James Madison Running Back Reveals Dukes' Mentality Before Facing Oregon

When it comes to the No. 5 Oregon Ducks first round of the College Football Playoff against the No. 12 James Madison Dukes, JMU's run-first mentality (No. 5 ranked rushing offense in the nation) is a major factor in this matchup. At the center of the Dukes' offense is junior star running back Wayne Knight.

Knight far and away leads the Dukes in rushing yards this season, putting up 1,263 yards and nine touchdowns off 190 carries this season, and even banked his longest career rush with a 73-yard score at the top of the second quarter of the Sun Belt Conference Championship game against Troy, which the Dukes won 31-14. Knight was also named the MVP of this contest.

While speaking with the media ahead of Saturday's matchup, Knight spoke about the Dukes first time ever facing the Ducks in Autzen Stadium, and entering a game in which the Dukes are viewed as an underdog, something that wasn't common this season in the Sun Belt Conference.

Sep 5, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; James Madison Dukes running back Wayne Knight (3) tries to avoid the tackle of Louisville Cardinals linebacker Antonio Watts (9) during the first half at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Louisville defeated James Madison 28-14. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Addressing the Doubt of JMU's Placement in the CFP

For football fans perusing social media after the playoff rankings dropped, there was quite a bit of discussion about the validity of JMU and No. 11 Tulane being included in the final bracket, as challenge of opponent in group of five conferences tend to be lighter than power four. In fact, JMU's only loss came to their only power four conference opponent in the 2025-2026 season, Louisville.

"Yeah, I mean, we can kind of use it to our advantage," Knight said about the Dukes being viewed as underdogs against the Ducks. "You know just being able to take that and put a chip on our shoulders going into this game. You know, kind of just, the memo throughout this whole entire year is to black out the outside noise, especially towards the end of this season... Just being able to stay true to ourselves is just kind of the main thing."

WAYNE KNIGHT TAKES IT 73 YARDS TO THE HOUSE 🏠

The longest rush of his career in the Sun Belt Championship! pic.twitter.com/mLuQjfWUXH
— ESPN (@espn) December 6, 2025

Knight also elaborated on the opportunity JMU gets to show their brand of football on a national stage, having only transitioned from an FCS to and FBS program in 2022. The running back hit several times on the "outside noise" and that the team has been taking in the headlines across the nation counting the Dukes out.

"Definitely the brand of football that we play. Nameless, faceless opponent, just being able to go out there and execute what we do. You know, in a game in and game out basis. Kind of just sticking to our roots and dialing into the DNA that's set here previously and continue that throughout the years, just being able to put that on display," Knight added.

Sep 24, 2022; Boone, North Carolina, USA; James Madison Dukes wide receiver Kris Thornton (8) and James Madison Dukes running back Wayne Knight (25) celebrate a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-Imagn Images | David Yeazell-Imagn Images

Getting Prepared for Oregon

When it comes to JMU preparing to take on the Ducks, there's few ways for the Sun Belt team to replicate the size of some of Oregon's athletes. According to Knight, the focus lies more in recreating the environment of Autzen Stadium, which contributed to 18 false starts for opponents during the Ducks' regular season home games.

"I think the easiest thing is just being able to replicate the environment that we're going to be in. Coach [Bob] Chesney kind of touched on it, you know, the music we're going to play and, you know, those kind of things," Wayne said.

Against Troy in the Sun Belt title game, JMU recorded 4 offensive penalties for 40 yards, two of those penalties being pre-snap infractions.

"But from a physical aspect, just be more fundamentally sound and be more dialed in to the details like we have been all year. It's nothing really else you can mimic physically, in the real world, make sure we're locked into every single thing and make sure our communication is at a premium and we're doing all the little things right to, you know, make sure we're prepared for the game on Saturday," Knight said.

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Finding Places to Pop

Knight's explosiveness on the ground has heavily contributed to the Dukes' success, and those opportunities for Knight to find his way through gaps relies on JMU's offensive line.

"They find themselves in the right spot a lot of the time," Knight said. "You talk about effort... You know, briefly, coach Chesney talks about it all the time, just having first, second, third efforts. It kind of just became our DNA as the season went on. As they continue to work together you find yourself in situations and you're battling and you continue to drive your legs. You know, things like that, and then all of a sudden plays pop and things happen."

Sep 5, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; James Madison Dukes running back Wayne Knight (3) runs the ball against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

The Last Sentiment

"It's definitely gratifying in the moment but just understanding that we didn't get this far to come this far. We place ourselves in this situation for a reason and that's to continue to succeed," Knight said.

Knight and the JMU Dukes face off against the Oregon Ducks on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 4:30p.m. PT.