Sports

James Madison Football Players Shoved App State Students To Ground With Punch During Field Storm

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James Madison football player shove App State student field storm pov video
ESPN

App State handed James Madison its first loss of the college football season in Boone on Thursday night. Fans stormed the field to celebrate the upset victory and danced all night to some Mountain Music like grandpa and grandma used to sing.

Unfortunately, one of the visiting players is accused of knocking a student to the ground during the celebration.

A video from the college football field storm shows what happened from the student’s point of view. It is up for debate.

UPDATE: A second video is very much not for debate. A different player threw a punch at a student who got in his face.

App State won the college football game and stormed the field.

James Madison rolled into Boone on a Thursday night for a rivalry game during peak fall colors. That is not an easy task. The App State fanbase showed up and showed out. Kidd-Brewer Stadium was rocking.

Students packed the Hill.

There wasn’t an empty seat in the house.

Flying Yosef got the crowd fired up by zip-lining onto the field before kickoff.

A back-and-forth game in front of a rocking crowd went right down to the wire. The Mountaineers scored 18 points during the fourth quarter to force overtime. They ultimately kicked a field goal to win the game during the second offensive possession of the extra period. It was a statement win.

The undefeated Dukes are no longer undefeated. They are now on the outside of the College Football Playoff looking in.

James Madison is accused of shoving a student.

The security team was in place to prevent a field storm during overtime.

Their efforts failed. It did not take long for the fans to get on the field after the game-winning field goal.

The storm was on!

Fans met the players at the 50-yard-line.

They sang and danced the night away until it was time to hit King Street.

It was an incredible scene.

Unfortunately, a James Madison athlete is accused of poor behavior during the field storm. A video posted to X shows a student run onto the field before the Dukes had made their way back to the locker room. The student runs up on a player. And then the student ends up on the ground.

The anonymous burner account claims the student was “knocked to the ground” by the player during the field storm. If you look closely at the video, the player appears to wear the No. 5. There are three No. 5s listed on the roster. Defensive lineman Kevin Roberts is the most logical assumption.

Make of the video what you will. It does not show the James Madison player throw a punch or extend his arm. It only shows the App State student end up on the ground after running directly into the path of a college football player who just lost his first game of the season and all-but spoiled his chances of playing for a national title. The caption serves as the accusation.

“Hey @JMUFootball, do y’all teach your players to knock his kids to the ground after a loss? Asking for a friend”

UPDATE: A second video has hit the timeline. It shows a separate altercation between an App State fan and James Madison wide receiver Jeremiah Harrison.

The Dukes may or may not choose to look into the matter. This kind of thing unfortunately happens often during field storms.