James Madison defeats Liberty 31-13 behind strong fourth quarter
James Madison dominated Liberty 31-13 on Saturday, with the Dukes pulling away in the fourth quarter to secure a convincing victory. James Madison's defense set the tone early, forcing an interception in the first quarter that Liberty's Brylan Green returned for a touchback. The Dukes' offense responded with a 30-yard completion from Alonza Barnett III to Jaylan Sanchez, establishing early momentum.
The first half remained competitive, with both teams scoring 10 points apiece through two quarters. Liberty's Ethan Vasko led the Flames' passing attack with 37 completions, while Jacob Jenkins hauled in 9 receptions. However, James Madison's ground game proved decisive, with Wayne Knight rushing for 89 yards and scoring a crucial fourth-quarter touchdown.
James Madison's defense continued to apply pressure throughout the contest, with key completions to Lacota Dippre in the third quarter and Knight's rushing touchdown in the fourth extending the lead. The Dukes outscored Liberty 14-0 in the final quarter to seal the victory. James Madison covered the 7.5-point spread, while the game finished well under the 47-point over/under line.
AI-generated recap · Aug 15, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 James Madison | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
 Liberty | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | James Madison | Liberty |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 17-25 | 7-21 |
| Pass Yards | 213 | 75 |
| Rush Yards | 233 | 158 |
| Total Yards | 446 | 233 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| 3rd Down | 6-10 | 3-14 |
| Penalties | 7-72 | 6-44 |
| Possession | 33:03 | 26:57 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Wayne Knight run for 4 yds to the JMU 29
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Nick DeGennaro for 11 yds to the JMU 40 for a 1ST down
Wayne Knight run for 4 yds to the JMU 44
Alonza Barnett III pass incomplete to George Pettaway
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Landon Ellis for 9 yds to the LIB 47 for a 1ST down
Ayo Adeyi run for 2 yds to the LIB 45
Wayne Knight run for 17 yds to the LIB 28 for a 1ST down
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Logan Kyle for 11 yds to the LIB 17 for a 1ST down
Alonza Barnett III pass incomplete to Lacota Dippre
Alonza Barnett III run for a loss of 4 yards to the LIB 21
Alonza Barnett III pass incomplete to Landon Ellis
Morgan Suarez 39 yd FG GOOD
Evan Dickens run for a loss of 2 yards to the LIB 23
Ethan Vasko run for 19 yds to the LIB 42 for a 1ST down
Ethan Vasko run for 4 yds to the LIB 46
Evan Dickens run for 4 yds to the 50 yard line
Evan Dickens run for 1 yd to the JMU 49
Ethan Vasko run for 2 yds to the JMU 47 for a 1ST down
Ethan Vasko run for 17 yds to the JMU 30 for a 1ST down
Ethan Vasko run for 1 yd to the JMU 29
Ethan Vasko pass incomplete to Donte Lee Jr.
Ethan Vasko pass incomplete to Jamari Person
Jay Billingsley 47 yd FG GOOD
Wayne Knight run for 7 yds to the JMU 32
Wayne Knight run for 7 yds to the JMU 39 for a 1ST down
Alonza Barnett III pass incomplete to Landon Ellis
George Pettaway run for 6 yds to the JMU 45
(02:57) No Huddle-Shotgun Barnett III,Alonza pass incomplete short right to DeGennaro,Nick thrown to JMU49, 1ST DOWN, PENALTY LU Pass Interference (Green,Brylan) 4 yards from JMU45 to JMU49, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
James Madison Penalty, UNR: Unnecessary Roughness (-15 Yards) to the JMU 37
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Jaylan Sanchez for 30 yds to the LIB 33 for a 1ST down
Alonza Barnett III pass incomplete to Nick DeGennaro
Wayne Knight run for 4 yds to the LIB 29
(01:14) No Huddle-Shotgun Barnett III,Alonza pass incomplete deep left to Ellis,Landon thrown to LU00 PENALTY LU Pass Interference (Williams,Amarian) 15 yards from LU29 to LU14, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Jaylan Sanchez for 4 yds to the LIB 10
Ayo Adeyi run for 5 yds to the LIB 5
Alonza Barnett III pass intercepted, touchback. Brylan Green return for no gain
Ethan Vasko pass complete to Julian Gray for 3 yds to the LIB 23
Evan Dickens run for 4 yds to the LIB 27
Evan Dickens run for 3 yds to the LIB 30 for a 1ST down
Ethan Vasko pass incomplete to Casey Cain
Evan Dickens run for 5 yds to the LIB 35
Ethan Vasko run for no gain to the LIB 35
Max Morgan punt for 39 yds, fair catch by Wayne Knight at the JMU 26
Evan Dickens run for 5 yds to the LIB 30
Evan Dickens run for no gain to the LIB 30
Michael Merdinger run for 6 yds to the LIB 36 for a 1ST down
Evan Dickens run for 2 yds to the LIB 38
Michael Merdinger run for 11 yds to the LIB 49 for a 1ST down
Evan Dickens run for 7 yds to the JMU 44
(11:28) PENALTY LU False Start (Williams,Christian) 5 yards from JMU44 to JMU49. NO PLAY.
Ethan Houck run for 12 yds to the JMU 37 for a 1ST down
Evan Dickens run for 2 yds to the JMU 35
Michael Merdinger pass complete to Jamari Person for 12 yds to the JMU 23 for a 1ST down James Madison Penalty, Roughing The Passer (Amar Thomas) to the JMU 11 for a 1ST down
(09:55) No Huddle-Shotgun Houck,Ethan rush left for 1 yard gain to the JMU10 (Weathersby,Gannon) PENALTY LU Holding (Engbers,Joep) 10 yards from JMU11 to JMU21. NO PLAY.
Caden Williams run for a loss of 4 yards to the JMU 25
Michael Merdinger pass incomplete to Jamari Person
Michael Merdinger pass complete to Jacob Jenkins for 9 yds to the JMU 16
Jay Billingsley 35 yd FG GOOD
Max Morgan kickoff for 65 yds , Wayne Knight return for 19 yds to the JMU 19
Alonza Barnett III run for a loss of 1 yard to the JMU 18
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Lacota Dippre for 36 yds to the LIB 46 for a 1ST down
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Nick DeGennaro for 25 yds to the LIB 21 for a 1ST down
Ayo Adeyi run for 3 yds to the LIB 18
Ayo Adeyi run for 5 yds to the LIB 13
Ayo Adeyi run for 10 yds to the LIB 3 for a 1ST down
Ayo Adeyi run for 2 yds to the LIB 1
Wayne Knight run for no gain to the LIB 1
Wayne Knight run for 1 yd for a TD (Morgan Suarez KICK)
Evan Dickens run for 4 yds to the LIB 29
Julian Gray run for 3 yds to the LIB 32
Michael Merdinger pass incomplete to Austin Henderson
Max Morgan punt for 35 yds, fair catch by Wayne Knight at the JMU 33
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Wayne Knight for 12 yds to the JMU 45 for a 1ST down
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Wayne Knight for 2 yds to the JMU 47
PENALTY LU Offside (Pirolli,Nathan) 5 yards from JMU47 to LU48. NO PLAY.
Wayne Knight run for 6 yds to the LIB 42 for a 1ST down
PENALTY JMU False Start (Sweazie,Carter) 5 yards from LU42 to LU47. NO PLAY.
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Landon Ellis for 10 yds to the LIB 37
Wayne Knight run for 6 yds to the LIB 31 for a 1ST down
Ayo Adeyi run for 4 yds to the LIB 27
Ayo Adeyi run for 9 yds to the LIB 18 for a 1ST down
Ayo Adeyi run for 2 yds to the LIB 16 James Madison Penalty, Offensive Holding (Pat McMurtrie) to the LIB 26
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Nick DeGennaro for 4 yds to the LIB 22
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Wayne Knight for 13 yds to the LIB 9
Alonza Barnett III run for 9 yds for a TD (Morgan Suarez KICK)
Michael Merdinger run for 6 yds to the LIB 31
Evan Dickens run for a loss of 1 yard to the LIB 30
Michael Merdinger pass incomplete to Jamari Person
Max Morgan punt for 48 yds
Wayne Knight run for 4 yds to the JMU 26
Alonza Barnett III pass complete to Braeden Wisloski for 1 yd to the JMU 27
Alonza Barnett III pass incomplete to Wayne Knight
Patrick Rea punt for 42 yds, fair catch by Reese Smith at the LIB 31
Evan Dickens run for 1 yd to the LIB 32
Michael Merdinger sacked by Aiden Gobaira for a loss of 5 yards to the LIB 27
Michael Merdinger pass incomplete to Casey Cain
Max Morgan punt for 41 yds, fair catch by Wayne Knight at the JMU 32
Ayo Adeyi run for 24 yds to the LIB 44 for a 1ST down
Ayo Adeyi run for 5 yds to the LIB 39
Ayo Adeyi run for 12 yds to the LIB 27 for a 1ST down
Ayo Adeyi run for 4 yds to the LIB 23
Wayne Knight run for 6 yds to the LIB 17 for a 1ST down
Wayne Knight run for 2 yds to the LIB 15
Wayne Knight run for 2 yds to the LIB 13
Alonza Barnett III run for 13 yds for a TD (Morgan Suarez KICK)
Ethan Houck run for 8 yds to the LIB 33
Ethan Houck pass incomplete to Austin Henderson
Caden Williams run for 1 yd to the LIB 34
Ethan Houck run for 2 yds to the LIB 36 for a 1ST down
Ethan Houck pass incomplete to Donte Lee Jr.
Ethan Houck pass complete to Jamari Person for 17 yds to the JMU 47 for a 1ST down
Caden Williams run for 3 yds to the JMU 44
Ethan Houck pass incomplete to Casey Cain
Ethan Houck pass incomplete to Reese Smith
Ethan Houck sacked by DJ Cotton Jr. for a loss of 9 yards to the LIB 47
B. Kendall takes a knee
B. Kendall takes a knee