JMU football (6-0, 3-0 SBC) beat Georgia Southern, 27-24, for its first win in Statesboro in seven tries. Here are three takeaways from the victory.

Winning matters, and the Dukes won

JMU took a 10-point lead with 5:27 left. With 52 seconds left, the Eagles were attempting a 52-yard kick to tie the game.

That’s not ideal. The Dukes had numerous chances to put the game away late, but they took the game down to Georgia Southern’s final offensive drive.

But, and this is important, kids: JMU won the game. The Dukes are 6-0. They won in a place that’s hard to win.

“It’s pretty special to win down here for the first time,” coach Billy Napier said.

That doesn’t mean the Dukes are without critiques.

Many of those fall on the defense. They generated zero sacks on 41 Max Johnson dropbacks. When throwing without pressure, he received a 91.9 Pro Football Focus grade, which is superb. He was 22-for-28 for 298 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception when kept clean. He averaged 10.6 yards per attempt. When pressured, he was a mediocre 4-for-10 for 45 yards.

When he has a clean pocket, Johnson is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country. This has been the story of his career. He threw for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just six interceptions for LSU in 2021. That season, he posted an 87.2 grade when clean and a 33.3 grade under pressure. In 2023 for Texas A&M, his grade was 90.4 when clean and 56.5 when pressured. This year, it’s 75.4 when clean and 35.2 when pressured.

Sun Belt teams that give Johnson a clean pocket will get shredded. JMU gave Johnson a clean pocket, and he diced them up for 343 yards. He’s an elite Group of Six passer, and the Eagles have a ton of skill position talent.

JMU also started slowly for the second week in a row, trailing 7-0 after the opening drive of the game. JMU trailed 10-6 at halftime.

“We were sluggish,” Napier said. “We did not handle the delay well. We did not have our fastball in the first half. But I thought our kids really stood up at halftime. We had some energy coming out of the half.”

But, and again, this matters: JMU won the football game.

The Dukes join a list of nine teams to beat the Eagles in Statesboro since Clay Helton took over in 2022. Among those teams is a 10-win 2022 South Alabama squad, a 10-win 2025 ODU, and a 12-win Boise State in 2024 that made the College Football Playoff. Houston, a top-20 team in the latest AP Poll, also won there this fall.

Playing and winning at Georgia Southern is among the toughest tests for Sun Belt teams. JMU passed the test, even if it wasn’t always perfect.

“A little adversity never hurt,” safety Jayon Harvey said.

JC Evans makes grand return

A big reason the Dukes won the game was the return of quarterback JC Evans, who carried the ball seven times for 15 yards in short-yardage packages. He had a solid 57% success rate when running, as he was often asked to get just a yard or two and did so effectively. He also threw two passes, and both were touchdown throws. One came to tight end Cole Keller on a 57-yard, fourth-down strike. The other was a 1-yard pass to tight end KD Mosley.

The defense expected runs on both plays, but offensive coordinator Cam Aiken called pass attempts.

“I came here to play for Cam Aiken,” Keller said. “He’s a wizard.”

JMU seems reluctant to bench Camden Coleman — understandably so, as he’s led them to five wins in a row — but Evans is going to play if he’s healthy. How much? That’s the question facing Napier. If nothing else, his short-yardage package is a weapon. Unlike Matthew Sluka’s package last year, Evans is a threat to pass on every play.

“When he’s running in a wildcat, you’ve got to defend the pass,” Napier said. “Two huge plays on short-yardage plays where he’s been running the ball, and Coach Aiken dials up a pass for two touchdowns. We’ll continue to do that.”

If Evans is as effective as he was Saturday, there will be calls for him to start over Coleman.

Coleman has 11 touchdown passes to just one interception across five starts, and he’s been a steady presence. He’s a respected leader with decent mobility and a strong understanding of Aiken’s system. He’s doing a lot well.

But he’s also 67th nationally in QBR and 52nd in passing efficiency. He’s been solid, but he’s had inconsistent moments and is seemingly getting away with his risky passes. He has four big-time throws and nine turnover-worthy plays, according to Pro Football Focus. His turnover-worthy play percentage of 5.1% ranks among the bottom 20 FBS quarterbacks, tied with Michigan’s Bryce Underwood. He’s fortunate to have just one interception, and he nearly lost a fumble or two against the Eagles after losing a fumble the week before against Marshall.

There’s a path for Evans to see increased playing time in coming weeks, depending on how Coleman bounces back from a middling performance against Georgia Southern. But the Dukes also don’t need a hero at quarterback, as George Pettaway leads the conference in rushing and the defense and special teams are among the best in the conference. The special teams unit is among the best in college football.

JMU seems content to use both quarterbacks, and it’s hard to blame them when both can play winning football. It’s a nice luxury to have.

College Football Playoff?

JMU is the only undefeated Group of Six team left. The Dukes are going to be in the mix to make the College Football Playoff as long as they stay unbeaten.

JMU fans also need to prepare themselves for the Dukes to get “snubbed.”

The Dukes look like one of the best Group of Six teams in the country, but it could be hard to make that case, given the team’s soft schedule.

Nuance is required to discuss the schedule.

I know it’s hard to beat Georgia Southern in Statesboro, which is why I’ve said it a handful of times in this article. When I talk about JMU’s playoff chances, I’m trying to predict how the selection committee will view the Dukes. And I feel confident the selection committee doesn’t view a win over 2-4 Georgia Southern as impressive. That should not take away from a JMU fan’s enjoyment of the historic win, but it’s the reality of playoff selection and the higher standard used.

Just like traveling to San Diego State as an East Coast team with a backup quarterback isn’t easy. JMU should be proud of that result, but the committee will not care about the cross-country travel when the Aztecs are 2-4 and dreadful offensively. That’s the reality of trying to make the highly exclusive 12-team field.

On the plus side for JMU, Liberty looks like a strong Group of 6 team, and that season-opening win should age well. The Flames could win 10 games and finish as a top-50 caliber team.

Would another win on JMU’s resonate nationally, though?

App State started 3-1 before Saturday’s disgusting, rain-soaked home loss to a bad Old Dominion team. Georgia State is 4-1, but if JMU wins this coming weekend, can the Panthers still realistically end the year with 9 or 10 wins? Beating a 7-5 or 8-4 Georgia State won’t wow anyone. Troy entered the year with lofty expectations, but the Trojans’ road loss to a 2-4 Utah State team is crushing. The Trojans played Missouri well, at least.

UConn is the Dukes’ lone remaining nonconference game, and the Huskies are 3-3. They’re not bad, but they’re also probably not good enough to move the needle nationally after losses to Maryland, Syracuse, and Miami Ohio. The Huskies, like most of JMU’s schedule, are an average G6 team.

And let’s say JMU strolls into the Sun Belt title game with a perfect 12-0 record and playoff aspirations. Well, every team in the SBC West has at least two losses already this season. Can Troy or another team win out to finish 10-2, or will JMU be facing a middling 8-4 team at home for a title? Troy was 8-4 last year, not offering much of an opportunity for JMU to surge up the rankings. The Dukes were fortunate Duke won the ACC, but it’s going to be a one-bid G6 this fall.

There are other G6 contenders with strong early results this fall, too.

Boise State hung tough with Oregon, although the Ducks are unranked now. But the Broncos beat Memphis — a legitimate American Conference threat — and Western Michigan, a top MAC team. If the Broncos get through the Pac-12 without a loss, which would include at least one really good win over Oregon State, they seem like a lock to make the playoff field, given their nonconference showings and brand power.

Oregon State, which plays at Boise State later this season, is 4-2, but the two losses were competitive defeats to Houston and Texas Tech. The Beavers also have a high-powered, flashy offense drawing national attention. Would an 11-2 Oregon State with a win (maybe two, if they meet in the league’s title game) over Boise State and two tight losses against CFP contenders get in over a 13-0 JMU win with a strength of schedule in the bottom 10 or 15 of the country? It would be a very serious conversation among committee members because both squads would be unbeaten against the Group of 6.

The Beavers and Dukes only have one mutual opponent in San Diego State. JMU won, 26-13. Oregon State won, 66-14. Uh oh! San Diego looks dreadful, by the way. Another opponent not doing the Dukes any favors.

Perhaps most intriguing is the Pac-12’s scheduling model. No teams have games on Nov. 28 scheduled yet. The conference will set those matchups, which will not count in the conference standings, six days in advance. Colorado State, Utah State, Fresno State and Washington State will host the flex games, meaning both Boise State and Oregon State will be on the road.

But if Boise State is in control of its playoff destiny, the Pac-12 will probably set the Broncos up with a fairly easy rematch in hopes of keeping them ranked highly before the league title game. If Oregon State needs a ranking bump, maybe the Pac-12 puts them at Fresno State. It’s a fascinating wrinkle in late November.

“We can kind of manipulate the schedule in a way that it’s the most advantageous to our teams, whether it’s for bowl access, CFP access,” Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould said in August. “It was a genius idea and I’m thrilled that our ADs, our coaches and others were on board with moving forward with this.”

New Mexico, Memphis, and UTSA are in the mix, too. New Mexico played Oklahoma within one touchdown. Memphis beat UNLV on the road. UTSA’s only loss is to Texas.

JMU’s playoff dreams are real, but don’t be shocked when the committee looks down on JMU. For a second straight season, JMU’s strength of schedule is an issue for playoff selection.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications