It’s time for the weekly JMU football report card. It was a good week for almost every unit on the team as the Dukes defeated Ball State 63-7.
Our results reflect JMU’s superiority. Remember, we use Pro Football Focus grades to help analyze report cards.
Attack power: A+
How about 513 yards, 8 offensive TDs, zero turnovers, and no punts? I think it’s pretty good!
Ball State’s defense has been very bad, as the Cardinals have allowed at least 34 points in every game this season. Still, JMU did what it had to do against a bad defense.
JMU threw for 286 yards and ran for another 220 yards. The team averaged 6.47 yards per carry, with several runners performing well. Wayne Knight led the team with 63 yards on six carries, and Jobi Mallary had 50 yards on five carries. Alonza Barnett gained 44 yards on the ground and had 280 passing yards. JMU’s quarterback finished the game with a very impressive six touchdowns, following on from last week’s seven touchdown performance. he’s a star
Once again, the offensive line was great. The group finished with a run blocking grade of 88.4, according to PFF. This is the Dukes’ best run-blocking performance in a single game since moving to the FBS level. His pass blocking grade of 77.1 was respectable as well.
Tight end Taylor Thompson also played very well. He caught five passes for 91 yards and one touchdown, earning a PFF grade of 89.8. Only Burnett did better.
If the Dukes perform like they have the past two weeks, they will win the Sun Belt title. If they can come even close to their performance over the past two weeks, they will have a great chance of being league champions.
PFF MVP: Alonza Barnett, grade 92.9
Defense: A
Only 7 points allowed despite 3 turnovers? That’s fine!
JMU’s defense scored a touchdown as long as DE Eric O’Neal intercepted and returned a pass for a score. The defense looked solid Saturday. There is still room for improvement as a tackler, but the unit continues to grow under coordinator Lyle Hemphill, and Saturday’s PFF tackle grade of 72.3 was better than expected.
The defensive line is becoming more and more dominant each week, and the secondary is doing a great job of generating interceptions. CB Terrence Spence reached his third season, and S’s DJ Barksdale made a great play on the ball and earned his first INT of his career.
O’Neal and Barksdale were standouts in PFF, with each earning a grade of 90 or above. Linebacker Taurus Jones also played well, scoring 76.6 points on 20 snaps. Jones became JMU’s top-rated run defender on Saturday.
PFF MVP: Eric O’Neal, 92.4
Special teams: B
The unit is solid and I didn’t have to do much with it. The Dukes didn’t kick a field goal, but they missed an extra point. They faked an extra point early in the game and made up for it with a successful two-point conversion.
Overall, this unit was solid, but wasn’t asked to do much Saturday.
Coaching: A
Not only did JMU avoid a post-UNC stall, but the Dukes also planned well for Ball State. They created turnovers against a young quarterback with elite potential in the MAC. On the offensive side, they threw and ran the ball at will without seriously injuring their key players.
Barnett only had a few designed runs, and running back George Pettaway received only four carries. The Dukes did a good job of rotating players, making sure to limit the number of snaps for their key players while also ensuring they scored a lot of points. I was impressed with JMU’s focus and execution and felt it was wise to keep players like Pettaway away from unnecessary contact.
Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications
