JMU football is 1/4 of the way through its regular season — the football season goes by far too fast!

There’s still a ton of football to be played, but let’s take a brief pause to look at the performance of the Dukes’ three units. Here’s our JMU football first quarter report card, using Pro Football Focus to help us evaluate the team’s play.

Offense

The Dukes opened the season with a comfortable win over an uninspiring Weber State team. JMU’s passing game wasn’t anything exceptional — Alonza Barnett and Matthew Sluka combined for 145 passing yards — but the Dukes rushed for over 300 yards and cruised to a 45-10 win. JMU scored touchdowns on its opening four possessions.

In Week 2, JMU used a confounding two-quarterback rotation against an athletic Louisville defensive front. Neither guy found a rhythm, although the offensive line’s inability to consistently pass protect was perhaps the bigger story.

JMU bounced back nicely in Week with a 31-13 win over Liberty. The Dukes racked up over 400 yards with Sluka on the bench and Barnett leading the way. Freshman offensive lineman Trent Wilson flashed in the victory, and he’s starting to look like a future star at guard.

The Dukes were solid in the two games against non-Power Four programs, but they wasted a prime upset opportunity against Louisville. The team had an abysmal 30 pass blocking grade in the loss and only scored 14 points, while also yielding a defensive TD. Games 1 and 3 were A-worthy grades, but Game 2 was close to an F.

Running back Ayo Adeyi has been a bright spot for the Dukes, earning a 76.6 PFF grade through three games. After turf toe derailed his 2024 season, the former North Texas Star looks like he could be a problem in league play. JMU’s tight ends have also been impressive, with Josh Phifer and Logan Kyle both posting grades over 70 through the first three games of the year. Phifer is an extremely physical blocker.

Despite limited opportunities, wide receivers Jaylan Sanchez, Landon Ellis, and Nick DeGennaro have all looked good.

Grade: C-

PFF MVP, minimum 50 snaps: TE Logan Kyle, 72.9 grade

Top 5 PFF graded players:

1. Kyle, 72.9
2. Phifer, 72.6
3. WR Landon Ellis, 70.9
4. RB Wayne Knight, 69.3
5. OL Trent Wilson, 67

Defense

What’s not to like? The Dukes have yet to allow 300 yards in a game, as the secondary looks stellar and the defensive front is deep. JMU has six sacks over its two FBS games.

Transfer defensive ends Xavier Holmes and Aiden Gobaira were both worth the hype. They each have PFF grades over 75, as does stud cornerback Elijah Culp. His pairing with Justin Eaglin has allowed JMU to aggressively blitz quarterbacks without worrying about leaving cornerbacks in one-on-ones.

The only real flaw for the group in three games was allowing Louisville to hit two explosive plays for touchdowns. But that will happen against future NFL players in running back Isaac Brown and wide receiver Chris Bell.

Grade: A

PFF MVP, minimum 50 snaps: CB Justin Eaglin, 80.3 grade

Top 5 PFF graded players:

1. Eaglin, 80.3
2. DE Xavier Holmes, 79
3. DE Aiden Gobaira, 77.1
4. Nickel DJ Barksdale, 76.8
5. CB Elijah Culp, 75.5

Special teams

Ehhhh.

The Dukes blocked a punt in Week 1 because Chase Regan is a monster, but they had an 8-yard punt in Week 2 and haven’t done much in the return game against FBS opponents. The group hasn’t been a glaring weakness — although a failed fake punt and blocked field goal against Weber State were slight cause for concern — but the group was a negative in the Louisville loss.

ESPN’s efficiency metrics rank JMU’s special teams unit as the 102nd most efficient in the FBS. That’s not good enough through three games, although the group should look better against teams not named Louisville. The Cardinals’ dynamic return game makes punting to them tricky, and it played a role in why punter Patrick Rea played outside his typical punting rhythm.

Grade: C-

PFF MVP: Chase Regan, 91.8 special teams grade

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications