The James Madison Dukes will look to add another conference victory to their belt Thursday night when they take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. James Madison has dropped to second place in the conference after two straight Sun Belt losses. Their most recent loss was a 24-21 overtime loss against Troy. James Madison led this game 21-7 at the half before being held scoreless in the second half. Southern Miss has momentum in the opposite direction with two straight conference wins. They are coming off a 35-21 win over UL Monroe. Running backs Steven Robinson and Jamarice Wilder combined for 36 rushing attempts, 255 yards, and 3 touchdowns in the victory.
After an impressive 7-0 start, the Dukes have lost two straight and the college football world is wondering if we are seeing the same old Billy Napier that coached the Florida Gators. Both losses were very similar to each other. James Madison was a healthy favorite for both games, and ended up losing both in overtime after playing down to their competition. Billy Napier and James Madison are once again double-digit favorites, hoping they don’t run into the same outcome again. The Dukes will need to overcome their second-half woes if they want to prevail against Southern Miss. James Madison has been outscored in the 2nd half in four of their last eight games they have played against FBS opponents. Despite all of this, I do believe this is a good bounce-back spot for the Dukes. Their offense has been highly productive, averaging 39.1 points and 450.9 yards per game. They are averaging 202 rushing yards, ranking them 23rd nationally. This will be a big advantage against a Southern Miss team that struggles against the run, allowing an average of 200 rushing yards each time out. After two straight losses where James Madison has been unable to close, Napier should have the motivation needed to inspire his team to play for a full 60 minutes.
James Madison vs Southern Miss prediction: James Madison -14.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -15.5 (-110).
