JMU HC Curt Cignetti acknowledges his "incredibly proud" moment with Pat McAfee despite a recent setback from NCAA

Curt Cignetti has done a fabulous job with the James Madison Dukes in the past two seasons. The head coach also showered praise on his players for their incredible displays this year.

The Dukes are currently leading the SBC East with a 10-0 record. However, the NCAA rejected a postseason waiver request from JMU earlier this week. Despite the setback, Cignetti waxed lyrical about his team on the "Pat McAfee Show."

McAfee initially claimed that the JMU head coach should be incredibly proud of his team before posing a few more questions:

"You gotta be incredibly proud of this defense. Number one in the country in rush defense, number one sacking team in the country, bar none. Why do you think your team is built this way and what do you know about your team?"

Cignetti responded:

"Well, that's how you win championships. You've gotta have a great D-line. We've always stopped the run here. We're extraordinary this year and we're number one in sacks."

Cignetti also singled out praise for injured defensive linesman Jalen Green before taking a cheeky pop at the NCAA:

"Jalen Green was gonna break an NCAA sack record but we lost him for the season a few weeks ago. Of course, his stats couldn't count because the NCAA said we weren't eligible."

The Dukes are one of the seven undefeated teams left in the FBS. However, as per NCAA rules, programs transitioning from the FCS to FBS aren’t eligible for postseason games during the first two years of transition.

Hence, JMU cannot play for a Sun Belt title or appear in the College Football Playoff Rankings.

Curt Cignetti's JMU hope to finish the 2023 CFB regular season with a perfect record

James Madison University HC Curt Cignetti

The James Madison Dukes have had an astonishing run this season and are 10-0. Curt Cignetti's side will want to carry forward this momentum and finish the campaign with a perfect unbeaten record.

The Dukes will face the Appalachian State Mountaineers (6-4) in Week 12 before playing their final game of the season against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (7-3) on Saturday, Nov. 25.