes football team

The 2022 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Curt Cignetti. The Dukes played their home games at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia as members of the East division of the Sun Belt Conference. The Dukes finished the season 8–3, 6–2 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for first place in the East division.
The season marked the Dukes' first year in the Sun Belt and the first of a two-year transition period from the Football Championship Subdivision. They were not eligible for a bowl game due to the transition period. Ordinarily, the first year of an FCS to FBS transition is spent as an FCS team with a mixed schedule of FCS and FBS opponents, while a schedule more closely resembling that of a typical FBS team is played in the second year. However, the Dukes had 10 FBS teams on their 11-game 2022 schedule, including five home games against FBS teams, which allowed their opponents to count James Madison as an FBS team in determining their own bowl eligibility. The Dukes filed an application with the NCAA requesting a waiver that would count the 2022 season as the second year of the two-year transition period. On April 27, 2023, the NCAA denied the waiver.
On October 9, 2022, the Dukes were ranked No. 25 in the AP poll, a first for the school.

## Preseason
### Media poll

The Sun Belt media days were held on July 25 and 26, 2022. The Dukes were picked to finish in sixth place in the Sun Belt's East division.
Media poll (East division) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Appalachian State | 94 (10) |
| 2 | Coastal Carolina | 77 (2) |
| 3 | Georgia State | 68 (1) |
| 4 | Marshall | 62 |
| 5 | Georgia Southern | 35 (1) |
| 6 | James Madison | 31 |
| 7 | Old Dominion | 25 |

### Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference teams

Offense
1st team
* Kris Thornton – Wide Receiver, RS-SR

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 6:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee* | | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPN+ | W 44–7 | 23,074 |
| September 10 | 4:00 p.m. | Norfolk State* | | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPN3 | W 63–7 | 23,928 |
| September 24 | 3:30 p.m. | at Appalachian State | | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN+ | W 32–28 | 33,248 |
| October 1 | 1:30 p.m. | Texas State | | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPN+ | W 40–13 | 25,188 |
| October 8 | 6:00 p.m. | at Arkansas State | | Centennial Bank StadiumJonesboro, AR | NFLN | W 42–20 | 20,083 |
| October 15 | 4:00 p.m. | at Georgia Southern | No. 25 | Paulson StadiumStatesboro, GA | ESPN+ | L 38–45 | 18,738 |
| October 22 | 3:30 p.m. | Marshall | | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPN+ | L 12–26 | 26,159 |
| November 5 | 7:30 p.m. | at Louisville* | | Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPNU | L 10–34 | 42,157 |
| November 12 | 1:00 p.m. | at Old Dominion | | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA (Oyster Bowl, Royal Rivalry) | ESPN+ | W 37–3 | 21,934 |
| November 19 | 2:00 p.m. | Georgia State | | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPN+ | W 42–40 | 20,055 |
| November 26 | 12:00 p.m. | Coastal Carolina | | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPNU | W 47–7 | 19,393 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Middle Tennessee

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blue Raiders | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Dukes | 0 | 21 | 16 | 7 | 44 |

### Norfolk State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Spartans | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Dukes | 21 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 63 |

### At Appalachian State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 3 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 32 |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, NC
* Date: September 24
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 67 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 33,248
* Referee: Trennins Livingston
* TV announcers (ESPN+): David Jackson and Avery Hall
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | JMU | APP |
| First downs | 19 | 15 |
| Total yards | 376 | 298 |
| Rushing yards | 172 | 63 |
| Passing yards | 204 | 235 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 33:28 | 26:32 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| James Madison | Passing | Todd Centeio | 16/28, 204 yards, 2 TD |
| James Madison | Rushing | Kaelon Black | 18 rushes, 85 yards, TD |
| James Madison | Receiving | Reggie Brown | 4 receptions, 81 yards |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 17/28, 235 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Ahmani Marshall | 8 rushes, 40 yards |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Dashaun Davis | 3 receptions, 57 yards |

### Texas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bobcats | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| Dukes | 7 | 12 | 7 | 14 | 40 |

### At Arkansas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 42 |
| Red Wolves | 0 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 20 |

### At Georgia Southern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 25 Dukes | 7 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
| Eagles | 0 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 45 |

### Marshall

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thundering Herd | 2 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 26 |
| Dukes | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
at Bridgeforth Stadium • Harrisonburg, VA
* Date: Saturday, October 22, 2022
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 67 °F (19 °C) • Wind: NE 3 mph
* Game attendance: 26,159
* Referee: Trennis Livingston
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Curt Dudley (play-by-play), Vad Lee (analyst)
* Pregame line: James Madison –12.5
| Statistics | MRSH | JMU |
| First downs | 12 | 10 |
| Plays–yards | 75–326 | 72–247 |
| Rushes–yards | 44–167 | 37–83 |
| Passing yards | 159 | 164 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 15–31–2 | 13–35–4 |
| Time of possession | 31:34 | 28:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 15/31, 159 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Khalan Laborn | 30 carries, 151 yards, 2 TD |
| Marshall | Receiving | Corey Gammage | 5 receptions, 107 yards, 1 TD |
| James Madison | Passing | Billy Atkins | 13/35, 164 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT |
| James Madison | Rushing | Percy Agyei-Obese | 20 carries, 96 yards |
| James Madison | Receiving | Terrance Greene, Jr | 3 receptions, 66 yards |

### Louisville

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 34 |

### At Old Dominion

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 7 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 37 |
| Monarchs | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Statistics
| Statistics | JMU | ODU |
| First downs | 22 | 11 |
| Total yards | 491 | 227 |
| Rushing yards | 187 | 78 |
| Passing yards | 304 | 149 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 38:12 | 21:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| James Madison | Passing | Todd Centeio | 18/21, 304 yards, 1 INT |
| James Madison | Rushing | Percy Agyei-Obese | 16 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD |
| James Madison | Receiving | Kris Thornton | 6 receptions, 140 yards |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 12/22, 112 yards, 2 INT |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Hayden Wolff | 9 carries, 27 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Ahmarian Granger | 4 receptions, 46 yards |

### Georgia State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 10 | 24 | 0 | 6 | 40 |
| Dukes | 7 | 7 | 21 | 7 | 42 |

### No. 23 Coastal Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 23 Chanticleers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Dukes | 3 | 17 | 20 | 7 | 47 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | 25 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | — |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |