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James Madison Dukes at San Diego State Aztecs

Sep 19, 20269:00 PM CTSan Diego, CA
By JR·2 min read
James Madison DukesJMU
San Diego State AztecsSDSU
26—13
FINAL
Final1Q2Q3Q4QT
JMU
1090726
SDSU
007613

TLDR: James Madison brings a 2-0 record and the loudest scoreboard in the country to Snapdragon Stadium, where San Diego State is still finding its footing in a new conference.

James Madison's national coming-out party has an asterisk next to it: starting quarterback JC Evans banged up his lower body during Billy Napier's debut win over Liberty, and his availability has been unclear ever since. Backup Camden Coleman didn't blink, throwing for 170 yards and a touchdown on 11-of-17 passing in the Wagner blowout, and Napier's staff has spent the week juggling the obvious question — go back to Evans if he's ready, or ride the guy who just set a program scoring record.

FINAL
Spread
WIN
Total
James Madison
26
San Diego State
13
Kickoff68°

James Madison brings a 2-0 start and a record-setting offense to Snapdragon Stadium, but its starting quarterback's health is still unresolved after a lower-body injury. San Diego State is 1-1 in its first Pac-12 season, having blown out Portland State at home before a road loss at UCLA exposed some cracks in the fourth quarter. Both teams are still waiting on their first real answer: whether James Madison's offense holds up once someone can actually stop it, and whether San Diego State's home field is as sturdy as its 7-game streak suggests.

James Madison
  • Won both openers under new coach Napier, 2-0 start
  • Backup QB Coleman efficient in relief, 11-of-17 for 170 yds
  • Set program record with 87-point, 3 punt-return-TD win
  • Starting QB JC Evans's status unresolved after injury
  • Wins have come only against Liberty and Wagner
  • Faces a cross-country flight into a 3-hour time change
San Diego State
  • Blitzed Portland State 53-20 in Pac-12 home debut
  • Defense held UCLA scoreless through a half on the road
  • Defending a home winning streak now at 7 games
  • Lost 28-10 at UCLA after a 4th-quarter collapse
  • First-year transition into a new conference, the Pac-12
  • Hasn't been tested at home yet this season

San Diego State's quarterback situation is settled, but its resume has the real hole in it. Sean Lewis's team blitzed Portland State 53-20 in its Pac-12 home debut, then went on the road and lost 28-10 at UCLA — a game the Aztec defense actually won for a half, holding the Bruins scoreless before Wayne Knight ran for 3 fourth-quarter touchdowns and buried them. That's the tape that matters more than the season record.

Neither result settles much. James Madison hasn't played anyone who can punish a midweek quarterback change, and San Diego State hasn't had to defend Snapdragon Stadium against anything scarier than Portland State. Add a cross-country flight and a 3-hour time change for the Dukes, and this is a game built almost entirely on unresolved questions.

James Madison Dukes
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries to report
San Diego State Aztecs
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries to report

Whatever Coleman lacks in name recognition, he made up for with results: James Madison put up 87 points against Wagner, the largest margin of victory in program history, while Michael Scott and Miles Halbert combined for 3 punt-return touchdowns to tie an NCAA record. It's the kind of showing that either means the backup can be trusted with anything or that Wagner was simply overwhelmed — probably some of both.

San Diego State is defending a home winning streak that has reached 7 games, untested so far this season since its only trip away from Snapdragon was the loss at UCLA. Saturday puts that streak on the line against a James Madison team playing without total clarity at quarterback and fresh off a cross-country flight — the first real measuring stick for a program that already knows what a fourth-quarter collapse feels like this year.

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