HARRISONBURG, Va. — In a decisive match-up on Saturday, Alonza Barnett III shone for James Madison, throwing two touchdown passes as they overcame Southern Mississippi with a score of 32-15, handing the Eagles their continuing struggle in the Sun Belt Conference.

The game saw a crucial shift just before halftime when George Pettaway executed a 4-yard touchdown run, breaking a 3-3 deadlock with 5:49 left in the second quarter. This gave the Dukes (6-2, 2-2) the lead they would maintain throughout the remainder of the contest. On the following drive for Southern Miss, Terrence Spence made a pivotal interception of quarterback Ethan Crawford and returned it 30 yards, setting up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Barnett to Taylor Thompson, extending the Dukes’ advantage to 17-3. Southern Miss managed to respond with two field goals from Connor Gibbs, one from 54 yards and another from 46 yards, narrowing the gap to eight points.

As play resumed in the third quarter, a thrilling moment occurred when Cam Ross returned the kickoff 94 yards, pushing the Dukes ahead 23-9 after the extra point attempt was unsuccessful. The Eagles, not backing down, fought back as Kenyon Clay surged for a 15-yard touchdown, yet a blocked extra point allowed the Dukes to return the ball for a defensive two-point conversion, making the score 25-15. In the fourth quarter, Barnett connected with Ross again, this time for a 7-yard touchdown pass, closing out the scoring for the game.

For Southern Mississippi (1-7, 0-4), Crawford passed for a total of 178 yards while Clay contributed 69 yards on the ground. This match marked the first-ever encounter between James Madison and Southern Mississippi, adding to the unique history of college football rivalries.