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Game Preview: #25 JMU looks to remain unbeaten Saturday at Georgia Southern

Roger Gonzalez
jmu football
(© Steve Heap – Steve Jacobson)

The No. 25 James Madison Dukes football team will look to remain undefeated on the season when they go to Georgia Southern on Saturday. The Dukes are ranked for the first time at the FBS level, having only moved up this season. At 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Sun Belt, they enter as the favorites against a team that is 2-4 overall.

Georgia Southern has is 3-3 overall but is coming off losses to Coastal Carolina and Georiga State.

Where to watch?

The game will air at 4 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN+.

What to know about JMU

The Dukes have scored 30 points in all of their games and 40 in all but one. They are looking sharp on offense and in defense and willplay their first game as a ranked FBS team. Against Georgia Southern, they should have their way, though on the road is always a challenge. If they can limit the turnovers, which they’ve done, they should be in a positive position to win the game. But there is a chance this can be a bit closer than some expect. JMU enters as an eight-point favorite.

What to know about the Georgia Southern

They can put up some points, evident by having scored 30 in three straight games. But in the last two, they put up at least 30 yet still lose. A 34-30 defeat to Coastal Carolina and a 41-33 loss to Georgia State sees this team in a tricky spot and needing a win to get back on track. But in order to beat JMU, they have to be smarter with the ball. Quarterback Kyle Vantrease went 30-for-49 for 359 yards last time out, throwing three touchdowns … but he also threw four picks. If they can clean it up, they have what it takes to compete.

Prediction

JMU 34, Georgia Southern 28

Roger Gonzalez

Roger Gonzalez

Roger Gonzalez is freelancer for Augusta Free Press. A native of Connecticut that grew up in Charlottesville, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech. He currently is a sportswriter with CBS Sports and has written for The Daily Progress, The Roanoke Times and other newspapers before getting into the digital sports journalism world.