# 2024 James Madison Dukes football team

The 2024 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University in the Sun Belt Conference's East Division during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Dukes were led by Bob Chesney in his first year as the head coach. The Dukes played their home games at the Bridgeforth Stadium, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

## Preseason
### Media poll

In the Sun Belt preseason coaches' poll, the Dukes were picked to finish second place in the East division.
Media poll (East division) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Appalachian State | 96 (12) |
| 2 | James Madison | 79 (2) |
| 3 | Coastal Carolina | 67 |
| 4 | Georgia Southern | 50 |
| 5 | Marshall | 49 |
| 6 | Old Dominion | 32 |
| 7 | Georgia State | 19 |
Offensive lineman Cole Potts and punter Ryan Hanson were awarded to be in the preseason All-Sun Belt first team offense and special teams, respectively. Offensive lineman Tyshawn Wyatt, defensive lineman Eric O'Neill, and cornerback Chauncey Logan were named to the second team.

## Schedule

The football schedule was announced on March 1, 2024.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 8:00 p.m. | at Charlotte* | Jerry Richardson StadiumCharlotte, NC | ESPNU | W 30–7 | 15,614 |
| September 7 | 6:00 p.m. | Gardner–Webb* | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPN+ | W 13–6 | 24,570 |
| September 21 | 12:00 p.m. | at North Carolina* | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ACCN | W 70–50 | 50,500 |
| September 28 | 1:30 p.m. | Ball State* | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPN+ | W 63–7 | 25,786 |
| October 5 | 7:00 p.m. | at Louisiana–Monroe | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | ESPNU | L 19–21 | 19,976 |
| October 10 | 7:30 p.m. | Coastal Carolina | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPN2 | W 39–7 | 25,622 |
| October 19 | 4:00 p.m. | at Georgia Southern | Paulson StadiumStatesboro, GA | ESPN+ | L 14–28 | 20,153 |
| October 26 | 3:30 p.m. | Southern Miss | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPN+ | W 32–15 | 25,399 |
| November 9 | 3:30 p.m. | Georgia State | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPN+ | W 38–7 | 25,709 |
| November 16 | 4:00 p.m. | at Old Dominion | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA (Royal Rivalry) | ESPNU | W 35–32 | 21,984 |
| November 23 | 2:30 p.m. | at Appalachian State | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN+ | L 20–34 | 34,012 |
| November 30 | 8:00 p.m. | Marshall | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA | ESPNU | L 33–35 $^{2OT}$ | 23,341 |
| December 18 | 5:30 p.m. | vs. Western Kentucky | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL (Boca Raton Bowl) | ESPN | W 27–17 | 15,808 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Personnel
### Transfers

Outgoing :
| Player | Position | Destination |
| D'Angelo Ponds | CB | Indiana |
| Rykin Maxwell | WR | Murray State |
| Solomon Vanhorse | RB | Indiana |
| Sammy Malignaggi | RB | Campbell |
| Tyrique Tucker | DL | Indiana |
| Brent Austin | CB | USF |
| Elijah Sarratt | WR | Indiana |
| Tyler Stephens | OL | Indiana |
| Kaelon Black | RB | Indiana |
| Nick Kidwell | OL | Indiana |
| Ty Son Lawton | RB | Indiana |
| James Carpenter | DL | Indiana |
| Jailin Walker | LB | Indiana |
| Aiden Fisher | LB | Indiana |
| Carter Miller | OL | Louisiana–Monroe |
| Mikail Kamara | DL | Indiana |
| Zach Horton | TE | Indiana |
| Kaden Schickel | LS | Michigan State |
| Jordan McCloud | QB | Texas State |
| Aaron Gunn | OL | Duquesne |
| Collin Caroll | TE | Gardner–Webb |
| Ibrahim Barry | WR | Sussex County CC |
| Noah Holmes | LB | East Carolina |
| Seth Naotala | LB | Old Dominion |
| Payton Hunter | WR | West Virginia State |
| Wesley Bostic | OL | Virginia State |
| Taurus Jones | LB | TBD |
| Abi Nwabuoku-Okonji | DL | Withdrawn |
| Chauncey Logan | CB | Withdrawn |
| Tyshawn Wyatt | OT | Withdrawn |
Incoming :
| Player | Position | Previous School |
| Khairi Manns | LB | Colorado |
| Ahmarian Granger | WR | Old Dominion |
| Rayquan Adkins | CB | Cincinnati |
| Jobi Malary | RB | Portland State |
| Chris Fitzgerald | DL | Youngstown State |
| Jordan Taylor | CB | Tusculum |
| Cam Ross | WR | UConn |
| Pat McMurtrie | OT | Holy Cross |
| Hunter McLain | OL | Virginia Tech |
| Brionne Penny | WR | San Diego State |
| Tyler Purdy | RB | Holy Cross |
| DJ Cotton Jr. | DL | West Virginia |
| Dylan Morris | QB | Washington |
| Terry Lockett Jr. | DL | Syracuse |
| Ja'kai Young | CB | Gardner–Webb |
| Chris Shearin | CB | UConn |
| Lloyd Summerall | DE | USF |
| Raymond Scott | LB | Fresno State |
| Eric O'Neill | DL | LIU |
| Logan Kyle | TE | Vanderbilt |
| George Pettaway | RB | North Carolina |
| Ayo Adeyi | RB | North Texas |
| Jesse Ramil | OT | Saint Francis (PA) |
| AJ Abbasi | DL | West Virginia State |
| Jacob Dobbs | LB | Holy Cross |
| Nakai Poole | WR | Mississippi State |
| Noe Ruelas | K | UConn |

### Roster
## Game summaries
### at Charlotte

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 3 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 30 |
| 49ers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Jerry Richardson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind: 0 miles per hour (0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 15,614
* Referee: Charles Lamertina
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Justin Kutcher (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
| Statistics | JMU | CLT |
| First downs | 16 | 17 |
| Total yards | 417 | 324 |
| Rushing yards | 198 | 131 |
| Passing yards | 219 | 193 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 28:18 | 31:42 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 10/18, 219 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| James Madison | Rushing | Alonza Barnett III | 9 rushes, 89 yards |
| James Madison | Receiving | Omarion Dollison | 2 receptions, 80 yards, TD |
| Charlotte | Passing | Max Brown | 22/45, 193 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Charlotte | Rushing | Terron Kellman | 9 rushes, 76 yards |
| Charlotte | Receiving | Sean Brown | 6 receptions, 70 yards |

### Gardner–Webb

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Runnin' Bulldogs | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Dukes | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 13 |
at Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, Virginia
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 24,570
* Referee: Jeff Page
* TV announcers (FloSports): Curt Dudley (play-by-play), Brian Barlow (analyst) and David Hulvey (sideline)
| Statistics | GWEB | JMU |
| First downs | 16 | 15 |
| Total yards | 269 | 285 |
| Rushing yards | 109 | 150 |
| Passing yards | 160 | 135 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 33:58 | 26:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Gardner–Webb | Passing | Tyler Ridell | 17/30, 160 yards, 2 INT |
| Gardner–Webb | Rushing | Edward Saydee | 22 rushes, 87 yards |
| Gardner–Webb | Receiving | Camden Overton | 5 receptions, 65 yards |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 14/22, 135 yards |
| James Madison | Rushing | George Pettaway | 10 rushes, 84 yards |
| James Madison | Receiving | George Pettaway | 4 receptions, 32 yards |

### at North Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 25 | 28 | 7 | 10 | 70 |
| Tar Heels | 14 | 7 | 17 | 12 | 50 |
at Kenan Memorial Stadium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 80 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 50,500
* Referee: Riley Johnson
* TV announcers (ACCN): Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Orlando Franklin (analyst) and Morgan Uber (sideline)
| Statistics | JMU | UNC |
| First downs | 25 | 30 |
| Total yards | 611 | 616 |
| Rushing yards | 223 | 141 |
| Passing yards | 388 | 475 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 5 |
| Time of possession | 34:04 | 25:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 22/34, 388 yards, 5 TD |
| James Madison | Rushing | Alonza Barnett III | 13 rushes, 99 yards, 2 TD |
| James Madison | Receiving | Omarion Dollison | 3 receptions, 125 yards, TD |
| North Carolina | Passing | Jacolby Criswell | 28/48, 475 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| North Carolina | Rushing | Omarion Hampton | 13 rushes, 139 yards, 3 TD |
| North Carolina | Receiving | Kobe Paysour | 4 receptions, 93 yards |

### Ball State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Dukes | 22 | 7 | 20 | 14 | 63 |
at Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, Virginia
* Date: September 28
* Game time: 1:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: S at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
* Game attendance: 25,786
* Referee: Jeremy Parker
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Curt Dudley (play-by-play), Brian Barlow (analyst) and David Hulvey (sideline)
| Statistics | BALL | JMU |
| First downs | 19 | 29 |
| Total yards | 250 | 522 |
| Rushing yards | 77 | 236 |
| Passing yards | 173 | 286 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 33:41 | 26:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ball State | Passing | Kadin Semonza | 22/35, 168 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Ball State | Rushing | Braedon Sloan | 14 carries, 72 yards |
| Ball State | Receiving | Tanner Koziol | 9 receptions, 78 yards, TD |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 20/28, 280 yards, 5 TD |
| James Madison | Rushing | Wayne Knight | 6 carries, 63 yards |
| James Madison | Receiving | Taylor Thompson | 5 receptions, 91 yards, TD |

### at Louisiana–Monroe

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 10 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
| Warhawks | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Malone Stadium • Monroe, Louisiana
* Date: October 5, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 91 °F (33 °C) • Wind: NE at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
* Game attendance: 19,976
* Referee: Marshall Lewis
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Jay Alter (play-by-play) and Rocky Boiman (analyst)
| Statistics | JMU | ULM |
| First downs | 24 | 15 |
| Total yards | 399 | 257 |
| Rushing yards | 148 | 110 |
| Passing yards | 251 | 147 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 20–47–0 | 17–30–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:56 | 31:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 20/47, 251 yards |
| James Madison | Rushing | George Pettaway | 13 carries, 62 yards |
| James Madison | Receiving | Yamir Knight | 4 receptions, 67 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing | Aidan Armenta | 17/30, 147 yards, TD, INT |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Rushing | Ahmad Hardy | 14 carries, 82 yards, TD |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Receiving | Jake Godfrey | 7 receptions, 60 yards, TD |

### Coastal Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chanticleers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Dukes | 7 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 39 |
at Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, Virginia
* Date: October 10
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Wind: S at 2 miles per hour (3.2 km/h)
* Game attendance: 25,622
* Referee: Ted Pitts
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Dan Mullen (analyst) and Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline)
| Statistics | CCU | JMU |
| First downs | 8 | 20 |
| Total yards | 181 | 421 |
| Rushing yards | 79 | 222 |
| Passing yards | 102 | 199 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 21:06 | 38:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Coastal Carolina | Passing | Ethan Vasko | 5/18, 84 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Coastal Carolina | Rushing | Braydon Bennett | 12 carries, 45 yards |
| Coastal Carolina | Receiving | Jameson Tucker | 2 receptions, 44 yards, TD |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 16/28, 199 yards, 3 TD |
| James Madison | Rushing | George Pettaway | 13 carries, 89 yards |
| James Madison | Receiving | Taylor Thompson | 2 receptions, 58 yards, TD |

### at Georgia Southern

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Eagles | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
at Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, Georgia
* Date: October 19, 2024
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Wind: SW 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
* Game attendance: 20,153
* Referee: Scott Broadway
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Danny Waugh (play-by-play), Jayson Foster (analyst) and Whitney Haworth (sideline)
| Statistics | JMU | GASO |
| First downs | 16 | 24 |
| Total yards | 253 | 405 |
| Rushing yards | 67 | 190 |
| Passing yards | 186 | 215 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 22–41–0 | 24–33–3 |
| Time of possession | 26:01 | 33:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 22/41, 186 yards, TD |
| James Madison | Rushing | George Pettaway | 13 carries, 63 yards |
| James Madison | Receiving | Omarion Dollison | 3 receptions, 51 yards, TD |
| Georgia Southern | Passing | JC French | 24/33, 215 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT |
| Georgia Southern | Rushing | Jalen White | 23 carries, 134 yards |
| Georgia Southern | Receiving | Derwin Burgess Jr. | 5 receptions, 52 yards, TD |

### Southern Miss

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 15 |
| Dukes | 0 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 32 |
at Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, Virginia
* Date: October 26, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 25,399
* Referee: Jeremy Parker
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Curt Dudley (play-by-play), Delvin Joyce (analyst) and David Hulvey (sideline)
| Statistics | USM | JMU |
| First downs | 19 | 18 |
| Total yards | 319 | 357 |
| Rushing yards | 141 | 199 |
| Passing yards | 178 | 158 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:16 | 29:44 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southern Miss | Passing | Ethan Crawford | 11/34, 178 yards, INT |
| Southern Miss | Rushing | Kenyon Clay | 8 carries, 69 yards, TD |
| Southern Miss | Receiving | Dannis Jackson | 5 receptions, 94 yards |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 15/25, 135 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| James Madison | Rushing | George Pettaway | 16 carries, 119 yards, TD |
| James Madison | Receiving | Wayne Knight | 2 receptions, 41 yards |

### Georgia State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Dukes | 14 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 38 |
at Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, Virginia
* Date: November 9, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 25,709
* Referee: Steven Robinson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Curt Dudley (play-by-play), Delvin Joyce (analyst) and David Hulvey (sideline)
| Statistics | GAST | JMU |
| First downs | 16 | 21 |
| Total yards | 259 | 452 |
| Rushing yards | 46 | 211 |
| Passing yards | 213 | 241 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 28:54 | 31:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia State | Passing | Zach Gibson | 24/37, 213 yards, TD |
| Georgia State | Rushing | Freddie Brock | 9 carries, 24 yards |
| Georgia State | Receiving | Petey Tucker | 5 receptions, 54 yards |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 20/30, 241 yards, 3 TD |
| James Madison | Rushing | George Pettaway | 13 carries, 95 yards, TD |
| James Madison | Receiving | Yamir Knight | 4 receptions, 65 yards |

### at Old Dominion (Royal Rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Monarchs | 7 | 17 | 0 | 8 | 32 |
at S.B. Ballard Stadium • Norfolk, Virginia
* Date: November 16, 2024
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Wind: NW 13 miles per hour (21 km/h)
* Game attendance: 21,984
* Referee: Scott Broadway
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst)
| Statistics | JMU | ODU |
| First downs | 23 | 15 |
| Total yards | 425 | 363 |
| Rushing yards | 233 | 174 |
| Passing yards | 192 | 189 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 37:52 | 22:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 18/26, 192 yards, TD |
| James Madison | Rushing | George Pettaway | 19 carries, 82 yards |
| James Madison | Receiving | Yamir Knight | 8 receptions, 121 yards, TD |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Colton Joseph | 9/21, 189 yards, INT |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Aaron Young | 17 carries, 116 yards, TD |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Diante Vines | 4 receptions, 89 yards |

### at Appalachian State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 7 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
at Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, North Carolina
* Date: November 23, 2024
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Snow • Temperature: 40 °F (4 °C) • Wind: NW 27 miles per hour (43 km/h)
* Game attendance: 34,012
* Referee: Trennis Livingston
* TV announcers (ESPN+): David Jackson (play-by-play) and Avery Hall (analyst)
| Statistics | JMU | APP |
| First downs | 22 | 17 |
| Total yards | 400 | 361 |
| Rushing yards | 168 | 145 |
| Passing yards | 232 | 216 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 34:05 | 25:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 21/36, 232 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| James Madison | Rushing | George Pettaway | 12 carries, 82 yards |
| James Madison | Receiving | Yamir Knight | 5 receptions, 60 yards, TD |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Joey Aguilar | 12/23, 216 yards, 2 TD |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Ahmani Marshall | 24 carries, 108 yards, TD |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Makai Jackson | 5 receptions, 162 yards, TD |

### Marshall

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 0 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 35 |
| Dukes | 14 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 33 |
at Bridgeforth Stadium • Harrisonburg, Virginia
* Date: November 30, 2024
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 26 °F (−3 °C) • Wind: SW 2 miles per hour (3.2 km/h)
* Game attendance: 23,341
* Referee: Ted Pitts
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play) and Fozzy Whittaker (analyst)
| Statistics | MRSH | JMU |
| First downs | 17 | 22 |
| Total yards | 261 | 382 |
| Rushing yards | 141 | 244 |
| Passing yards | 120 | 138 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 13–25–0 | 14–19–1 |
| Time of possession | 24:27 | 35:33 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Marshall | Passing | Braylon Braxton | 13/24, 120 yards, TD |
| Marshall | Rushing | Jordan Houston | 6 carries, 50 yards |
| Marshall | Receiving | Bralon Brown | 3 receptions, 39 yards |
| James Madison | Passing | Alonza Barnett III | 14/19, 138 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| James Madison | Rushing | Jobi Malary | 16 carries, 106 yards, TD |
| James Madison | Receiving | Omarion Dollison | 4 receptions, 46 yards, TD |

### Western Kentucky (Boca Raton Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Dukes | 7 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 27 |
at FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida
* Date: December 18th, 2024
* Game time: 5:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: SE at 11 miles per hour (18 km/h)
* Game attendance: 15,808
* TV: ESPN
Game information :
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under :
| Statistics | WKU | JMU |
| First downs | 14 | 19 |
| Total yards | 318 | 394 |
| Rushing yards | 16 | 212 |
| Passing yards | 302 | 182 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–39–0 | 17–24–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:28 | 36:32 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Caden Veltkamp | 25/39, 302 yards, 2 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Elijah Young | 11 carries, 37 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Dalvin Smith | 2 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD |
| James Madison | Passing | Billy Atkins | 16/23, 181 yards, 1 TD |
| James Madison | Rushing | George Pettiway | 14 carries, 100 yards |
| James Madison | Receiving | Omarion Dollison | 6 receptions, 82 yards |