JMU football returned to action Saturday with a 45-10 win over Weber State. The game was never in jeopardy, although the Dukes have a few things to clean up to beat Louisville on Friday.

Here are five takeaways from the win.

The running back room is as advertised

Weber State is a middling FCS team, but any time a team runs for 300+ yards it’s impressive in my book. George Pettaway ran the ball 10 times for 99 yards — he needs more carries against Louisville — and Wayne Knight took seven carries for 89 yards and a touchdown. Jobi Malary added five carries for 31 yards. Ayo Adeyi was less productive with eight rushes for 21 yards. Jordan Fuller didn’t play.

Still, the grouping looks deep and athletic. Knight and Pettaway are shifty burners. Malary and Fuller are bruisers. Adeyi can do a bit of both, although he’s yet to reach his potential in a JMU uniform. Knight’s 59-yard touchdown run in the second half put the game to bed. 

Coupled with Matthew Sluka and Alonza Barnett, the Dukes have seven legitimate rushing threats. The Dukes should wear down the average Sun Belt opponent on the ground.

“We have a lot of guys that can go … that’s gonna be big for us, it’s a long season,” Knight said postgame.

Chase Regan is still a special teams monster

Maybe the most enjoyable part of watching a JMU game in-person compared to on TV is being able to closely follow Regan for the duration of a special teams rep. He’s an animal.

The sophomore safety possesses elite speed that pairs perfectly with reliable tackling and high-level ball skills. He’s a menace on kickoff coverage, often beating his teammates down the field to either make the tackle or disrupt the return.

He blocked a punt in Saturday’s win, making one of the more impactful individual plays of the game.

“I loved our special teams,” coach Bob Chesney said postgame.

The safety room is crowded, which means it’ll be hard for Regan to see regular playing time on defense until his junior season, but he’s one of the best special teams players in college football. He’s an important piece of JMU’s team.

The passing attack is a work in progress

JMU’s passing game might end the season being elite. There’s also a world where JMU wins the Sun Belt without an elite passing game, instead leaning on its deep running back room and defense.

Regardless, Saturday left something to be desired.

The Dukes completed 17 of 27 passes as a team for 145 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. The completion percentage (63%) is fine, but that’s not a great stat to measure passing success in 2025.

JMU averaged a lowly 5.4 yards per passing attempt.

The 2023 team, led by Jordan McCloud and receivers Elijah Sarratt, Phoenix Sproles, and Reggie Brown, averaged 8.7 yards per passing attempt. JMU averaged 7.4 last season and 8.9 in 2022 with Todd Centeio at QB. No FBS teams averaged fewer than 5.4 yards per pass attempt in 2024.

The two other FBS teams to average 5.4 yards per pass attempt in Week 1 this season? Buffalo and Ball State. Those MAC teams combined to score 10 points in losses to Big Ten teams. More than 100 FBS teams eclipsed a 5.4 yards per attempt average to start their seasons. 

The Dukes also had -0.12 expected points added (EPA) per pass play. To contrast, the Dukes had a positive 0.08 EPA per play when running the ball. The Dukes were more productive running the ball Saturday, according to advanced data — and the eye test.

It’s very possible the Dukes’ passing game looks better as the season progresses. Barnett missed a couple open throws Saturday, and the Dukes didn’t need to throw it often to beat Weber State. The Dukes certainly haven’t lost any confidence going into Week 2.

“We still have some kinks, stuff to work out,” Barnett said, “but we’re far along.”

The passing attack has looked off for the past nine or 10 games under offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy, though. JMU has fallen short of 250 passing yards in nine straight games, and the Dukes have failed to pass for 200 yards in seven of their past nine games dating back to last season.

Can JMU make the College Football Playoff or beat Louisville with an inconsistent passing game?

The defensive line will be fine

JMU didn’t have any sacks in Saturday’s win against an FCS foe, which raised some red flags among fans. But the Dukes generated six pressures, and the context of the edge rusher position is important.

JMU is relying primarily on Amar Thomas, Aiden Gobaira, Xavier Holmes, and Sahir West along the edge.

Thomas played 31 snaps Saturday, which is only the third time in the redshirt junior’s career that he’s reached that threshold at JMU. Gobaira played one snap in three seasons at Notre Dame because of injuries before playing 18 this weekend. West entered the season with seven career snaps played. The redshirt freshman played 31 on Saturday. Holmes was a monster at Maine not for putting up crazy stats, but rather for being one of the more consistent edge rushers in the FCS.

Saturday, Thomas and Holmes both graded out over 70 on PFF, which is nicely above average. Gobaira and West were in the high 60s. Again, that’s above average. Nobody was outstanding (80+ grade) at edge, but everybody played decently well.

It’s an inexperienced edge group (in terms of FBS snaps), and the Dukes likely kept their stunts and pressures rather basic in a blowout win over Weber State. Don’t hit the panic button on the defensive line or the team’s overall pass rush. It should get better with time, and the group’s play was largely above average Saturday.

The Dukes still have experienced FBS guys like Immanuel Bush, Mychal McMullin, and Terry Lockett available on the inside. They have the potential to be dominant, and they were Saturday against the run. The Dukes held the Wildcats to 2.1 yards per carry, doing well to engage blockers and allow the linebackers to flow into the backfield to clean up plays.

Even without a sack, there’s reason to like the defensive front.

Michael Scott could be special

True freshman receiver Michael Scott received his “welcome to college football moment,” as Chesney described it, when he got blown up and fumbled after a big hit in the first half. The turnover led to a Weber State touchdown.

It was a good learning experience for the 5-9 and 165-pound Scott, who led the Dukes with four catches for 41 yards. He looks dangerous after the catch, and he has good hands, pulling in one reception on the run that Barnett threw below his waist.

“That kid is special,” Barnett said, with a smile.

If Scott can adjust to the physicality of the FBS, he could be a star in no time.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications