James Madison
James Madison is 8-2 and No. 51 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 3.9 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: won 54-23 at Southern Miss in Week 10.
Week 11: at UConn, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why James Madison is No. 51
- James Madison's rating is 3.9: the machine's estimate that James Madison is 3.9 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 51 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at −2.0, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 5.9.
- The biggest weekly moves: +3.1 after Week 3 (W 26-13 at San Diego State) and +2.7 after Week 4 (W 46-20 at Old Dominion).
- Its record is 8-2. The 2 losses were to No. 106 App State, No. 112 Troy, by 3.0 points on average. The 8 wins came by 27.4 points on average; the best was over No. 52 Liberty. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 100 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 50 Iowa State (4.0); just below is No. 52 Liberty (3.9).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Billy Napier is in his 1st season at James Madison. This season: 8-2.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 10 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 203-314 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2563 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 25-5 |
| Yards per attempt* | 8.1No. 36 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 10.8%No. 61 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 3.1%No. 19 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 382-1993 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 5.2No. 25 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 14.1%No. 64 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 13.0%No. 9 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 40.6No. 7 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 6.59No. 19 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 36.8%No. 96 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 70.0%No. 27 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 11No. 64 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 19.3No. 27 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.00No. 29 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 6.7No. 42 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 3.2No. 19 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 7.1%No. 34 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 13No. 41 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 35.3%No. 41 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Camden Coleman150-242, 1815 yds, 17 TD, 4 INT
- JC Evans45-62, 621 yds, 6 TD, 1 INT
- Arrington Maiden7-9, 111 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT
Rushing
- George Pettaway124 carries, 824 yds, 8 TD
- Seth Cromwell75 carries, 370 yds, 3 TD
- Nick Herman53 carries, 320 yds, 3 TD
Receiving
- Corey Scott33 catches, 524 yds, 5 TD
- Michael Scott29 catches, 417 yds, 3 TD
- Braeden Wisloski29 catches, 395 yds, 2 TD
Tackles
- Nakian Jackson70
- JT Hooten66
- Jayon Harvey52
Sacks
- JT Hooten6
- Amar Thomas3
- Kells Bush2.5
Interceptions
- DJ Kelly4
- JT Hooten1
- Jamal Olford1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Camden Coleman10 games242 attempts77%
- JC EvansMost passes in the last game6 games62 attempts20%
- Arrington Maiden2 games9 attempts3%
Carrying
- George Pettaway8 games124 carries44%
- Seth Cromwell9 games75 carries27%
- Nick Herman10 games53 carries19%
- Jackson Mccarter2 games12 carries4%
Catching
- Corey Scott9 games33 catches16%
- Braeden Wisloski9 games29 catches14%
- Michael Scott9 games29 catches14%
- Cole Keller10 games23 catches11%
Tackling
- Nakian Jackson10 games70 tackles10%
- JT Hooten10 games66 tackles9%
- Jayon Harvey8 games52 tackles7%
- Seth Gathers10 games49 tackles7%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 20–13 vs Liberty. The run defense was the strength: Liberty got 2.4 yards a carry, 3.0 under what it usually gains. The most yards an attempt it has allowed all season.
- Week 2 W 87–3 vs Wagner. Wagner is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 3 W 26–13 at San Diego State. No unit was far from the usual. The biggest gap was the run game: 3.6 yards a carry, 0.4 less than San Diego State usually allows.
- Week 4 W 46–20 at Old Dominion. The run defense was the strength: Old Dominion got -0.5 yards a carry, 3.2 under what it usually gains. The defense had 9 sacks.
- Week 5 W 45–17 vs Marshall. The run game was the strength: 8.9 yards a carry, 4.5 more than Marshall usually allows. Its most yards a carry of the season.
- Week 6 W 27–24 at Georgia Southern. The pass defense gave ground: Georgia Southern got 8.4 yards an attempt, 1.5 over what it usually gains. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 7 W 49–22 vs Georgia State. The run game was the strength: 6.1 yards a carry, 2.2 more than Georgia State usually allows. The most yards a carry it has allowed all season.
- Week 8 L 31–34 at App State. The run game struggled: 3.1 yards a carry, 1.0 less than App State usually allows. The machine had James Madison by 13.6 (80%), so this was a loss it did not see coming.
- Week 9 L 21–24 vs Troy. The passing game struggled: 5.8 yards an attempt, 1.2 less than Troy usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 4.
- Week 10 W 54–23 at Southern Miss. The passing game was the strength: 10.8 yards an attempt, 3.4 more than Southern Miss usually allows. Its most yards an attempt of the season.