JMU football announced Monday that Saturday’s home opener against Gardner-Webb is sold out. Tickets are now only available on the secondary market.

It’s the first time JMU has sold out its home football opener since 2011, as fans flocked to Harrisonburg for their first look at an expanded Bridgeforth Stadium. JMU beat Central Connecticut State 14-9 in the sold-out 2011 home opener, although the Dukes hope to make quicker work of their FCS opponent this time.

The Dukes host an 0-1 Gardner-Webb team in Week 2, and they’re expected to win with ease. Gardner-Webb, which lost its head coach and several top players in the offseason, played a pair of FBS teams in 2023 and lost both games by wide margins. The Runnin’ Bulldogs lost to App State 45-24, and East Carolina beat them 44-0.

JMU enters the 2024 home opener with a 1-0 record, defeating Charlotte 30-7 on the road in Week 1. The Dukes were picked to finish second in the Sun Belt East in the preseason, and betting markets set the team’s season-long win total prop at 8.5 wins.

Other Sellouts Expected

JMU sold out student tickets for the home opener in about 20 minutes, as the students seem particularly excited about the FBS version of the Dukes. Last year’s home opener against Bucknell drew 23,756 fans, and the 2021 home opener (JMU’s last FCS season) attracted 22,229 fans.

The Dukes’ Sept. 28 game against Ball State, the Family Weekend game, is also sold out.

The rest of the home schedule after Gardner-Webb and Ball State includes Coastal Carolina (Oct. 10), Southern Miss (Oct. 26, Homecoming), Georgia State (Nov. 9), and Marshall (Nov. 30). The Coastal Carolina game is on a Thursday night and will be televised on ESPN2.

JMU will likely have at least one more sellout this season, with Homecoming always drawing a massive crowd. The Dukes sold out their final five home games of the 2023 season, packing more than 25,000 fans into Bridgeforth in each of the five sellouts. 

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications