Pettaway runs for 206 yards as James Madison beats Marshall 45–17

George Pettaway broke touchdown runs of 73 and 33 yards as James Madison beat Marshall 45–17 Saturday in Harrisonburg. The Dukes erased an early deficit with 28 unanswered points in the second quarter, turning a 14–10 Marshall lead into a 38–14 halftime advantage.

Pettaway finished with 206 yards on 14 carries, while Camden Coleman completed 21 of 32 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns. Corey Scott caught five passes for 104 yards and two scores. James Madison's offense produced 573 total yards, including 310 rushing, and averaged 8.9 yards per carry.

Marshall opened with an 89-yard drive that ended in Carlos Del Rio-Wilson's three-yard touchdown pass to Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw. James Madison's official report said it was the first time the Dukes had trailed all season. Their response came quickly: Coleman found Scott for a 53-yard touchdown, and Morgan Suarez later added a 22-yard field goal.

TJ Lester's one-yard touchdown gave Marshall a 14–10 lead early in the second quarter. Coleman and Scott answered with a 12-yard score before Pettaway's two long runs widened the margin. A 20-yard Coleman pass to Noah Grevious with 26 seconds left completed the Dukes' four-touchdown quarter.

James Madison's official report credited cornerback DJ Kelly with two interceptions. One helped set up Pettaway's second touchdown. Marshall's starting and reserve quarterbacks each threw one interception, while Coleman finished without one. The Dukes committed a fumble, but Marshall turned that opportunity into only a third-quarter field goal.

Del Rio-Wilson completed 21 of 37 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown. Zion Turner added 88 passing yards. Marshall totaled 444 yards and made eight of 16 third downs, numbers that show it could move the ball without keeping pace on the scoreboard. Its rushing game produced 135 yards, led by Jo'Shon Barbie's 44.

James Madison allowed only three points after halftime. Nick Herman supplied the second half's only touchdown, finishing an 80-yard drive with a three-yard run in the final minute. The Dukes had already done the scoring work that mattered before the break, when they accumulated 387 yards according to the school report.

The result improved James Madison to 5–0 overall and 2–0 in the Sun Belt, while Marshall fell to 3–2 and 0–1. The Dukes travel to Georgia Southern next Saturday. With Coleman finding Scott early and Pettaway turning ordinary possessions into long touchdowns, James Madison recovered from two early Marshall leads and gave its defense a 24-point halftime cushion to protect.