JMU Uses Second-Half Heroics in 24-20 Victory Over Washington State

Saturday, November 22

Harrisonburg, Va.

1 p.m.

James Madison University

10-1 , 7-0

Washington State

5-6 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Washington St.

James Madison

JMU Uses Second-Half Heroics in 24-20 Victory Over Washington State

11/22/2025 6:30:00 PM | Football

Box Score Highlights Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Trailing 17-10 at halftime, #21 James Madison flipped the script in the second half, out-gaining Washington State 239-75 while Wayne Knight scored the game-winning, 58-yard touchdown in the fourth for a 24-20 triumph on Saturday afternoon in front of 25,156 fans at Bridgeforth Stadium.

The win marked the Dukes' (10-1, 7-0 Sun Belt) ninth straight and their third victory this season when behind at the intermission. It was also JMU's first fourth-quarter comeback of the year. The Cougars (5-6, 0-1 Pac-12) recorded a 34:58-25:02 advantage in time of possession and went 3-for-3 in the red zone but were held to two field goals and just one touchdown inside the 20 in the loss.

JMU also capped off an undefeated regular season at home for the first time since 2020, as it wrapped up a 6-0 home slate at Bridgeforth Stadium.

After a first that half that produced zero offensive touchdowns, JMU began to move the ball downfield in the second half. Despite being stopped once in the red zone, JMU produced a pair of long touchdowns, as Alonza Barnett III connected on a 68-yard touchdown to Braeden Wisloski, while Knight closed the game with his 58-yard score up the middle.

Leading 24-20, JMU's defense needed one more stop and got that by virtue of a fourth-down pass breakup by DJ Barksdale with 2:58 to play. JMU needed just two more first downs to milk the rest of the clock, as Barnett and Knight each moved the sticks to set up victory formation.

Knight finished with a game-high 126 rushing yards and a touchdown, averaging 8.4 per carry for his third 100-yard game of the year. Barnett was 9-of-18 for 144 passing yards and a touchdown with a pick while rushing for 32 more on the ground.

Seven JMU players recorded a catch, with Jaylan Sanchez and Lacota Dippre both coming away with a pair of grabs. Wisloski's 68-yard touchdown catch, his lone grab of the game, was also a career long.

On the opposite side of the ball, Drew Spinogatti made a career-high 16 stops – the most by a Duke in the 2025 campaign – to go along with five solo tackles and two breakups. Justin Eaglin tallied his fourth interception of the season with a pick-six early in the second quarter. Trent Hendrick also finished with double-digit tackles (10), while Amar Thomas and Sahir West both produced 1.5 tackles for loss.

For WSU, Zevi Eckhaus was 19-of-31 for 171 passing yards and a touchdown with an interception. He also ran for 26 yards and a score. The duo of Maxwell Woods and Kirby Vorhees combined for 104 rushing yards, as WSU tallied 130 rushing yards as a team. In the pass game, Tony Freeman made six catches for 81 yards, which was highlighted by a 48-yard touchdown reception.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both teams converted field goals, including a career-long, 45-yarder by Morgan Suarez, to tie things up at 3-3 after one.
Early in the second, pressure forced an errant WSU pass, and Eaglin returned his fourth interception of the season 37 yards for a pick-six and 10-3 lead.
The Cougars answered with a 48-yard touchdown strike from Eckhaus to Freeman, knotting things up at 10-10 with 7:26 to go in the half.
Just before halftime, Wazzu needed just 54 yards to regain the lead, as Eckhaus evaded multiple defenders and ran it in from four yards out to put WSU up 17-10 at the break.
After a stop, Barnett faked a run and stepped back in the pocket, connecting on a 68-yard touchdown to Wisloski to square the game at 17-17 heading to the fourth.
The third quarter saw JMU out-gain WSU 136 to 29.
WSU recaptured the lead with just under 10 minutes to play, as a Stevens 36-yard field goal doinked in off the goal post, giving the Cougars a 20-17 lead.
On the ensuing possession, with the Dukes making their way downfield, Knight got a lead block by Riley Robell to break off a 58-yard scamper up the middle to make it 24-20 with 6:24 remaining.
Washington State converted on one fourth down and made its way to midfield before being stopped on a 4th and five with a pass breakup by Barksdale.
JMU took over with 2:56 to play and picked up two first downs to burn clock and come away with the 24-20 victory.

GAME NOTES

JMU finished with a narrow victory in total offense, out-gaining WSU by a 319-301 margin. WSU controlled the pace early, though, holding a 226-80 lead in the first half (161-3 in second).
Wayne Knight surpassed 1,500 all-purpose yards in the game, as he now sits at 1,592. That ranks fifth in JMU single-season history, as he moved up from his 10th-place spot from pregame.
With his third-quarter touchdown, Barnett is now in sole possession of sixth place at JMU with 43 career touchdowns through the air, passing Mike Cawley (42 – 1993-95).
The second-quarter pick-six was JMU's first since Oct. 19, 2024, when DJ Barksdale took one back to the house against Georgia Southern.
The win for JMU was its 30th consecutive victory at home against a non-conference opponent, a streak that spans the start of the 2016 season.
JMU remains the lone Group of Six team to be undefeated against G6 foes, moving to 9-0 this season.

UP NEXT
JMU closes the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 29 with a trip to Conway, S.C., when it takes on Coastal Carolina. Kickoff is set for 3:45 p.m. at Brooks Stadium, and the game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.