At 5-2 overall and 1-2 in the Sun Belt, JMU football is off to a respectable start to the season. Still, the Dukes will be disappointed not to be 6-1 or 7-0, and they have no margin for error left if they want to win the division. That means taking care of business against 1-6 Southern Miss on Saturday is a necessity. 

Fortunately for the Dukes, Southern Miss is a bottom 10 team in the country. The Golden Eagles aren’t good on either side of the ball, ranking 123rd in offensive efficiency and 130th in defensive efficiency, per ESPN’s metrics. There are only 134 FBS teams. There’s a reason Southern Miss just fired coach Will Hall. The Golden Eagles are bad. 

JMU is a 24-point home favorite, and the Dukes should cruise. But you also could’ve argued the Dukes should’ve defeated ULM and/or Georgia Southern. That didn’t go as planned. 

Here’s what needs to happen for JMU to beat Southern Miss. 

Please, RUN THE DAMN BALL

JMU offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy shouldn’t overthink this. Southern Miss ranks 120th nationally in defensive success rate against the run. The Golden Eagles are a little better (74th) against the pass. There’s no reason for JMU to be a pass-first offense Saturday. 

George Pettaway is averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Quarterback Alonza Barnett has a team-high five rushing touchdowns and has surpassed 40 rushing yards in four of the team’s seven games this fall. Backup running backs Wayne Knight (6.9) and Jobi Malary (7.0) are both putting up wildly impressive yards per carry numbers. Even Tyler Purdy is averaging 4.5 yards per pop as a short-yardage specialist. Run the ball against a defense that can’t stop the run. 

In losses to ULM and Georgia Southern, Barnett threw the ball a combined 88 times. That’s not JMU’s strength as an offense. Some of that was due to game script and needing to pass to erase a deficit, but part of it was because JMU abandoned the run too early. Don’t make that mistake Saturday. The Dukes need to run the football 30+ times this weekend, not including scrambles.

Play angry

Sometimes you just need to be the grittier, tougher team. Saturday seems like a great time for JMU to flex its muscle against an inferior opponent. The Dukes have shown flashes of greatness this season, beating Charlotte, UNC, Ball State, and Coastal Carolina by a combined 131 points. 

JMU did that in part because the Dukes have elite talent and athleticism on the roster. Defensive linemen Immanuel Bush, Chris Fitzgerald, Lloyd Summerall, Khairi Manns, and Eric O’Neill are physical mismatches for just about every Sun Belt team. The Dukes’ offensive line is among the best in the conference, ranking 12th nationally in run blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus. Few Sun Belt teams have run blockers like Jesse Ramil, Josh Toner, Tanner Morris, Cole Potts, and Patrick McMurtrie. That unit can manhandle opposing defensive fronts, when given the opportunity.

For whatever reason, that physical dominance wasn’t fully on display against ULM or Georgia Southern. JMU needs to dominate the line of scrimmage and be the more physical football team Saturday. If the Dukes want to make a statement that they’re still a Sun Belt threat, that starts Saturday against a bad opponent. Is JMU truly ready to battle down the stretch for the East or will the Dukes be content going 8-4 and making a bowl game? The team’s energy level and physicality Saturday will go a long way toward answering that question. 

I want to see a meaner JMU team this weekend.

K.I.S.S. 

No, this isn’t a hint that alumni should visit the kissing rock for Homecoming with their special someone.

This is a reminder that JMU wins this game if it can follow the mantra: Keep it simple, stupid.

JMU is the better team. Southern Miss has been awful this season. Yet, in JMU’s two losses the Dukes made a series of self-inflicted errors that cost them games. Against ULM, the Dukes committed 11 penalties, including numerous false starts. The same was true against Georgia Southern, with JMU’s 10 penalties stalling offensive drives and extending Georgia Southern drives. 

The Dukes also struggled to handle snaps in the first half against Georgia Southern, squandering scoring opportunities as a result. JMU doesn’t need to play a perfect game to beat Southern Miss. In fact, it could bring its C game and still walk away with a comfortable win. But the Dukes need to get out of their own way. 

Eliminate the false starts. Catch the snap. Deliver snaps accurately to the QB. These are basic offensive fundamentals. If JMU can handle the basics, Southern Miss won’t be able to handle the Dukes’ skill players. The same goes defensively. If the Dukes can properly fit the run and avoid stupid penalties, Southern Miss will have a hard time scoring 20.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications