In case you missed it, THE DUKES WON THE FCS CHAMPIONSHIP *cue fight song*
Even though the final showdown was located in Frisco, Texas, I impulsively bought a ticket the second it was evident that JMU was going to play in the championship game.
And. It. Was. INCREDIBLE.
Not only did we kick butt as a football team but we also dominated as a marching band (@ The MRDs) and a fan section. Heck, we even won the pizza box relay during halftime! Whenever someone yelled "J-M-U" it was responded with a cry of "Duuuuuuuuuukkkeeeesss." There’s actually an article about how Youngstown State fans felt outnumbered in the sea of purple and gold. Which is understandable on their part but quite humorous on ours.
We brought streamers to throw for touchdowns, we had a Snapchat geo-filter, the stadium was 80% purple and gold (for real...It was evident that we outnumbered Youngstown before you even walked into the stadium as you passed all the purple and gold tailgates) and our band is bigger and way more hyped. The other band hardly got any jumbo screen time because the MRDs literally slay the game. They had more school spirit than Youngstown and their halftime performance was far superior. According to my friend who's an MRD, the Youngstown band played "Mars" a total of five times which I guess is a bit much for any normal, collegiate level marching band.
The Dukes of JMU came prepared to win. And win we did.
JMU beat Youngstown State 28-14 in this final showdown. In the first six minutes of the game, JMU was ahead by two touchdowns. One being scored after JMU blocked a punt and the second being scored after a shanked kick that brought JMU to midfield.
Minor JMU celebrity, Khalid Abdullah also assisted in pulling the Dukes in for an early lead by running 101 yards and two touchdowns. At this time, I would like to take the opportunity to recognize that Abdullah set a school record with 1,809 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns. #AthleteGoals
Before the game even ended, first-year JMU coach Mike Houston was already drenched in Gatorade as the players got an early start on celebrating their win and fans were lining up to rush the field. People were cheering, crying, crowd surfing (including myself) and tried capturing so much excitement in one 10-second Snapchat video. The field was packed as the trophy was presented and confetti exploded down on the JMU Football team.
I was so blessed and lucky to be there at the Toyota Stadium to witness such a momentous victory. With only one loss this entire season, the Dukes definitely earned this win. The last time JMU won the championship was back in 2004 so it's been a long time coming but it was well worth the wait!
#DukesTilIDie #GoDukes
