HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison football scored 42 unanswered points and forced three second-half turnovers while Alonza Barnett III accounted for six touchdowns in a dominant 63-27 Homecoming victory over Old Dominion in Sun Belt Conference action on Saturday in front of a sold-out Bridgeforth Stadium.
The Dukes’ (6-1, 4-0 Sun Belt) defense set the tone in the second half, holding the Monarchs (4-3, 1-2 Sun Belt) to 10 total yards on 21 plays and limiting them to a single first down. Additionally, JMU has now posted three consecutive second-half shutouts and has yet to allow a single team to gain 300 yards, as ODU was held to 285.
JMU trailed ODU 27-21 in the second quarter before reeling off six consecutive scoring drives over the final two-plus quarters. During that stretch, ODU’s final eight offensive drives resulted in five three-and-outs, two interceptions, one turnover on downs and a muffed punt on special teams.
The Dukes, who gained a season-best 624 yards, which also tied the program record for most yards ever allowed by any ODU team, scored touchdowns on nine of their first 13 drives.
JMU’s offense was fueled by six Barnett touchdowns, which included two through the air and a career-high four on the ground. His totaled 448 total yards, completing 17 of 25 for 295 yards while rushing for a career-high 153 yards on 9.0 yards per carry.
Wayne Knight aided the run game with 74 rushing yards on 12 carries while making a pair of catches for 27 yards. JMU finished the game with 311 rushing yards, averaging 5.9 per rush. It marked JMU’s third 300-yard rushing performance of the season.
Nick DeGennaro made three receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns, as he found the end zone for the first time at JMU. It was his fifth career 100-yard game and his first multi-TD game since 2023. Landon Ellis led all players with six receptions for 97 yards, while Za’Ron Collins recorded his first JMU touchdown with an incredible 18-yard catch to cap the game’s scoring.
Defensively, Tyler Brown tied his career high with eight tackles, while Jacob Thomas made seven stops with a sack. Aiden Gobaira had a career-best six total stops with a half sack, while Justin Eaglin recorded two interceptions and a breakup for a career-high three passes defended. Elijah Culp also added 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
For ODU, Colton Joseph was 13 of 21 for 209 yards and three touchdowns with a pair of interceptions. Tre Brown led the game with 138 receiving yards on four catches, highlighted by an ODU-record 98-yard touchdown catch. Devin Roche had a team-best 34 rushing yards, while Joseph was held to just four rushing yards after entering the game leading the SBC in yards per carry.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• After ODU took the early lead off a fumble recovery on the opening kickoff, JMU responded on the ensuing possession as Barnett took it 58 yards to the house for his longest career run to tie it at 7-7.
• Pinned at its own two, Joseph connected with Brown for the 98-yard touchdown, which also was the longest player ever allowed by JMU. The Dukes once again tied it two plays later on a 65-yard pitch-and-catch from Barnett to DeGennaro.
• ODU took a 20-13 lead after one following an 11-yard strike to Brown for his second score.
• JMU took its first lead, at 21-20, three minutes into the second on a DeGennaro seven-yard catch to cap off a seven-play, 75-yard drive. ODU came right back with a 16-yard touchdown from Joseph to Dawson Johnson for his first career score to make it 27-21 for the visitors.
• JMU ended the half with a Jordan Fuller two-yard touchdown to take a 28-27 halftime lead. That score gave the JMU the lead for good.
• After Eaglin intercepted a pass on the opening play of the second half, Knight ran it in from 13 yards out to make it 35-27. After another stop, Barnett recorded his first of three straight rushing-touchdown drives on a six-yard scamper to make it 42-27. He later scored from three yards out to extend the lead to 49-27 after three.
• In the fourth, he added an eight-yard touchdown run to complete his six-touchdown day, and JMU closed the game with Collins’ 18-yard touchdown catch from Matthew Sluka.
GAME NOTES
• JMU out-gained Old Dominion 624-285, which included an overwhelming 258-10 margin in the second half.
• JMU finished a remarkable 12-of-16 on third down, while the Monarch were 4-of-11 (1-of-6 in second half).
• JMU had a lopsided lead in time of possession, at 41:26 to 18:34. JMU also ran the ball 53 times, while ODU had just 50 total plays.
• JMU cashed in on all seven red-zone trips, while ODU was two for two.
• JMU also scored 21 points off its three takeaways.
• Barnett’s four rushing touchdowns ranked tied for the third-most in JMU single-game history and were the most by any Duke since 1999 when Curtis Keaton had five against UConn on Nov. 23. He’s also the second QB to achieve the feat, joining Mike Cawley, who had four against UConn in 1994.
• His 448 yards of total offense were the seventh most by a JMU player in school history.
• Eaglin, who had his first multi-interception game, became the first JMU player to do so since Sept. 21, 2024, when Terrence Spence had a pair at North Carolina.
• The 63 points were the most ever scored by JMU in the Old Dominion series and were also the most ever against a Sun Belt opponent, besting its 56 at Coastal Carolina on Nov. 25, 2023.
• The 90 total points marked the highest-scoring game in the six-game history of JMU and ODU.
• JMU also moved to 4-2 all-time against the Monarchs, having won each meeting since moving up to the FBS.
UP NEXT
JMU has an extra few days to prepare for its longest trip of the season, as it travels to San Marcos, Texas, to take on Texas State on Tuesday Oct. 28. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.
— JMU Athletics —
