No. 25 James Madison (5-0, 3-0 Sun Belt) at Georgia Southern (3-3, 0-2), Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Line: James Madison by 12 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Georgia Southern leads 7-1.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
James Madison will try to protect its unbeaten record after moving into the AP Top 25 for the first time. The Dukes also will try to maintain their share of the Sun Belt Conference Eastern Division lead with Coastal Carolina. Georgia Southern will look for its eighth straight win in the series, though the teams have not played since 1992. The Eagles, who won 45-42 at Nebraska on Sept. 10, will try to snap a two-game losing streak with their first conference win.
KEY MATCHUP
James Madison WR Kris Thornton vs. Georgia Southern secondary. Thornton has been the Dukes’ most productive wide receiver. The senior had nine catches for 173 yards in last week’s 42-20 win at Arkansas State. It was his third game with at least 100 yards this season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
James Madison: QB Todd Centeio, a graduate student and Colorado State transfer, has passed for 15 touchdowns with only one interception. He completed 28 of 37 passes for a season-high 394 yards with four touchdowns to lead the Dukes against Arkansas State. He was named Sun Belt offensive player of the week for the second time this season.
Georgia Southern: QB Kyle Vantrease has already set the school’s single-season passing record with 1,933 yards. The Eagles had a long tradition of running the triple-option. Vantrease threw for 359 yards in last week’s 41-33 loss at Georgia State. Antonio Henton threw for 1,852 yards in 2008.
FACTS & FIGURES
The game is a matchup of the Sun Belt’s top scoring offenses. James Madison is averaging 44.2 points per game. Georgia Southern is second in the conference at 37.0. … Georgia Southern is 4-0 against James Madison in games played in Statesboro, Georgia. … In the last meeting between the teams, the Eagles won at home, 24-17, in 1992. … Georgia Southern is 1-2 against Top 25 teams in Statesboro. The Eagles beat No. 25 Appalachian State in 2018 and lost to No. 21 Coastal Carolina and No. 14 BYU last year. … Georgia Southern coach Clay Helton was Southern California’s head coach from 2015-2021 before being fired after a 1-1 start in 2021.
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