JMU football (7-2, 3-2 SBC) cruised to a 38-7 win over Georgia State on Saturday, looking strong in all three phases. 

Here are three takeaways from the win.

Eric O’Neill is a star

It’s hard to watch JMU football play defense without coming away impressed with the LIU transfer. O’Neill finished with a pair of sacks in the win over Georgia State, and he’s up to a team-high 6.5 sacks this season. He also leads the team with 11 tackles for loss.

Since the start of the 2022 season, O’Neill has 55.5 tackles for loss at LIU and JMU. His season-long PFF grade of 89.8 is seventh nationally among edge rushers. He’s second among G5 players. 

Keeping O’Neill in the offseason will take creative work from the collective. He’s going to draw significant interest from P4 programs with large NIL budgets. Regardless of what happens this offseason, O’Neill deserves legitimate Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year consideration. He’s been a one-man wrecking crew at defensive end, creating pressures and TFLs with ease.

Offense looked improved

George Pettaway ran for 95 yards, and Alonza Barnett went over 200 yards passing for the first time in a few weeks. Omarion Dollison caught a long TD pass, and Yamir Knight and Taylor Thompson were effective on shorter routes. This is the JMU offense fans missed in recent weeks. 

The Dukes weren’t overwhelmed by pressure, as they got the ball out quickly and used the running game to keep the Panthers off balance. Was Saturday’s game perfect offensively? It was not. But it was plenty good enough to beat a bad conference opponent.

The offense will face a bigger test Saturday at ODU. Can the unit play well on the road?

Bridgeforth Stadium is special

JMU is 15-2 at home since moving to the FBS level. The Dukes have won eight of those 15 games by at least 30 points.

Saturday’s atmosphere was fantastic, with the student section staying into the second half and fans being engaged throughout. Georgia State isn’t a massive opponent, but fans still showed out in the win.

Playing at home has been a massive advantage for JMU, and the Dukes took advantage Saturday. Given the fan turnout and passion, could Bridgeforth expansion be on its way? JMU’s home atmosphere already feels more like a Power Four environment than it does most Group of Five venues. The Dukes have a notable home-field advantage, especially compared to programs in the Sun Belt West, MAC, and CUSA.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications