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
2016 James Madison Dukes football team roster
|
Players
|
Coaches
|
Offense
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
RB
|
32
|
Khalid Abdullah
|
Sr
|
WR
|
7
|
Terrence Alls
|
Jr
|
OL
|
67
|
Zaire Bethea
|
Fr
|
OL
|
61
|
A.J. Bolden
|
Jr
|
WR
|
12
|
Logan Boyd
|
Jr
|
WR
|
5
|
Jake Brown
|
Fr
|
OL
|
58
|
Gerren Butler
|
Fr
|
OL
|
68
|
Tyree Chavious
|
Fr
|
WR
|
42
|
Skyler Clark
|
Fr
|
WR
|
40
|
Daniel Clements
|
So
|
TE
|
86
|
Mark Cullen
|
Fr
|
WR
|
6
|
Rashard Davis
|
Sr
|
OL
|
55
|
Nick Edwards
|
Jr
|
QB
|
18
|
Hunter Etheridge
|
So
|
OL
|
75
|
Michael Faulkner
|
Fr
|
OL
|
64
|
Matt Frank
|
Sr
|
OL
|
79
|
Raymond Gillespie
|
Fr
|
WR
|
13
|
Ishmael Hyman
|
Jr
|
OL
|
60
|
Jahee Jackson
|
Fr
|
RB
|
25
|
Cardon Johnson
|
Jr
|
QB
|
12
|
Cole Johnson
|
Fr
|
RB
|
22
|
Eric Kirlew
|
Fr
|
OL
|
76
|
Mitchell Kirsch
|
Sr
|
TE
|
88
|
Jonathan Kloosterman
|
Jr
|
WR
|
84
|
Ryan Kluck
|
Fr
|
WR
|
8
|
John Miller
|
Jr
|
QB
|
2
|
Connor Mitch
|
Jr
|
WR
|
81
|
Cory Owen
|
Fr
|
QB
|
16
|
Neeshant Parikh
|
So
|
RB
|
34
|
Simba Parker
|
Jr
|
OL
|
73
|
Mac Patrick
|
Fr
|
TE
|
82
|
Zach Polglase
|
Fr
|
WR
|
11
|
Brandon Ravenel
|
Sr
|
WR
|
85
|
Quintin Reynolds
|
So
|
TE
|
98
|
Lawton Riggs
|
Fr
|
OL
|
62
|
Kyle Rigney
|
Sr
|
OL
|
78
|
Zach Rugg
|
Sr
|
TE
|
15
|
Daniel Schiele
|
Sr
|
QB
|
17
|
Bryan Schor
|
Sr
|
RB
|
1
|
Trai Sharp
|
So
|
OL
|
77
|
Robert Snead
|
Fr
|
WR
|
10
|
Riley Stapleton
|
Fr
|
OL
|
70
|
Aaron Stinnie
|
Jr
|
WR
|
3
|
Domo Taylor
|
Sr
|
OL
|
63
|
J.T. Timming
|
Fr
|
QB
|
19
|
Mack Waldman
|
So
|
WR
|
39
|
Robbie Walker
|
Jr
|
WR
|
89
|
Braxton Westfield
|
Fr
|
RB
|
20
|
Taylor Woods
|
Jr
|
OL
|
71
|
Richard Xu
|
So
|
|
Defense
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
DB
|
27
|
D'Angelo Amos
|
Fr
|
LB
|
93
|
Andrew Ankrah
|
Jr
|
DL
|
95
|
Adeeb Atariwa
|
Fr
|
LB
|
54
|
Kelvin Azanama
|
Fr
|
CB
|
34
|
Justin Bethea
|
Jr
|
S
|
21
|
Robert Branch
|
So
|
DL
|
53
|
Jordan Brooks
|
Fr
|
DL
|
84
|
Brandon Brown
|
Jr
|
S
|
44
|
Jordan Brown
|
Jr
|
LB/LS
|
59
|
Daniel Caracciolo
|
Fr
|
DL
|
47
|
Darrious Carter
|
So
|
CB
|
36
|
Robert Carter Jr.
|
So
|
S
|
38
|
Mike Cobbs
|
So
|
S
|
48
|
Reggie Collins
|
Fr
|
DL
|
97
|
John Daka
|
Fr
|
LB
|
46
|
David Ezeagwu
|
Jr
|
S
|
5
|
Raven Greene
|
Jr
|
LB
|
9
|
Kyre Hawkins
|
Jr
|
LB
|
49
|
Brandon Hereford
|
Jr
|
LB
|
2
|
Dimitri Holloway
|
So
|
S
|
40
|
Ryan Horner
|
Fr
|
S
|
35
|
Marcell Johnson
|
Jr
|
LB
|
27
|
Pat Kagel
|
So
|
LB
|
16
|
John Kinney
|
Fr
|
DL
|
90
|
Rondre Knowles-Tener
|
Fr
|
LB
|
50
|
Christian Launius
|
Fr
|
DL
|
92
|
Mike Mabry
|
Fr
|
S
|
43
|
Bryce Maginley
|
Fr
|
LB
|
51
|
Devin Medley
|
Fr
|
LB
|
52
|
Nick Michalski
|
Jr
|
CB
|
37
|
Jimmy Moreland
|
So
|
CB
|
26
|
Curtis Oliver
|
So
|
LB
|
18
|
Tabb Patrick
|
Fr
|
CB
|
14
|
Taylor Reynolds
|
Sr
|
DL
|
31
|
Kirk Robinette
|
Fr
|
CB
|
22
|
Rashad Robinson
|
So
|
DL
|
74
|
Simeyon Robinson
|
Jr
|
DL
|
65
|
Dorrius Rodgers
|
Fr
|
LB
|
10
|
Jacob Rosen
|
Fr
|
LB/LS
|
41
|
Brett Siegel
|
Jr
|
S
|
30
|
Adam Smith
|
Fr
|
LB
|
33
|
Gage Steele
|
Sr
|
DL
|
91
|
Martez Stone
|
Sr
|
CB
|
23
|
Charles Tutt
|
So
|
DL
|
94
|
Cornell Urquhart
|
Jr
|
LB
|
24
|
Justin Wellons
|
Sr
|
S
|
28
|
Grant Westbrook
|
So
|
DB
|
7
|
Trey Wilson
|
Fr
|
DL
|
72
|
Gary Wortham
|
Sr
|
|
Special teams
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
K/P
|
42
|
Pat Frio
|
Jr
|
P
|
69
|
John Gardiner
|
Fr
|
K
|
45
|
Tyler Gray
|
So
|
P
|
99
|
Gunnar Kane
|
Sr
|
K/P
|
57
|
Jeremiah McBride
|
Fr
|
K
|
91
|
Ethan Ratke
|
Fr
|
LS
|
56
|
Matt Wolcott
|
So
|
|
- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Donnie Kirkpatrick
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks 1st year at James Madison Alma mater: Lenoir-Rhyne
- Bob Trott
Defensive coordinator 1st year at James Madison Alma mater: North Carolina
- Bryan Stinespring
Tight ends/Run-Game coordinator 1st year at James Madison Alma mater: James Madison
- John Bowers
Outside Linebackers 3rd year at James Madison Alma mater: James Madison
- Byron Thweatt
Inside Linebackers 1st year at James Madison Alma mater: Virginia
- Jamal Powell
Offensive line 2nd year at James Madison Alma mater: Texas Christian
- Jeff Hanson
Defensive line 2nd year at James Madison Alma mater: Richmond
- Tripp Weaver
Cornerbacks 1st year at James Madison Alma mater: East Carolina
- De'Rail Sims
Running backs 1st year at James Madison Alma mater: Pikeville
- Drew Dudzik
Wide receivers 1st year at James Madison Alma mater: James Madison
- Dale Steele
Director of football administration/recruiting coordinator 1st year at James Madison Alma mater: South Carolina
- John Williams
Director of strength and conditioning
- Markus James
Assistant Director of strength and conditioning
- Pete Johnson
Football Equipment Manager
- Patty Dorfer
Administrative Assistant
- Scott Cook
Associate Athletic Trainer
- Cal Hall
Assistant Athletic Trainer
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
Roster Last update: December 17, 2016
|
Game summaries
Morehead State
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Eagles
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
0 |
7 |
#12 Dukes
|
28
|
24
|
21
|
7 |
80 |
Central Connecticut
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Blue Devils
|
0
|
7
|
14
|
0 |
21 |
#12 Dukes
|
21
|
14
|
7
|
14 |
56 |
At North Carolina
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
#11 Dukes
|
21
|
0
|
7
|
0 |
28 |
Tar Heels
|
14
|
21
|
14
|
7 |
56 |
At Maine
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
#11 Dukes
|
7
|
3
|
7
|
14 |
31 |
Black Bears
|
0
|
13
|
7
|
0 |
20 |
Delaware
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Fightin' Blue Hens
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
13 |
20 |
#7 Dukes
|
7
|
19
|
7
|
10 |
43 |
William & Mary
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Tribe
|
3
|
7
|
0
|
14 |
24 |
#7 Dukes
|
10
|
0
|
7
|
14 |
31 |
At New Hampshire
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
#7 Dukes
|
7
|
14
|
7
|
14 |
42 |
Wildcats
|
0
|
9
|
3
|
27 |
39 |
Rhode Island
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Rams
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
0 |
7 |
#8 Dukes
|
28
|
21
|
21
|
14 |
84 |
At Richmond
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
#7 Dukes
|
14
|
10
|
6
|
17 |
47 |
#6 Spiders
|
10
|
14
|
7
|
12 |
43 |
At Villanova
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
#6 Dukes
|
7
|
0
|
3
|
10 |
20 |
#9 Wildcats
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
0 |
7 |
Elon
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Phoenix
|
0
|
7
|
7
|
0 |
14 |
#6 Dukes
|
17
|
10
|
15
|
21 |
63 |
FCS Playoffs
Second Round–New Hampshire
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
#22 Wildcats
|
7
|
0
|
8
|
7 |
22 |
#5 Dukes
|
3
|
28
|
21
|
3 |
55 |
Quarterfinals–Sam Houston State
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
#1 Bearkats
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
7 |
7 |
#5 Dukes
|
21
|
21
|
23
|
0 |
65 |
Semifinals–North Dakota State
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
---|
Venues | |
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Bowls & rivalries | |
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Culture & lore | |
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People | |
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Seasons | |
---|
National championship seasons in bold |
|
---|
1970s | |
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1980s | |
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1990s | |
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2000s | |
---|
2010s | |
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2020s | |
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|
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|
National championships in bold |