LU vs. JMU Football

The sporting event that I chose to attend was on November 29th, 2014 in Harrisonburg Virginia at James Madison University. This was the first round of the FCS football playoffs featuring the Liberty Flames and the JMU Dukes. For the first time in the school’s history, Liberty had finally made the playoffs coming in ranking at 23rd in the nation while JMU stood strong at 15th.

The journey began at my house in Bealeton Virginia where we got set to embark on the 2 hour drive to the stadium. When we got close to Harrisonburg we turned the radio to listen to the LFSN pregame show and hear what the commentators had to say about both teams. This was the first official form of communication we received about the event. The announcers had several good things to say about each team and really made the point that this game was a big rivalry between two very good teams that had several offensive threats to keep an eye out for.

As we drew closer to the campus I did notice that there were no promotional signs along the highway for the Dukes, I then compared this fact to Liberty and how when driving into Lynchburg there is a very large billboard stating "you are now in Flames Nation." Upon our arrival on the beautiful campus of JMU, it did not take us very long to see the first form of non-verbal communication, a light sign directing cars to where certain parking lots were. Free parking was on the opposite side of interstate 81 from the stadium and closer parking would require a cash payment. We decided to park closer to the stadium and pay the $10 to have a much shorter walk. There were many signs directing cars into the lot as well as event staff answering questions and directing cars that may have been lost. As we pulled into the parking lot there were two event staff members that took our money and gave us a ticket to put in the windshield and make sure that we knew which spots we were allowed to park in.

As we walked to the stadium it was not hard to find our way. The parking lot was a mere 1 block away from the stadium and you could see it very clearly behind some dorms. We were instructed to receive our tickets from gate B which was where the family members and friends of the LU players picked up their free tickets. As we approached the stadium it was slightly confusing as to where gate B was but it did not take long for us to find yet another event worker to point us in the right direction. The walk into the stadium was quite amusing indeed, as we were a few minutes late and had missed the opening kickoff, there were several JMU students who were quite intoxicated from their pregame tailgating who decided it appropriate to shout profanity in our direction as I was wearing my team issued LU football apparel.

 

Bridgeforth Stadium was stunning as we entered inside. A turf field surrounded by purple and gold bleachers that seemed to stretch to the sky and a massive screen at one end of the field. I was very surprised in my discovery that JMU's stadium only sat 25,000 fans which is not much more than that of Liberty's stadium but it appeared to be so much larger. The non-verbal communication continued even throughout the inside of the stadium itself. Seating sections were clearly marked and there were event staff members at each set of stairs directing fans to where their seats were. Signs were hung throughout pointing the way to restrooms and concessions and even a number to text in the case that there was a problem in the stands.

The game itself was one for the record books. The two teams started off very equal in many aspects and it was a battle from the very beginning. Both Liberty and JMU played very physical and fast but by the time halftime rolled around JMU lead Liberty 21-10. The second half showed the true character of both teams. Liberty scored 16 unanswered points and kept JMU's explosive offense from scoring at all. LU's defense made the game winning play when number 14 Kenny Scott deflected a 4th down pass giving Liberty the ball with 53 seconds remaining and left Liberty with a 26-21 victory over the JMU Dukes.

All in all the experience that I had at this game was great even though I had several JMU students provoking me upon my entry. The event was well managed and even though they lost, the JMU event staff were very willing to assist in any way they could and they showed great hospitality to the LU fans. The LU crowed was electric and seemed to be louder than the JMU fans for a good majority of the game. Exiting the stadium was just as easy as it was getting in. Police and event staff were all on hand to direct traffic in an orderly fashion out of the parking lots and towards the highway. With everything said I would definitely return to this venue for another game if one were to arise in the future.