James Madison throttles Weber State in season opener

HARRISONBURG, Va. — James Madison left no doubt in its season opener, overwhelming Weber State 45-10 in a matchup of former FCS foes that quickly turned lopsided in their fourth time playing in program history.

The Wildcats came in looking for their first-ever victory over James Madison after dropping previous meetings in the 2017 and 2019 FCS playoffs and a 2021 game in Ogden. But from the opening kickoff, it was all Dukes.

James Madison raced to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter while Weber State sputtered, punting on four of its first five drives and turning it over on downs once.

In their first five drives, Weber State would punt the ball four times and turn it over on downs on another possession, giving James Madison great field position.

By the time the Wildcats forced a fumble late in the first half and capitalized with a Jackson Gilkey touchdown pass to Noah Kjar, the Dukes had already built a 28-point cushion. James Madison entered halftime up 28-7 and never looked back.

Weber State managed just a field goal in the second half, turning the ball over three times in what was a sloppy half for both teams. James Madison turned it over four times in the second half, turning it over on downs twice, while throwing an interception and having a field goal blocked by the Wildcats.

The Dukes still added 17 points in the second half and prevent any threat of a miraculous Weber State comeback.

James Madison ran a two-quarterback system that proved to be effective, starting Alonza Barnett III but playing UNLV transfer Matthew Sluka, as well. Both Barnett III and Sluka threw for a touchdown as well as scoring one on the ground.

Barnett III finished the game 14-of-22 for 130 yards and a touchdown, adding 30 rushing yards on five carries. Sluka was just 3-of-4 for 15 yards but ran for 30 yards, as well.

On the ground, James Madison's rushing attack set the tone. The Dukes piled up 313 rushing yards, led by junior George Pettaway's 99-yard effort.

Weber State, meanwhile, struggled to move the ball, finishing with just 64 rushing yards on 31 attempts. Quarterback Jackson Gilkey endured a difficult outing, completing only 10-of-24 passes for 84 yards with one touchdown against three costly interceptions.

Weber State will look to get better results next week as they travel to Tucson to take on the Arizona Wildcats while James Madison will look to build on this early season win when they take on the Louisville Cardinals on Friday night.

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