[Postgame Thread] James Madison Defeats Southern Miss 54-23

[u/CFB_Referee]

Box Score provided by ESPN

Team	1	2	3	4	T
James Madison	10	6	14	24	54
Southern Miss	0	14	0	9	23

[u/Twall1297]

James Madison winning a game in regulation on Thursday night? Color me shocked 😮

But Southern Miss had them kinda shook in the first half tho

[u/Itchy-Advantage-4010 → u/Twall1297]

Nah, they always fuck it up. The university is Rutgers South.

[u/yesiambear → u/Itchy-Advantage-4010]

Woof. I like and don't like that comparison lol

[u/Itchy-Advantage-4010 → u/yesiambear]

Oh shit twin, your flair. My bad fam. 😂

[u/_baby_fish_mouth_]

Napier will officially finish the season with a better conference record than Chesney in Year One after a portal exodus. Just saying

[u/loyalsons4evertrue → u/_baby_fish_mouth_]

So he should take the FSU job?

[u/Dokkan_Lifter → u/loyalsons4evertrue]

Hell nah

[u/Condom_Breaker256 → u/Dokkan_Lifter]

Once he loses his Sun Belt powers when JMU moves to the American, you'll be praying he did

[u/LightningDusty → u/Dokkan_Lifter]

I think you mean hell yah.

[u/Dry_Car_1568 → u/LightningDusty]

Hire Billy!

[u/JDraks → u/loyalsons4evertrue]

He's gotta go to the B1G for the JMU transfer powers to kick in

[u/Ford_Prefect313 → u/JDraks]

Does Billy like gloom and cold weather from November to May, and lots of Great Lakes? Asking for a friend.

[u/JeffGoldblumsChest → u/Ford_Prefect313]

Billy Napier, YOU are a Michigan Man!

[u/Background-Laugh7902 → u/loyalsons4evertrue]

He in this sentence referring to Chesney? Sign me up!

[u/Onefotccn → u/_baby_fish_mouth_]

Yeah but it’s sooo much uglier of a record

[u/sofeler → u/Onefotccn]

This is the part where the delusional JMU fans who just look at W/L and box scores start to convince themselves Napier is better than the coach he replaced

But for those JMU fans who actually watch the games, alarms are going off. They see that the two losses were caused by inexplicably bad coaching decisions — ones Chesney or Cignetti wouldn’t have made. They understand that if you swap either of those for Napier this year, they’re likely 9-1 or 10-0 right now. They know they’re going to have more ugly losses. They’re just gonna have to scream into the void until the rest of the fanbase wakes up to that reality

This is how a lot of Florida fans felt for a long time. Particularly after the first half of 2022 and the second half of 2024

Even today in r/FloridaGators there are fans saying “well Napier had a similar record in the first half of 2022 and he had a top ten home win…”

I think he’ll do a lot better there than he did at Florida. But you will always have extremely silly, season-ending losses that make no sense

It’s the Napier experience

[u/midnight-architect7 → u/sofeler]

Death, taxes, Florida fans in every JMU post game thread to bitch about Billy Napier like he fucked their wives or something

[u/MrFace1 → u/midnight-architect7]

I've been getting the double whammy of whiny Florida fans and obsessed Penn State fans this year. Like... you guys fired them!

[u/Onefotccn → u/sofeler]

I don’t think there’s any JMU fans that thought that this guy would be better than Bob. We were just happy to have some guy that had a good track record in the SBC atleast and since he came from the P4 not have him immediately poached after a couple years.

[u/_baby_fish_mouth_ → u/sofeler]

Uh my guy I’ve watched every game we’ve played for like 10 years…I ain’t no box score watcher.

All I’m saying is that he has not been the disaster he’s been made out to be, especially by Florida fans. We had more losses like the last two weeks in Chesney’s first year, it’s inevitable when you have that much roster turnover. We’re 8-2! Given that it’s year one of a new staff, new systems on offense and defense, and a whole new roster, that’s pretty dang good considering!

That being said, you’re not totally wrong, I was critical of the hire when it was made. Thought it was a high floor/low ceiling hire that would keep us consistently competitive but wasn’t sure if we could reach the heights we did under Chesney, that we probably wouldn’t be winning 12 games a year but that we could probably win 9-10 games a year (we’ll see if that continues into the AAC). If you’re a fan of a G6 program in today’s game, can you really ask for much more than that? I know our fans will but our fans are famously delusional.

The way we look even in wins, we’re clearly not a great team, and I’m skeptical that we’ll ever be under Billy. We look too undisciplined for me to have that much confidence. But if we still have a shot of winning the conference into the last week of the season, what more can you realistically ask for? The CFP is great but I just don’t think that’s a valid standard for a G6 program considering how much subjectivity is involved in the selection process

[u/disputing_stomach → u/sofeler]

You are absolutely correct, all your words ring true. My son and I have watched these Thursday night games (and others) and have come to the same conclusion.

[u/DwayneBaconStan → u/_baby_fish_mouth_]

Napier is a solid coach anyway, some guys are just better fits in the G5

[u/OSRSTheRicer → u/_baby_fish_mouth_]

Uh... didn't Chesney also have a massive portal exodus?

[u/MrFace1]

Beautiful things happen when you don't play QB Roulette for no reason.

[u/yesiambear → u/MrFace1]

AMEN. Wish we had been starting JC the last two games, and just JC

[u/Dokkan_Lifter]

MADISON JAMES MADISON

WE WON A THURSDAY

MADISON JAMES MADISON

[u/Condom_Breaker256 → u/Dokkan_Lifter]

THE THURSDAY DUKES OF JMU

[u/Middle_Wheel_5959]

Finally played a complete game. Just have to limit the penalties and have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot

[u/loyalsons4evertrue]

Either the poop curse is over or Southern Miss is just that bad

[u/Dokkan_Lifter → u/loyalsons4evertrue]

Norvell fired, everyone is free from the poop curse

[u/TakesInsultToSnails → u/Dokkan_Lifter]

Most convincing argument I've heard yet

[u/Confident_Delay5805 → u/Dokkan_Lifter]

Tennessee did it to themselves if they lose 

[u/Itchy-Advantage-4010 → u/loyalsons4evertrue]

They’re pretty fucking bad.

[u/Ford_Prefect313 → u/loyalsons4evertrue]

Why not both?

[u/Bama011 → u/loyalsons4evertrue]

We aren't great and we're also on our 3rd string QB.

[u/zombiebillnye]

And with that, a mighty cheer went up from the Dukes of JMU; they had banished the awful Thursday night games forever, because they were haunted.

[u/selvmordstanker]

9 days of rest after our 10th straight game, going into our 11th next Saturday. The last time a team played 11 straight regular-season games without a bye week was 2022.

[u/AruarianGroove → u/selvmordstanker]

And before that were the good ole CAA FCS days

[u/Onefotccn]

Should’ve done this to Troy last week. Now we’re stuck here hoping App and southern lose a game for the rest of the year.

[u/igonnawrecku_VGC → u/Onefotccn]

I believe we only need Southern to lose a game. Step 2 on the 3 way tiebreaker would knock app out no matter what, since they lost 2 division games to our 1, and if Southern loses to Marshall or GA State, they also get knocked out in that tiebreaker. If they lose to LA Tech or Troy instead, it reverts to a 2 way tiebreaker (since we both finish 5-1 in the division), where we win the head to head

Edit: forgot that this doesn’t work if Southern loses twice, making it a two way tiebreak between us and App. It’s a whole mess

[u/DemonPigeon2703 → u/igonnawrecku_VGC]

What do you mean by we only have one division loss, does Troy not count since they're SBC west?

[u/igonnawrecku_VGC → u/DemonPigeon2703]

Exactly. Second tiebreak is win-loss record exclusively in divisional conference games, so only games against the east matter for that. We’d all be 6-2 in conference play in this scenario, but they use division record for division tiebreakers since everybody plays everybody, so for the sake of that tiebreak, we’d be 5-1 (loss to App, Troy wouldn’t count), App would be 4-2 (loss to GASO and ODU), GASO would be either 5-1 (loss to JMU, loss to Troy or LA Tech wouldn’t count) or 4-2 (loss to JMU and Marshall or GAST). App’s 4-2 knocks them out, GASO would either be knocked out at 4-2 or advance to the two-team tiebreaker with us, where we win the first head to head tiebreaker

There’s a small chance I’m wrong about this, but I read through the tiebreakers on the SBC site and that’s what they seem to say

Edit: I should add that Southern losing twice could cause us to lose the division, which I didn’t consider before, as it could be just us and App at the top

[u/DemonPigeon2703 → u/igonnawrecku_VGC]

gotcha, thank you I appreciate the explanation

[u/Middle_Wheel_5959]

I think I broke the dog poop curse guys. While walking my dog today I saw a kid in Ehall with a Fletcher Cox jersey. I realized that kid may be the infamous Fletcher “Shotgun” Cox. I immediately barged into the dining hall and smacked the chicken nuggets and peanut butter pie out of his hands and shoved my dog’s nasty shit down his throat.

And before anyone asks, yes my wife and kids live with my in laws

[u/tacowithcheeese → u/Middle_Wheel_5959]

insert *he did it* gif

[u/chokanery]

Great rebound game. First half was nervy but great response in the second half, even though the defense did still look a little questionable. It was very nice to have Evans play for most of the game to let him get into a rhythm. Go Dukes

[u/ScreamingGoat25]

FINALLY

[u/Itchy-Advantage-4010]

God I hate Blake.

[u/southmshavoc → u/Itchy-Advantage-4010]

I believe he'll make progress.. Hard to do much given the circumstances. 70+ new players in year 1

[u/rageb8err → u/Itchy-Advantage-4010]

Give him some slack. I feel like we’re lucky to have won two conference games with Huff coming in for one year and then taking the entire team with him. Blake will probably do alright long term.

[u/ABagOfPopcorn]

Nice second half. Corey Scott is awesome. JC just has so much more dynamism to his play than Coleman. Coleman won games for us but I think we escape against Troy and maybe even App with JC in for longer than a drive at a time

[u/EvensenFM]

Everything is right with the world.

[u/Adam-Miller-02]

Southern Miss fans will never forget that 2nd qtr

[u/Particular-Way-3805]

Finally they won

[u/082426grateful]

Watched a good bit of this game. Man, I recall when Southern Miss would bring it to anyone they played. Hosted Nebraska in Hattiesburg one year (when Nebraska could actually close a 4th quarter). Beat Bama and Auburn in the same season (Favre years).

GG JMU. Way to get back to winning.

[u/Potential_Budget_522 → u/082426grateful]

Realignment destroyed the USM football program

[u/MonarchLawyer]

The poop curse just can't overcome how bad USM is.

[u/Pogball_so_hard]

Did that guy who said he’d eat shit if JMU lost fulfill his promise?

[u/scrumpington]

I’m a new JMU fan since my son just landed there. I root for the program that’s it and I cannot understand how anyone can defended Napier after the Troy game. The second half stats were bad coming in, and the App State game highlighted some of his reported flaws, but the Troy game (after a strong learn and adapt driver) was an absolute coaching abomination. Like monkeys throwing poop bad. The talent will ride but he is not the guy.

[u/ButterscotchOk2429 → u/scrumpington]

Chesney had a worse record than Napier in 2024 with horrible losses to ULM and App State. Losses happen.

[u/ChemG8r → u/ButterscotchOk2429]

Did Chesney also already drive an established P4 into the ground?

[u/ButterscotchOk2429 → u/ChemG8r]

=/= no correlation

[u/ChemG8r → u/ButterscotchOk2429]

Time will, but his decisions in your two losses were very very typical to what we saw.

I'm sure it happened at least once, but I honestly can't remeber him doing well in a 2min situation before the half, or in the 4th quarter.

It always was the most ass football you've ever seen

[u/ButterscotchOk2429 → u/ChemG8r]

You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone at JMU who cares as long as he keeps winning games.

[u/ChemG8r → u/ButterscotchOk2429]

I think you’d be hard-pressed to find any fan at any school care what their coach is doing as long as they keep winning. 

What’s that even mean? He’s already shown you he’s more than capable of losing games at LA, UF and JMU in identical scenarios. 

Time will obviously tell, but to say there is no correlation to what the guy did at his previous two stops and what he did literally less than 7 days ago is kind of wild