James Madison Dukes vs Virginia Cavaliers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/09/2023

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, September 9, 2023

Venue:  Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, VA

Where to Watch:  ESPNU

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  JMU -7, UVA +7; Over/Under:  43 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  JMU -7, UVA +7; Over/Under:  43 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  JMU -7, UVA +7; Over/Under:  43 points

James Madison Dukes:  1-0 (0-0) (3rd place, Sun Belt East)

Virginia Cavaliers:  0-1 (0-0) (11th place, ACC)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Amedeus Mastrangelo is on a HOT STREAK in CFB coming off a MASSIVE 9-2 CFB WEEKEND! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

James Madison Dukes:  won their last game at home against the Bucknell Bison 38-3.

Virginia Cavaliers:  lost their last game on the road against the Tennessee Volunteers 49-13.

James Madison is entering this game with a 1-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too.  They are 1-0 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Bucknell 38-3. Jordan McCloud was the starting QB and he completed 7/11 passes for 144 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Kaelon Black led the team in rushing yards with 125. Reggie Brown led the receivers with 77 receiving yards on 3 receptions and 1 TD. Taurus Jones led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles while Taurus Jones and Mikail Kamara each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Virginia is entering this game with a 0-1 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too.  They are 0-0 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-1 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Tennessee 49-13. Tony Muskett was the starting QB and he completed 9/17 passes for 94 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Kobe Pace led the team in rushing yards with 39. Malachi Fields led the receivers with 63 receiving yards on 4 receptions. Kameron Butler led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles while Su Agunloye led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have James Madison listed as a 7 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. James Madison is playing their 2nd season as an FBS program after joining the Sun Belt last season but they really impressed in their 1st year by beating a lot of good teams in their conference. They will be looking to take a big step this season and now they have a chance to go on the road and get a big win over a power 5 school since Virginia has been terrible the last few years. Virginia lost their starting QB from last season who was actually good but the offense didn't suit him and Virginia already showed their struggles on offense in their 1st game of the season as they lost 49-13 against Tennessee. Virginia still has a good defense but so does JMU and the James Madison offense has a lot more talent on their side so this is a game where their offense should pull ahead and never look back. The best way to place a bet here is on James Madison to cover the spread in this game.

James Madison Virginia Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 9, 2023 (12:00 pm ET start time) is JMU 28 UVA 10.

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James Madison Dukes: 4-0 ATS off a home win. 9-3 ATS in September games. 5-1 UNDER as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points. 3-0 UNDER when the total is between 42.5 and 49.

Virginia Cavaliers: 14-31 ATS after allowing 125 or less passing yards in their last game. 1-5 ATS off 1 or more straight overs. 10-3 UNDER in home games. 50-28 UNDER as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points. 

James Madison Dukes:  S. Vanhorse (RB) day-to-day - Lower Body.

Virginia Cavaliers:  D. Twitty (WR) day-to-day - Hamstring. A. Clary (S) day-to-day - Ankle. C. Bennett Jr. (DE) day-to-day - Knee. T. Muskett (QB) day-to-day - Undisclosed. X. Brown (RB) Late Sept - Arm.

“Was I surprised at the way the quarterback came out after the camp he had? Yeah, I think it got to the point like a golfer who’s afraid to swing the club.” - Curt Cignetti after his team’s win against Bucknell in their last game.

"You've got to remember -- every day they walk out on that field, they're reminded. Every day they walk off that field, they're reminded. Every day they go to class on Grounds, they're reminded. Every day they're reminded of what happened, and not everybody is done grieving or healing. The good thing was we were able to get to this point, and even though the outcome didn't go the way that we wanted it to go, the guys can have confidence knowing that, 'You know what? I can do it.'" - Tony Elliott after his team’s loss against Tennessee in their last game.

WR Hudson, Taji 

WR Brown, Reggie 

WR Sproles, Phoenix 

TE Horton, Zach 

QB Barnett III, Alonza 

RB Black, Kaelon 

WR Fields, Malachi 

WR Starling, Demick 

WR Washington, Malik 

TE Wood Jr., Sackett 

QB Muskett, Tony 

RB Jones, Perris 

Passing: J. McCloud (144)

Rushing: K. Black (125)

Receiving: R. Brown (77)

Touchdowns: L. Palmer (1)

Passing: T. Muskett (94)

Rushing: P. Jones (39)

Receiving: M. Fields (63)

Touchdowns: P. Jones (1) 

Coaches:

James Madison Dukes: Curt Cignetti (5th season)

Virginia Cavaliers: Tony Elliott (2nd season)