kvue
STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — James Madison achieved bowl eligibility on Saturday with a 27-24 victory over Georgia Southern, fueled by a balanced passing attack. Camden Coleman threw for 171 yards and a touchdown, while reserve quarterback JC Evans added two touchdown passes off the bench.
Georgia Southern had a chance to tie in the closing seconds, but Blake Ford's 52-yard field goal attempt came up just short with 47 seconds left.
Trailing 10-6 at halftime, James Madison opened the third quarter with a four-play, 75-yard drive capped by Coleman's 2-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Harrison, giving the Dukes a lead they would not relinquish. Evans later connected with Cole Keller on a 57-yard scoring strike to extend the advantage to 20-10.
Keller finished with 108 receiving yards on four catches, while George Pettaway powered the ground game with 151 rushing yards on 21 carries.
For Georgia Southern, Max Johnson threw for 343 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Josh Dallas was his top target, hauling in eight passes for 111 yards.
With the win, James Madison (6-0, 3-0 Sun Belt Conference) became one of the first bowl-eligible teams of 2026, joining Georgia, Indiana, Notre Dame, and USC. The Dukes are one of 10 remaining undefeated teams and the only one from the Group of 6.
James Madison has now won 16 consecutive regular-season games and 11 straight in conference play. The victory also marked JMU's first ever at Georgia Southern (2-4, 1-1). Since 2022, the Dukes have amassed 46 wins, the most of any Sun Belt team.
Up next, James Madison hosts Georgia State on Saturday, while Georgia Southern travels to face Old Dominion on Thursday.
_ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here.
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Originally reported by kvue.