James Madison University and Western Kentucky University are set to meet in the 2024 Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Florida Atlantic University Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. The bowl will be televised nationally on ESPN and broadcast on ESPN Radio and locally on ESPN 106.3.
The game features James Madison of the Sun Belt Conference, 8-4 overall and 4-4 in conference play, and Western Kentucky of Conference USA, 8-5 overall and 6-3 in conference play. Western Kentucky becomes the first team to participate in the Boca Raton Bowl for the third time. The Hilltoppers defeated University of Memphis in the 2016 game and Appalachian State University in 2021. WKU is in a bowl game for the sixth-straight year, all of which have come with Tyson Helton as the head coach.
JMU completed its transition from Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) entering this season. However, the Dukes finished last season bowl eligible and played in the Lockheed-Martin Armed Forces Bowl when there was a shortage of bowl-eligible teams to fill all available bowl berths. Thus, JMU is in its second bowl game in two seasons in FBS. The Dukes previously won FCS/NCAA I-AA national championships in 2004 and 2016.
This will mark the first-ever meeting between the Dukes and Hilltoppers.
“We are excited to welcome James Madison and Western Kentucky to Boca Raton and Palm Beach County for the 11th Annual Boca Raton Bowl,” said executive director Doug Mosley. “This is a great matchup and this game will be a lot of fun to watch. I can’t wait for the teams to get here in just one week.”
JMU is in its first season with new head coach Bob Chesney after the departure of Curt Cignetti following last season. Chesney has a 119-50 overall record overall as a head coach and has reached multiple NCAA playoffs as a member of Division 2 Assumption College and FCS College of Holy Cross.
The Dukes ranked fourth in the Sun Belt in scoring offense, averaging 33.8 points per game, and first in scoring defense, allowing just 20.8 points per game. The Dukes’ defense leads the conference in sacks and interceptions and their quarterback, Alonza Barnett, ranks fifth in total offense in the conference putting up 3,040 yards so far on the season. JMU running back, George Pettaway, comes in at 6th in all-purpose yards in the conference, totaling 1,225 yards on the season.
The Hilltoppers rank third in Conference USA in total offense, coming into the matchup averaging 26.7 points and 390.7 yards per game. Western Kentucky is led by quarterback Caden Vetelkamp, who came into the starting quarterback role after a season-ending injury to previous starter TJ Finley in the third game of the season. Since taking over, Vetelkamp has led the Hilltoppers to a 7-3 record and ranks second in passing yards in Conference USA. The Hilltoppers’ defense ranks third in the Conference USA , only giving up 22.2 points per game.
Tickets to the 2024 Boca Raton Bowl can be purchased by visiting www.BocaRatonBowl.com or by calling 561-362-3650 and asking for Boca Raton Bowl tickets. For travel and gameday information, visit www.BocaRatonBowl.com and click on the FANZONE tab. For additional information about the Boca Raton Bowl please visit www.BocaRatonBowl.com or follow on social media via Facebook (Facebook.com/BocaBowl), Twitter/X (@BocaBowl), and Instagram (@BocaBowl).
About The Boca Raton Bowl
The Boca Raton Bowl, a postseason college football bowl game owned and operated by ESPN Events, has agreements with five conferences (American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, Sun Belt Conference) plus select independents for berths in this year’s game.
The game has logged 10 successful years with cumulative viewership surpassing 30 million households and total sponsoring value over $250 million. Over 50 Boca Raton Bowl alumni have gone on to be selected in the NFL Draft and dozens more have entered the league as undrafted free agents. In all, six conference champions and another three conference division champions have played in the game.
The Boca Raton Bowl has become a celebrated annual holiday tradition in South Florida featuring all the pomp and circumstance of traditional bowl events. The event is a high-energy, entertaining experience for both college football fans and non-fans alike and allows the national spotlight to shine on Boca Raton and Palm Beach County.
Bowl week activities will begin on Saturday, Dec. 14 with the arrival of the participating teams followed by welcome parties, beach parties, luncheons, pep rallies and other bowl week activities – all noted in the FANZONE SCHEDULE section of www.BocaRatonBowl.com.
