JMU football started the season with a 30-7 win over Charlotte, and while it wasn’t always a pretty game, the Dukes left the visiting venue trailing by 23 points.
This season, we will be publishing a JMU football report card each week, aided by our own analysis and Pro Football Focus (PFF) ratings. Let’s take a look at the Week 1 grades.
Attack power: C-
The Dukes offense scored just nine points in the first half, lost the ball twice and couldn’t build a strong running game. JMU scored 21 points in the second half as quarterback Alonza Barnett regained his footing in the game.
Barnett threw a 73-yard pass to Omarion Dollaron for a touchdown early in the second half. Dollaron has five touchdowns in his JMU career, all of which have resulted in a first down or touchdown. Dollaron will never lead JMU in catches, but a few touches a game can change the course of a game.
This group should have been rated higher, but the offensive line struggled at times. JMU’s traditional running game struggled throughout the night, with Duke’s running backs only gaining 81 total yards on 27 carries (3 yards per carry). No offensive lineman was graded higher than 75 by PFF.
Tyshawn Wyatt’s return from injury should provide a big boost to the Dukes’ offensive line.
PFF MVP: QB Alonza Burnett, 83.6 points
Defense: A-
Holding any team to under 10 points should be viewed as a positive, even if Charlotte’s offense was one of the worst in the AAC in 2023. JMU’s defense kept Charlotte from scoring and shut them out in the second half.
Kaili Manns, a Colorado transfer from Maine, was arguably the star of the night as he led JMU with eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. This athletic defensive end can ruin games at the Group of Five level. Manns led the defense with a defensive grade of 81.9, including a rush defense grade of 93.0.
LIU transfer Eric O’Neill didn’t record a tackle as a defensive end but did disrupt the pocket a few times Saturday, and he should see more of a role as the season progresses. He received a PFF grade of 60.1.
Cornerback Justin Eaglin recorded an interception and earned a PFF coverage grade of 73.9, the best grade of any JMU player. Eaglin played solidly on Saturday, as did Chris Shearin (grade 70), Chauncey Logan (grade 68.8) and Terrence Spence (grade 65.9). The secondary looked improved from 2023, limiting big plays and forcing Charlotte to keep driving.
PFF MVP: DE Kairi Manns, 81.9 grade
Special Teams: C-
JMU’s kickoff coverage was poor, but head coach Bob Chesney felt the officials did not favor JMU, and he told Dave Riegert after the game that he felt Charlotte got away with multiple holding fouls on kickoff returns.
Ryan Hanson played solidly as one of the best in the country, picking up a punt down at the 1-yard line, and Noe Ruelas (1-1) had a good field goal but missed the extra point.
Terrence Spence, a transfer from Holy Cross, nearly blocked a punt in the win. Spence blocked six kicks in his Holy Cross career.
Coaching: A-
JMU made some nice adjustments at halftime and the Dukes were outscored 21-0 at the end of the second half, and the coaching staff deserves credit for making the small adjustments that led to a commanding victory in the final 30 minutes.
The Dukes struggled early but played better after halftime, and it’s a credit to the JMU coaching staff that the Dukes didn’t panic after losing an away game.
Bob Chesney and the team have a lot to work on, but the Dukes started the year off with a nice win.
Photo courtesy of JMU Athletic Communications