No. 1 James Madison forced a whopping 10 turnovers to beat South Dakota State and advance to the FCS title game

No. 1 James Madison trounced No. 5 South Dakota State in a national semifinal Saturday in the FCS playoffs. The Dukes advanced to a dream title game matchup with North Dakota State, whom they beat in a semifinal last year.

The story of this game was turnovers. JMU forced an incredible 10 of them. That was two off the FCS record of 12, while the game’s total 12 turnovers fell three short of the record 15.

The Jackrabbits had no chance at all in that context, and the Dukes cruised even though they only scored 16 points off that feast of takeaways.

Their title match with NDSU is Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas (12 p.m. ET, ESPN2). They’ll enter that game on a 26-game winning streak, longest in Division I.

JMU’s lead was 51-16 with 12 minutes to play. Things settled down after that, though the Dukes continued to force turnovers as they eased into a win.

JMU took a 52-10 lead on a 59-yard interception return by Raven Greene.

JMU led 42-10 after a 3-yard touchdown run by Taylor Woods, with 7:14 left in the quarter.

JMU’s lead was 35-10 lead with 11 minutes to play in the quarter, on an 87-yard touchdown run by Marcus Marshall.

It was 28-10 after a 65-yard Marshall touchdown run with 29 minutes to play in the game. The Dukes sure seem headed for Frisco.

JMU leads, 21-10.

The Dukes should be up by a lot more, considering they forced five turnovers (all in the first quarter) and only scored seven points off them. But they’re in good position anyway, and they’ll advance to Frisco with a decent second half.

JMU took a 21-10 lead with nine seconds left in the half. Quarterback Bryan Schor scored on a 1-yard QB sneak, aided by a forward push from running back Trai Sharp.

JMU led 14-10 after SDSU’s Chase Vinatieri hit a 37-yard field goal with 56 seconds to play in the first half.

JMU took a 14-7 lead with 8:12 left in the first half. A 10-play, 75-yard drive in 3:46 ended with a 15-yard touchdown strike from Bryan Schor to Riley Stapleton.

South Dakota State had tied the game 7-7 with a touchdown drive at the start of the second quarter, culminating in a 9-yard pass from Taryn Christion to Jake Wieneke.

JMU forced five turnovers in the first quarter but only converted them into seven points. That allowed the Jackrabbits to stay in the game.

JMU led 7-0 late in the first quarter. That was actually really good news for the Jackrabbits, who had already committed five turnovers on five possessions.

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits, who will play in their first NCAA football FCS playoff semifinals game since 2008, have found multiple ways to knock off opponents in the postseason. But there is one team SDSU has to get through to make an appearance in the FCS Championship game: the James Madison Dukes. The Dukes, who won the FCS crown last season, are looking to recapture another championship. ESPNU (live stream) will broadcast the game on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

No. 5 South Dakota State (11-2) has won its last three games by a combined score of 124-67. Quarterback Taryn Christion has been producing at a high level over the past three games — throwing for 726 yards to go along with eight touchdowns and two interceptions.

He’ll face a tough challenge in the Dukes, who racked up six interceptions over the past two games. No. 1 James Madison (13-0) only surrendered 35 points over the past two games, and its defense is playing at a high level. The Dukes must force turnovers and rattle Christion in the pocket to win this game.

With a 27-1 record, a 25-game winning streak and an FCS championship, James Madison football coach Mike Houston’s portfolio screams “attractive coaching candidate.” JMU and Houston on Tuesday cut off potential suitors, at least for a while.

The school announced a 10-year contract extension that runs through the 2027 season.