JMU football improved to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the Sun Belt with a rare Tuesday victory over Texas State. The Dukes won 52-20, thrashing the Bobcats in a prime-time road win.

Rank the Dukes? It might be time. Here are a few takeaways from the JMU win.

Nick DeGennaro is an NFL player

At the very least, DeGennaro will get a chance to make an NFL roster. At best, he could be a draft pick. With six catches for 207 yards and four touchdowns in the past two weeks, DeGennaro has emerged as one of the Sun Belt’s top receiving targets.

Coming into the year, the Richmond transfer was expected to be a key piece of the offense. Yet prior to the last two weeks he didn’t have 100 total receiving yards. Now he’s up over 300 with multiple touchdowns and a growing connection with Alonza Barnett. DeGennaro was a great add in the portal, and he’s finally producing at the level he did at Richmond.

With other threats in the receiving game like Landon Ellis and Jaylan Sanchez, the Dukes are starting to stress defenses in the passing game. Those targets open up opportunities for the tight ends, as Josh Phifer and Logan Kyle both had touchdown receptions in the 32-point victory. 

If DeGennaro and Ellis stress defensive backs the way they have in recent weeks, it makes life a lot easier for Barnett. 

Alonza Barnett makes a leap

ABIII went from a dreadful 74-yard passing performance against Georgia State to a sneaky candidate for Sun Belt Player of the Year. Yes, really.

In his past two games, he has 11 touchdowns and over 800 total yards. He’s making plays with his legs and arm, and he’s up to 23 total touchdowns on the season. Dating back to the start of last season, Barnett has 39 touchdown passes to just seven interceptions. That’s elite.

He hasn’t been perfect dating back to last season and frustrations from fans stem from his inconsistency week to week, but there’s no debating his play against ODU and Texas State. He looked to be in complete control of the offense, dishing the ball out to open receivers and making defenses pay with the QB running game. He’s quietly building a case as one of the better JMU QBs in recent memory, and he’ll cement his legacy if he can win a Sun Belt title.

If he continues to go over 300 total yards with multiple touchdowns, this JMU team will be hard to beat. And if the Dukes keep winning as he puts up big numbers, he’s going to be in consideration for conference Player of the Year. 

Playoff dreams are real

The American Conference has the inside track to the College Football Playoff, but the Dukes are in the conversation. ESPN’s FPI gives the Dukes a 14% chance to make the field, up from about 7% last week. 

The Dukes demolished solid ODU and Texas State teams. Indiana beat the Monarchs by 13. JMU beat them by 36. Arizona State beat Texas State by 19. JMU beat the Bobcats by 32.

JMU’s potential lack of quality wins could be where the American has the obvious edge come December. What’s JMU’s best win right now? ODU? The Monarchs are 5-3. If they go 9-3, however, it looks a lot better. The same is true for upcoming games with Marshall and Washington State. Can those teams hit 7 wins at least to make them look better on paper?

What about Liberty? Can the 3-4 Flames go on a run and finish 8-4 or 7-5? It would help the Dukes’ body of work because American teams are flexing elite wins.

USF beat Florida, Boise State, and North Texas. Memphis beat Arkansas and USF. North Texas beat Washington State by 49 points. Tulane has wins over Northwestern and Duke. 

JMU doesn’t have obvious signature wins, at least not yet. But ODU, Marshall, Liberty, and Washington State could look like nice wins by early December. It also helps the Dukes’ case that Louisville is lurking in playoff contention. If the Cardinals win 10 or more games, it gives JMU a quality loss to go with its respectable wins. 

JMU’s best chance to make the field is chaos in the American coupled with an impressive eye test. The Dukes looked the part the past two weeks. Can they keep it up?

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications