HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (JMU Athletics) – Alonza Barnett III threw for 270 passing yards and three touchdowns, as James Madison football held off a second-half push from Marshall to win, 35-23, on Saturday afternoon at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

JMU (8-1, 6-0 Sun Belt) held a 28-12 second-half lead before Marshall (4-5, 2-3 SBC) trimmed the lead to 28-23 on a touchdown following a fake punt and field goal. The Dukes secured a crucial fourth-down stop with 3:15 to go before a 49-yard touchdown from Wayne Knight with 2:16 left proved enough for JMU to hang on for the road win.

Knight led the Dukes in rushing, as he ran for 87 yards and a touchdown. He also added four catches for 79 receiving yards and a touchdown to finish with 166 all-purpose yards. Three Dukes had at least three catches, as Jaylan Sanchez scored his first JMU touchdown on an 80-yard pass to finish with 86 receiving yard on three receptions. Landon Ellis finished with 49 receiving yards on a trio of grabs.

On the other side of the ball, five Dukes finished with career highs in tackles, led by Tyler Brown and Trent Hendrick, who had 13 and 12, respectively. Gannon Weathersby made 11 stops while Amar Thomas added nine. Aiden Gobaira also contributed eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss to go along with the game-sealing sack.

For Marshall Carlos Del Rio-Wilson finished with 227 total yards, as he was totaled 154 passing yards and a touchdown while adding 73 yards on the ground. Antwan Roberts led the ground attack with 121 rushing yards and a score.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• JMU struck first, as Barnett connected with Braeden Wisloski on a 26-yard touchdown pass, which saw Wisloski go over the top of the defender in the end zone.
• Marshall got on the board with a Roberts 15-yard touchdown rushing score to make it a 7-6 game.
• Knight put JMU in the red zone on a 22-yard pitch and finished the drive with a six-yard touchdown, giving JMU a 14-6 edge with 8:38 to go in the half.
• After a Marshall field goal, JMU upped its lead to 21-9 on a Jordan Fuller one-yard rush, and the Herd quickly answered with a 52-yard field goal to make it 21-12 at the break.
• Sanchez extended the lead to 28-12 midway through the third with his first JMU touchdown on a career-long 80-yard strike from Barnett. It was also the longest pass of Barnett’s career.
• After a fake-punt pass to extend their drive, the Herd got within a score, at 28-20, late in the quarter on a four-yard touchdown by Del-Rio Wilson to Tracy Stephens. The two-point try was also good on Del-Rio Wilson’s pass.
• Marshall forced the first turnover of the game, as Barnett was picked off on a tipped pass in Herd territory. On the ensuing possession, JMU’s defense held Marshall to a field goal, making the score 28-23 with 10:15 to go.
• After a crucial fourth-down stop with 3:15 remaining, Knight scored from 49 yards out on a swing pass to put the game out of Marshall’s reach.
• On the final drive and in the red zone, Marshall was halted on Gobaira’s fourth-down sack.

GAME NOTES
JMU won its first game of the year after being out-gained on the day, as Marshall’s final drive gave the hosts a 414-409 edge in total yards.
JMU registered a season-high nine pass breakups , including two each by Jacob Thomas and Sahir West.
Marshall had 25 first downs, as opposed to 20 by JMU. It was the most first downs JMU has allowed all season.
Neither team played over 50% on third down, as JMU was 5-of-12 and MU finished 6-of-17.
Teams combined for just 11 TFL and two sacks, as JMU had five TFL, to Marshall’s six.
• JMU’s 7-0 lead after one marked just the second time this season Marshall has trailed after the opening quarter.
• Barnett’s first touchdown pass was the 40th of his career and his game-clinching third score in the fourth marked the 60th total touchdown of his career.
• Marshall’s third-quarter touchdown ended a second-half scoreless streak of 294:35.
• Since both teams joined the Sun Belt in 2022, the road team has won all four meetings.

UP NEXT
JMU returns home to open a two-game homestand with a Sun Belt matchup against App State on Saturday, Nov. 15. Kickoff from Bridgeforth Stadium is set for a 3:30 p.m. start.

— JMU Athletics —