JMU football (8-2, 4-2 SBC) escaped Norfolk with a 35-32 win over Old Dominion. Here’s our weekly report card on the Dukes’ performance. 

Offense

The offense put up 425 yards and didn’t turn the ball over. That’s not too shabby!

It wasn’t without bumps in the road, though. JMU was just 6-17 on third down and settled for a pair of field goals under 40 yards from Noe Ruelas. The Dukes hit a few explosive plays — a 50-yard rush TD from Alonza Barnett and a 68-yard TD strike from Barnett to Yamir Knight — but consistency lacked, especially in the second half.

Still, this unit performed admirably. The team posted a PFF pass blocking grade of 94.2, its best of the season. Sacks were largely caused by receivers failing to get open or miscommunications handling pressure, not ODU players beating JMU’s blockers.

The running game was a strong point, with the Dukes putting up 233 yards on the ground. George Pettaway and Wayne Knight combined for 156 rushing yards on 30 carries.

Given JMU’s defensive talent, putting up 400+ yards and 30+ points is a recipe for success most weeks.

Grade: B
PFF MVP: RB Wayne Knight, 82.5 grade

Defense

This unit started rather slowly, as ODU scored 24 points in the first half. After halftime, ODU punted on six of its seven possessions, with the only TD coming with JMU playing a prevent defense with a double-digit lead in the final minutes.

Lyle Hemphill’s group stood tall, largely because of the defensive line. ODU was sacked five times in the game, as Khairi Manns and Eric O’Neill caused issues at defensive end. The interior defensive linemen also created a nice push, often collapsing the pocket.

This was a decent showing for the defense, which also forced one turnover when Chris Shearin intercepted a pass.

Grade: B
PFF MVP: S Chris Shearin, 82.3 grade

Special teams

Giving up a blocked punt is a massive failure on special teams, but the kickoff return unit was close to breaking a long one on multiple occasions and Noe Ruelas was a perfect 2-2 on FGs. Still, a failed surprise onside kick and allowing a blocked punt are issues that push this grade down.

I nearly gave this unit a D, but they converted an early 2-point conversion to steal a point. There were major negatives, but there were also obvious positives.

Grade: C-

Coaching

The play calling at times left something to be desired, but the defensive adjustments were great and the Dukes came out with the win on the road. The offense did just enough to combat pressure, using screens effectively at times and trying to fool the defense with a few creative looks. Not everything worked according to plan, but ODU has a darn good coaching staff, too. JMU’s coaches put the Dukes in a position to win, and the team finished the job with good enough execution.

Grade: B+

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications