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The James Madison Dukes and Air Force Falcons will play on Saturday in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. Kickoff from Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, TX, is at 3:30 p.m. ET.
James Madison (11-1 SU, 8-4 ATS, and 7-5 O/U) had a historic season, finishing one game shy of an undefeated record. The Dukes are making their first-ever bowl appearance but lost their head coach to Indiana, and 14 players departed via the transfer portal.
Air Force (8-4 SU, 5-7 ATS, and 5-6-1 O/U) started its season 8-0 but stumbled down the stretch, going winless in its last four contests. Will the Falcons play like the team in the first half of the season or continue their downward slide?
The Dukes are 1.5-point spread favorites and the game total is 40.5 points.
Dukes: No injuries.
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Falcons: WR Jared Roznos, WR Dane Kinamon, and QB Zac Larrier are questionable.
JMU: QB Jordan McCloud, LB Taurus Jones, TE Zach Horton, DL Mikail Kamara, CB Chauncey Logan, OL Carter Miller, LB Aiden Fisher, LB Jailin Walker, DL Abi Nwabuoku-Okonji, DL James Carpenter, RB Ty Son Lawson, RB Kaelon Black, and WR Elijah Sarratt.
Air Force: TE Caleb Rillos, WR Anthony Wenson, QB Jonah Jensen, CB Jarius Stewart, TE Aidan Behmyer, DL Caden Blum, DL  ;Brady Phillips, RB John Lee Eldridge III, and DB Jacob Tafoya.
James Madison fans are glad the Dukes are bowling, but they'll be cheering on a much different team on Saturday than they have during the regular season. After flirting with perfection, the Dukes lost head coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana, resulting in multiple defections through the transfer portal. Among the losses were JMU's starting QB, its top receiver, its top two running backs, its top three tacklers, and several other key defensive players.
The Dukes averaged 35.2 points (18th) and 430.3 total yards (29th) per game this season, including 287.1 passing yards (17th) and 143.2 rushing yards (85th). They converted 36.1 percent of their third-down attempts (85th) and scored on 87.5 percent of their red zone trips (36th).
James Madison surrendered 18.5 points (18th) and 328.6 total yards (29th) defensively, including 267.1 passing yards (124th) and 61.5 rushing yards ( 1st). The Dukes accumulated 45 sacks and 13 interceptions this season. Their opponents converted 36.4 percent of their third downs (41st) and scored on 76.6 percent of their red zone trips (21st).
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