JMU football survived Gardner-Webb over the weekend, winning just 13-6. The Dukes needed a fourth-quarter defensive stand to hang on for the victory, their second of the 2024 season.

After what can best be described as a less-than-stellar performance, let’s hand out Week 2 grades. We use Pro Football Focus (PFF) to help dish out our weekly grades.

Offense: D

Scoring 13 points and putting up less than 300 total yards against an FCS opponent simply isn’t good enough. Oddly, though, some of the Dukes’ Pro Football Focus grades were decent against the Runnin’ Bulldogs.

JMU’s team pass blocking grade of 94.9 in Week 2 was elite, with PFF suggesting quarterback Alonza Barnett had good protection for most of the game. So what went wrong?

For one, the Dukes’ running game was decent, but it wasn’t superb. The run blocking rating of 68.1 was worse than the team’s pass blocking, and no running back eclipsed 100 yards against the FCS defense. George Pettaway led the way with 84 yards on 10 carries, and Tyler Purdy chipped in 58 yards on 10 carries, but nobody had a game-breaking run. Ayo Adeyi (four carries for -1 yard) struggled before exiting with injury, and Alonza Barnett was a non-factor as a runner (nine carries for 15 yards).

The Dukes also had a pair of costly dropped passes, with Logan Kyle dropping a fourth-down conversion and Omarion Dollison being charged with a third-down drop by PFF as well. Dollison didn’t catch a pass Saturday, as he was quiet after a breakout performance (80 yards and a TD) against Charlotte.

Barnett wasn’t elite Saturday, receiving a PFF grade of just 60.9. He wasn’t bad, though. He missed a couple throws, but the two drops hurt him and ended drives. The receivers had a lackluster game, which made it harder for Barnett to impress. The Dukes were a woeful 3-12 on third downs.

JMU could desperately use the return of receiver Taji Hudson, who missed the first two games with injury. Hudson’s size, hands, and blocking make him a three-down player. A combination of Hudson and Cam Ross should lead to more consistent passing performances from Barnett, as those two are arguably the most reliable receivers on the roster.

PFF MVP: OL Jesse Ramil, 82.8 grade

JMU ranked third in the nation per @PFF in pass blocking grade at 89 and ranked 35th in run blocking grade at 68.7.

That offensive line production was led by Jesse Ramil who had the best PFF grade of all JMU players in Week 2 against Gardner-Webb. pic.twitter.com/HfdEchtWMY

— JMU Sports News (@JMUSportsNews) September 9, 2024

Defense: C+

Only allowing six points is great. Forcing two turnovers is also great. But JMU allowed Gardner-Webb to possess the ball for nearly 34 minutes of game time.

The Dukes struggled to consistently get off the field, in part because Gardner-Webb was unbelievably aggressive on fourth down. The Runnin’ Bulldogs were just 2-15 on third downs, but they went 4-6 on fourth down.

JMU only generated a few three-and-outs, as the Dukes weren’t allowing big plays, but they also weren’t creating enough negative plays to force quick punts. JMU only recorded four tackles for loss the entire game, which would’ve tied a season-low for JMU in 2023. The Dukes’ defensive front needed to be more disruptive against an FCS opponent.

Chauncey Logan, who recorded an interception, was JMU’s highest-graded defensive player on PFF. Defensive backs Chris Shearin and Kye Holmes also received decent grades. The secondary played well Saturday, and Jacob Thomas also grabbed an interception. 

Interestingly, Taurus Jones had a bounce-back showing at linebacker with a 71.3 grade, but he only played 15 snaps. Jacob Dobbs (57 snaps) and Trent Hendrick (55 snaps) were the team’s two preferred linebackers. Hendrick’s tackling grade of 32.6 on Saturday was similar to his 34 tackling grade against Charlotte. Through two games, he’s struggled to consistently finish tackles.

It’ll be interesting to see if Jones, who finished 2022 with a team-best 82 tackles to go with 10.5 tackles for loss, receives a larger role against North Carolina. While he’s struggled in coverage the last year or so, he’s one of the Dukes’ most reliable run defenders dating back to 2022.

PFF MVP: Chauncey Logan, 74 grade

Special teams: C

This unit was fine.

Ryan Hanson downed another punt inside the 10 with help from Chase Regan, but the Dukes didn’t do much in the return game, and Noe Ruelas missed a 46-yard field goal. He bounced back later in the game with two made field goals, including one from 48 yards that had plenty of room to spare.

Once again, Terrence Spence nearly blocked a punt. He’s close to creating a big play on special teams.

Coaching: D

JMU’s players hinted after the game that some of them overlooked Gardner-Webb. That’s on the coaching staff.

It’s also easy to question play calling when plays don’t work, but JMU’s offensive play calling was puzzling. The Dukes opened the game with three consecutive passes, despite seemingly building a roster this offseason designed to run the football with a veteran offensive line, a mobile quarterback, and 3-5 quality running backs.

Then, entering the second quarter the Dukes decided to kick a lengthy field goal instead of going for it on fourth-and-2. That came as a surprise, given JMU’s supposed advantage in the trenches against an FCS program.

If the Dukes don’t think they can bully Gardner-Webb up front on fourth-and-short, what’s going to happen against North Carolina?

I liked the opening drive of the second half, where the Dukes pounded the ball down the field with Purdy and Pettaway. There were definitely some positives Saturday, and it’s a capable coaching staff, but Saturday’s showing wasn’t up to JMU’s standard. That blame falls first on the coaches, who need to do a better job of preparing the team to avoid slow starts.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications