James Madison vs Georgia Southern Picks and Prediction – 10/19/2024

On October 19th, Bob Chesney and the James Madison Dukes will head to Statesboro, Georgia to take on Clay Helton and the Georgia Southern Eagles. Get our free College Football Picks all season long! James Madison comes into week 8 going on the road for the fourth time this season. The Dukes have a 5-1 record so far and are averaging 39.0 points per game. On defense James Madison is giving up 16.3 points per game ranking 19th in the country. Last week, Alonza Barnett III had a touchdown pass and a touchdown run around a pick-6 by Lloyd Summerall III in a big second quarter and James Madison breezed to a 39-7 victory over Coastal Carolina on Thursday night. James Madison marched 67 yards in 11 plays on its first possession, scoring on Barnett's 9-yard pass to running back George Pettaway for a 7-0 lead against Coastal. Then Barnett added a 3-yard touchdown toss to freshman Dylan Williams in the third quarter and Max Lipinski kicked a 35-yard field goal in the fourth to complete the scoring. Alonza Barnett finished with 199 yards on 16-for-28 passing. He did not throw an interception but lost a fumble.

The Georgia Southern Eagles will play their fourth home game of 2024 at 4-2 following a 24-23 win at home against Marshall last Saturday. Backup quarterback Dexter Williams II came on in the fourth quarter and led three touchdown drives to help Georgia Southern rally from a 20-point deficit and beat Marshall 24-23 Saturday night. Southern quarterback JC French ran for a 12-yard gain on fourth-and-10 before he took a hard hit and was replaced by Williams. Derwin Burgess Jr led Georgia Southern with seven receptions for 84 yards and one touchdown. The Eagles average 30.3 points per game on offense. On defense Georgia Southern allows 30.5 points per game so far this season. 

James Madison has been very good so far this season. The last game played between the two teams resulted in a Dukes win by 31 points. James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III has better numbers and is a dual threat option for the Dukes and James Madison has a tough defense to keep the game close in this matchup. Southern will be playing with their backup quarterback Dexter Williams II. James Madison will cover the spread and do enough to win. Final Score Prediction, James Madison wins 31-14.