HATTIESBURG, Miss. (Interstat) — James Madison used a balanced offense and a decisive second-half surge to defeat Southern Mississippi 54-23 in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game Thursday at M. M. Roberts Stadium. The announced attendance was 24,182. James Madison improved to 8-2. Southern Mississippi fell to 3-6.

Southern Mississippi quarterback John White led the Golden Eagles through the air, throwing for 266 yards while completing 22 of 35 attempts with one passing touchdown. White also scored on a 3-yard run. Kaden Saunders was a reliable target with six catches for 122 yards and added a 10-yard punt return. Mario Sanders caught six passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. Steven Robinson carried 15 times for 54 yards and a touchdown and added three receptions for 11 yards. Jamarice Wilder added nine carries for 42 yards, and Robert Henderson had four carries for 11 yards. MJ Johnson had one catch for 1 yard, Davis Dalton had two catches for 10 yards, Jeremiah Beck Jr. had three catches for 11 yards and Broderick Peters had one catch for 13 yards.

James Madison quarterback JC Evans completed 19 of 26 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown and added 13 carries for 47 yards and a rushing score. Camden Coleman was perfect in limited work, completing all four of his passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. Corey Scott led the receiving corps with six catches for 138 yards. Michael Scott caught three passes for 61 yards and a touchdown and contributed two kickoff returns for 42 yards and a punt return for 18 yards. Braeden Wisloski caught five passes for 56 yards and had a 1-yard run. Miles Halbert added a 17-yard reception, Cole Keller had a 4-yard catch, Jeremiah Harrison had a 7-yard catch, and Za’Ron Collins had a 12-yard reception. Morgan Suarez made field goals of 32, 31 and 34 yards and added extra points, while Patrick Rea punted twice for 96 yards.

Southern Mississippi’s defense received a game-high 13 tackles and one quarterback hurry from Mathis Haygood. Michael Robinson III recorded eight tackles, Landon Sylvie had seven, and Kameron Cyprien finished with five tackles and one quarterback hurry. JR Stegall added five tackles. Avery Sledge and Wesley Edison each had four tackles. Nasim Cairo and Malakai Murphy each recorded three tackles. Talik Parkman, A’mari Wilson, Baron Taylor, Kolby Peavy and Zachariah Keith each had two tackles. Jyaire Brown, Cam’ron Hoyte, Darrell Gross, Champ Lewis, Jameer Lewis and Tyler Lassiter each had one tackle. Dusty Zimmer punted five times for 145 yards, and Creighton Wilbanks made a 29-yard field goal.

James Madison’s defense was led by JT Hooten, who recorded eight tackles and three sacks. Jakolbi Wilson and TJ McGill each had eight tackles. Nakian Jackson and Seth Gathers each added five tackles. Ernest Willor Jr. had four tackles. Miles Halbert and Jeremiah Harrison each recorded one tackle. The Dukes generated consistent pressure and limited Southern Mississippi’s ability to keep pace in the second half.

The most important part of the game came after halftime. James Madison scored 24 points in the third quarter to take control. JC Evans broke loose for a 16-yard touchdown run, and J. Evans added a 2-yard touchdown run as the Dukes kept the Golden Eagles off balance with a mix of runs and short passes. In the fourth quarter, Evans connected with Seth Cromwell for a 16-yard touchdown, and J. McCarter added a 30-yard touchdown run. Michael Scott later caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Coleman. Southern Mississippi answered with White’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Sanders and Wilbanks’ 29-yard field goal, but the Golden Eagles could not close the gap. Suarez capped the scoring with a 34-yard field goal.

James Madison opened the scoring on Suarez’s 32-yard field goal and added a 3-yard touchdown run by Evans. Southern Mississippi responded with White’s 3-yard touchdown run. Suarez made a 31-yard field goal, and Steven Robinson scored on a 2-yard run before halftime. The Golden Eagles stayed within striking distance early, but the Dukes’ third-quarter burst changed the game. James Madison’s offense finished with a balanced effort, while the defense produced timely stops.

The victory gave James Madison a bounce-back result after consecutive overtime losses. The Dukes moved to 8-2 and remained in strong form. Southern Mississippi dropped to 3-6 despite White’s production and the receiving work of Saunders and Sanders. The Golden Eagles showed flashes through their passing game, but they were unable to sustain drives consistently against James Madison’s pressure. Southern Mississippi had won two of its previous three games before the loss.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of James Madison 54, Southern Mississippi 28. Interstat’s ELO system had projected James Madison with a 92.5 percent probability to win. James Madison had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -13.5. The total score of 77 went under the over/under line of 58.