Completed Event: Football at Georgia State on October 4, 2025 , Win , 14, to, 7
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Final
James Madison
14
at Georgia State
7
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
JMU Defense Ready for Biggest Test of Season
12/17/2025 4:34:00 PM | Football
As James Madison held onto a 17-14 lead at halftime of the Sun Belt championship game on Dec. 5, fans at chilly Bridgeforth Stadium felt tension.
Senior linebacker Trent Hendrick felt inevitability.
"When you're out there playing, you can tell what's going to happen, especially when you play for this JMU team and especially on this defense," Hendrick said. "You can tell when you took the life out of an offense."
The Dukes have been doing that all season long.
On that night, JMU didn't allow another point and even finished things off with a defensive touchdown on its way to a 31-14 victory and the conference title. That earned it a spot in the College Football Playoff.
It will take on fifth-seeded Oregon on Saturday night in Eugene.
JMU's defense has been the Sun Belt's most dominant, leading the league in scoring defense (15.8 ppg.), total defense (247.6 ypg.), rushing defense (76.1) and passing defense (171.5 ypg.).
Its 36 sacks are one behind Troy, which has finished its season, and its 12 interceptions tied for third most in the conference.
They rank second nationally in total and rushing defense, and fifth in third down defense, when opponents only convert .287.
"What makes us best on third down or gives us an opportunity to be good on third down is winning first and second down," said first-year defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler, who joined the Dukes after coaching at Alabama last season. "And being in better situations on third down."
That starts with bottling up the run, something JMU has done as well as anyone. The Dukes rank third nationally in yards per rush, allowing just 2.48, behind only fellow CFP-participants Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
Stuffing runs early in possessions leaves teams behind the chains and, when it gets to third and long, JMU's pass rushers can tee off.
All of that success goes back to preparation, senior safety Jacob Thomas said.
"It's what we do on first and second down," Thomas said. "On third down, it's 'Get after the quarterback and play a lot of man coverage.' ... I think it just all goes into the preparation that Coach Hitsch does with us when we have our unit meetings on Wednesday and Thursday about third down and what they want to do on certain down and distances. When you're out there, it's kind of like, 'OK, we know what's coming."
How important is run defense and third-down defense?
The top seven teams in terms of allowing the fewest yards per carry – Texas Tech, JMU, Indiana, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Miami are all in the playoffs.
Eight of the top 12 in terms of third-down defense are in the CFP.
Of course, Saturday night, JMU will face a test unlike any it's matched up with this season.
Oregon ranks ninth nationally in scoring (38.2 ppg.) and is third in explosive plays of 20 yards or more (82). The Ducks have ripped off 10 plays of 50 yards or more.
"When you play a team like this, it doesn't matter who's handling the ball, he's a playmaker," Hitschler said. "They have enough playmakers that they're not going to hand the ball to somebody that they don't think can make an explosive run at any moment. We got to respect every single person on that field, but we can't give them too much respect. We have to tackle, and we have to play with that chip on our shoulder that we've played with all year long."
Despite the undeniable offensive talent Oregon puts on the field, led by quarterback Dante Moore, Hendrick said the defensive mindset hasn't changed any.
"We're coming from a G5 school. They're a football powerhouse and have been for years," Hendrick said. "Oregon obviously has respect in the national football world. This is our first time in the playoffs. We're playing them on the road. That's just what the facts are and what the odds look like. But we know this is a football game. We know how we play and we know the goal is to go out there and win. That's the expectation, that we're going out there and win the football game."
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Senior linebacker Trent Hendrick felt inevitability.
"When you're out there playing, you can tell what's going to happen, especially when you play for this JMU team and especially on this defense," Hendrick said. "You can tell when you took the life out of an offense."
The Dukes have been doing that all season long.
On that night, JMU didn't allow another point and even finished things off with a defensive touchdown on its way to a 31-14 victory and the conference title. That earned it a spot in the College Football Playoff.
It will take on fifth-seeded Oregon on Saturday night in Eugene.
JMU's defense has been the Sun Belt's most dominant, leading the league in scoring defense (15.8 ppg.), total defense (247.6 ypg.), rushing defense (76.1) and passing defense (171.5 ypg.).
Its 36 sacks are one behind Troy, which has finished its season, and its 12 interceptions tied for third most in the conference.
They rank second nationally in total and rushing defense, and fifth in third down defense, when opponents only convert .287.
"What makes us best on third down or gives us an opportunity to be good on third down is winning first and second down," said first-year defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler, who joined the Dukes after coaching at Alabama last season. "And being in better situations on third down."
That starts with bottling up the run, something JMU has done as well as anyone. The Dukes rank third nationally in yards per rush, allowing just 2.48, behind only fellow CFP-participants Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
Stuffing runs early in possessions leaves teams behind the chains and, when it gets to third and long, JMU's pass rushers can tee off.
All of that success goes back to preparation, senior safety Jacob Thomas said.
"It's what we do on first and second down," Thomas said. "On third down, it's 'Get after the quarterback and play a lot of man coverage.' ... I think it just all goes into the preparation that Coach Hitsch does with us when we have our unit meetings on Wednesday and Thursday about third down and what they want to do on certain down and distances. When you're out there, it's kind of like, 'OK, we know what's coming."
How important is run defense and third-down defense?
The top seven teams in terms of allowing the fewest yards per carry – Texas Tech, JMU, Indiana, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Miami are all in the playoffs.
Eight of the top 12 in terms of third-down defense are in the CFP.
Of course, Saturday night, JMU will face a test unlike any it's matched up with this season.
Oregon ranks ninth nationally in scoring (38.2 ppg.) and is third in explosive plays of 20 yards or more (82). The Ducks have ripped off 10 plays of 50 yards or more.
"When you play a team like this, it doesn't matter who's handling the ball, he's a playmaker," Hitschler said. "They have enough playmakers that they're not going to hand the ball to somebody that they don't think can make an explosive run at any moment. We got to respect every single person on that field, but we can't give them too much respect. We have to tackle, and we have to play with that chip on our shoulder that we've played with all year long."
Despite the undeniable offensive talent Oregon puts on the field, led by quarterback Dante Moore, Hendrick said the defensive mindset hasn't changed any.
"We're coming from a G5 school. They're a football powerhouse and have been for years," Hendrick said. "Oregon obviously has respect in the national football world. This is our first time in the playoffs. We're playing them on the road. That's just what the facts are and what the odds look like. But we know this is a football game. We know how we play and we know the goal is to go out there and win. That's the expectation, that we're going out there and win the football game."
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Players Mentioned
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