The JMU football department announced Monday that tickets for Saturday’s home opener against Gardner-Webb have sold out, with tickets currently only available on the secondary market.
It was the first time since 2011 that JMU sold out its home football opener as fans flocked to Harrisonburg to get their first look at the expanded Bridgeforth Stadium. JMU beat Central Connecticut State University 14-9 in a sold-out home opener in 2011, but the Dukes will be hoping to beat an FCS opponent quicker this time around.
The Dukes are expected to have an easy win when they host a 0-1 Gardner-Webb team in Week 2. Gardner-Webb, which lost its head coach and several top players in the offseason, has played two FBS teams in 2023 and lost both games by big margins. The Runnin’ Bulldogs lost to Appalachian State, 45-24, and beat East Carolina, 44-0.
JMU enters its 2024 home opener 1-0, beating Charlotte 30-7 on the road in Week 1. The Dukes were projected to finish second in the Sun Belt East in the preseason, and betting markets have set the team’s win total for the season at 8.5 wins.
Other expected sellouts
JMU sold out student tickets for its home opener in about 20 minutes, and students seem especially excited about the FBS version of the Dukes: Last year’s home opener against Bucknell drew 23,756 fans, and the 2021 home opener (JMU’s final FCS season) drew 22,229 fans.
Tickets for the Sept. 28 Family Weekend Game between the Dukes and Ball State are also sold out.
After Gardner-Webb and Ball State, the remaining home schedule includes visits to Coastal Carolina (Oct. 10), Southern Miss (Oct. 26, Homecoming), Georgia State (Nov. 9) and Marshall (Nov. 30). The Coastal Carolina game will be played Thursday night and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
JMU is on track to have at least one more sellout this season, and homecoming always draws big crowds. The Dukes sold out their final five home games of the 2023 season, drawing more than 25,000 fans to Bridgeforth in each of the five sellouts.
Photo courtesy of JMU Athletic Communications