No national seed for JMU football, Dukes to host Delaware in first round of FCS Playoffs

For the fifth straight season, James Madison earned a spot in the postseason, as the Dukes were selected to the 2018 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs and will host Delaware in the first round on Saturday, Nov. 24 at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN3.

JMU wrapped up the regular season yesterday with an 8-3 overall record and 6-2 mark in Colonial Athletic Association play, while the Blue Hens come to town at 7-4 and 5-3. The winner moves on to the second round to face No. 8 seed Colgate, which is 9-1 and won the Patriot League.

JMU is making its fifth straight playoff appearance, which extends the program record for consecutive seasons in the FCS Playoffs. The Dukes advanced to the national championship game in each of the last two seasons, winning the title in 2016. Delaware is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

The Dukes rank in the top 10 nationally in eight statistical categories, which includes second in completion percentage (68.2%), punt return average (23.3) and kick-return defense (14.47). JMU is also third in fewest penalties (4.09), fifth in defensive touchdowns (4), sixth in scoring defense (14.6), eighth in first-down defense (168) and 10th in total defense (295.3).

JMU is one of six CAA schools to make the field of 24, as the Dukes and Blue Hens were joined by No. 7 seed Maine, Towson, Stony Brook and Elon. It’s the first time any conference has had six teams advance to the FCS Playoffs.

Tickets for JMU's first-round playoff game goes on sale at 3 p.m. today at JMUTickets.com or by calling 540-568-3853. CLICK HERE for more info.

JMU's run in the 2018 playoffs is presented by Excel Heating and Cooling.