TAKEAWAYS: James Madison Move To 7-0 With Thursday Win At Marshall

James Madison were one of three teams in the G5 to enter Week 8 undefeated. They will also enter week 9 with a 7-0 record after a physical, low-scoring win at Marshall on Thursday night. The Dukes earned a 20-9 victory behind another monster day from their FBS-leading rushing defense.

One thing is for sure: there will only be more conversation this week regarding how flexible the NCAA's FBS transition rules are with regards to postseason eligibility. The dominant Dukes will continue to be a central talking point in that conversation.

Concerns At Marshall?

After a 4-0 start, Marshall have dropped three straight games. 

The absence of Rasheen Ali in this game is also troubling. Ali missed most of 2022 due to injury after a very productive 2021 season. Ali is the Herd's leading rusher this season and has 11 rushing touchdowns, the second-most in FBS. 

If his injury is long term, that could significantly hurt their chances of a run at the SBC East, or more.

No Room To Run

Remember that aforementioned FBS-leading rushing defense from JMU? They ran wild in this game, especially with the absence of Ali. 

Marshall ended the day with a net total of -4 rushing yards on 32 attempts. Even with Charles Huff's foresight that the JMU defensive line would be a problem, the Dukes were a constant presence in Marshall's backfield. JMU totaled 15 tackles for loss while sacking Marshall QB Cam Fancher eight times on Thursday night.