The Mountaineers welcomed the James Madison Dukes to the High Country Saturday for senior day, taking the win 34-20 and keeping their hopes for a bowl game alive all while a celebrity visit took center stage.

JMU received the opening kickoff and drove down the field, breaking off multiple big plays en route to a 4-yard touchdown pass by quarterback Alonza Barnett III to wide receiver Yamir Knight.

The next three possessions all resulted in three-and-outs, with neither team able to get any momentum against the other’s defense.

The Dukes finally broke the cycle and got a first down for the first time since the opening drive, but then promptly punted on their next set of downs.

The Mountaineers then got their first new set of downs in the game on an 11-yard reception by fifth-year senior tight end Eli Wilson. They also quickly stalled out after a deep shot by senior quarterback Joey Aguilar intended for redshirt junior wide receiver Dalton Stroman fell incomplete.

The first quarter ended on the following possession with JMU driving down the field, looking to extend their lead to two scores. They followed through less than a minute into the second quarter, with Barnett finding tight end Josh Phifer on a pop-pass for a 37-yard touchdown.

Aguilar opened the next drive with a bang, heaving the ball down the field and finding junior wide receiver Makai Jackson for a 50-yard gain. However, they failed to capitalize and had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by senior kicker Michael Hughes to score the Mountaineers’ first points of the game, closing the lead to 14-3.

The Mountaineers’ defense stepped up on the following drive. Redshirt Junior Shawn Collins turned into a one-man wrecking crew, capitalizing on the Dukes botching a play to strip-sack Barnett and recover the ball.

On the second play of the ensuing drive, Aguilar found Jackson for a 29-yard gain and then him again on the next play for 12.

Aguilar then finished the drive by finding Wilson in the flat who ran the ball into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown to close the lead to 14-10.

The JMU offense was able to drive down the field in their ensuing possession but was stopped and had to settle for a 46-yard field goal by kicker Noe Ruelas to extend the lead to 7 points.

The Mountaineers’ offense stepped up on the next possession, converting a fourth down on a quarterback sneak by Aguilar, who then connected with Jackson on a 64-yard bomb to tie the game at 17.

The Mountaineers’ defense and special teams stepped up big time on the following possession. When the defense forced the Dukes to punt, redshirt freshman linebacker Cahari Haynes burst through the middle untouched and blocked it. The ball was eventually picked up by fifth-year redshirt junior Michael Hetzel who ran it in for a touchdown, giving App State their first lead of the game 24-17.

“Coach Haines all week dialed that play up it wasn’t something we just got lucky on,” Hetzel said. “Cahari gets all the credit, he blocked it, he got through so easily and I was just the lucky guy who was in the right place at the right time.”

This play was made all the more remarkable because Hetzel’s maternal grandfather, John Cefelli, had passed away less than 48 hours before the game.

“He was always there for me, grew up right down the street from me, took me to practice when I was little, would always talk to me about football even though he didn’t necessarily play it,” Hetzel said. “He was just moral support at all times.”

The Dukes were unable to respond before the half ended, and the Mountaineers took the lead into halftime.

Jackson ended the half with 157 yards and a touchdown on only 4 receptions.

The Mountaineers’ 24 points in the second quarter was the most they have gained in a quarter all season.

Halftime was an eventful affair, with several different festivities taking place celebrating homecoming.  

Top of the Rock was crowned with Landry Mazzarell who represented Alpha Delta Pi and the National Alliance of Mental Illness taking the honors.

Former Philadelphia Eagles center and seven-time pro bowler Jason Kelce was in town to watch the game and see some of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. During halftime he came out onto the field to give an impassioned speech

“All the stories I’ve heard, everyone I’ve met dropping in, is what a wonderful team this community is,” Kelce said. “Countless stories of people willing to give of themselves to others. This place is truly special and I so thank you for allowing me into your home to meet you here.”

The Mountaineers opened the second half with the ball but eventually failed to convert a fourth down at the JMU 41.

The Dukes moved the ball to the Mountaineers’ side of the field but could not capitalize on the good field position. They settled for a 52-yard field goal by Ruelas to cut the Mountaineers lead to 24-20.

The Mountaineers responded by going three and out on their next possession and punting the ball.

JMU was unable to get anything going after getting rung up for a holding call on second and three and ended up punting the ball.

The Black and Gold then drove down to the red zone, pounding the Dukes’ defense with senior running back Ahmani Marshall. Marshall eventually punched the ball into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown giving the Mountaineers a two-score lead.

A mix of mistakes and good play by the Mountaineers’ defense forced the Dukes to fourth down on their possession. Increasingly desperate to close their deficit, the Dukes decided to go for in their own territory, but Barnett’s pass fell incomplete and the ball turned over on downs.

The Mountaineers couldn’t get much going on offense, but their good starting field position allowed them to trot out Hughes for a 41-yard field goal, which he drilled to extend App State’s lead to 34-20.

The Mountaineers defense stepped up to shut down JMU’s next drive. Junior cornerback Jason Chambers ran the opposing receiver’s route for him and picked off Barnet’s pass.

“I saw it was one on one, I knew the quarterback liked to take shots,” Chambers said. “So with that in mind when he did take the shot, I just did my best to try and go get the ball.” 

App State went three and out on the ensuing drive, punting the ball away after taking more than two minutes off the clock.

The Dukes quickly drove down the field and into the red zone, needing to score a touchdown to have a chance at winning the game. App State’s defense eventually forced fourth down and redshirt senior defensive end Michael Fletcher sacked Barnett to force another turnover on downs.

The Black and Gold then slowly moved the ball downfield, converting first downs and burning time while JMU used their timeouts and the two-minute warning to conserve clock.  

The Mountaineers eventually burned enough time to enter victory formation and took the win on senior day.

“All the credit goes to our players, the way they executed,” said head coach Shawn Clark. “It’s a great win for our program, and way to celebrate the players that won’t play here at The Rock anymore.”

App State had one of their most complete games of the year, committing no penalties for the first time all season and not turning the ball over all game.

“We played clean football, that’s complementary football,” Clark said.

Jackson and Marshall had stellar games for the offense, each playing one of their best games of the year.

Jackson had 5 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown in the game. It was his first 100-yard game as a Mountaineer, stepping up in place of redshirt senior Kaedin Robinson who is out for the season with a knee injury.

“Basically kinda since he went down I just had a feeling that we all gotta step up,” Jackson said. “Even if it wasn’t me somebody gotta step up and I’m glad it was me.”

Marshall had his fourth 100-yard rushing game in a row, going for 108 yards and a touchdown on 24 attempts.

On Saturday, The Mountaineers will travel to Statesboro, Georgia, to face the Georgia Southern Eagles for a chance to go to a bowl game. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m. and the game can be watched on ESPN+.