JMU football survived Georgia State last weekend on the road. A win is a win, as they say. Not sure who “they” are, but people are saying it!

This week, the Dukes return home to face Louisiana. They’ve cooked at home during their FBS era, and they’ve been elite at home under Bob Chesney. The Dukes are 7-1 inside Bridgeforth Stadium under Chesney, with six double-digit wins. The lone loss came to eventual Sun Belt champion Marshall last season in double overtime. 

This game was supposed to be massive before the season, but the Ragin’ Cajuns have struggled to meet expectations this season. They’re 2-3 this season, and starting quarterback Walker Howard tore his oblique (ouch) in Week 1. He’s been out since and could miss the whole season. Enter Lunch Winfield. More on him later. 

How to watch

Kickoff time: Noon 

TV: ESPN2, with Lowell Galindo on play-by-play and Aaron Murray (former Georgia QB) as the analyst. Lauren Sisler will be the sideline reporter. 

Weather: The high is 70 degrees with a mix of sun and clouds. The forecasted rainy weather should hold off until later in the day/Sunday.

Opponent preview: Louisiana

Record: 2-3, 1-0 SBC

Coach: Michael Desormeaux, 25-21 overall (all seasons at Louisiana)

Top players

Lunch Winfield, QB: Thrust into a bigger role last week in a 54-51 double OT win over Marshall, the redshirt sophomore was electric. He completed 7 of 13 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 13 times for 129 yards and three scores. He’s a great scrambler and a dangerous QB. At the same time, he has no starting experience and began the season buried on the depth chart. JMU’s defensive will throw an array of looks at him to try to keep him off balance.

Bill Davis, RB: With leading rusher Zylan Perry doubtful to play, the Dukes could see a lot of Davis. He has over 300 rushing yards this season and averages over 5 yards per rush. He ran for 796 yards in 2024. Solid player.

Courtline Flowers, DB: The versatile defensive back has 21 tackles and a pick-6 this fall. He’s Louisiana’s highest graded defensive player on PFF (78.2). The senior has been with Louisiana since 2020. He’s played a lot of good football for a long, long time.

Key to the Game: Any passing will do

Louisiana struggles to stop the run, allowing 221.6 yards per game. But the Cajuns will stack the box Saturday against a JMU team coming off a 74-yard passing performance. 

JMU won’t need much passing to loosen up Louisiana’s inconsistent defense, but the Dukes will need more than 74 yards. Can Alonza Barnett push the ball downfield? Can the Dukes hit a few shorter passes to move the sticks and tire out Louisiana’s defense? 

Isaiah Alston and Smoke Collins don’t have any catches over 10 yards against FBS competition. The two transfers were supposed to be the Dukes’ primary deep ball threats in 2025. I’d like to see JMU at least try to hit a chunk play to those guys. JMU has tried to hit Collins deep on a couple of occasions this fall, but the passes have been off target. 

If JMU gets anything going in the passing game, it should win this game against a backup QB and porous run defense. If Barnett plays like he did against Liberty, this could be a blowout win for the Dukes.

Score prediction

JMU has the better team, even with its passing game woes.

I love watching Winfield play for Louisiana, but he looked great against a mediocre Marshall team that had no film on him. This JMU defense is a different beast, ranking near the top of the country in almost every relevant statistic. Playing on the road is also a different test for Winfield, who is making the first start of his career this weekend. JMU should rattle the inexperienced quarterback more than Marshall did and find success against a subpar Louisiana defense.

The pick: JMU 27,  Louisiana 14

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications