App State football travels to Harrisonburg, Virginia for a matchup against in-conference and ranked opponent No. 24 James Madison University. The Black and Gold are in the midst of a 3-game losing streak, the program’s worst slide in 11 seasons.
App State currently sits at 4-5 in head coach Dowell Loggains’ first season, but history has sided with the Mountaineers against JMU in recent years. App State is 10-2 all-time versus the Dukes, with a 5-0 record in Bridgeforth Stadium.
While the Mountaineers’ record has plummeted the last three weeks, the Dukes’ has been rising, averaging 50 points and 514.6 yards per game in the same timespan. Led by quarterback Alonza Barnett III, the Dukes have yet to lose a game at home, only missing the beat in a matchup against the University of Louisville away from home earlier in the season.
Loggains said in his weekly pregame press conference that JMU is “the most complete team we’ve played to date,” which is proven by the statistics. The Dukes are the first opponents for App State that have excelled in the following: third-down conversion rate, blocked kicks, first down defense, rushing defense, rushing offense, scoring defense, scoring offense, team sacks and total defense, for all of which JMU is ranked in the top 40 of the NCAA.
A David versus Goliath story seems to be brewing, as Loggains has said his team is not one that goes down easily.
“What I love is our guys respond the right way. Two weeks in a row, we have been down, and it talks about our culture and what we’re building. They come back, and they fight,” Loggains said. “This is a different team than it was eight weeks ago, as far as they’ve started to become better teammates and rely and play hard on each other.”
Second-half and fourth-quarter play has elevated the Mountaineers in the last two weeks. The Mountaineers outscored Old Dominion University and Georgia Southern University by a margin of 28-3 in the fourth quarter across their last two games, which created opportunities to win late.
“When you play free and you play aggressive, it gives you a chance to win,” Loggains said.
A key to the Mountaineers’ success this upcoming weekend could be on the ground. The Dukes’ previous game against Marshall saw them give up 248 yards on the ground, which is 149 yards more than their season average of 98.9. Senior running back Rashod Dubinion, who has tapered off from his hot start to the season due to injury, may play a pivotal role with his ability to hit the second level and make defenders miss.
App State looks to play spoiler to an impressive Dukes season once again as the matchup will kick off at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and be streamed on ESPN+.
