JMU football opens Sun Belt play on Saturday against a sneaky rival. While fans might say App State or ODU are bigger rivals for the Dukes, Georgia Southern owns JMU historically. The Eagles are 9-2 all time against the Dukes. If JMU wants to be the top program in the Sun Belt, winning more consistently against Georgia Southern, App, and Marshall is a must. 

How to watch

Kickoff time: 1:30 p.m. 

TV/stream: ESPN+

Weather: Yuck. The forecast calls for rain and temperatures just below 70 degrees. It’s not ideal weather for Family Weekend, unfortunately.

Opponent preview: Georgia Southern

Record: 2-2, 0-0 SBC

Coach: Clay Helton, 68-45 overall, 22-21 at Georgia Southern

Top players

Camden Brown, WR: The Auburn transfer is a beast, with 281 yards and five touchdowns through four games. Helton said he came to Statesboro to be a star. He’s checking that box. His combination of size and speed is really impressive, and he’ll test JMU’s secondary. 

Dalen Cobb, WR: Cobb is dangerous, with over 200 receiving yards, a rushing touchdown and 44 passing yards. The Eagles use him in a bunch of creative ways, and he’s one of quarterback J.C. French’s favorite QBs. 

Dorrian Smith, CB: The Eagles’ rushing defense is abysmal, but their secondary is nice. Smith is one of the Eagles’ top corners, with a PFF grade of 69.2 through four games. He’s a steady player and was in 2024, too. 

Key to the Game: Run the Rock

It’s going to rain. Georgia Southern ranks dead last in the FBS in run defense grade, per PFF. JMU’s offense thrives in running situations. 

Don’t overthink this one, even with George Pettaway out with injury and Jobi Malary questionable. The Dukes should lean on their big offensive line and let Wayne Knight and Ayo Adeyi run wild. Look for Alonza Barnett and Matthew Sluka to get involved in the quarterback running game. 

Fresno State, a top-level G5 team comparable to JMU, ran for over 300 yards against Georgia Southern’s defense in Week 1. In Week 2, USC had over 700 yards of total offense.  In Week 3, Jacksonville State went over 200 rushing yards against the Eagles. Even Maine had four players average at least five yards per carry in Week 4.

JMU can’t abandon the passing game, but Barnett doesn’t need to be the hero Saturday. If he can take the occasional deep shot to loosen up the defense, JMU should lean on its running game to pick up a league win. 

JMU’s path to victory the rest of the season goes through its stellar defense and reliable running game. In past seasons, the Dukes had SBC Player of the Year talent at quarterback, but they’re still finding a rhythm at the position with Barnett coming back from injury. JMU’s 2025 team requires a different path to a league title than the 2022 and 2023 teams, which were pass heavy.

Score prediction

JMU’s defense is elite — it ranks 6th nationally in yards allowed per game — and the Dukes’ offensive line looked good against against Liberty. If the Dukes can avoid penalties and sacks — those were an issue in last season’s 28-14 loss to Georgia Southern — they shouldn’t have much trouble moving the ball against a weak Eagles front. Georgia Southern is just 7-13 in road games under Clay Helton, and the Eagles’ offense is a work in progress despite having a bunch of exciting weapons.

The pick: JMU 34, Georgia Southern 14 

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications