The Shadow
HARRISONBURG, Va. (VR) – James Madison tallied 515 yards of total offense and went a perfect 6-for-6 in the red zone in a 49-22 win over Georgia State on Saturday afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium.
The Dukes remained perfect in the win, improving to 7-0 for the fifth time in program history and first since 2023. In front of a Homecoming crowd of 25,225, JMU earned its 12th straight regular-season Sun Belt victory and its 11th win in a row at home.
JMU’s quarterback duo of Camden Coleman and JC Evans shined in the win, as the two combined for three passing and two rushing touchdowns.
The Dukes (7-0, 4-0 Sun Belt) opened the game with an 8-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take the early lead. A 42-yard catch by wide receiver Jeremiah Harrison set up the score, which was cashed in by Evans on a 2-yard touchdown run.
But GSU (4-2, 1-1 Sun Belt) answered on its first possession, registering a 65-yard touchdown drive capped by a 1-run plunge into the end zone to tie the game.
From there, wide receiver Michael Scott showed off his speed. First, he returned a kickoff 76 yards to put JMU into scoring position, before he caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Coleman to make it 14-7.
Scott finished with four catches for 44 yards and the score, and he also tallied a 32-yard rush in the win.
In the second quarter, Evans connected with tight end Cole Keller for a 41 catch and run, before Evans tallied his second rushing score of the day from 1-yard out. That made it a 21-7 game with 13:59 to play before halftime.
Then, the Dukes successfully executed an onside kick to grab an extra possession and made the most of it. Coleman found tight end KD Mosely for a 19-yard touchdown to extend the lead to three scores.
Following a GSU field goal, JMU put up one more first-half scoring drive. Wide receiver Corey Scott caught a 44-yard pass from Coleman, which led to running back Seth Cromwell’s 3-yard touchdown run.
The Dukes put up 303 yards of total offense and led, 35-10, at halftime.
GSU began the scoring half with a 32-yard touchdown catch from Rodshaun Dorsey to cut JMU’s lead to 35-16 after a two-point conversion failed.
Running back George Pettaway scored his seventh rushing touchdown of the year at the 7:27 mark of the third quarter. He found the open field on a 12-yard score to make it 42-16. That came moments after the Duke defense forced a Panther turnover on downs.
Pettaway finished with 14 carries for 119 yards and the score, his fourth straight 100-yard rushing performance.
In the fourth quarter, the two teams traded scores as GSU reached the end zone with 7:10 to play, before the Dukes capped the day with a 22-yard touchdown reception from wide receiver Miles Halbert.
In all, nine different receivers caught a pass for JMU on Saturday.
Coleman finished 13-of-19 for 185 yards and two touchdowns through the air, as well as 26 yards on four carries on the ground. Meanwhile, Evans went 4-of-8 for 80 yards and a passing touchdown to go along with six carries, 21 yards and two rushing scores.
Defensively, the Dukes were led by linebacker JT Hooten’s 10 tackles, while linebacker Nakian Jackson had seven, with a sack. Edge Ernest Willor Jr. had two sacks in the win, while cornerback DJ Kelly collected his team-leading fourth interception of the year and cornerback Roddrey McWilliams had a late fumble recovery.
JMU limited the Panthers to just 185 yards passing on the day.
With the win, the Dukes improved to 6-0 against Georgia State all time, including 4-0 at home. Saturday marked JMU’s 10th straight regular-season sellout at Bridgeforth Stadium, as well as its 20th in the last 22 games.
Up next, JMU endures a quick turnaround, as the Dukes travel to App State for matchup on Thursday, Oct. 22. Kickoff in Boone, North Carolina, is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the game will air live on ESPNU.
