1991 James Madison Dukes football team

The 1991 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University as an independent during the 1991 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Rip Scherer, the Duke played their home games at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. James Madison finished the season with an overall record of 9–4. They qualified for the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, beating Delaware in the first round before falling to Samford in the quarterfinals.

1991 James Madison Dukes football
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 21–24 vs. Samford
Conference	Independent
Record	9–4
Head coach	Rip Scherer (1st season)
Home stadium	Bridgeforth Stadium
Seasons ← 1990 1992 →

1991 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Samford ^			–					12	–	2	–	0
Hofstra			–					8	–	2	–	0
No. 16 James Madison ^			–					9	–	4	–	0
No. 13 Youngstown State ^			–					12	–	3	–	0
Georgia Southern			–					7	–	4	–	0
UCF			–					6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary			–					5	–	6	–	0
Liberty			–					4	–	7	–	0
Northeastern			–					4	–	7	–	0
Western Kentucky			–					3	–	8	–	0
Arkansas State			–					1	–	10	–	0
Towson State			–					1	–	10	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	at Virginia Tech		Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	L 12–41	41,623	[1]
September 7	UCF		Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	W 49–31	10,081	[2]
September 21	at No. 19 Appalachian State		Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC	W 31–8	13,467	[3]
September 28	at William & Mary		Cary Field Williamsburg, VA	W 29–28	15,371	[4]
October 5	UMass	No. 17	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	W 24–7	15,104	[5]
October 12	Towson State	No. T–11	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	W 55–31		[6]
October 19	Georgia Southern	No. 10	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	L 21–24	12,119	[7]
October 26	Richmond	No. 17	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA	W 47–42	13,369	[8]
November 2	at Liberty	No. 14	Liberty University Stadium Lynchburg, VA	W 35–34		[9]
November 9	at Youngstown State	No. 12	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	L 21–28		[10]
November 23	at Northeastern	No. 17	Parsons Field Brookline, MA	W 24–16		[11]
November 30	at No. 6 Delaware	No. 16	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 42–35 2OT		[12]
December 7	No. 10 Samford	No. 16	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	L 21–24	9,028	[13]
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^[14]

References

1. "Hokies clobber Dukes". The News and Advance. September 1, 1991. Retrieved February 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "James Madison cuts Central Florida down to size 49–31". Florida Today. September 8, 1991. Retrieved January 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "JMU rocks Appy St". The Daily News Leader. September 22, 1991. Retrieved November 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "James Madison nips W&M in final seconds". The News & Advance. September 29, 1991. Retrieved January 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "JMU extends winning streak". Daily Press. October 6, 1991. Retrieved January 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Dukes trounce Towson State". The Roanoke Times & World-News. October 13, 1991. Retrieved January 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Ga. Southern wins 24–21 on Cool FG". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 20, 1991. Retrieved January 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "JMU stops UR rally, wins 47–42". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 27, 1991. Retrieved November 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "JMU survives Liberty, 35–34". The Daily News Leader. November 3, 1991. Retrieved April 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Youngstown beats Southern". The Roanoke Times & World-News. November 3, 1991. Retrieved January 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "JMU aids playoff chances". Daily Press. November 24, 1991. Retrieved January 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Delaware falls to JMU in double-OT". The Daily Times. December 1, 1991. Retrieved January 12, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Late 'foot fault' dooms Dukes in loss to Samford". Richmond Times-Dispatch. December 8, 1991. Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "1991 Football Schedule". James Madison University Athletics. Retrieved March 8, 2020.