James Madison football advances to FCS title game with win vs. Weber State

James Madison football joined North Dakota State in the FCS title game after taking down Weber State in the semifinals. What did we learn about the Dukes?

James Madison is the only team besides North Dakota State to win an FCS championship since  2011. The Dukes won the 2017 title, taking down Youngstown State. Once again, James Madison  punched their ticket for another trip to Frisco as they defeated Weber State 30-14 at home on Saturday evening.

There they will get the chance to face defending national champion North Dakota State. The Bison booked their trip to Toyota Stadium with a resounding win over Montana State, as both Big Sky schools succumbed to the two most dominant teams of the 2010s.

Former Pitt quarterback Ben DiNucci had another huge game for the Dukes to push them into the final. DiNucci completed 19 of his 26 passing attempts for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the runaway victory. The quarterback added 62 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground as he singlehandedly helped score more points than the entire Weber State offense.

The Dukes were great on the ground all around, racking up 212 yards as a team. DiNucci’s efforts led the charge, and both Latrele Palmer and Jawon Hamilton ran for at least 50 yards apiece. It was the kind of balanced effort that makes James Madison a dangerous opponent in the national championship game.

On defense, the Dukes were just as productive. Weber State managed to gain only 70 rushing yards in the game, limiting the effectiveness of the Wildcats offense. Ben Constantine threw for two touchdowns, but he managed to gain only 186 yards on 16-of-31 passing. All told, the Wildcats managed only 256 total yards of offense against a stout James Madison defensive unit.

In his first season at the helm of the Dukes after leaving Elon to take over for Mike Houston, Curt Cignetti has them an upset away from the school’s third national title.

Of course, North Dakota State will surely have something to say about whether James Madison can pull off the upset in Frisco on January 5. When these two teams met two years ago in the title game, the Bison pulled off a tense 17-13 victory over the Dukes. Given how both teams played on Saturday in the semifinals, we could see a similarly balanced battle between the two FCS hegemons in a few weeks.