James Madison Dukes vs Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Preview & Odds — November 5, 2026
JMUOffense2026 regular season to dateUSM
JMUDefenseUSMJMURecent formUSMJMUHome and roadseason to dateUSMJMULast 10 gamesUSMRest & travelrest and travel
JMURest & travelUSMAbout these numbers
2026 regular season to date, captured before kickoff. League rank in small type (138 teams); the gold side ranks higher. Bars show rank, longest = 1st. Source: Gridiron & Wine public Analytics tables.
Last five results this season, oldest to newest. Records are season to date, with home and road splits. Against-the-spread (ATS) and over–under records use the consensus closing line.
Margin of each of the last 9 games this season, oldest to newest (gold = won). Hover a bar for the score margin.
Distance is a straight-line estimate from each team's home arena, not the team's actual itinerary; time-zone change is at game time. Rest counts days since each team's previous game this season (7 = a normal week); preseason games do not count. Schedule facts only: no fatigue adjustment is applied.
Matchup preview
James Madison (6-2) visits Southern Miss (2-5) on Thursday, November 5 at 8:00 PM ET.
James Madison has the 40th-ranked offense by EPA per play (expected points added per snap) and the 23rd-ranked defense (ranks among the 138 teams with play-by-play data). Meanwhile, Southern Miss has the 64th-ranked offense and the 108th-ranked defense. When James Madison has the ball, a 40th-ranked offense (+0.141 EPA per play) meets a 108th-ranked defense (+0.156 allowed); when Southern Miss has it, a 64th-ranked offense (+0.069) meets a 23rd-ranked defense (−0.072 allowed).
By success rate (the share of plays that gain expected points), the James Madison offense is at 48.6% (39th) and the Southern Miss offense at 44.0% (101st). James Madison scores 33.1 points per game (26th) and allows 20.9 (31st); Southern Miss scores 23.7 (80th) and allows 35.0 (122nd).
James Madison is 7-2 and 6-3 against the spread; its last game was a 24-21 loss to Troy. Southern Miss is 3-5 and 4-4 against the spread; its last game was a 35-21 win over UL Monroe.
James Madison is a 14.5-point road favorite, with Southern Miss getting the points at home. The spread opened at James Madison -15.5. The total is 57.5, up from 56.5 at the open. After removing the vig, the moneyline (James Madison -650, Southern Miss +475) prices James Madison at 83% and Southern Miss at 17%.
Built from public team and player data; ranks are league-wide and update daily until kickoff.
Market
Odds and line movement
James Madison -15.5 (-110)
James Madison -14.5 (-107)
Southern Miss +405 19%
Southern Miss +475 17%
Consensus of US sportsbooks. The Now column updates from our odds board. Percentages are the moneyline's no-vig market-implied chances.
Best available prices on Nov 5
- James Madison -14.5+108Novig
- Southern Miss +14.5-110FanDuel
- Over 57.5-108Novig
- Under 57.5+104Novig
- James Madison-530ProphetX
- Southern Miss+525Novig
Members
G&W Line
G&W’s own number for this game, next to the market. Analytics
Matchup
Players to watch
- Attempts238
- Completion %61.3%135th
- Passing yards1,74388th
- Yards per attempt7.3130th
- TD–INT16–4
- Rushing yards82416th
- Season line124 carries, 824 yds, 8 TD
- Receiving yards386158th
- Season line27 catches, 386 yds, 5 TD
- Tackles6646th
- Attempts187
- Completion %56.7%
- Passing yards1,212
- Yards per attempt6.5
- TD–INT8–3
- Rushing yards72824th
- Season line142 carries, 728 yds, 9 TD
- Receiving yards60042nd
- Season line44 catches, 600 yds, 5 TD
- Tackles7035th
Season passing totals from public box scores, captured before kickoff. Ranks among the 264 quarterbacks with at least 60 attempts. Rushing, receiving and tackle leaders: season totals captured November 4, 5:38 a.m. ET; ranks among FBS players.
Success by situation
| Situation | James Madison | Southern Miss |
|---|---|---|
| Early-down success rateJames Madison offense vs Southern Miss defense | 45.4%31st | 42.0%57th |
| Early-down success rateSouthern Miss offense vs James Madison defense | 38.8%18th | 42.6%75th |
| 3rd-down conversion rateJames Madison offense vs Southern Miss defense | 38.7%86th | 41.3%76th |
| 3rd-down conversion rateSouthern Miss offense vs James Madison defense | 38.7%53rd | 25.3%138th |
| Explosive play rateJames Madison offense vs Southern Miss defense | 7.1%57th | 6.4%61st |
| Explosive play rateSouthern Miss offense vs James Madison defense | 6.2%55th | 8.2%24th |
| Pass rateshare of plays that are passes or sacks | 47.1%101st-highest | 56.0%19th-highest |
On 3rd down James Madison converts 38.7% (86th) against a Southern Miss defense allowing 41.3% (76th).
On 3rd down Southern Miss converts 25.3% (138th) against a James Madison defense allowing 38.7% (53rd).
2026 regular season before kickoff, from play-by-play with garbage time removed; ranks among the 138 teams in the play-by-play data (defense: 1st = allows the least). Success = a play that gains expected points.
Coaching staff
| Staff | James Madison | Southern Miss |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Billy Napier | Blake Anderson |
| Tenureat this school | 1st season | 2nd season |
| Record at schoolthis season included, as of the date below | 7–2 | 3–6 |
| Career recordas an FBS head coach | 69–37 | 77–60 |
| Offensive coordinator | Cam Aiken | Kyle Cefalo |
| Defensive coordinator | Robert Bala / Josh Linam | Joe Bolden |
Staff list as of November 3, 6:50 a.m. ET.
Head-to-head
The teams have met 1 time since 2021: James Madison won 1 and Southern Miss 0.
| Date | Score | Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 2024 | Southern Miss 15, James Madison 32 James Madison won |
Meetings since 2021, most recent first. Line and total are the consensus closing numbers where line history is available.
Result
After the final: score vs the closing line, Drive X-Ray and the graded official play, if there was one, appear here on this same page.
Teams
James Madison Dukes
- James Madison Dukes team stats
- Troy Trojans 24, James Madison Dukes 21 (Oct 29)
- James Madison Dukes 31, Appalachian State Mountaineers 34 (Oct 22)
- Georgia State Panthers 22, James Madison Dukes 49 (Oct 17)
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
More NCAAF games on November 5, 2026
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