By Jack Kutz

A week after JMU took down Liberty 20-13, the Dukes look to dominate Wagner.

How to watch

TV: ESPN+

Kickoff time: Noon, the game was moved up from 3:30 because of expected inclement weather later in the day.

Weather: High of 79, mostly cloudy, 20% chance of rain

Wagner overview

Wagner is located in Staten Island, New York. It has a student population of 2,000 and its stadium seats about 4,000 people.

Record: 1-1, loss to Robert Morris, win vs. South Connecticut State, 3-9 last season

Coach: Tom Masella is in his seventh year as head coach of Wagner football with a 15-46 record. He graduated from Wagner in 1981 after playing defensive back for four seasons. Masella has coached at 11 different institutions including Louisiana Tech, UMass, and Boston University. His career head coaching record is 58-112.

Key players: Wagner, despite minimal expectations this fall, has a few players who can test JMU.

Teree McDonald, WR: The returning receiver had two huge plays vs SCSU. He ended with 2 receptions for 70 yards.

Zion Fowler-El, WR: Eight receptions for 68 yards against SCSU. The transfer for Pittsburgh is one of the only Wagner players with experience against a team like JMU.

Benjamin Newman, QB: Started last week and played well, going 23-for-33 with 267 yards in the win.

Brandon Leal, LB: Leal has 10 total tackles, with 1.5 being tackles for loss, and one sack. Seven of his tackles are solo tackles.

Keys to the Game

1. JMU has to dominate on defense — Wagner failed to record 100 yards against Robert Morris. JMU’s defense should have no problems against an offense that averages 2.3 yards per rush and 5.4 yards per pass. Anything more than 7 points allowed against the starters could feel like a disappointment.

2. Open the playbook a bit — There should be more deep pass attempts this week compared to Liberty. According to offensive coordinator Cam Aiken, they didn’t open the playbook much in the second half in part because of the game flow. Liberty’s offense was struggling. Leaning on a defense that held Liberty to 13 is good, but that game could’ve ended in a loss if JMU’s defense made an extra mistake or two.

3. Take advantage of size — There’s a clear size advantage between these teams and JMU needs to take full advantage of that. Winning up front is what this team was built for from the start. 

Score prediction

During my time at JMU, I’ve never seen JMU fully dominate against an FCS school. My freshman year, the Dukes started Alonza Barnett against Bucknell and struggled early. In 2024, the Gardner-Webb game resulted in boos at halftime. Last year, the Dukes had a decent showing against Weber State.

The only trend across these games is a low-scoring opponent. The defense will dominate again, I have no doubts about that. I don’t believe the offense will score more than 50. This is mostly because of Aiken saying he didn’t open the playbook much in the second half versus Liberty. I think this will continue. 

JMU 41, Wagner 8

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications