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How will James Madison Football fare in its first season in FBS?

By Dante Pryor

HARRISONBURG, VA - May 02: Jawon Hamilton #7 of the James Madison Dukes carries the ball against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks during the first half of the NCAA Division I FCS Football Championship Quarterfinal game at Bridgeforth Stadium on May 2, 2021 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
HARRISONBURG, VA - May 02: Jawon Hamilton #7 of the James Madison Dukes carries the ball against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks during the first half of the NCAA Division I FCS Football Championship Quarterfinal game at Bridgeforth Stadium on May 2, 2021 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Delaware quarterback Zach Gwynn tries to avoid trouble. Still, he gets sacked for a loss on third down deep in Blue Hen territory as James Madison’s Isaac Ukwu leads the pressure in the first quarter at Delaware Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021.2. Can the defense slow down FBS-level offenses every weekend?
Delaware quarterback Zach Gwynn tries to avoid trouble. Still, he gets sacked for a loss on third down deep in Blue Hen territory as James Madison’s Isaac Ukwu leads the pressure in the first quarter at Delaware Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021.2. Can the defense slow down FBS-level offenses every weekend? /

The Dukes had one of the best defenses in FCS last season.  JMU was 21st in pass yards, 8th in rushing, and 8th in total defense, allowing a meager 275 total yards.  Its 15 points per game allowed were good for 7th in FCS.

One of the reasons the Dukes were so good defensively is it had one of the most devastating pass rushes in FCS. Defensive ends Bryce Carter and Isaac Ukwu combined for 18 sacks, with Mike Green chipping in five sacks of his own.

JMU had two of the most productive linebackers in FCS in Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey and Kelvin Azanama, who combined for 218 total tackles and 16 tackles for loss.

Unlike the offense, James Madison football loses a lot more talent from their defense. Bryce Carter is gone, but Ukwu is still there. Where the Dukes might have some trouble is against the run. Tucker-Dorsey transferred to Texas, and Azanama is also gone. In addition, they are not very big in the middle of their defensive line; they didn’t have to be in FCS. That has to change.

The Dukes also suffered some attrition in the secondary but added Jarius Reimonenq (Arkansas State) and Deon Jones (Boston College) via the transfer portal.

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