2021 James Madison Dukes football team

2021 James Madison Dukes football
CAA co-champion
NCAA Division I Semifinal, L 14–20 vs. North Dakota State
Conference	Colonial Athletic Association
Ranking
STATS	No. 3
FCS Coaches	No. 3
Record	12–2 (7–1 CAA)
Head coach	Curt Cignetti (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Shanahan (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Corey Hetherman (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Bridgeforth Stadium

2021 Colonial Athletic Association football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 3 James Madison +^		7	–	1					12	–	2
No. 8 Villanova +^		7	–	1					10	–	3
Elon		5	–	3					6	–	5
Rhode Island		4	–	4					7	–	4
Maine		4	–	4					6	–	5
Richmond		4	–	4					6	–	5
William & Mary		4	–	4					6	–	5
Stony Brook		4	–	4					5	–	6
Delaware		3	–	5					5	–	6
Towson		3	–	5					4	–	7
New Hampshire		2	–	6					3	–	8
Albany		1	–	7					2	–	9
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2021 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Curt Cignetti and played their home games at Bridgeforth Stadium.

On November 6, 2021, James Madison announced that this will be the last season for the team in the CAA and join the Sun Belt Conference (FBS) on July 1, 2022.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	6:00 p.m.	Morehead State*	No. 2	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	NBCSW	W 68–10	22,229
September 11	4:00 p.m.	Maine	No. 3	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	NBCSW+	W 55–7	22,108
September 18	8:00 p.m.	at No. 9 Weber State*	No. 3	Stewart Stadium Ogden, UT	ESPN+	W 37–24	11,222
October 2	3:30 p.m.	at No. 25 New Hampshire	No. 3	Wildcat Stadium Durham, NH	FloSports	W 23–21	17,323
October 9	2:00 p.m.	No. 11 Villanova	No. 3	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	FloSports	L 27–28	25,035
October 16	2:00 p.m.	at Richmond	No. 8	E. Claiborne Robins Stadium Richmond, VA (rivalry)		W 19–3	7,809
October 23	3:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Delaware	No. 7	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	NBCSP/FloSports	W 22–10	15,783
October 30	2:00 p.m.	Elon	No. 5	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA		W 45–21	21,029
November 6	3:30 p.m.	Campbell*	No. 3	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA		W 51–14	23,571
November 13	3:30 p.m.	at No. 25 William & Mary	No. 2	Zable Stadium Williamsburg, VA (rivalry)		W 32–22	10,555
November 20	2:00 p.m.	Towson	No. 2	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA		W 56–10	16,644
December 4	2:00 p.m.	No. 18 Southeastern Louisiana*	No. 3	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN+	W 59–20	11,743
December 10	7:00 p.m.	No. 5 Montana*	No. 3	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal)	ESPN2	W 28–6	14,690
December 17	9:15 p.m.	at No. 2 North Dakota State*	No. 3	Fargodome Fargo, ND (NCAA Division I Semifinal)	ESPN2	L 14–20	18,942
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time