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Wayne Knight rushed for career-high 212 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown, and No. 19 James Madison made its case for a College Football Playoff berth, beating Troy 31-14 in the Sun Belt Conference title game on Friday night. The Dukes (12-1) will now root for Duke to beat Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game on Saturday night, a result that could make JMU one of two Group of Five schools in the 12-team playoff. On a chilly night when fans were repeatedly chided for throwing snowballs onto the field, JMU's defense recorded eight sacks, a scoop-and-score touchdown and, for the sixth time this season, shut out an opponent in the second half. Defensive end Sahir West had three sacks and was in on 10 tackles. Quarterback Alonza Barnett III's 26-yard touchdown run with 4:11 to play sealed the win as coach Bob Chesney, reportedly bound for UCLA, won his final home game with the Dukes. Barnett rushed for 85 yards and threw for 93 yards and a TD with an interception. A coaching gamble helped keep the game tight in the first half.

With Troy trailing 17-7 and facing a fourth-and-1 at its own 34-yard line, coach Gerad Parker opted to go for it. Lining up in a tight formation, the Trojans used play-action and tried to catch JMU's defense unprepared for a pass downfield. The play didn't seem to surprise the Dukes' defense, but defensive back Elijah Culp grabbed Troy receiver RaRa Thomas, getting flagged for pass interference and giving the Trojans a first down. Troy went on to score seven plays later, with Tae Meadows' 2-yard touchdown run trimming the JMU lead to 17-14 with 2:14 left. Troy (8-5) had a chance to tie it, but Scott Taylor Renfroe missed a 46-yard field-goal try with 4:24 left in the third quarter. The Trojans led 7-3 early in the second quarter when Knight busted loose for his 73-yard TD, the longest in Sun Belt title game history. - James Madison/AP College Football

(DS#33 RB) rJr/2027

RB Wayne Knight, James Madison
News Source: James Madison/AP College Football
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12/04/25 - Sahir West, rFr/2029, James Madison, 6-3, 270 (DS#23 DE) + More +

2025 SUN BELT FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR (COACHES): Sahir West, James Madison (RS Fr., DL - Baltimore, Md.),...As a redshirt freshman, West started all 12 games at defensive end for a James Madison defense that ranks fifth in the nation in total defense at 253.5 yards per game, fifth in rushing defense at 84.7 yards per game, 10th in scoring defense at 16.0 points per game and 12th in passing defense at 167.8 yards per game. The Baltimore, Md., product tallied 33 tackles, a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, seven quarterback hurries and four pass breakups. - Sun Belt Football

(DS#23 DE) rFr/2029

DE Sahir West, James Madison
News Source: Sun Belt Football
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12/04/25 - Trent Hendrick, Sr/2026, James Madison, 6-0, 234 (DS#38 ILB) + More +

2025 SUN BELT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (COACHES): Trent Hendrick, James Madison (Sr., LB - Richmond, Va.),...Hendrick led James Madison and ranks eighth in the Sun Belt with 7.6 tackles per game. The Richmond, Va., native also notched 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, a pass breakup and a forced fumble on the year. The senior linebacker was a key cog in the Dukes defense that ranks fifth in the nation in total defense at 253.5 yards per game, fifth in rushing defense at 84.7 yards per game, 10th in scoring defense at 16.0 points per game and 12th in passing defense at 167.8 yards per game. - Sun Belt Football

(DS#38 ILB) Sr/2026

ILB Trent Hendrick, James Madison
News Source: Sun Belt Football
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12/04/25 - Alonza Barnett III, rJr/2027, James Madison, 6-0, 217 (DS#22 QB) + More +

2025 SUN BELT PLAYER OF THE YEAR (COACHES): Alonza Barnett III, James Madison (RS Jr., QB - Whitsett, N.C.),...Barnett III helmed a James Madison offense that paces the Sun Belt and ranks 10th in the nation averaging 37.8 points per game. The Whitsett, N.C, product threw for 2,440 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushed for 459 yards and 13 touchdowns. The redshirt junior quarterback ranks ninth in the country with 16.7 points responsible for per game, 17th with 13.33 yards per completion and 22nd with 13 rushing touchdowns. Barnett guided James Madison to the seventh unblemished conference season in Sun Belt history and the third during the championship game era. - Sun Belt Football

(DS#22 QB) rJr/2027

QB Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
News Source: Sun Belt Football
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11/29/25 - Alonza Barnett III, rJr/2027, James Madison, 6-0, 217 (DS#22 QB) + More +

Alonza Barnett III threw three touchdown passes, Jobi Malary ran for 154 yards a score and No. 20 James Madison completed a perfect Sun Belt regular season with a 59-10 victory over Coastal Carolina on Saturday. James Madison (11-1, 8-0) will host Troy in the Sun Belt title game Friday night. The Dukes have won 10 straight. James Madison had a 525-170 yards advantage, holding Coastal to minus-5 yards rushing. Coastal Carolina (6-6, 5-3) failed to gain a yard rushing for the first time in school history.

Barnett was 15 of 21 for 207 yards and ran for 31 yards a score, and backup Matthew Sluka completed his only attempt for a 32-yard touchdown pass to Michael Scott. Malary had a 73-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to make it 45-10. Tad Hudson was 16 of 38 for 148 yards and a touchdown for Coastal Carolina. He also threw a fourth-quarter interception that KJ Flowe scored on. Wayne Knight ran for 85 yards to help the Dukes roll up 286 on the ground. Braeden Wisloski caught four passes for 64 yards and a touchdown, Nick DeGennaro had three receptions for 47 yards, plus a two-point conversion, and Lacota Dippre and Isaiah Alson and also caught touchdown passes. Coastal Carolina is the third team to finish unbeaten in Sun Belt play during the championship. The Dukes are the seventh Sun Belt squad to finish conference play 8-0. - James Madison/AP College Football

(DS#22 QB) rJr/2027

QB Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
News Source: James Madison/AP College Football
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11/24/25 - Drew Spinogatti, Jr/2027, James Madison, 6-1, 229 (DS#999 OLB) + More +

WEEK 13 SUN BELT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Drew Spinogatti, James Madison, (Jr., LB - Winter Garden, Fla.),...Dukes junior linebacker Drew Spinogatti tallied a career-best 16 tackles in James Madison's 24-20 non-conference win over Washington State. The Winter Garden, Fla., product also added two pass breakups in his first start of the season. Spinogatti's tackle total was the season-high for any Duke and the most since Jacob Dobbs' 17 against Georgia Southern on Oct. 19, 2024. The win was the ninth-straight for James Madison and the 30th-consecutive against non-conference opposition at home, dating back to the start of the 2016 season. - Sun Belt Football

(DS#999 OLB) Jr/2027

OLB Drew Spinogatti, James Madison
News Source: Sun Belt Football
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11/22/25 - Wayne Knight, rJr/2027, James Madison, 5-07, 190 (DS#33 RB) + More +

Wayne Knight's 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter put No. 21 James Madison ahead to stay and the Dukes beat Washington State 24-20 on Saturday. Knight carried 15 times for 126 yards and Alonza Barnett was 9 for 18 passing for 144 yards and a touchdown for James Madison (10-1). Zevi Eckhaus completed 19 of 31 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another score to lead Washington State (5-6). Kirby Vorhees rushed for 61 yards on 19 carries. After the teams traded field goals in the first quarter, JMU cornerback Justin Eaglin picked off a pass from Eckhaus and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown to give the Dukes a 10-3 lead early in the second quarter.

Midway through the period, Eckhaus got it back by hitting Tony Freeman over the middle for a 48-yard TD, forging a 10-all tie. Eckhaus scored on a 4-yard run with 48 seconds left in the first half to give the Cougars a 17-10 lead at the break. James Madison tied it up late in the third when Barnett found Braeden Wisloski for a 68-yard TD strike. Washington State regained the lead with 9:24 remaining when Jack Stevens' 35-yard field goal bounced off the left upright and in. On the ensuing possession, Knight broke loose for his longest run of the day, racing 58 yards for a score to make it 24-20 James Madison. - James Madison/AP College Football

(DS#33 RB) rJr/2027

RB Wayne Knight, James Madison
News Source: James Madison/AP College Football
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11/19/25 - Alonza Barnett III, rJr/2027, James Madison, 6-0, 217 (DS#22 QB) + More +

WEEK 10 SUN BELT OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Alonza Barnett III, James Madison (RS Jr., QB - Whitsett, N.C.),...Dukes redshirt junior quarterback Alonza Barnett III accounted for 362 yards and five touchdowns to lead James Madison to a dominant 52-20 win over Texas State in front of a national television audience on ESPN2 Tuesday night. The Whitsett, N.C., native accumulated 350-or-more yards and five-or-more touchdowns for the second-straight game, doing so in just three quarters of work. Barnett completed 12-of-18 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 98 yards and a score. - Sun Belt Football

(DS#22 QB) rJr/2027

QB Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
News Source: Sun Belt Football
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11/08/25 - Alonza Barnett III, rJr/2027, James Madison, 6-0, 217 (DS#22 QB) + More +

Alonza Barnett threw three touchdown passes including an 80-yard strike to Jaylan Sanchez that proved to be the winning points in James Madison's 35-23 win over Marshall on Saturday. Barnett found Sanchez deep down the middle. Sanchez gathered in the ball, his defender fell, and he cruised into the end zone for a 28-12 lead midway through the third quarter. The Thundering Herd (4-5, 2/3 Sun Belt) got within five points on Carlos Del Rio-Wilson's 4-yard pass to Tracy Stephens and Lorcan Quinn's third field goal of the game. But Barnett connected with Wayne Knight for a 49-yard catch-and-run TD with 2:16 remaining to seal the seventh straight win for the Dukes (8-1, 6-0).

Barnett was 14 of 24 for 270 yards with an interception. Knight had 79 yards receiving and added 87 on the ground plus another TD. Sanchez had 86 yards receiving and Braeden Wisloski also caught a TD pass. Antwan Roberts rushed for 121 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown. Del Rio-Wilson added 73 yards rushing and 154 passing. Quinn's field goals included a 52-yarder at the end of the half to trail 21-12. This was the "Play For The 75" game that annually pays tribute to the 75 persons, including 37 team members, who died in a 1970 plane crash on the way back from a 17-14 loss to East Carolina on Nov. 14, 1970, in Greenville, North Carolina. - James Madison/AP College Football

(DS#22 QB) rJr/2027

QB Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
News Source: James Madison/AP College Football
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10/28/25 - Alonza Barnett III, rJr/2027, James Madison, 6-0, 217 (DS#22 QB) + More +

Alonza Barnett III threw for 264 yards and four touchdowns, and he added 98 yards and a touchdown on the ground to help James Madison beat Texas State 52-20 on Tuesday night for its sixth straight victory. James Madison (7-1, 5-0 Sun Belt) has posted four consecutive second-half shutouts, including a 63-27 victory over Old Dominion last week when Barnett accounted for six touchdowns. James Madison took a 28-10 lead with 4:45 left in the second quarter before Texas State scored the final 10 points of the half. Texas State kicker Tyler Robles appeared to miss a 36-yard field goal on the final play of the half, but a JMU timeout gave him a second attempt that he made.

Two plays into the third quarter, James Madison extended its lead to 35-20 on a 75-yard catch-and-run by Nick DeGennaro. Then Justin Eaglin made his third interception in the last two games and returned it 42 yards, leading to a Logan Kyle touchdown. Jordan Fuller rushed for two short touchdowns for James Madison. DeGennaro made three catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Brad Jackson threw for 230 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions for Texas State (3-5, 0-4). He also carried it 16 times for 43 yards and a score. - James Madison/AP College Football

(DS#22 QB) rJr/2027

QB Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
News Source: James Madison/AP College Football
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10/21/25 - Alonza Barnett III, rJr/2027, James Madison, 6-0, 217 (DS#22 QB) + More +

WEEK 8 SUN BELT OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Alonza Barnett III, James Madison,(RS Jr., QB – Whitsett, N.C.),...Dukes redshirt junior quarterback Alonza Barnett III accounted for six touchdowns in a dominant 63-27 Royal Rivalry victory over Old Dominion. The Whitsett, N.C., native completed 17-of-25 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for a career-best 153 yards and four touchdowns. His four rushing touchdowns were the most by a Duke in a game since 1999. After trailing 27-21 in the second quarter, Barnett and the offense reeled off 42 unanswered points to secure the rivalry win, stay unbeaten in Sun Belt play and clinch bowl eligibility. - Sun Belt football

(DS#22 QB) rJr/2027

QB Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
News Source: Sun Belt football
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10/20/25 - Alonza Barnett III, rJr/2027, James Madison, 6-0, 217 (DS#22 QB) + More +

WEEK 8 ASSOCIATED PRESS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORABLE MENTION: James Madison QB Alonza Barnett III accounted for six touchdowns and 448 yards of total offense in a 63-27 victory over Old Dominion. - AP College Football

(DS#22 QB) rJr/2027

QB Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
News Source: AP College Football
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10/18/25 - Alonza Barnett III, rJr/2027, James Madison, 6-0, 217 (DS#22 QB) + More +

Alonza Barnett III accounted for six touchdowns and 448 yards of total offense, powering James Madison to a 63-27 victory over Old Dominion on Saturday in the homecoming game for the Dukes. James Madison outscored Old Dominion 35-0 in the second half, turning a close game into a rout in which the Dukes (6-1, 4-0 Sun Belt Conference) piled up 624 yards of offense. Barnett was 17-for-25 passing for 295 yards and had 153 yards rushing on 17 carries. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for a career-high four. His six total touchdowns were one less than his career high of seven in a win over North Carolina last season.

Old Dominion (4-3, 1-2) kicked off to start the game and scored when JMU's Braeden Wisloski fumbled inside his 5-yard line and ODU's Lucas Struck cashed it in for a touchdown. Barnett tied it with a 58-yard run just five plays into the ensuing drive for James Madison. Later in the first quarter, Old Dominion's Colton Joseph threw a mid-range pass to Tre Brown, who caught the ball at his own 20 and raced the next 80 yards mostly untouched to finish off a school-record 98-yard passing touchdown. Joseph finished the first half with three touchdown passes and the Monarchs trailed 28-27. He had 209 yards passing with three TDs and two interceptions for the game. The second half was all James Madison as Barnett dominated with three touchdown runs before backup QB Matthew Sluka's 18-yard TD pass to Za'Ron Collins wrapped up the scoring. - James Madison/AP College Football

(DS#22 QB) rJr/2027

QB Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
News Source: James Madison/AP College Football
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10/11/25 - Alonza Barnett III, rJr/2027, James Madison, 6-0, 217 (DS#22 QB) + More +

Alonza Barnett III threw three touchdown passes to Landon Ellis and James Madison defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 24-14 on Saturday. The Dukes (5-1, 3-0) joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2022 and have compiled a 20-7 record in conference games. This was the first meeting between the Dukes and Ragin' Cajuns. Barnett's 62-yard touchdown pass to Ellis on the first play of the third quarter tied the score at 14 and a 4-yard pass to Ellis made it 21-14 in the fourth quarter. Morgan Suarez added a 24-yard field goal for the final margin.

Lunch Winfield's two first-half touchdown passes — 5 yards to Brock Chappell and 69 yards to Dale Martin — led the Ragin' Cajuns to a 14-7 halftime lead. Barnett completed 26 of 40 passes for 290 yards and was intercepted once. Ellis had 120 receiving yards on six catches. Wayne Knight rushed for 111 yards. Winfield was 14-for-28 passing for 243 yards. Robert Williams had 134 yards receiving on five receptions for the Ragin' Cajuns (2-4, 1-1). Winfield was making his first career start after coming off the bench to lead ULL's 54-51 double-overtime victory over Marshall in its last game two weeks ago. Winfield threw two touchdown passes and ran for three more scores to lead a comeback from a 17-point deficit against the Thundering Herd. - James Madison/AP College Football

(DS#22 QB) rJr/2027

QB Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
News Source: James Madison/AP College Football
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09/30/25 - Curtis Harris-Lopez, rSr/2026, James Madison, 6-0, 208 (DS#999 SS) + More +

WEEK 5 SUN BELT SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Curtis Harris-Lopez, James Madison, (RS Sr., RS - Nashua, N.H.),...Dukes redshirt senior return specialist Curtis Harris-Lopez returned his first kickoff at James Madison for a touchdown in a 35-10 win over Georgia Southern. The Nashua, N.H., product's 88-yard kickoff return touchdown extended the Dukes margin to 21-3 in the second quarter. Harris-Lopez's return was James Madison's first kickoff return touchdown since Oct. 26, 2024 and is the program's 20th all-time kick return score. - Sun Belt Football

(DS#999 SS) rSr/2026

SS Curtis Harris-Lopez, James Madison
News Source: Sun Belt Football
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