Image courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications

By Bennett Conlin (This content was originally published in our newsletter)

Record – 9-4, 6-2 CAA

Top performer – Jimmy Moreland. The redshirt senior cornerback was one of the best players in the entire country. He tallied five interceptions and returned three of them for touchdowns. Moreland was electric at corner.

Best moment – Beating Richmond 63-10. People might debate this as the best moment — the win over Towson was more impressive — but the Dukes pounded an in-state rival 63-10 a week after beating William & Mary 51-0. JMU reached its peak in terms of hype and expectations and execution against Richmond. Everything went downhill from there.

Worst moment – Losing to Colgate in the second round of the FCS playoffs. Ben DiNucci threw five interceptions and JMU looked lost offensively. Despite struggling, the Dukes only fell 23-20 and had chances to win the game. The self-inflicted wounds, and the Mike Houston drama during the Colgate week, makes the loss sting more for JMU fans.  

Season Summary – An inevitable disappointment.

In hindsight, JMU fans and media members jumped the gun in assuming the Dukes were national title threats. JMU beat up on four awful teams in weeks 2-5 of the season and looked good because of it. There were always some questions at quarterback, and the offensive line never lived up to expectations. Every FCS loss seemed surprising, but really, the Dukes just weren’t as good as many thought.