James Madison Fans Lob Snowballs at Troy Punter During Chilly Sun Belt Championship

The Trojans’ Evan Crenshaw had to duck Friday.

James Madison's Sun Belt championship clash with Troy got off to a snowy start. / Brien Aho/Getty Images

The name Sun Belt Conference implies, at least most of the time, that unpleasant weather will not be a factor in the league's games. Even during Idaho's seven years in the league, for instance, the Vandals played at the enclosed Kibbie Dome.

On Friday, Troy and James Madison got a taste of northern life on a sub-freezing evening in Harrisonburg, Va. When Trojans punter Evan Crenshaw attempted to punt the ball to the Dukes from his own end zone late in the first quarter, James Madison fans greeted him with a hail of snowballs. His kick traveled just 26 yards—20 beneath his Sun Belt-leading average.

James Madison and Troy are way too cold and it's showing.

We just got a 26-yard Troy punt while snowballs were being thrown at the punter. pic.twitter.com/rGrEkk6OqV

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) December 6, 2025

The sequence appeared to annoy Troy coach Gerald Parker, and the Dukes flashed a message on their scoreboard warning that snowball throwers would be ejected. At the start of the second quarter, ESPN’s crew indicated that the officials were willing to call unsportsmanlike conduct fouls on James Madison for further fan misbehavior.

pic.twitter.com/kKzDBeQPsf

— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) December 6, 2025

Any earlier announcements didn’t seem to deter Dukes fans, who in a video posted by Mike Barber of CVille Right Now, enjoyed pelting their own band during pregame ceremonies.

The Big Ten championship between Indiana and Ohio State, thankfully, will be played indoors in similarly frigid Indianapolis.

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