JMU football begins its 2025 season against a familiar foe. The Dukes have played Weber State in 2017, 2019, and 2021, when the programs were both FCS members.

Back then, Weber State was one of the best FCS teams in the country under coach Jay Hill. The Wildcats have taken a step back under new coach Mickey Mental, and they’re picked to finish 8th in the 12-team Big Sky this fall.

As for JMU, the Dukes are widely considered the favorite to win the Sun Belt. Saturday’s game is a major mismatch.

How to watch

It’s a home game for the Dukes, and the game will stream on ESPN+. Here are the basic details for the matchup.

Kickoff time: 6 p.m. ET

Stream/TV: ESPN+, with Curt Dudley on play-by-play, Delvin Joyce as the analyst, and David Hulvey on the sidelines

Weather: Saturday’s forecast calls for a high of 75 degrees. The low is 50 but it won’t get close to that during the game, as temperatures should hover in the 60s during much of the contest. It’s expected to be sunny in the first half before the sun sets. It’s a perfect fall day in Harrisonburg.

Weber State overview

Record: 0-0, 4-8 last season

Coach: Mickey Mental, 10-13 record at Weber State, 26-15 career record as a head coach

Top players: The Wildcats have a pair of preseason All-Big Sky players in fullback Colter May and left tackle Gavin Ortega. Weber State plans to start UTSA transfer Jackson Gilkey at QB. He didn’t appear in any games during two seasons at the FBS level, but the redshirt sophomore was highly recruited out of high school.

Key to the game

JMU has the better roster, and it’s not particularly close. Last season, however, JMU had a better team than Gardner-Webb and still slogged its way to a 13-6 win against a mediocre FCS team. Why? Because the Dukes couldn’t get off the field on fourth down, and the offense put itself behind the sticks with self-inflicted wounds.

The key to Saturday’s game is avoiding dumb mistakes and relying on their obvious physical advantages. JMU needs to limit pre-snap penalties on offense to stay ahead of the chains.

Defensively, negative plays and takeaways are a must against a QB making his first career college start. If the Dukes can use a few turnovers or sacks to create positive field position for the offense, they should settle into the game nicely and pull away quickly.

JMU doesn’t need to be perfect, but the Dukes were too passive against Gardner-Webb in 2024. They need to flex their advantage in the trenches by terrorizing the quarterback and stacking positive rushing plays on top of an overmatched defensive front.

Score prediction

JMU beats Weber State, 41-10.

I anticipate the Dukes dominating up front and cruising to a comfortable win. Given the new faces, especially at wide receiver, there could be some inconsistency in the passing game at times that keeps the Dukes from dropping 50. If the passing game clicks early and the Dukes generate chunk plays through the air, this could get really ugly. At the very least, the running game and defense should look strong in the opening 60 minutes of the season.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications