The JMU football team came away with a tough 13-6 victory over Gardner-Webb University over the weekend, with Duke’s defensive play in the fourth quarter securing the win and earning its second victory of the 2024 season.
With that not-so-great performance, it’s time to present the grades for Week 2. We use Pro Football Focus (PFF) to present our weekly grades.
Attack power: D
Scoring just 13 points and less than 300 total yards against FCS opponents is just not good enough, but oddly enough, the Dukes’ Pro Football Focus rating was decent against the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
JMU had an excellent team pass-blocking grade of 94.9 in Week 2, with PFF grading quarterback Alonza Barnett to excellent defense for the majority of the game. So what went wrong?
First, the Dukes’ running game was decent but not great. Their run-blocking rating of 68.1 was worse than the team’s pass-blocking, and no running back topped 100 yards against the FCS defense. George Pettaway led the way with 84 yards on 10 carries, and Tyler Purdy also had 58 yards on 10 carries, but they didn’t have any game-deciding runs. Ayo Addei (-1 yard on 4 carries) struggled before leaving the game injured, and Alonza Barnett was ineffective as a runner (15 yards on 9 carries).
The Dukes dropped two big passes, with Logan Kyle dropping a fourth-down conversion and Omarion Dollarson being called out by PFF for a third-down drop. Dollarson was quiet after his breakout performance against Charlotte (80 yards and a touchdown) and didn’t catch a pass Saturday.
Barnett wasn’t an elite player on Saturday, earning just a 60.9 PFF grade, but he wasn’t bad either. He fumbled two passes, but a pair of drops hurt and ended drives. The lackluster play from the receivers made it hard for Barnett to make an impression. The Dukes were a dismal 3-for-12 on third downs.
JMU is in desperate need of the return of receiver Taj Hudson, who missed the first two games with an injury. Hudson’s size, handling and blocking make him a three-down player. Pairing Hudson with Cam Ross should make Burnett’s passing production more consistent, as those two are arguably the most reliable receivers on the team.
PFF MVP: OL Jesse Ramil, 82.8 points
JMU ranked third nationally in pass blocking grade by @PFF with an 89 and 35th in run blocking grade with a 68.7.
The offensive line’s performance was led by Jesse Ramil, who received the highest PFF grade of any JMU player in Week 2’s win over Gardner-Webb. pic.twitter.com/HfdEchtWMY
— JMU Sports News (@JMUSportsNews) September 9, 2024
Defense: C+
Allowing only six points was great, forcing two turnovers was great, but JMU let Gardner-Webb have the ball for nearly 34 minutes of game time.
The Dukes struggled to get off the field consistently, in part because Gardner Webb was incredibly aggressive on fourth down. The Running Backs were just 2-15 on third down, but 4-6 on fourth down.
JMU only produced a couple of three-and-outs as the Dukes didn’t allow any big plays, but they also couldn’t generate enough negative plays to force a quick punt. JMU recorded just four tackles for loss in the entire game, which tied JMU’s season low in 2023. The Dukes defense needed to be more disruptive against an FCS opponent.
Chauncey Logan, who had an interception, was JMU’s highest-graded defensive player by PFF. Defensive backs Chris Shearin and Kai Holmes also received decent grades. The secondary was strong on Saturday, with Jacob Thomas also grabbing an interception.
Interestingly, Taurus Jones returned as a linebacker with a 71.3 rating but played just 15 times. Jacob Dobbs (57) and Trent Hendrick (55) were the team’s two preferred linebackers. Hendrick’s tackle rating of 32.6 on Saturday was similar to his tackle rating of 34 against Charlotte. Through two games, he has struggled to make tackles consistently.
It will be interesting to see if Jones, who finished the 2022 season with a team-high 82 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss, takes on a larger role against North Carolina. Though he has struggled in coverage over the past year, he has been one of the Dukes’ most reliable run defenders in 2022 and beyond.
PFF MVP: Chauncey Logan, 74 points
Special Teams: C
This unit was ok.
Ryan Hanson got another punt down inside the 10-yard line with help from Chase Regan, but the Dukes didn’t have much going for them in the return game, with Noe Ruelas missing a 46-yard field goal. He bounced back with two field goals late in the game, one of which was from 48 yards out, giving them plenty of room to maneuver.
Terrence Spence almost blocked another punt and was on the verge of creating a big play on special teams.
Coaching: D
JMU players implied after the game that some players overlooked Gardner-Webb, a point that was the coaching staff’s fault.
It’s easy to question the play calling when the plays aren’t going your way, but JMU’s offensive play calling was puzzling: The Dukes opened the game with three straight passing attempts, despite appearing to have built a roster this offseason designed to run the football with a veteran offensive line, a mobile quarterback and three to five quality running backs.
Then, entering the second quarter, the Dukes decided to kick a long field goal instead of going for it on fourth down and two yards, which was a surprise considering JMU was supposed to have the advantage up front against an FCS program.
If the Dukes think they can’t overpower Gardner-Webb up front on fourth down, what’s going to happen against North Carolina?
The opening drive of the second half was good. The Dukes drove down the field with Purdy and Pettaway. There were certainly some good things on Saturday and the coaching staff is competent, but the game on Saturday was not up to JMU’s standards. That’s down to the coaching staff first. They need to prepare their team better to avoid a slow start.
Photo courtesy of JMU Athletic Communications