They’re ready for your return.

Spring football served its purpose and allowed coaches and players to take the field safely in the midst of the pandemic. The games, though, frankly lacked atmosphere.

“You almost forget what it was like having [a crowd] after going through last season,” James Madison coach Curt Cignetti said earlier this week.

A sea of streamers didn’t fill the backdrop of players celebrating after touchdowns. And aside from one contest this past spring – when state-ordered capacity restrictions briefly loosened – there were no Marching Royal Dukes to set scene with their thunderous sounds of pageantry.

It all reverts to the warming familiarity on Saturday, though, for Cignetti and company, when No. 2 JMU hosts Morehead State at Bridgeforth Stadium to kick off its new campaign.

The Dukes are expecting an estimated crowd of 22,000 to 23,000 for the contest, according to assistant athletic director for communications Kevin Warner, and he said there are still some tickets available. But those 22,000-plus should have a deafening impact, especially compared to the spring when only family and friends of players and coaches were allowed to attend.

“The boys are fired up,” Dukes senior cornerback Greg Ross said. “First week back. First game week with the fans back and it being back to regular, back to normal. So, the guys are excited to go out and attack Week 1.”

Ross, who transferred to JMU from North Carolina last year, said he’s eager to see what the fan base is all about. He has not played, to this point, in front of a typical JMU crowd because he’s only experienced this past spring season at the school.

Redshirt junior slot receiver Kris Thornton said he feels similarly even though he’s witnessed the Dukes’ home-field advantage previously.

The school also announced Thursday it sold out all student tickets, which were in high demand because the general student body’s sophomore and freshmen classes have yet to attend a game in the student section.

“I haven’t been able to play in front of packed stadium here yet, like a full-capacity stadium,” Thornton said. Thornton had to sit out in his first season with the team due to NCAA transfer rules after departing from VMI.

“So, I’ve seen it,” Thornton said. “I was on the sideline in 2019, but I wasn’t playing, so I’m really excited to see a full stadium and get to run with everybody screaming and all that. I haven’t been able to experience that as a player yet, so I’m excited.”

In 2019, JMU was third in all of FCS for average home attendance (18,108) only behind Jackson State and Montana. The Dukes were in the top three for average home attendance every season from 2016 through 2019, and led the subdivision in 2016.

“I know the people in the stands will be excited to get back,” Cignetti said, “and tailgate before the game and fill the stadium up. So, that’ll be awesome again. It’s a great advantage for us. We have a stadium that’s second to none at this level with the best fan base in America at this level, so it’s definitely worth a few more points. There’s no doubt about it.”

James Madison kickoff specialist Connor Madden is out for the year with a torn ACL, team sports information director Chris Brooks told the DN-R late Tuesday.

Camden Wise will handle the kickoff duties in Madden’s place.

Also on the injury front, Cignetti said senior running back Percy Agyei-Obese (hamstring) is questionable for Saturday’s contest against Morehead State while defensive lineman Jordan Funk (high-ankle sprain) won’t play against the Eagles.