James Madison dominates on both sides of the ball in a resounding 59-10 victory
Coastal Carolina suffers its fifth blowout defeat of the season, as James Madison dominates on both sides of the ball in a resounding 59-10 victory.
The Chanticleers received the ball to begin the game. They went three-and-out on their first drive as quarterback Tad Hudson was sacked on third down. James Madison started their first drive with great field position and quickly got on the board as the quarterback Alonza Barnett kept the ball himself for his 13th rushing touchdown of the season.
James Madison forced another three-and-out on Coastal Carolina’s second drive. Following the punt, the Chanticleer defense held strong, limiting the Dukes to a field goal despite a 27-yard completion to Nick DeGennaro. With just under six minutes remaining in the first quarter, James Madison extended its lead to 10-0.
The Dukes’ defense blew up a screen play on third down, with running back Ja’Vin Simpkins injured on the play. Coastal Carolina punted on each of its first three possessions. After the punt, Maryland transfer Braeden Wisloski came back for an underthrown pass and displayed excellent ball skills to secure a 39-yard touchdown catch. James Madison was in complete control, extending its lead to 17-0.
WIZ DOES IT AGAIN! WHAT A START IN CONWAY!#GoDukes | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/o8tEKIsPqn
— JMU Football (@JMUFootball) November 29, 2025
The Chanticleers punted once again, and James Madison marched down the field but settled for a field goal. Kicker Morgan Suarez remained perfect on the day, connecting from 47 yards out to put the Dukes ahead 20-0 with just over 11 minutes left in the first half.
Tad Hudson and the offense found some rhythm on their next drive, moving the ball deep into James Madison territory before settling for a short field goal from Kian Afrookhteh. The Chanticleers are finally on the board, trailing 20-3 with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
Tim Beck rolls the dice with an onside kick, and kicker Philippe Laforge initially appears to recover his own dribbler before being flagged for illegal touching, giving James Madison possession near midfield. As they say, the ball did not lie, as cornerback Myles Woods jumped the route and intercepts Barnett for his third pick of the season, flipping possession back to Coastal. Woods delivered a timely takeaway for the Chanticleers, but the offense stalled yet again and was forced to punt.
The defense forces another James Madison punt, and Hudson and the offense answer with their best drive of the day. Coastal digs into the bag of tricks as receiver Bryson Graves hits Dominic Knicely for a 25-yard gain. On the very next snap, Hudson finds Graves for a 12-yard touchdown to cap a five-play drive. The Chanticleers cut the deficit to 20-10 with three minutes remaining in the half, firmly back in the ball game.
James Madison recovers Tim Beck’s aggressive onside kick to open the second half, immediately flipping field position in the Dukes’ favor. The Dukes then march down the field, but the Chanticleer defense stiffens at the goal line and forces them to settle for a short field goal. It goes down as a questionable decision to start the half with an onside attempt, especially with Coastal carrying some momentum out of the locker room.
Coastal’s next drive features a 25-yard catch-and-run by Cameron Wright, but the momentum quickly stalled. Facing fourth down, the Chanticleers dialed up a fake punt, only for James Madison to stop it cold. The failed trick play hands the Dukes a favorable field position for their next possession.
The Dukes cash in on the short field, marching down for a seven-play scoring drive capped by a 25-yard touchdown strike to tight end Lacota Dippre. The two-point try is good, and James Madison has now put up 11 unanswered points to stretch the lead to 31-10 with five minutes left in the third quarter.
Coastal Carolina comes up empty on its next drive, as Kian Afrookhteh missed a 42-yard field goal wide after a 42-yard catch-and-run by Karmello English. The missed kick turns a promising series into a scoreless trip, a tough blow for the Chanticleers as James Madison takes over again.
James Madison takes full advantage of the missed field goal, with Barnett dropping in his third touchdown pass of the night on a smooth over-the-shoulder connection to Isaiah Alston. The Dukes keep pouring it on and push the lead to 38-10, firmly in control early in the fourth quarter.
After a Coastal Carolina punt, JMU running back Jobi Malary breaks some tackles and rips off a 73-yard touchdown run, his longest rush of the season and the longest by a Duke this year. James Madison blows the game wide open, stretching the lead to 45-10 with just over 10 minutes remaining.
On the very next possession, Hudson is intercepted on third down, and KJ Flowe jumps the route and takes it back 34 yards for a pick-six. The return pushes James Madison’s lead to 52-10, capping a run of 32 unanswered points. It’s been a rough three-game stretch to end the season for the Chanticleers, just like it was to start it.
True freshman receiver Michael Scott puts the finishing touch on a dominant performance, hauling in a 32-yard touchdown catch with four minutes left. James Madison erupts for 59 total points after being up only 20-10 at halftime.
MATTHEW SLUKA. MIKEY SCOTT. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!
What a night for the Dukes!#GoDukes | @MatthewSluka | @michaelscott_34 pic.twitter.com/6cEU5afYjP
— JMU Football (@JMUFootball) November 30, 2025
Chanticleers head coach Tim Beck reflected on the season’s rollercoaster ride, pointing to the contrast between the team’s start in the first three games and its finish in the final three.
“I’m proud of the guys because I do think they played hard, they fought. We didn’t always play sound fundamentally, and we didn’t always play smart,” Beck said.
Coastal Carolina football now turns its focus to a bowl game in the coming weeks, with no opponent confirmed yet. The Chanticleers, bowl-eligible after a 6-6 regular season, will use the extra time for valuable practice reps and player rest.
Meanwhile, James Madison continues their dominant run to the Sun Belt Conference Championship game, where they will play host to West division winner, Troy. That game will take place Friday, December 5th at 7 p.m. on ESPN. The Dukes also look alive in a bid for the College Football Playoff, as Duke has made the ACC Championship game. If the Blue Devils are able to beat Virginia, the CFP committee will be hard pressed to place a five loss ACC Champion over a one loss Sun Belt Champion.
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