JMU athletic director pleads with fans to stop throwing snowballs after punter is nearly hit: 'Please stop'

James Madison Dukes

JMU athletic director pleads with fans to stop throwing snowballs after punter is nearly hit: 'Please stop'

Harrisonburg received about 1 1/2 inches of snow on Friday

Jackson Thompson Fox News

Published

December 6, 2025 8:58am EST

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A college football conference championship descended into a snowball fight on Friday that resulted in a player nearly being hit in a moment that may have impacted the game.

During James Madison's Sun Belt Conference championship game against Troy on Friday, James Madison athletic director Matt Roan had to send a PA message to home fans, warning them to stop throwing snowballs onto the field or risk a penalty for JMU.

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James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III celebrates

James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III (14) celebrates after a touchdown against Troy during the first half of the Sun Belt championship NCAA college football game in Harrisonburg, Virginia, on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons)

Roan’s warning came shortly after Troy punter Evan Crenshaw was nearly hit by a snowball while punting from the end zone with the JMU student section behind him. Crenshaw shanked a 26-yard punt that helped set up the Dukes’ first score, a 40-yard field goal.

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A general view of the stadium during the second half of the NCAA Division I FCS Football Championship Quarterfinal game between the James Madison Dukes and the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Bridgeforth Stadium on May 2, 2021, in Harrisonburg, Virginia. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Fans in the student section began throwing snowballs during pregame warm-ups when the Dukes’ marching band got pelted. They kept it up for most of the first half, despite repeated warnings over the PA system.

Harrisonburg received about 1 1/2 inches of snow on Friday, its first measurable snowfall of the season.

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The James Madison team celebrates after winning the Sun Belt championship NCAA college football game against Troy in Harrisonburg, Virginia, on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons)

No. 19 JMU has an outside shot at making the College Football Playoff field with a win over Troy and a loss by No. 16 Virginia to Duke in Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson's reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.

JMU athletic director pleads with fans to stop throwing snowballs after punter is nearly hit: 'Please stop'