Dukes Travel to UConn for Final Regular-Season Road Trip

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison embarks on its final road trip of the 2026 regular season at UConn on Saturday, Nov. 14. Kickoff at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut, is set for noon ET, and the game will air live on CBS Sports Network.

JMU is coming off a 54-23 win at Southern Miss on Nov. 5. The win snapped the Dukes' two-game losing skid and pushed them to an 8-2 overall record, including 5-2 in Sun Belt Conference play.

The Dukes scored 31 unanswered points for a stretch and finished with 498 yards of total offense against the Golden Eagles. Quarterback JC Evans led the way, accounting for four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing). The Miami, Florida, native finished 19-of-26 for 251 yards through the air and added 47 yards on the ground.

Additionally, wide receiver Corey Scott tallied season highs with six catches for 138 yards, while running back Seth Cromwell added 96 all-purpose yards and a 16-yard receiving touchdown.

On defense, linebacker JT Hooten led the way with eight tackles and three sacks, the most by a Duke this season. JMU allowed just 88 rushing yards to USM on 37 attempts.

Kicker Morgan Suarez went 4-for-4 on field goal tries and added six extra points for a career-high 18 points on the night. For his efforts, he was named the Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday.

Suarez has made 31 career field goals at JMU, good for No. 6 in program history, and his 17 makes in 2026 are tied for No. 3 in single-season program history.

The win was James Madison's 13th in its last 15 conference games.

JMU is one of 12 FBS programs with at least eight wins this season, including one of four Group of Six squads. The Dukes are the only team in the country to play 11 straight weeks without a bye.

UConn enters Saturday's game with a 4-5 mark this season. The Huskies are coming off a 38-21 loss to North Carolina at home last weekend.

Jason Candle is in his first season as the head coach at UConn.

Pregame radio coverage of Saturday's game begins at 11 a.m., on the Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network.

The 2026 JMU football season is presented by CarMax.

BROADCAST INFO
Watch: CBS Sports Network (Chris Lewis – PXP, Doug Peterson – Analyst, Hailey Sutton - Sideline)
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network (Dave Riggert – PXP, Isai Bradshaw – Analyst)
Radio: WSVA 550 AM | 92.1 FM | SiriusXM Channel 966
Online: The Varsity Network

THE MATCHUP
Saturday marks the seventh all-time meeting between James Madison and UConn. The two squads last played in 2023, a 44-6 Dukes' victory in Harrisonburg.

JMU leads the series, 5-1, and has won each of the last five meetings, dating back to 1994. Of note, the two schools played together in the Yankee and Atlantic 10 Conferences in the 1990s.

The Dukes are 1-1 against UConn on the road but haven't played there since 1996.

NATION'S BEST ON THE ROAD
Since entering the FBS ranks in 2022, no team has won more road games than JMU. In all, the Dukes are 21-8 on the road in that time, good for the most road wins in the nation.

JMU's .724 winning percentage in those games is the fifth-best mark in the country, behind only Georgia, Oregon, Ohio State and Texas.

This season, the Dukes are 4-1 in road games and have a chance to win their fifth for the second straight season on Saturday. JMU went a perfect 6-0 away from home in 2023.

CONTINUED SUCCESS
The Dukes have already clinched their 13th straight winning season and were the fifth team in the nation to become bowl eligible in 2026. Overall, JMU is 48-13 in its FBS era, the eighth-most wins in the country in that time and the most of any Group of Six program.

JMU also is 30-9 in Sun Belt play since 2022.

Additionally, James Madison continues to have the most wins of any Sun Belt team since 2022, with 48. The Dukes are the only Sun Belt program to garner votes in either the AP or US LBM Coaches poll at any point in 2026.

STATISTICAL LEADERS
JMU continues to shine in all three phases this fall. The squad is featured prominently in a variety of categories in the national rankings.

Offensively, the Dukes boast the No. 7 scoring offense in the nation at 40.6 points per game. JMU also ranks No. 8 nationally in red zone offense (.941) and No. 15 in total offense (455.6).

On defense, JMU is allowing just 19.3 points per game, which is No. 1 in the Sun Belt. Cornerback DJ Kelly has four interceptions, which are tied for No. 6 nationally. He also is No. 10 in passes defended (1.20).

The Dukes are No. 2 in the nation in kick returns (33.63), No. 4 in blocked punts (2), No. 15 in punt returns (15.70) and have three punt returns for touchdowns this season. Wide receiver Michael Scott, a Midseason All-American, is the nation's leader in combined return yardage, with 794.

Suarez has 100 total points this season, good for No. 7 nationally and No. 1 in the Sun Belt.

UP NEXT
After 11 straight weeks, the Dukes will go on bye before returning for the 2026 regular-season finale against Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 28, at Bridgeforth Stadium. Game time will be announced in the coming days.

Calendar

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Seth Cromwell

JC Evans

JT Hooten

DJ Kelly

Corey Scott

Michael Scott

Morgan Suarez

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Scoreboard

Calendar

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

Completed Event: Football versus Marshall on October 3, 2026 , Win , 45, to, 17

Completed Event: Football at Georgia Southern on October 10, 2026 , Win , 27, to, 24

Completed Event: Football versus Georgia State on October 17, 2026 , Win , 49, to, 22

Completed Event: Football at App State on October 22, 2026 , Loss , 31, to, 34 , (OT)

Completed Event: Football versus Troy on October 29, 2026 , Loss , 21, to, 24 , (OT)

Completed Event: Football at Southern Miss on November 5, 2026 , Win , 54, to, 23

Upcoming Event: Football at UConn on November 14, 2026 at Noon

Upcoming Event: Football versus Coastal Carolina on November 28, 2026

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