HARRISONBURG, Va., Aug. 25, 2008 – The James Madison University football team opens its 2008 season Saturday (Aug. 30) in a 7 p.m. game against Duke in Durham, N.C.

JMU is coming off an 8-4 NCAA playoff season in 2007 and will be playing Duke for the first time.  The game will mark the second-straight season in which the Dukes will open at an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, following their 2007 opener at North Carolina.

JMU returns 46 lettermen and 15 starters from a year ago and is ranked among the nation’s leading Football Championship Subdivision teams in all of the major preseason FCS polls.  The Dukes are the preseason No. 1 FCS team in the Phil Steele Preview, No. 3 by the FCS coaches and No. 6 by The Sports Network.

The Duke game will start one of the top JMU schedules in program history.  In addition to the opener against a Football Bowl Subdivision foe, JMU in 2008 will meet playoff teams from a year ago in national champion Appalachian State, national runner-up Delaware, national semifinalist Richmond and second-round playoff participant.  The Dukes will play eight games in the Colonial Athletic Association, a league that sent a record five teams to last season FCS playoffs.

JMU is beginning its 10th season under Coach Mickey Matthews and has compiled a 37-13 record over the last four seasons.  The Dukes are 25-7 in conference play the last four seasons and have made three playoff appearances and won a national championship during that period.

Duke is coming off a 1-10 season and is playing for the first time under Coach David Cutcliffe, a former head coach at Mississippi and offensive coordinator at Tennessee.

After Saturday’s game, JMU will play North Carolina Central in its home opener at 6 p.m. Sept. 6 at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field.

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