JMU to Play at City Stadium in Richmond for Playoffs-Will they get there?

The Dukes have a plan; whether it will work out for them remains to be seen. Athletic Director Jeff Bourne has reached a deal with Richmond's City Stadium if the Dukes were to host a home game. They problem is: they need to get to the playoffs first, then they have to get a home game. I don't see it happening, getting a home game, but Bourne does. Here is a great article from the DNR's sports editor Mike Barber that sums it up. 

By MIKE BARBER

Daily News-Record

HARRISONBURG – James Madison athletic director Jeff Bourne thinks reaching the playoffs is still a realistic goal for his school’s football team. So much so that he’s working to fi­nalize an arrangement to host playoff games at Richmond’s City Stadium in the event the Dukes make the Division I-AA playoffs and are granted a home game.

“We agreed in principal to the use of the facility,” Bourne said Wednesday, adding that Richmond is reviewing the con­tract and it has yet to be final­ized.

Bridgeforth Stadium, the Dukes’ home venue, is unavail­able because of construction, scheduled to begin immediately after the final home game this year, which is Nov. 13 against William & Mary.

JMU is 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the Colonial Athletic Associa­tion. But with wins in its final three games it would have a reasonable chance of being an at-large selection to the play­offs, in part because of the strength of the CAA. Its signa­ture win over I-A power Vir­ginia Tech doesn’t hurt its case either.

“I think there will be a sev­en- win team in the playoffs from our league,” JMU coach Mickey Matthews said. “We just need to play better. We’re really trying to play better.”

Bourne said he believes the Dukes can win out and make the playoffs.

“I do. I’d love to see them do it,” Bourne said. “I think they’re going to have to win the next three games, but that’s certain­ly achievable.”

Bourne said JMU would bid to host all three rounds of the playoffs, though it’s hard to imagine it being granted more than one home game. With the expanded I-AA postseason – 20 teams are making it this year, up four from past seasons – the top four teams will have byes.

Home games for the remain­ing teams will be determined based on bids, and Bourne has said JMU will bid aggressively to try to land a quasi- home game for the Dukes.

Madison ends the year with games at Richmond, home against William & Mary and at Maine.

JMU went 6-5 and missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2005. The Dukes haven’t missed the play­offs in back- to- back seasons since having non-winning sea­sons in 2002 and 2003.

-MO