American college football season
The 2016 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first year head coach Mike Houston and played their home games at Bridgeforth Stadium and Zane Showker Field. They were a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). They finished the season 14–1 overall with an 8–0 mark in CAA play to win the conference title. They received the automatic bid to the FCS playoffs, where they defeated New Hampshire, Sam Houston State, and five-time defending champions North Dakota State to advance to the National Championship Game, where they defeated Youngstown State. This was their first national championship since 2004.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|
| September 3 | 6:00 pm | Morehead State* | No. 12 | | MadiZone | W 80–7 | 23,626 |
| September 10 | 4:00 pm | Central Connecticut* | No. 12 | - Bridgeforth Stadium
- Harrisonburg, VA
| MadiZone | W 56–21 | 20,636 |
| September 17 | 3:30 pm | at North Carolina* | No. 11 | | ACCN/CSN | L 28–56 | 56,000 |
| September 24 | 12:00 pm | at Maine | No. 11 | | ASN | W 31–20 | 8,786 |
| October 1 | 1:30 pm | Delaware | No. 7 | - Bridgeforth Stadium
- Harrisonburg, VA (rivalry)
| MadiZone | W 43–20 | 25,236 |
| October 8 | 3:30 pm | William & Mary | No. 7 | - Bridgeforth Stadium
- Harrisonburg, VA (rivalry)
| CSN | W 31–24 | 20,354 |
| October 15 | 12:00 pm | at New Hampshire | No. 7 | | ASN | W 42–39 | 8,316 |
| October 29 | 3:30 pm | Rhode Island | No. 8 | - Bridgeforth Stadium
- Harrisonburg, VA
| MadiZone | W 84–7 | 23,841 |
| November 5 | 3:30 pm | at No. 6 Richmond | No. 7 | | CSN | W 47–43 | 8,700 |
| November 12 | 1:00 pm | at No. 9 Villanova | No. 6 | | NNAA | W 20–7 | 6,109 |
| November 19 | 1:30 pm | Elon | No. 6 | - Bridgeforth Stadium
- Harrisonburg, VA
| MadiZone | W 63–14 | 16,184 |
| December 3 | 2:00 pm | No. 22 New Hampshire* | No. 5 | | ESPN3 | W 55–22 | 13,231 |
| December 9 | 7:00 pm | No. 1 Sam Houston State* | No. 5 | | ESPN2 | W 65–7 | 15,646 |
| December 16 | 7:00 pm | at No. 4 North Dakota State* | No. 5 | | ESPN2 | W 27–17 | 18,282 |
| January 7, 2017 | 12:00 pm | vs. No. 13 Youngstown State* | No. 5 | | ESPN2 | W 28–14 | 14,423 |
|
[1]
Roster
Game summaries
Morehead State
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| Eagles
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
0 |
7 |
| #12 Dukes
|
28
|
24
|
21
|
7 |
80 |
Central Connecticut
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| Blue Devils
|
0
|
7
|
14
|
0 |
21 |
| #12 Dukes
|
21
|
14
|
7
|
14 |
56 |
At North Carolina
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| #11 Dukes
|
21
|
0
|
7
|
0 |
28 |
| Tar Heels
|
14
|
21
|
14
|
7 |
56 |
At Maine
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| #11 Dukes
|
7
|
3
|
7
|
14 |
31 |
| Black Bears
|
0
|
13
|
7
|
0 |
20 |
Delaware
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| Fightin' Blue Hens
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
13 |
20 |
| #7 Dukes
|
7
|
19
|
7
|
10 |
43 |
William & Mary
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| Tribe
|
3
|
7
|
0
|
14 |
24 |
| #7 Dukes
|
10
|
0
|
7
|
14 |
31 |
At New Hampshire
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| #7 Dukes
|
7
|
14
|
7
|
14 |
42 |
| Wildcats
|
0
|
9
|
3
|
27 |
39 |
Rhode Island
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| Rams
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
0 |
7 |
| #8 Dukes
|
28
|
21
|
21
|
14 |
84 |
At Richmond
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| #7 Dukes
|
14
|
10
|
6
|
17 |
47 |
| #6 Spiders
|
10
|
14
|
7
|
12 |
43 |
At Villanova
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| #6 Dukes
|
7
|
0
|
3
|
10 |
20 |
| #9 Wildcats
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
0 |
7 |
Elon
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| Phoenix
|
0
|
7
|
7
|
0 |
14 |
| #6 Dukes
|
17
|
10
|
15
|
21 |
63 |
FCS Playoffs
Second Round–New Hampshire
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| #22 Wildcats
|
7
|
0
|
8
|
7 |
22 |
| #5 Dukes
|
3
|
28
|
21
|
3 |
55 |
Quarterfinals–Sam Houston State
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| #1 Bearkats
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
7 |
7 |
| #5 Dukes
|
21
|
21
|
23
|
0 |
65 |
Semifinals–North Dakota State
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| #5 Dukes
|
7
|
10
|
0
|
10 |
27 |
| #4 Bison
|
0
|
7
|
10
|
0 |
17 |
It was this game that ended NDSU's streak of five consecutive FCS titles.
Championship–Youngstown State
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4 |
Total |
| #13 Penguins
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
7 |
14 |
| #5 Dukes
|
14
|
7
|
7
|
0 |
28 |
Ranking movements
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes | Week |
|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
|---|
| STATS FCS | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 (1) | 1 (154) |
|---|
| Coaches | 11 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 (1) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 (1) | 5 | 1 (26) |
|---|
| FCS Playoffs | Not released | 5 | 4 | 4 | Not released |
|---|
References
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| Venues | |
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| Bowls & rivalries | |
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| Culture & lore | |
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| People | |
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| Seasons | |
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National championship seasons in bold |
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| 1970s | |
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| 1980s | |
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| 1990s | |
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| 2000s | |
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| 2010s | |
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| 2020s | |
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National championships in bold |
