Record-Setting Ground Performance Lifts JMU Past Georgia Southern

Saturday, September 27

Harrisonburg, Va.

1:30 p.m.

James Madison University

3-1 , 1-0

Georgia Southern

2-3 , 0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Ga. Southern

James Madison

Record-Setting Ground Performance Lifts JMU Past Georgia Southern

9/27/2025 5:30:00 PM | Football

Box Score Highlights Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison set its rushing record against an FBS opponent, piling up 331 yards on the ground to cruise past Georgia Southern, 35-10, in front of a sold-out Family Weekend crowd Saturday afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium.

The Dukes (3-1, 1-0 Sun Belt) turned in their second 300-yard rushing game of the year, joining the 313 they tallied in the season opener versus Weber State. The ground attack allowed JMU to surge to a 21-3 halftime lead and it never led by fewer than 25 down the stretch to earn its third all-time win against the Eagles (2-3, 0-1 Sun Belt).

Wayne Knight ran for a career-high 151 yards and a touchdown, averaging 7.9 per carry. Jordan Fuller also turned in his eighth career 100-yard game, as he rushed for 137 yards and a score. As a team, JMU produced 6.2 yards per rush and out-gained GS by a 479-192 margin in total offense.

Alonza Barnett III threw 148 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 32 more and a score on the ground. It's the third time in four starts he's found the end zone both through the air and on the ground this season.

Knight was also JMU's leading pass catcher, making four grabs for 35 yards, as he finished with a career-best 199 all-purpose yards. Lacota Dippre also caught a pair of passes for 42 yards and his second touchdown, while Nick DeGennaro and Landon Ellis each contributed two receptions.

Defensively, JMU shut down Georgia Southern's offense for the most part, limiting the Eagles to 3.8 yards per play and only 27 rushing yards (1.0 per carry), due in large to JMU's seven sacks.

Trent Hendrick led the way with a career-high three sacks while matching his career best with 11 total tackles (eight solo). He also forced a fumble and broke up a pass. Tyler Brown accrued a career-high six tackles, while Gannon Weathersby and Amar Thomas each had four stops with a TFL, including a Thomas sack. Immanuel Bush and Sahir West also produced 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

The 10 team TFL and seven sacks were both season highs for JMU.

For Georgia Southern, JC French IV finished 14-of-24 for 165 yards and a touchdown, while David Mbadinga produced 14 of the Eagles' 27 rushing yards. Wide receiver Camden Brown registered his second straight 100-yard game with 111 receiving yards on five catches.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Knight opened the scoring midway through the first, bouncing off a wall of defenders and hitting a seam outside for a 40-yard touchdown to put JMU up 7-0.
JMU nearly doubled its lead, but a holding penalty negated the score. A missed JMU field goal kept the score at 7-0 heading into the second.
On the ensuing JMU possession, JMU rushed for 44 of the 57 yards needed, as Barnett kept it and ran it in from four yards out for his 12th career rushing touchdown and a 14-0 JMU lead.
A fourth-down conversion and 30-yard completion set up GS's first score, as Tripp Bryant knocked down a 26-yard field goal to make it 14-3 with 4:15 remaining in the half.
JMU immediately responded with its first kickoff return for a score this year, as Curtis Harris-Lopez took it 88 yards to the house to extend the lead to 21-3 heading into halftime.
The Dukes opened the second half with their first passing score, as Barnett converted a third-and-long to Dippre from 17 yards out to move the lead to 28-3.
Fuller found the end zone for the first time at JMU and for the 47th time in his illustrious career, going 26 yards down the JMU sideline for the score. Georgia Southern came back with its first touchdown drive, as French threw a 12-yard strike to make it 35-10 heading into the fourth and cap the scoring.

GAME NOTES

Saturday's rushing performance marked the first time since April 24, 2021, that JMU had a pair of 100-yard rushers. The duo of Jawon Hamilton (171) and Percy Agyei-Obese (110) each crossed 100 against VMI in the first round of the 2020 FCS Playoffs.
After registering just six sacks over its first three games, JMU produced seven sacks on the day, including the first career sacks for both Immanuel Ezeogu and West.
The kickoff return for a touchdown was the second of Harris-Lopez's career and his first at JMU. It was also the 20th kickoff return for a score in the program's history.
Twenty-seven rushing yards are the fewest by Georgia Southern since being held to 12 by the Dukes on Oct. 15, 2022.
The game featured no turnovers for either team.
JMU dominated time of possession by a margin of 35:50 to 24:10.
JMU didn't allow a sack for the second-straight week.
JMU was 8-for-13 (.615) on third down while limiting GS to just 4-for-14 (.286).
The Dukes scored touchdowns on both of their red-zone trips, while the Eagles were stopped once in the red zone on fourth down, finishing 2-for-3.

UP NEXT
JMU hits the road for Atlanta on Saturday, Oct. 4 when it faces Georgia State at Center Parc Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.