HATTIESBURG, Miss. – James Madison scored 38 second-half points to push the Dukes to a 54-23 win over Southern Miss on Thursday night at Renasant Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Quarterback JC Evans accounted for four touchdowns in the win, including three on the ground to help snap the Dukes' two-game losing skid. Evans finished 19-of-26 for 251 yards and a score through the air and added 47 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
In all, JMU (8-2, 5-2 Sun Belt) tallied 498 yards of total offense in the win.
After the Dukes got a three-and-out on defense to start the game, they took an early lead on a 32-yard field goal by kicker Morgan Suarez. Another quick defensive stop helped JMU add to its lead later in the quarter. Evans called his own number for a 3-yard touchdown run, which was set up by a 34-yard catch by wide receiver Corey Scott.
JMU led, 10-0, after the first quarter.
USM (3-6, 2-3 Sun Belt) got on the board two plays into the second quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run to cut the Dukes' lead to 10-7. But on the ensuing possession, Suarez made his second field goal of the night – this one from 31 yards – to bump the lead back to six.
It stayed that way until just before the half when the Golden Eagles logged a 10-play, 82-yard drive and got into the end zone with just 37 seconds to play before halftime on a 2-yard touchdown run. It gave the hosts their first lead of the night at 14-13.
However, it didn't last long. JMU was able to quickly get into field-goal range to set up Suarez for his third try of the night – a 40-yarder – as time expired to give the Dukes a 16-14 halftime lead.
JMU added on at the start of the third quarter. Evans ran in his second score of the night from 16 yards out to make it 23-14.
The Miami native wasn't done there.
Later in the quarter, Evans scored again on the ground on a 2-yard dive. That put the Dukes up 30-14 with 5:56 to play in the frame.
Then, Evans did it through the air. He hit running back Seth Cromwell for a 16-yard touchdown with 13:41 to play in the game to extend the lead even further.
From there, running back Jackson McCarter ran for a 30-yard touchdown – the first of his career – with 11:33 to play, making it a 44-14 game. In all, the Dukes scored 31 unanswered points to take total control of the game.
The final frame also saw a Southern Miss score a 34-yard touchdown with 9:10 to go, before wide receiver Michael Scott registered a 26-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Camden Coleman to make it 51-20.
The two squads traded field goals in the final five minutes, which was Suarez's fourth of the night (34 yards).
Corey Scott caught six passes for 121 yards in the win, while Cromwell had 56 rushing yards to go along with his touchdown reception. Defensively, linebacker JT Hooten led the way with a team-best eight tackles, including three sacks. Safety TJ McGill and defensive lineman Jakolbi Wilson also had eight tackles each.
JMU was a perfect 7-for-7 in the red zone and passed for 323 yards in the victory. It also held USM to just 88 rushing yards on 36 attempts on the night.
Up next, the Dukes play in their final road game of the 2026 season at UConn on Saturday, Nov. 14. Kickoff is set for noon ET, and the game will air live on CBS Sports Network.
