Louisiana visits James Madison in Sun Belt matchup

By Canadian Press on October 8, 2025.

Louisiana (2-3) at James Madison (4-1), Oct. 11 at 12 p.m. EDT.

BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: James Madison by 17.5. Against the spread: James Madison 4-1, Louisiana 1-3.

How to watch: ESPN2

Key stats

James Madison Offense

Overall: 385 yards per game (73rd in FBS)

Passing: 143.4 yards per game (128th)

Rushing: 241.6 yards per game (10th)

Scoring: 27.8 points per game (75th)

James Madison Defense

Overall: 217.2 yards per game (4th in FBS)

Passing: 137.4 yards per game (9th)

Rushing: 79.8 yards per game (12th)

Scoring: 13.6 points per game (13th)

Louisiana Offense

Overall: 332.6 yards per game (111th in FBS)

Passing: 120.4 yards per game (133rd)

Rushing: 212.2 yards per game (23rd)

Scoring: 28.2 points per game (72nd)

Louisiana Defense

Overall: 401.4 yards per game (110th in FBS)

Passing: 179.8 yards per game (29th)

Rushing: 221.6 yards per game (130th)

Scoring: 32.2 points per game (123rd)

Louisiana ranks 124th in third down defense, allowing opponents to convert 46.2% of the time. James Madison ranks 30th on offense, converting on 47.8% of third downs.

James Madison ranks 133rd in the FBS averaging 80.4 penalty yards per game, compared to Louisiana’s 36th-ranked 44.2 per-game average.

Louisiana ranks 128th in the FBS with an average time of possession of 26:47, compared to James Madison’s 4th-ranked average of 34:05.

Team leaders

James Madison

Passing: Alonza Barnett III, 667 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 58.6 completion percentage

Rushing: Wayne Knight, 426 yards on 61 carries, 4 TDs

Receiving: Landon Ellis, 183 yards on 13 catches, 2 TDs

Louisiana

Passing: Daniel Beale, 385 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs, 50 completion percentage

Rushing: Zylan Perry, 411 yards on 59 carries, 5 TDs

Receiving: Shelton Sampson Jr., 150 yards on 8 catches, 0 TDs

Last game

James Madison beat Georgia State 14-7 on Saturday, Oct. 4. Barnett threw for 74 yards on 11-of-22 attempts (50.0%) with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He also carried the ball four times for 1 yard and one rushing touchdown. Jordan Fuller carried the ball 18 times for 94 yards. Ellis had three receptions for 28 yards.

Louisiana defeated Marshall 54-51 on Saturday, Sept. 27. Lunch Winfield led Louisiana with 125 yards on 7-of-13 passing (53.8%) for two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also carried the ball 13 times for 129 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Perry carried the ball 14 times for 75 yards and scored two touchdowns, adding two receptions for 18 yards. Charles Robertson put up 61 yards on two catches with one touchdown.

Next game

James Madison hosts Old Dominion on Oct. 18. Louisiana hosts Southern Miss on Oct. 18.

The Associated Press