Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his rankings here.
James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III had one heck of a day against ODU.
Saturday’s games saw James Madison and Virginia punch their postseason tickets as the Dukes and Cavaliers became bowl-eligible by posting their sixth wins of the year (Navy improved to 6-0 last week). Both schools currently have conference championship hopes as each leads its respective league at this time.
While an improbable ACC title would send Virginia to the College Football Playoff, JMU would need to run the table and finish 12-1 for the committee to even consider a school from the Sun Belt Conference. Meanwhile, Maryland lost its third straight game to further turn a season that showed so much promise into one where the Terps will need to beat Rutgers and Michigan State just to go bowling.
James Madison (6-1, 4-0 Sun Belt) began their showdown with Old Dominion by fumbling the opening kickoff, and the Monarchs touchdown would be one of four scores for the visitors as JMU led 28-27 at halftime. But an interception and a fumble recovery jump-started a pair of third quarter scoring drives to help the Dukes pull away. The 63-27 final makes JMU bowl eligible for the third straight season.
Duke Do’s: Alonza Barnett III threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns while running for 153 and four more scores. The offense tallied 311 yards rushing and 313 passing. Justin Eaglin tallied two interceptions.
Duke Don’ts: A special teams fumble led to an early Monarchs lead, while the defense allowed 270 yards and three touchdowns before intermission.
Next: Tuesday: Oct. 28 at 3-4 Texas State on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. Yes, the Sun Belt is looking for the MACtion audience.
Virginia (6-1) after a week off showed more rust than rest, falling behind Washington State 17-7 in the first half. But a fantastic fourth quarter saw the Cavaliers put 12 points on the board, thanks to a touchdown, field goal, and safety. The safety came with 2:44 left in regulation and gave U.Va. a 22-20 victory to make the program bowl-eligible for the first time since 2021. U.Va.’s last three wins have come in double-overtime, overtime, and by two points. Talk about a charmed life.
Cavalier Congrats: Kam Robinson and Hunter Osborne made the stop that resulted in the safety, while Devin Neal notched 10 tackles to pace the defense that held the Cougars to 3-12 on third down. Chandler Morris wasn’t spectacular but played a turnover-free game. Jamal Edrine made five catches for 102 yards while Daniel Sparks averaged 53 yards per punt.
Cavalier Concerns: The offense took a while to get going, failing to get a first down on three first quarter drives. The defense also took a while to get going, coughing up 252 yards in the first half.
Next: Saturday at noon on the ACC Network at 2-4 North Carolina.
Maryland (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) wishes it had some of the mojo at Virginia, dropping a third straight one-possession game. This time they fell 20-17 at UCLA on a last-second field goal. The Bruins set up the game-winning score with gains of 14, 19, and 35-yards in the final minute of regulation to send the Terps into their bye week on a winless October.
Terrapin Triumphs: The defense tallied three takeaways, with Jamare Glasker returning his interception for a touchdown. DeJuan Williams led the team with seven catches.
Terrapin Troubles: The offense didn’t reach the end zone until the fourth quarter. The defense allowed three fourth quarter scores, and that’s because the Bruins missed a field goal at the beginning of the period.
Next: Nov. 1 against No. 2 and 7-0 Indiana. Oh no, another bye week?
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