Dukes maintain ‘high standards’ in preparation for Texas state

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) — James Madison’s football is coming off a historic win over App State in his Sun Belt debut.

The win helped the Dukes earn votes in USA Today Sports’ AFCA Coaches’ Poll for the first time in school history. JMU also received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 College Football Poll for the first time since 2010, when the Dukes beat Virginia Tech.

The undefeated Dukes continued to garner national attention throughout the week. Redshirt freshman running back Kaelon Black was named to the Paul Hornung Award honor roll after rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown to help the Dukes score an unanswered 29 points against the Mountaineers.

Although the win over App State made waves on the national stage, JMU head coach Curt Cignetti was quick to identify areas of improvement for the Dukes.

“I know we’ve got all the hot fuzz because we beat App State,” Cignetti said. “It was a great team victory. We put in tremendous effort and showed great determination, but we made a lot of mistakes.

Cignetti stressed the importance of consistency as the Dukes prepare for Texas State, a team that’s 2-2 overall and “dangerous” on both sides of the ball. Cignetti said the Dukes will need to prepare urgently before hosting their first Sun Belt team at Bridgeforth Stadium.

“We’re going to run our business the way we do and not create a self-fulfilling prophecy that we’re not ready,” Cignetti said. “We’re going to make sure our standards are high and we’re doing things the right way.”

Kick-off is scheduled for 1.30pm on Saturday at Bridgeforth Stadium. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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