App State Deals James Madison Its First Loss of the Year
WHO:
Action Network - Appalachian State safety Jayon Harvey left the team’s previous game against Georgia State early.
ESPN - Appalachian State’s James London kicked the game-winning field goal; Malachi Singleton completed 26 of 40 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
ESPN - James Madison quarterback Camden Coleman completed 22 of 39 passes for 232 yards, one touchdown and one interception; he also scored a rushing touchdown.
ESPN - JMU running back George Pettaway rushed 15 times for 57 yards and a touchdown before leaving with an apparent left hamstring injury; he did not return.
ESPN - JMU kicker Morgan Suarez missed a 47-yard overtime field-goal attempt. He had earlier made a 47-yard field goal, tying his career long.
ESPN - Appalachian State’s Colton Phares intercepted a pass and returned it 21 yards; Henry Hasselbeck threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Luke Douglas.
ESPN - Five undefeated FBS teams remained after JMU’s loss: Miami, BYU, Utah, Texas Tech and UCLA.
Action Network - JMU entered the matchup 7-0, with Camden Coleman starting while JC Evans was injured. George Pettaway had rushed for more than 750 yards at nearly eight yards per carry.
Action Network - Malachi Singleton was listed as questionable; Henry Hasselbeck had rushed for 125 yards against Coastal Carolina, and Jaquari Lewis had rushed for 85 yards and four touchdowns.
WHAT:
Action Network - James Madison quarterback Camden Coleman had thrown at least 13 touchdown passes and only one interception before the game.
Action Network - James Madison’s previous 27-24 win over Georgia Southern was one of two one-score wins; its other one-score win, over Liberty, ended with an 89% postgame win expectancy.
Action Network - Appalachian State had three one-score wins over East Carolina, Charlotte and Coastal Carolina; its win over Coastal had a 42% postgame win expectancy, while its East Carolina win had a 25% expectancy.
Action Network - Appalachian State lost 10-3 to Old Dominion in a rain and wind storm.
Action Network - Appalachian State defensive coordinator DJ Smith improved the Mountaineers’ points-per-drive defense from outside the top 100 the previous year to 55th.
Action Network - Appalachian State was ranked 101st in Rushing Success Rate allowed.
ESPN - Appalachian State defeated previously undefeated James Madison 34-31 in overtime, handing JMU its first loss of the season.
ESPN - London made a 40-yard walk-off field goal in overtime, in addition to field goals from 48, 27 and 36 yards.
ESPN - JMU tied the game 31-31 with three seconds remaining in regulation when Coleman scored on a quarterback draw. He had completed a fourth-down pass to Jeremiah Harrison for three yards, setting up first-and-goal at the six-yard line.
ESPN - Phares’s interception came with 6:03 remaining; two plays later, Hasselbeck’s touchdown pass gave Appalachian State its first lead, 31-24.
ESPN - Appalachian State improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the Sun Belt Conference; JMU fell to 7-1 and 4-1.
ESPN - JMU had been the No. 12 seed in the previous College Football Playoff and entered the game with a stronger projected Group of 6 playoff chance than Boise State, according to ESPN’s Allstate Playoff Predictor.
ESPN - JMU’s strength-of-schedule ranking was 131st among 138 teams, compared with Boise State’s 59th. ESPN reported that the loss, along with JMU’s earlier 27-24 win over Georgia Southern, severely damaged its playoff hopes.
Action Network - The betting preview listed JMU as a 12-point favorite, Appalachian State as a 12-point underdog, and the over/under at 56.5 points. Its listed betting lines also showed JMU -12.5, Appalachian State +12.5, JMU moneyline -470 and Appalachian State +360.
WHERE:
ESPN - The game was played in Boone, North Carolina.
Action Network - The matchup was at Appalachian State’s home venue in Boone; JMU’s previous game against Georgia State was at home.
WHEN:
Action Network - James Madison’s season bye week was scheduled for Week 12 (Nov. 21); it had six road games across eight consecutive weeks.
ESPN - The game was played Thursday night; the article gives no year.
Action Network - The preview identified kickoff as 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU and described the matchup as Thursday, Oct. 22; it gives no year.
WHY:
Action Network - Its prediction favored the over, citing favorable weather conditions for offense and Appalachian State’s defense allowing a high rate of rushing success.
HOW:
Action Network - Appalachian State had played Coastal Carolina on the preceding Friday in Conway, while James Madison had played Georgia State at home on Saturday, leaving JMU with a shorter preparation week and a road trip.
ESPN - The game went to overtime after Coleman’s late rushing touchdown tied the score. Suarez missed JMU’s overtime field goal, and London then converted the 40-yard game-winner.
Appalachian State stunned previously unbeaten James Madison, winning 34 to 31 in overtime in Boone and handing the Dukes their first loss. JMU quarterback Camden Coleman tied the game with a six-yard rushing touchdown with three seconds left in regulation. In overtime, JMU kicker Morgan Suarez missed a 47-yard field goal, and Appalachian State’s James London won it with a 40-yard kick. London also made three earlier field goals, while quarterback Malachi Singleton threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns. JMU’s Coleman passed for 232 yards and a touchdown, and running back George Pettaway scored before leaving with an apparent hamstring injury. Appalachian State’s Colton Phares intercepted Coleman late in regulation, setting up Henry Hasselbeck’s touchdown pass for the Mountaineers’ first lead. Appalachian State improved to five and two; JMU fell to seven and one, a result that significantly damaged its playoff hopes.