HARRISONBURG — Saturdays in the fall at Bridgeforth Stadium will look a little different beginning this coming season.

On Friday, James Madison University athletics announced the installation of a new playing surface at the stadium.

The project begins Monday and is expected to take two months to complete.

“JMU invests in its student athletes and in its facilities,” first-year Dukes football coach Curt Cignetti said in a press release. “That has been clear since before I arrived and this project is a testament to that approach. Everything about JMU is first class, and that includes this new surface installation.”

The turf coming off the field had six years of wear and tear since it was installed in 2013.

Carolina Green Corp. is the general contractor for the new project, and will install FieldTurf featuring a redesign. The redesign matches the field with the branding the school started to use in January of 2017.

Gone is the Duke Dog logo at midfield and in its place will sit the primary three-letter “JMU” logo horizontally at midfield. The end zones are still shaded purple, but will read, “James Madison” across on each side instead of “Madison.” According to the release, the end zones will look identical to the end zone design used in Frisco, Texas when the Dukes played in the FCS national title game at Toyota Stadium in 2017 and 2018.

“There are several factors behind this turf upgrade,” athletic director Jeff Bourne said, “most importantly the well-being and maximized performance of our student athletes.

“As a result of the full scope of activities that occur in Bridgeforth Stadium, there has been significant wear and tear on the Zane Showker Field surface. This will place our student-athletes in a better position to succeed in preparation and performance while also adding an updated, aesthetically-pleasing branded look to our facility.”

The FieldTurf going in at Bridgeforth Stadium is a newer generation product of the turf that was previously installed.