By Colin McGuigan
Dukes Seek First Bowl Title on Dec. 18 at Boca Raton Bowl
GAME NOTES
https://jmusports.com/documents/2024/12/11/JMUNotes-BocaRatonBowl.pdf
BOCA RATON BOWL WEBSITE
*Wednesday, Dec. 18 against Western Kentucky at the Boca Raton Bowl, head coach Bob Chesney will be experiencing a first – coaching James Madison in a bowl game.
*The Dukes hope that one final game together in 2024 results in the program’s first-ever bowl victory.
*There will be plenty that’s new for JMU and Chesney. This will be the first all-time meeting between the Dukes and the Hilltoppers, and the first time JMU has played a game in the Sunshine State since falling at South Florida back in 2000.
20 of the team members were part of the roster during last year’s Armed Forces Bowl appearance, including seven who started that matchup with Air Force. Add in the six transfers who appeared in a bowl game prior to joining JMU, and the Dukes have plenty of postseason experience on their roster.
*Western Kentucky came a game away from winning the Conference USA championship this year. It defeated Jacksonville State, 19-17, at home to earn a spot in the title game, only to fall to the same team, 52-12, a week later in Alabama with the championship on the line.
*The Hilltoppers were at their best throwing the football. They ranked 32nd in the nation in passing offense.
*The Hilltoppers’ weakness was their rush defense, which surrendered 221.9 yards per game on the ground, making for a juicy matchup for a Dukes squad that ranked 30th in the country churning out 189.8 yards per game running the ball.
*Boca Raton Bowl media coverage: Kickoff at the 2024 Boca Raton Bowl is set for 5:30 p.m. at FAU Stadium and will be nationally televised on ESPN.
Radio coverage for JMU is available on the Morris Insurance & Financial JMU Radio Network and ESPN Radio will also be on site for national radio coverage.
TV: ESPN
Online: Watch ESPN / ESPN App (cable subscription required)
Talent: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Coley Harvey (sideline)
JMU RADIO: MORRIS INSURANCE & FINANCIAL JMU RADIO NETWORK
Locally: WSVA 550 AM | 92.1 FM
Online: WSVAOnline.com
Mobile: Varsity Network App
Talent: Dave Riggert (play-by-play), Cole Johnson (analyst), Todd Centeio (analyst)
ESPN RADIO
Online: ESPN.com
Talent: Chris Carlin (play-by-play), Freddie Coleman (analyst), Evan Cohen (sideline)
COURTESY JAMES MADISON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
Hilltoppers Face James Madison In Boca Raton Bowl On Wednesday
BOCA RATON, Fla. – WKU Football will face James Madison in the 2024 Boca Raton Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. The game is scheduled to kick off at 4:30 p.m. CT and will be nationally televised on ESPN.
GAME INFO
- WKU (8-5 overall, 6-2 CUSA) vs. James Madison (8-4 overall, 4-4 Sun Belt)
- Wednesday, Dec. 18 | 4:30 p.m. CT | FAU Stadium | Boca Raton, Fla.
- Watch: ESPN (PxP: Chris Cotter | Analyst: Mark Herzlich | Reporter: Coley Harvey)
- Listen: SAM 100.7 FM/Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Terry Obee | Reporter: Jared Holland)
- Social: @WKUFootball | @WKUSports
- Live Stats: wku.statbroadcast.com
- Game Notes: WKU | James Madison
ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU Football lost to Jax State in the Conference USA Championship Game, 52-12, at AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama, on Friday, Dec. 6. It was the fourth CUSA Championship Game appearance for WKU, which is tied for most all-time in league history.
- The Hilltoppers led Conference USA with 15 players receiving 2024 All-CUSA honors. WKU had a league-high nine players named to the All-CUSA First or Second Team, while six received All-CUSA Honorable Mention status. That group is led by All-CUSA First Team Defense selections in defensive tackle Hosea Wheeler and defensive back Upton Stout, as well as an All-CUSA First Team Special Teams selection in kicker Lucas Carneiro.
- WKU Football quarterback Caden Veltkamp was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year and kicker Lucas Carneiro was named the CUSA Special Teams Player of the Year. This marks the first time WKU has had a player named the CUSA Offensive Player of the Year and the first time the program has had a player named the CUSA Special Teams Player of the Year. WKU’s last superlative award came in 2022, when quarterback Austin Reed was named CUSA’s Newcomer of the Year. Overall, WKU has received 12 Player of the Year or MVP awards since joining CUSA in 2014, which is three more than the next closest team during that timeframe.
- WKU became bowl eligible for the sixth time in six seasons under Tyson Helton with its 31-14 win over Kennesaw State. The win marked the first time WKU has become bowl eligible before November under Helton and the first time the program has become bowl eligible before November since 2016. WKU became bowl eligible in October three times before – in 2012, 2015 and 2016. WKU is one of only 16 programs that played in a bowl game each of the five seasons from 2019-23, and one of only seven programs to win a bowl game each year from 2021-23.
- WKU is familiar with its upcoming bowl destination, having played in and won the Boca Raton Bowl in both 2016 and 2021. WKU beat Memphis in the 2016 game, 51-31, and Appalachian State, 59-38, in its last Boca Raton Bowl appearance. The most recent trip was highlighted by Bailey Zappe’s performance, where he set new single-season FBS records by a quarterback. He finished the year with 5,967 yards and 62 passing touchdowns, breaking marks set by Texas Tech’s B.J. Symons, who had 5,833 passing yards in 13 games in 2003, and LSU’s Joe Burrow, who had 60 passing touchdowns in 15 games in 2019.
QUOTABLE
- “We are really excited to be back. When we found out we were heading back to the bowl and being here for the third time, our team was just ecstatic. What a fantastic job this bowl puts on and we’ve had a ball every time we’ve come down here. The hospitality that we receive from this group and the professionalism we receive is just second to none. We’ve been blessed to be in six bowls since I’ve been here, and this has by far been the best. This is the one we look forward to coming to, I hope we get and I’m glad we’re back and we’re excited to be here. And we’re really excited to play a very, very, very good James Madison football team. Coach does a fantastic job. Just like (Boca Raton Bowl Executive Director) Doug (Mosley), I’ve watched him from afar and watched his career. He is a fantastic coach and that is a fantastic football team that we’re about to play in James Madison. Just excited for that matchup. In today’s college football world, we had – even today – a team that opted out of a college football game. For Western Kentucky, we take bowl games very seriously. Not only necessarily going to bowls, but trying to win bowls. This is like a championship game to us. It means a lot to us. I think it means a lot to people in college football. You want to be able to turn on a game this time of year, sit down on your couch and watch a good football game. You’ve got two really good football teams that are going to match up here in a couple of days and it’s going to be exciting football. That’s what’s great about college and I think in today’s era where you see these opt outs and you see these different things happen, college football is still a great game and there’s still a lot of people that want to play in these bowl games. We are one of them. We are so excited to be here. Again, can’t thank this group enough for having us and look forward to an exciting game.” – WKU Football Head Coach Tyson Helton, on playing in the 2024 Boca Raton Bowl.
SERIES INFORMATION
- The 2024 Boca Raton Bowl will mark the first meeting between WKU and James Madison. The Hilltoppers had three regular-season games against teams they had never faced off against before – Toledo, Boston College and Kennesaw State – and went 2-1 in those games.
SCOUTING THE DUKES
- JMU went 8-4 overall and 4-4 in Sun Belt Conference play this season.
- The Dukes are finishing their third season at the FBS level. The program will be playing in its second bowl game and seeking its first bowl win. This is the first time JMU is technically eligible for bowl games, as the 2023 berth in the Armed Forces Bowl was due to there not being enough eligible teams and JMU being in year two of reclassification to the FBS level.
- JMU is coached by Bob Chesney, who is in his first season leading the program. He has a career head coaching record of 119-50, who has also held head coaching positions at Holy Cross, Assumption and Salve Regina.
- JMU ranks sixth in the Sun Belt in scoring at 28.8 points per game this season. The Dukes are third in their conference scoring defense, allowing only 22.4 points per game during the regular season, and they are first in total defense in the Sun Belt, allowing just 300.9 yards per game.
For all the latest on WKU Football, follow @WKUFootball on Twitter and Instagram, and like the WKU Football Facebook page.
COURTESY WESTERN KENTUCKY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
