University of Massachusets Athletics

University of Massachusetts Official Athletic Site - Football

James Madison

September 20, 1997 - 6:00 pm

Harrisonburg, Va. - After a four-year hiatus, the UMass-James Madison series will be revived in 1997. UMass won the last meeting in Amherst, 33-10, in 1993 to knot the all-time series at 2-2-1. The matchup with the Minutemen will mark the first Atlantic 10 football game for JMU. JMU loses its top five receivers and top two running backs from last year's 7-4 team which placed 4th in the Mid-Atlantic. The Dukes return just two starters on offense. Defensively, the Dukes return senior linebacker Doug Bigelow who led the team with 81 tackles and two sacks last year. Head coach Alex Wood has high hopes for the Dukes who are 15-8 in his two-year career and will open their season against Division I-A opponent Ball State, which played in the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl.