There are two games in the Sun Belt this week that will determine who will be playing for the conference title. This meeting between JMU and Marshall is one of them.
If Marshall is able to knock off James Madison, then it will finish atop the Sun Belt West and play Louisiana for the conference title. With a loss and if Georgia Southern defeats App State, then the Eagles will be in the championship since they beat Marshall in mid-October.
JMU is no longer in contention for a league championship but still has the opportunity to finish the season with a quality win.
How To Watch Marshall-JMU
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday and will air on ESPNU.
Marshall-JMU Betting Odds
JMU is a three-point college football betting odds favorite.
Marshall-JMU Coaches & Records
MU: Charles Huff (30-20)
JMU: Bob Chesney (8-3)
Last meeting: Oct. 19, 2023; JMU won 20-9.
The Dukes’ win last season was their first in this series. Marshall holds a 3-1 advantage.
Marshall Preview
If it wasn’t for the fourth-quarter collapse the Thundering Herd had against Georgia Southern, they would be 7-0 in conference play. They are 8-3 overall.
The Thundering Herd are arguably the biggest surprise in the league. They’ve been somewhat coasting under the radar but have been piling up victories in different ways. Marshall was at +1600 to win the Sun Belt, and its preseason win total was at 5.5, a number it went over three weeks ago.
Marshall head coach Charles Huff should be in the conversation for the Sun Belt Coach of the Year as he has his squad bowl bound for the fourth consecutive season — each of the years he’s been at the helm.
This year’s team has really leaned on the run game and is averaging a league-best 205.8 rushing yards per game. Running back AJ Turner is second in the conference and is averaging 84.6 rushing YPG and has added six TDs.
The rushing attack really took off, though, when quarterback Braylon Braxton took over as the starter in Week 6. In last week’s win over Old Dominion, Braxton rushed for 140 yards and averaged 7.8 yards per carry. He has 529 rushing yards and three TDs on the season to go with 1,311 passing yards and 16 TDs. He’s tossed two interceptions.
Defensive end Mike Green has been one of the best defenders in the FBS this season and leads the conference in sacks (15) and tackles for loss (20). The NFL prospect should cause some problems for JMU’s offense.
JMU Preview
Every time the Dukes seemed to be rolling this season, they were upset in games they were favored in. Two of those losses came when they were double-digit favorites and all three of them were on the road.
JMU went 4-0 in non-conference play but have since gone 4-3 against league opponents and is behind Marshall and Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt East. Any shot at making it to the Sun Belt title game was crushed following last week’s loss to App State, but now the Dukes have a chance to disrupt Marshall’s chances at securing its first-ever Sun Belt Championship.
The good news for the Dukes is this game is at home, which is where they’re undefeated.
JMU’s defense is the best in the league and ranks first in scoring defense, allowing 19.5 points per game, and in total defense with 327.7 yards allowed per game. The Dukes are only giving up 122 rushing YPG and have surrendered a league-low 11 rushing scores.
It should be a great matchup between JMU’s rush defense and Marshall’s rushing attack.
Quarterback Alonza Barnett III is fourth in the conference with 261.6 total yards per game and has 31 total touchdowns on the season.
And just like Marshall, the Dukes have a defender that lives in opposing backfields. Eric O’Neill trails only Green in sacks (9.5) and tackles for loss (15) in the Sun Belt on the season. O’Neill is a player who could determine the outcome of this game.
Marshall-JMU Prediction
If this contest were being played in Huntington, then I would have to give the edge to Marshall. However, I think the Dukes finish the season undefeated at home and pull out a win here.
This game could come down to whoever can contain the opposing quarterback, and I think JMU has the better defense and the better chance to do so.
I do think Marshall covers the three-point spread, though, and that it will still sneak into the Sun Belt championship because of a Georgia Southern loss to App State.
