Virginia football vs JMU Game Thread

Virginia Cavaliers vs. James Madison Dukes

HOW TO WATCH THE ‘HOOS:

Location: Charlottesville, VA
Date: September 9th, 2023
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPNU
Online Streaming: ESPN+

Vegas Odds: JMU -6.5

FOOTBALL IS BACK AT SCOTT STADIUM.

The Wahoos get their home opener started at noon today against the James Madison Dukes with an expected crowd of over 50k fans. It’s #UVASTRONG day at Scott, so the first 35k fans will get a #UVASTRONG t-shirt and the families of D’Sean Perry, Devin Chandler, and Lavel Davis Jr. will be on field at 11:30 to remember the lives of the three former Virginia players.

If you’re attending the game, please arrive early and be in your seat to honor Perry, Chandler, and Davis Jr. If you won’t be at the game, you can watch the pre-game memorial at virginiasport.com or on the Virginia Cavaliers Facebook page.

Ahead of today’s kickoff, we’ve got all the content you need to get ready!

1. Our game preview with three matchups, two JMU players and one prediction to watch paints the picture for what UVA will be facing and what they’ll need to do to beat their instate foe.
2. We also previewed the Dukes and this game with former Daily Progress UVA beat writer and JMU alum Bennett Conlin in this week’s behind enemy lines piece.
3. If you’re feeling like listening to something, there’s also this week’s episode of Speaking the Lawn where we looked back at last weekend’s loss to Tennessee and analyzed what it means ahead of today’s home opener.
4. All of the rest of our UVA football coverage can be found here!

Kickoff is at 12:00 — leave your pre, in, and post-game thoughts here and be sure to check back in for plenty of mid and post game content later today, tomorrow, and next week!

We’ll also be active on Twitter throughout the game and all season long so follow along on their for our staff’s live reactions.

Streaking the Lawn — @STL_UVA

Zach Carey — @Zach_Carey_

Dan Siegel — @DanSiegel_

Ryan Reese — @HoosOn_First

Ben Wieland — @BenWieland

Paul Guttman — @Tiki_UVA

Paul Wiley — @PaulWileyVA

Lastly, here are a few game notes from UVA:

INSIDE SATURDAY’S MATCHUP

• Virginia opens its six-game home schedule on Saturday, hosting in-state foe James Madison for the first time since 1983.

• The Cavaliers are 60-26-5 in home openers at Scott Stadium and have won five-straight home openers dating back to the 2017 season. UVA has won nine of its last 11 home openers at Scott Stadium.

• 2023 marks the 93rd season of football at Scott Stadium, a facility that first opened in 1931. The fourth-oldest Stadium in the ACC.

• Separated by 58 miles, Virginia and James Madison have only played three times (1979, 1982 & 1983). All three games were played at Scott Stadium, the last, a 21-14 Cavalier victory on Sept. 17, 1983.

• The Cavaliers are 3-2 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference - ODU (2-0), Southern Miss (0-2), Troy (1-0). The last game against an SBC opponent was last year’s 16-14 win over ODU.

• The Cavaliers are 12-2 at home in the month of September since the start of the 2017 and won both September contests last season. UVA has won 11 of its last 12 games at home in September.

TOP STORYLINES

• The match-up with the Dukes will be the Cavaliers’ first home contest at Scott Stadium since the tragedy last November when team members Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry were shot and killed after returning to Grounds from a class field trip. The trio will be honored with a pregame ceremony at approximately 11:30.

• Saturday will mark the 500th game in Scott Stadium. The fourth-oldest stadium in the ACC, hosted its first game on Oct. 15, 1931 against VMI. Virginia is 283-204-12 (.579) all-time at Scott Stadium.

• Against then-No. 12 Tennessee last week Virginia committed just two penalties and did not turn the ball over. UVA averaged 7.0 penalties per game (104th in FBS) and 2.2 turnovers per game (103rd in FBS). Last year marked the first game UVA played without committing a turnover since Oct. 23, 2021 against Georgia Tech.

• 25 players appeared in their first games in a Virginia uniform last week against Tennessee. A total of 19 made their collegiate debuts. Six of UVA’s 22 starters against the Volunteers were on different collegiate rosters last season.

• The Cavaliers defense was the strong point of the 2022 squad, improving its scoring defense by over a full touchdown (7.8 points) from the 2021 season. Only 11 teams in FBS had a better defensive improvement from the 2021 season. The Cavaliers return eight of its 11 starters on defense, including the entire defensive line.