A James Madison football star empties the bag in celebration during a bowl game win
James Madison Dukes defensive lineman Eric O’Neill picked up a key sack in the win against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Wednesday night in the Boca Raton Bowl.
O’Neill then celebrated the sack by unloading on Hilltoppers quarterback Caden Veltkamp. It wasn’t the only time he did this celebration, and college football fans on social media took notice.
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James Madison defensive lineman Eric O’Neill, #99, reacts after making a play against Western Kentucky running back Elijah Young during the first half of the Boca Raton Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, December 18, 2024 at Boca Raton, Florida. . (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
O’Neill had three tackles, including one sack, as James Madison won the game 27-17.
“It’s surreal. It’s probably the best moment of my life,” he told ESPN after the win. “We got a bunch of guys (Football Bowl Championship) that nobody wanted out of school. Now, we finished the season 9-4, winning bowl games at JMU. You can’t even dream of this.”
He was also asked about the celebrations after the game.
“It was hard work, getting there and celebrating, I’m a big UFC fan so it was one of those,” he said, per The Breeze newspaper. “I don’t blame them if … if I’m an offensive lineman and somebody does that to my quarterback, I’d probably want to push them.”
It was the Dukes’ first bowl win as a Football Bowl Subdivision team. They left the FCS before the 2022 season. Curt Cignetti, now the coach at Indiana, was James Madison’s head coach for their first two years at college football’s highest level.
James Madison punter Ryan Hanson, back, center, reacts as James Madison head coach Bob Chesney, front, center, holds the Howard Schnellenberger Trophy after defeating Western Kentucky in the Boca Raton Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, December 18, 2024 in Boca Raton, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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Bob Chesney took over after Cignnetti left the team for the Hoosiers and guided the team to a bowl win.
O’Neill, a redshirt-junior from New York, transferred from Long Island University before the start of the 2024 season. He played his first bowl game with a bunch of other teammates.
Western Kentucky quarterback Caden Veltkamp, #10, looks to pass as he is pressured by James Madison linebacker KJ Flowe, #14, and defensive lineman Immanuel Bush, #15, during the second half of the game of college football’s Boca Raton Bowl NCAA Wednesday. , December 18, 2024 in Boca Raton, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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He wrapped up his first season at James Madison as a First Team All-Sun Belt offensive lineman. He had 13 tackles and 52 total tackles. He also returned an interception for a touchdown.
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