Flag on the play, excessive taunting.
At least, that’s what James Madison athletic director Matt Roan seemed to think.
In the middle of No. 25-ranked James Madison’s Friday night Sun Belt Conference Championship win over Troy, Roan grabbed the stadium microphone after Dukes fans threw snowballs onto the field in the direction of Troy punter Evan Crenshaw in the first quarter.
The Bridgeforth Stadium scoreboard also unveiled a message that read, “Please be aware that the throwing of snowballs will result in immediate ejection from the game.”
Roan then addressed the crowd himself.
“The officials and game management will throw a penalty,” he assured. “Please stop throwing snow, thank you.”
Unsurprisingly, he received some boos from the crowd as he handed the microphone away.
Around 1 1/2 inches of snow had fallen earlier in the day in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where JMU is located.
Once things settled down, JMU won, 31-14, finishing the fourth quarter in dominant fashion, as the Dukes blanked Troy 14-0 in the final stanza.
The win moves James Madison to 12-1 on the year.
The victory also awards the team its first Sun Belt championship since moving to the conference in 2022.
JMU was formerly part of the Colonial Athletic Association, where it won six conference titles between 2008 and 2021 before moving up to the Division I FBS level.
The school won two Division I FCS titles in 2004 and 2016.
