Saturday, September 5
Harrisonburg, Va.
12:00 PM ET
Liberty University
0-1 , 0-0
13
at
20
James Madison
1-0 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| James Madison | 7 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
Dukes Fend Off Flames In 2026 Season Opener
9/5/2026 7:34:00 PM | Football
HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Flames pulled within a score midway through the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie the game with under three to play. However, the Dukes fended off Liberty's late effort to secure a 20-13 season-opening win, Saturday afternoon.
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The 2026 lid-lifter for both programs was delayed 20 minutes from its planned kickoff time due to some early morning inclement weather in the Harrisonburg area.
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With the win, James Madison keeps its non-conference win streak alive that dates back to 2003, allowing the Dukes to move to 1-0 on the year. James Madison also wins the Battle of the Blue Ridge trophy for the second season in a row. Liberty falls to 0-1 on the year and drops its first season opener since 2019.
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Liberty outgained James Madison on the day by 30 offensive yards, 321-291, and held a commanding 37:17 to 22:38 time of position advantage. The Flames limited the Dukes to just 49 offensive plays on the day.
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The Flames, who have averaged 248.5 rushing yards per game during its first 38 games under head coach Jamey Chadwell, were limited to 91 yards on 38 carries (2.4 yards per carry).
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Liberty's leading rusher in the game was Florida State transfer Kam Davis, who carried the ball 16 times for 51 yards. Duke transfer Peyton Jones followed with nine carries for 25 yards.
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Wake Forest transfer quarterback Deshawn Purdie got the start for the Flames to open the season. The junior completed 17-of-27 passing attempts for 230 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing seven times for a net of three yards.
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Liberty had three defenders finish the game with seven stops apiece – safety D-Icey Hopkins (7 solo, 0 assisted) and linebackers Aidan Vaughan (4 solo, 3 assisted) and Derrell Farrar (3 solo, 4 assisted).
Final Score: 20-13 (JMU won)
Liberty (0-1, 0-0 CUSA)
James Madison (1-0, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Location: Bridgeforth Stadium (Harrisonburg, Va.)
Attendance: 25,035
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Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
What's Next:
The Flames will open the home portion of their 2026 schedule, next Saturday, when they face an old Big South Conference foe with the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs coming to town.
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The Saturday evening matchup at Williams Stadium will be the second between the teams since Liberty moved to the FBS level in 2018 (last was a 21-20 Liberty victory in Lynchburg on Oct. 15, 2022).
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However, the two teams will be facing off for the 26th time in program history with Liberty holding a 15-9-1 edge in the long-time series.
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Date: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2025
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Williams Stadium)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LFSN Radio (Flagship Station: The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. (EST)
    Â
The 2026 lid-lifter for both programs was delayed 20 minutes from its planned kickoff time due to some early morning inclement weather in the Harrisonburg area.
    Â
With the win, James Madison keeps its non-conference win streak alive that dates back to 2003, allowing the Dukes to move to 1-0 on the year. James Madison also wins the Battle of the Blue Ridge trophy for the second season in a row. Liberty falls to 0-1 on the year and drops its first season opener since 2019.
    Â
Liberty outgained James Madison on the day by 30 offensive yards, 321-291, and held a commanding 37:17 to 22:38 time of position advantage. The Flames limited the Dukes to just 49 offensive plays on the day.
    Â
The Flames, who have averaged 248.5 rushing yards per game during its first 38 games under head coach Jamey Chadwell, were limited to 91 yards on 38 carries (2.4 yards per carry).
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Liberty's leading rusher in the game was Florida State transfer Kam Davis, who carried the ball 16 times for 51 yards. Duke transfer Peyton Jones followed with nine carries for 25 yards.
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Wake Forest transfer quarterback Deshawn Purdie got the start for the Flames to open the season. The junior completed 17-of-27 passing attempts for 230 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing seven times for a net of three yards.
Purdie's top target on the day was multiple school transfer Makai Jackson. The wide receiver, who comes to Liberty from Indiana, had three receptions for 73 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown reception midway through the fourth quarter.
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Liberty had three defenders finish the game with seven stops apiece – safety D-Icey Hopkins (7 solo, 0 assisted) and linebackers Aidan Vaughan (4 solo, 3 assisted) and Derrell Farrar (3 solo, 4 assisted).
Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 20-13 (JMU won)
Liberty (0-1, 0-0 CUSA)
James Madison (1-0, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Location: Bridgeforth Stadium (Harrisonburg, Va.)
Attendance: 25,035
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Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter
- James Madison struck first in the game, marching 80 yards down the field on a 12-play drive that took 4:16 off the clock. The drive, aided by two Liberty penalties, finished on a seven-yard touchdown run to the right by George Pettaway at the 4:23 mark of the first.
- The Flames got on the scoreboard midway through the second half with a 30-yard field goal by Chase Reeves at the 8:57 mark. Liberty kept the ball on the ground 13 times on the 16-play scoring drive that saw the Flames convert on a pair third-down plays and a fourth down effort to keep the drive alive.
- The Dukes answered on the following drive, pushing their lead back to seven points, 10-3, on a 46-yard field goal by Morgan Suarez with 5:57 left before halftime.
- Following the game's first three-and-out series, James Madison used a 51-yard run by Seth Cromwell to get the Dukes back into the red zone. Five plays later, JC Evans found Corey Scott open near the sideline for a five-yard touchdown pass with 1:53 left in the half to extend JMU's lead to 17-3.
- The Flames quickly responded with the time remaining and got into field goal range, allowing Reeves to connect on a 42-yard field goal as time expired. The Grambling State transfer trimmed the deficit to 11 points at the break, 17-6.
- The kickers continued to get their workout in with the fourth drive of the game ending in a field goal. The Dukes got back into the red zone to open the second half, but were forced to settle for a 32-yard Suarez field goal at 11:11 to push their lead to 20-6.
- The Flames scored their first touchdown of the 2026 season midway through the fourth quarter when Deshawn Purdie hit a wide open Makai Jackson in stride. The 34-yard scoring strike pulled Liberty within a touchdown, 20-13, with 8:33 left to play in the game.
- Liberty's defense got a stop on JMU's following drive, giving their offensive counterparts a chance to tie the game. However, Purdie's pass play on fourth-and-two from midfield with just over two minutes to play was incomplete to tight end LaKelsey Johnson, Jr., turning the ball over on downs.
What's Next:
The Flames will open the home portion of their 2026 schedule, next Saturday, when they face an old Big South Conference foe with the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs coming to town.
    Â
The Saturday evening matchup at Williams Stadium will be the second between the teams since Liberty moved to the FBS level in 2018 (last was a 21-20 Liberty victory in Lynchburg on Oct. 15, 2022).
    Â
However, the two teams will be facing off for the 26th time in program history with Liberty holding a 15-9-1 edge in the long-time series.
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Date: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2025
Location: Lynchburg, Va. (Williams Stadium)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: LFSN Radio (Flagship Station: The Journey 88.3 FM Lynchburg)
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. (EST)
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
S
/ Football
WR
/ Football
TE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
K/P
/ Football
LB
/ FootballTeam Stats
LU
JMU
Total Yards
321
291
Pass Yards
230
118
Rushing Yards
91
173
Penalty Yards
82
92
1st Downs
19
15
3rd Downs
7
4
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
37:17
22:38
1st Quarter
LU 0, JMU 7
JMU - Pettaway,George 7 yd run (Suarez,Morgan kick), 12 plays, 80 yards, TOP 04:16
2nd Quarter
LU 3, JMU 7
LU - Reeves,Chase 30 yd field goal 16 plays, 62 yards, TOP 10:26
LU 3, JMU 10
JMU - Suarez,Morgan 46 yd field goal 6 plays, 37 yards, TOP 03:00
LU 3, JMU 17
JMU - Scott,Corey 5 yd pass from Evans,JC (Suarez,Morgan kick) 7 plays, 67 yards, TOP 02:57
LU 6, JMU 17
LU - Reeves,Chase 42 yd field goal 7 plays, 51 yards, TOP 01:53
3rd Quarter
LU 6, JMU 20
JMU - Suarez,Morgan 32 yd field goal 9 plays, 45 yards, TOP 03:41
4th Quarter
LU 13, JMU 20
LU - Jackson,Makai 34 yd pass from Purdie,Deshawn (Reeves,Chase kick) 4 plays, 61 yards, TOP 01:28
Game Leaders
CMP
17
TD
1
YDS
230
INT
0
Saturday, September 05
Saturday, September 05
Friday, September 04
Friday, September 04