Dominant Third Quarter Launches James Madison Past Old Dominion

James Madison would use a 21-point third quarter and timely turnovers to put this installment of the Royal Rivalry out of reach. But this was hardly an easy win and the game certainly did not start off as scripted for the Dukes against Old Dominion.

A fumble that would lead to a scoop and score would put the Monarchs immediately in front 7-0 with only six seconds coming off of the clock. Rather than cratering, the Dukes responded immediately with a 58-yard touchdown run by Alonza Barnett III. This quick strike and finished drive was a sign of things to come for a team in JMU that has struggled to get the offense going in the first half.

Well that’s a special start! @LucasStruck2 with the scoop and score!#ReignOn | #BeTheReason pic.twitter.com/FSPSOFcylO

— ODU Football (@ODUFootball) October 18, 2025

After a couple of punts, ODU and JMU would exchange touchdowns and the game looked like it would be a shootout, something the Dukes had not experienced all year. Tre’ Brown III was torching the Dukes secondary including a 98-yard pass play that was anything but the norm for a usually stingy JMU defense. Brown would have four catches for 138 yards in the first half. The ODU offense put up 275 yards on a JMU defense that was holding teams to an average of only 229 per game. Colton Joseph was looking like his usual self as opposed to what we saw at Marshall last week.

But, the offense finally came to play for the Dukes in the first half and after a critical three-and-out to stop ODU’s potential two minute drill, JMU would go into halftime with a 28-27 lead.

The second half started out much like the first, but this time it was ODU that was on the end of a shocking turnover. An interception on the opening play would put JMU in Monarch territory. The Dukes would capitalize and not look back. Another turnover off of a muffed punt and the stingy JMU defense would help the Dukes cap off a 21-0 third quarter to go up 49-27.

JMU would then gather another interception and once again capitalize on the Monarch turnover. The game was quickly out of hand and Old Dominion went from having an offense that looked like it couldn’t be stopped to an offense that could not move the ball at all.

After the 275 yard first half for the Monarch’s, ODU could only muster 10 total yards in the second half. That incredible performance makes James Madison the only defense in all of FBS to not allow 300 yards in a game in the 2025 season.

And for all of the headaches and noise around Alonza Barnett III and issues with inconsistency, he easily had his best game of the year. He completed two touchdown passes to Nick DeGennaro and ran in another four. Barnett would throw for 295 yards and lead the team in rushing yards, accumulating 158. For those calling for changes at quarterback and a shake up within the offense, the Dukes put on a statement performance in front of a raucous homecoming crowd.

Week 8 Performance

QB Alonza Barnett III – JMU

• 295 Passing yards 2 TDs
• 153 Rushing yards 4 TDs

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/bOz0HKPHe2

— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) October 18, 2025

And for the first time this year, rather than Matthew Sluka entering the game mid-drive, he was brought in late in the game with JMU already having the game comfortable in hand. To his credit, he would lead the Dukes down the field for the final touchdown of the game. The drive wasn’t pretty, but Sluka’s passing touchdown would cap off 42 unanswered points for the Dukes.

It was not a flawless game for JMU, but it was a statement. They dealt with adversity and showed offensive literacy that had been missing from the Dukes all season. The defense also showed why they were elite, forcing second half turnovers and completely shutting down the Old Dominion offense. James Madison is now 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the Sun Belt. They sit firmly in the drivers seat to represent the East Division in the Sun Belt Championship. Their next contest will be a Tuesday night affair on October 28th in San Marcos against Texas State.

For Old Dominion, they will have to figure out what went so wrong in the second half. The blowout at Marshall could be written off due to so many turnovers. Against the Dukes, they were just outclassed after JMU took hold of the game following the interception to open up the third quarter. The Monarchs are now 4-3 overall and 1-2 in the Sun Belt. They will be at home in Norfolk next weekend with Appalachian State coming to town, a game both teams will need to win in order to keep their conference championship hopes alive.