Week One - James Madison Dukes @ Charlotte 49ers: How To Watch, Preview, Time, Date, Storylines

A new era of James Madison football will begin against Charlotte

Sep 9, 2023; College Park, Maryland, USA; Charlotte 49ers head coach Biff Poggi walks down the sidelines during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

It's a new era of football for James Madison. In the offseason, head coach Curt Cignetti departed for the Big Ten as he joined the Indiana Hoosiers. Cignetti's replacement ended up being FCS head coach Bob Chesney. As for the Charlotte 49ers, they are coming off a disappointing 3-9 season under Biff Poggi. While one team looks to keep the momentum of last season going, the other looks to begin the season off on a right note in attempts to have their winning record since 2019.

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James Madison Dukes (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt) @ Charlotte 49ers (0-0, 0-0 American Athletic Conference)

Date: Saturday, August 31st

Time: 8:00 PM ET

TV: ESPNU

Radio: ESPN 730

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Storylines

What to Expect from the New Look Dukes

With the departure of Cignetti, plenty of players followed him to Indiana, including wide all-conference first-team selection Elijah Sarratt. JMU also lost quarterback Jordan McCloud who took his talents to Texas State.

At the moment, the quarterback competition is between Washington transfer Dylan Morris and Wake Forrest transfer Brett Griffis, as well as redshirt sophomore Alonza Barnett III. At the moment, Morris has the edge given a lot more experience and a successful 2021 season as the starter for the Huskies.

At the receiver position, both 1,000-yard receivers are gone and they will have to rely on UConn transfer Cam Ross who hauled in 44 receptions for 552 yards and one touchdown. There's also San Diego State transfer Brionne Penny who hauled in 24 receptions for 290 yards and one touchdown. Both will see a lot more targets with their new team.

Last season, JMU had the second-best overall offense in the Sun Belt which was led by the passing game. The Dukes' run game ranked third-worst in the Sun Belt, however.

What Will Charlotte's New QB Play Look Like?

Last season, the Charlotte offense averaged 17.5 points per game, which was second-worst in the American Athletic Conference. Although Charlotte is bringing back Trexler Ivey, he heavily struggled throwing for four touchdowns and ten interceptions last season in just five starts, but 11 total games of action. Instead, it'll be the Florida transfer Max Brown who will take the field week one. In two seasons at Florida, Brown played in six games and made one start against Florida State where he went 9-for-16 with 86 passing yards and one interception.

Charlotte's new offensive line set with high expectations

Another position that struggled for Charlotte in 2023 was the offensive line. They allowed the fifth most sacks in the conference. Poggi revamped the offensive line, bringing in several transfers, including Jordan Spasojevic-Moko, Mitchell Mayes, and Jordan Herman who came from power conference schools. The only returner is center Jonny King.

Will James Madison's defensive success translate to 2024?

With the high amount of players transferring out and joining Cignetti at Indiana, the Dukes' defensive success may take a hit in 2024. They had the #5 defense nationally against the run and were ranked tenth against the pass and with a Charlotte offense that may be run-first, it'll be interesting to see if the Dukes to find early success in that era.

In the secondary, JMU brought in through the transfer portal was cornerback Jordan Taylor from Division II's Tusculum. In his four seasons with the program, Taylor posted 91 total tackles, 61 solo tackles 30 assisted tackles, six interceptions and eight tackles for loss. At that same position, UConn transfer Chris Shearin stands out as he posted 36 total tackles and two interceptions last season.

On the defensive line, preseason second-team all-conference selection Eric O’Neill was named NEC defensive player of the year at Long Island last season after posting 80 total tackles 23.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks in 2023.

What does Vegas say?

With so much turnover from both teams, FanDuel favors James Madison to win by 6.5. With Charlotte's lackluster offense and most likely going run-heavy with the quarterback that they have, along with James Madison's great defense against the run, the possibility for a tight score certainly makes sense.

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