Upcoming Event: Football versus Liberty on September 5, 2026 at Noon
FB
Noon
James Madison
vs Liberty
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Saturday, September 5
Harrisonburg, Va.
Noon
James Madison University
vs
Liberty
JMU Opens 2026 Season with The Battle of the Blue Ridge
9/1/2026 1:33:00 PM | Football
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Coming off a historic 2025 campaign, James Madison opens its 55th football season on Saturday, Sept. 5, against in-state foe Liberty at Bridgeforth Stadium.
Kickoff of The Battle of the Blue Ridge is set for noon ET, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPNU. Pregame radio coverage on the Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network will begin at 11 a.m.
Billy Napier is set to make his JMU coaching debut on Saturday, becoming the 10th head coach in program history. Napier is 62-35 in eight seasons as a head coach. He finished 40-12 with a pair of Sun Belt Conference crowns at Louisiana from 2018-21 and has spent the last four seasons at Florida in the Southeastern Conference.
James Madison features 34 returning letterwinners and five starters off last season's squad. The team welcomes 61 newcomers to the fold, including 39 college transfers and 22 high school seniors.
The Dukes are coming off a 12-2 season a year ago, which ended with the program's first Sun Belt Conference and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. JMU won 11 consecutive games at one point, finishing No. 19 in AP Poll and No. 20 in the coaches poll to cap the campaign.
Saturday's game against Liberty is sponsored by Glo Fiber and the 2026 season is presented by CarMax.
BROADCAST INFO
Watch: ESPNU (Cooper Boardman – PXP, Craig Haubert – Analyst)
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network (Dave Riggert – PXP, Cole Potts – Analyst)
Radio: WSVA 550 AM | 92.1 FM
Online: The Varsity Network
THE MATCHUP
James Madison and Liberty will meet for the 20th time to open the 2026 campaign. In all, JMU leads the all-time series, 13-6, including last season's 31-13 triumph over the Flames in Lynchburg.
Liberty is making its first trip to Harrisonburg since the 2014 season. The winner of the contest earns the Battle of the Blue Ridge Trophy, which was introduced before last season's game.
Of note, 10 of the previous 19 games between the two schools have been decided by one score.
STARTING AT HOME
The Dukes are set to open at home for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. JMU is 43-11 in home openers all time, with 23 straight wins dating back to 2003. The squad has scored at least 40 points in 17 of those 23 victories.
Saturday also marks the 35th time the Dukes open a season at home. JMU holds a 26-8 mark in those contests.
Overall, James Madison is 31-22-1 in season openers. JMU has won six straight season-opening affairs by an average of 40 points per game. The Dukes have averaged 46.2 points in those games and have yielded just 37 total points in that time.
SUN BELT HONORS
The Dukes were voted to finish atop the Sun Belt East Division in the conference's preseason coaches poll in July. JMU received 11 of 14 first-place votes for 94 total points, second only to Troy's 96 points.
A trio of JMU players earned Preseason All-Sun Belt Team distinction, as offensive lineman Zach Greenberg and edge Amar Thomas earned first-team status. For the second straight year, running back George Pettaway also garnered a spot on the preseason squad, claiming second-team laurels.
IN THE POLLS
The Dukes received votes in both the AP Poll and US LBM Coaches Poll this preseason. JMU earned six points in the coaches poll, marking the third time in the last four seasons it has seen preseason recognition as a team. James Madison also saw three points in the AP Poll.
JMU was the only Sun Belt team to earn votes in the AP Poll and were one of 10 from non-autonomous FBS conferences to gain votes by the coaches.
The squad finished the 2025 season ranked in both polls for the first time in program history.
READY TO RUMBLE
James Madison supporters have made it clear they are ready for football. For the fourth straight season, JMU sold out season tickets at Bridgeforth Stadium, while student tickets for the Liberty game also are sold out.
The Dukes have sold out 16 of their last 18 regular-season home games in Harrisonburg, including all six games last season.
A limited amount of single-game tickets remain for Saturday's in-state clash.
UP NEXT
Following Saturday's season-opening contest against the Flames, JMU remains at home to play host to Wagner on Saturday, Sept. 12. Kickoff at Bridgeforth Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m.
Kickoff of The Battle of the Blue Ridge is set for noon ET, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPNU. Pregame radio coverage on the Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network will begin at 11 a.m.
Billy Napier is set to make his JMU coaching debut on Saturday, becoming the 10th head coach in program history. Napier is 62-35 in eight seasons as a head coach. He finished 40-12 with a pair of Sun Belt Conference crowns at Louisiana from 2018-21 and has spent the last four seasons at Florida in the Southeastern Conference.
James Madison features 34 returning letterwinners and five starters off last season's squad. The team welcomes 61 newcomers to the fold, including 39 college transfers and 22 high school seniors.
The Dukes are coming off a 12-2 season a year ago, which ended with the program's first Sun Belt Conference and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. JMU won 11 consecutive games at one point, finishing No. 19 in AP Poll and No. 20 in the coaches poll to cap the campaign.
Saturday's game against Liberty is sponsored by Glo Fiber and the 2026 season is presented by CarMax.
BROADCAST INFO
Watch: ESPNU (Cooper Boardman – PXP, Craig Haubert – Analyst)
Listen: Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network (Dave Riggert – PXP, Cole Potts – Analyst)
Radio: WSVA 550 AM | 92.1 FM
Online: The Varsity Network
THE MATCHUP
James Madison and Liberty will meet for the 20th time to open the 2026 campaign. In all, JMU leads the all-time series, 13-6, including last season's 31-13 triumph over the Flames in Lynchburg.
Liberty is making its first trip to Harrisonburg since the 2014 season. The winner of the contest earns the Battle of the Blue Ridge Trophy, which was introduced before last season's game.
Of note, 10 of the previous 19 games between the two schools have been decided by one score.
STARTING AT HOME
The Dukes are set to open at home for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. JMU is 43-11 in home openers all time, with 23 straight wins dating back to 2003. The squad has scored at least 40 points in 17 of those 23 victories.
Saturday also marks the 35th time the Dukes open a season at home. JMU holds a 26-8 mark in those contests.
Overall, James Madison is 31-22-1 in season openers. JMU has won six straight season-opening affairs by an average of 40 points per game. The Dukes have averaged 46.2 points in those games and have yielded just 37 total points in that time.
SUN BELT HONORS
The Dukes were voted to finish atop the Sun Belt East Division in the conference's preseason coaches poll in July. JMU received 11 of 14 first-place votes for 94 total points, second only to Troy's 96 points.
A trio of JMU players earned Preseason All-Sun Belt Team distinction, as offensive lineman Zach Greenberg and edge Amar Thomas earned first-team status. For the second straight year, running back George Pettaway also garnered a spot on the preseason squad, claiming second-team laurels.
IN THE POLLS
The Dukes received votes in both the AP Poll and US LBM Coaches Poll this preseason. JMU earned six points in the coaches poll, marking the third time in the last four seasons it has seen preseason recognition as a team. James Madison also saw three points in the AP Poll.
JMU was the only Sun Belt team to earn votes in the AP Poll and were one of 10 from non-autonomous FBS conferences to gain votes by the coaches.
The squad finished the 2025 season ranked in both polls for the first time in program history.
READY TO RUMBLE
James Madison supporters have made it clear they are ready for football. For the fourth straight season, JMU sold out season tickets at Bridgeforth Stadium, while student tickets for the Liberty game also are sold out.
The Dukes have sold out 16 of their last 18 regular-season home games in Harrisonburg, including all six games last season.
A limited amount of single-game tickets remain for Saturday's in-state clash.
UP NEXT
Following Saturday's season-opening contest against the Flames, JMU remains at home to play host to Wagner on Saturday, Sept. 12. Kickoff at Bridgeforth Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Monday, August 31
Monday, August 31
Tuesday, August 25
Tuesday, August 25
