There are no banners or rings for those who don’t reach their goals.

This spring-playing bunch won’t be celebrated like James Madison’s two championship teams of the past are or even thought of as highly as the Dukes that were national runners-up in more recent seasons.

But the 2021 late-February-to-early-May version of JMU is likely to forever have a unique place in the program’s history – for all it dealt with and for how these Dukes, in some ways, overachieved.

“Our goal was always to get to the national championship,” senior defensive lineman Mike Greene, said, “even if we’d only have a four-game or two-game season. We were trying to win the whole thing, and unfortunately, we came up short this year. But I think the spring season was a good idea and we fought hard.”

Greene nor second-year coach Curt Cignetti made any excuse after the Dukes let a 21-point halftime lead and trip to the FCS title game slip away during a sloppy and excruciatingly painful second half on Saturday in their 38-35 semifinal loss at Sam Houston.

Regardless of what time of year their season gets played or how drastically different the team may look from one week to the next, because they are a regular contender in the subdivision, the expectation for JMU coaches, players and fans of the Dukes is for them play for a title. A win over Sam Houston would’ve given them a fourth appearance in Frisco in the last five seasons.

“There were a lot of really disappointed young people, obviously,” Cignetti said afterward. “I told em, ‘Look, it’s a really bitter pill.’ But I’m proud of the adversity they faced all year from fall ball on.”

The decision to move the campaign from the fall to the spring had repercussions. JMU’s former standout safety-punt returner D’Angelo Amos and ex-starting defensive tackle Adeeb Atariwa transferred to Virginia as graduate students, so they could play in the fall with the Cavaliers. When the Dukes practiced in October in preparation for the spring, they lost defensive ends Isaac Ukwu and Jalen Green as well as linebacker Taurus Jones, who were all projected starters, to season-ending injuries.

The hits to critical personnel kept occurring into the early part of the spring slate. JMU’s All-American tackle Liam Fornadel suffered a season-ending injury in February, and so did starting safety Sam Kidd.

On top of that, from early March into April, the Dukes had four games scrapped because of coronavirus issues within their program or with their opponent. In the wake of consecutive home postponements, JMU athletic director Jeff Bourne said there were 28 members of the program in quarantine.

“This football team was so resilient and they overcame so many obstacles,” Cignetti said. “I mean [with] the number of players we lost on defense in fall camp and during the season, we had guys playing that came in as walk-ons who did a great job. … But after [the] Elon [game], with the long break, they were so focused to get done what they wanted to get done.”

And they got better.

Quarterback Cole Johnson transformed himself from the signal-caller who lost his starting job to one of the reasons why JMU advanced as far it did in the postseason. He threw for more yards per game (242) and touchdowns (seven) in three playoff games compared to the five regular-season contests (175.2 passing yards per game and four touchdowns).

His improvement made the Dukes’ passing game a threat, especially with freshman wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr. developing into a one-on-one matchup nightmare. And that thinned opposing defenses out for an already-established rushing attack with senior running back Percy Agyei-Obese leading the way. Agyei-Obese averaged 102 yards on the ground per game.

Greene anchored the defensive line, shifting from end to tackle when needed, with a completely different looking group around him. Players who were buried on the depth chart during fall practice – like Mike Wilcox and James Carpenter – evolved into starters on that front by the time the season ended in Huntsville, Texas.

And against Sam Houston, the Dukes were without senior cornerback Wesley McCormick after he pulled his groin trying to return an interception the week before in a quarterfinal-win over North Dakota. He was one of their best defenders all spring while racking up 20 tackles and three interceptions.

“They improved,” Cignetti said. “And the coaches worked their asses off to improve this team and it looked like it was going to happen there [against Sam Houston] at halftime. I know everyone felt like, ‘OK, here we go,’ so at the end of the day, we’re going to have to live with this.”

Said Agyei-Obese: “It was a lot of hurt. We worked hard and for the game to flip like that, it was really crazy. But on the other hand, there’s a lot of energy for the fall and we have a lot of people coming back and a lot of people are ready to make another run.”

If the Dukes can reach Frisco or win it all come fall – and they’ll begin preparations for their nearing season next month – these past few months could always be viewed as the spark that helped get them there.

Agyei-Obese, Greene, kicker Ethan Ratke and long snapper Kyle Davis all earned first-team All-American honors from Stats Perform FCS on Monday, the organization announced.

Agyei-Obese racked up 717 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

Greene tallied 25 tackles with 10.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Ratke made all 14 of his field-goal tries and all 31 of his extra-point attempts. Davis never had a bad snap on any of Ratke’s kicks.