James Madison at San Diego State - 2026 Matchup Preview

James Madison Dukes at San Diego State Aztecs

Saturday, September 19th 2026 (12:00 PM EDT)
Snapdragon Stadium - San Diego, CA

Dukes (0 - 0) (0 - 0 - 0)
Coach Billy Napier (0 - 0)
Avg Score : 37 - 18 (34 - 22 on Road)
Record Prediction: 1.1 - 0.9 (#119)
'26 Opponents: (Elite: 0) (Good: 0) (Avg: 1) (Bad: 1)

Our Line: San Diego State -2 (SP+ JMU -5.5)
Projected Score: JMU: 23 - SDSU: 25 (47)
SDSU Win prob: 55% | Cover: 50%
JMU Travel: 2168 miles, 3 hrs ahead

Aztecs (0 - 0) (0 - 0 - 0)
Coach Sean Lewis (12 - 13)
Avg Score : 26 - 15 (31 - 7 @ Home)
Record Prediction: 7.4 - 3.6 (#48)
'26 Opponents: (Elite: 0) (Good: 2) (Avg: 4) (Bad: 4)

Matchup
Schedules
JMU Players
SDSU Players
Stats
Run/Pass
Ratings
Scoring
History

James Madison's 2026 Schedule

Date	Matchup	Spread	Total	Result	O/U	Cover
— Bye Week —
Sat 9/19	James Madison at San Diego State	+2	—	—	—	—
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/14	James Madison at UConn	-2	—	—	—	—

Total: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg 1, Bad 1, Poor 0
Played: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg 0, Bad 0, Poor 0
Future: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg 1, Bad 1, Poor 0
Wins: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg: 0, Bad: 0, Poor: 0
Losses: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg: 0, Bad: 0, Poor: 0

Predictions for James Madison's Schedule

San Diego State's 2026 Schedule

Date	Matchup	Spread	Total	Result	O/U	Cover
Sat 9/5	San Diego State vs Portland State	-28	—	—	—	—
Sat 9/12	San Diego State at UCLA	+3.5	—	—	—	—
Sat 9/19	San Diego State vs James Madison	-2	—	—	—	—
Sat 9/26	San Diego State at Toledo	+1.5	—	—	—	—
Sat 10/3	San Diego State vs Texas State	-4.5	—	—	—	—
Sat 10/10	San Diego State at Oregon State	-14	—	—	—	—
Sat 10/17	San Diego State vs Fresno State	-5.5	—	—	—	—
Sat 10/24	San Diego State at Colorado State	-15	—	—	—	—
Sat 10/31	San Diego State vs Washington State	-8.5	—	—	—	—
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/14	San Diego State vs Utah State	-13.5	—	—	—	—
Sat 11/21	San Diego State at Boise State	+0.5	—	—	—	—

Total: Elite: 0, Good: 2, Avg 4, Bad 2, Poor 2
Played: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg 0, Bad 0, Poor 0
Future: Elite: 0, Good: 2, Avg 4, Bad 2, Poor 2
Wins: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg: 0, Bad: 0, Poor: 0
Losses: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg: 0, Bad: 0, Poor: 0

Predictions for San Diego State's Schedule

Important Stats (2025)

Teams	Off Explosive.	Off Success	PPG	Rush Success	OL Yds Per Att	Rush YPG	Pass Success	Pass YPG	Off ScoreZone	Def Explosive.	Def Success	Def PPG	RunD Success	Pass D Success	Def ScoreZone	Penalty YPG	TO PG	Def TO PG
JMU	#41 (.21)	45% (38)	37.1	48% (17)	3.17 (26)	244	42% (60)	211	3.98 (43)	#10 (.03)	31% (2)	18.4	33% (6)	30% (2)	3.41 (47)	72.5	1.1	1.2
SDSU	#93 (.13)	42% (76)	26.4	46% (40)	3.34 (10)	199	36% (121)	158	3.51 (90)	#4 (-.01)	35% (10)	15.4	38% (24)	33% (4)	2.42 (3)	55.9	1.2	1.4

Teams	Off Explosive.	Off Success	PPG	Rush Success	OL Yds Per Att	Rush YPG	Pass Success	Pass YPG	Off ScoreZone	Def Explosive.	Def Success	Def PPG	RunD Success	Pass D Success	Def ScoreZone	Penalty YPG	TO PG	Def TO PG
JMU		0%		0%	0	0	0%	0	0		0%		0%	0%	0	0	0	0
SDSU		0%		0%	0	0	0%	0	0		0%		0%	0%	0	0	0	0

Overall Stats 2025

Teams	Games	PPG	PPG H/R	Success Rate	Pts PerOpp	TO	1stD PG	TotalYds PG	RushYds PG	PassYdsPG	RYPA	Run Rate	Pass Rate	Run Success	Pass Success	Havoc Rate	Total PPA
JMU Offense	14	37.1	34.1	45%	3.98	1.1	23	455	244	211	5.7	57%	41%	48%	42%	13%	.21
SDSU Defense	13	15.4	6.8	35.1%	2.42	1.4	-	-	-	-	-	48%	50%	38%	33%	15%	-.01

Teams	Games	PPG	PPG H/R	Success Rate	Pts PerOpp	TO	1stD PG	TotalYds PG	RushYds PG	PassYdsPG	RYPA	Run Rate	Pass Rate	Run Success	Pass Success	Havoc Rate	Total PPA
JMU Defense	14	18.4	21.7	31.4%	3.41	1.2	-	-	-	-	-	47%	52%	33%	30%	20%	.03
SDSU Offense	13	26.4	31.2	41.8%	3.51	1.2	18	356	199	158	4.8	61%	37%	46%	36%	13%	.13

Additional Stats 2025

Teams	Games	Possession Time	1st Downs PG	3rd Down %	4th Down %	Penalties PG	Penalty Yds PG	Off TO PG	Def TO PG	TFL PG	Sacks PG	D/ST TDs	Avg Field Pos
James Madison	14	34:13	22.5	47%	52%	7.5	72.5	1.1	1.2	6.1	2.5	3	32.6
San Diego State	13	30:17	17.9	31%	52%	6.2	55.9	1.2	1.4	4.8	2.5	5	31.7

Run Game Stats (2026)

Teams	Games	Run Play Rate	Run Play Success	Rush Att PG	Rush Yds PG	Rush Yds Per Att	Rushing TDs	Run Pred Pts Added	OL Yds Per Att	3rd/4th & Short	Front 7 Havoc	Run Play Explosivness
JMU Offense	14	57% (19)	48% (17)	42.7	243.7	5.7	38 (16)	.21 (22)	3.17 (26)	77% (36)	7% (17)	1.04 (44)
SDSU Defense	13	48% (46)	38% (24)	-	-	-	-	.06 (43)	3.04 (99)	63% (15)	8% (113)	0.96 (70)

Teams	Games	Run Play Rate	Run Play Success	Rush Att PG	Rush Yds PG	Rush Yds Per Att	Rushing TDs	Run Pred Pts Added	OL Yds Per Att	3rd/4th & Short	Front 7 Havoc	Run Play Explosivness
JMU Defense	14	47% (32)	33% (6)	-	-	-	-	- (14)	2.32 (5)	57% (4)	11% (25)	1.07 (117)
SDSU Offense	13	61% (9)	46% (40)	41.8	198.9	4.8	25 (70)	.17 (43)	3.34 (10)	80% (16)	7% (22)	0.9 (94)

Pass Game Stats (2026)

Teams	Games	PassPlay Rate	PassPlay Success	Comp PG	Att PG	Yds PG	Yds PA	Yds PC	TDs	Ints	PassPlays PPA	PassPlays Expl	PassDowns Rate	PassDowns Succ Rate	PassDowns PPA	DB Havoc	PassDowns Expl
JMU Offense	14	41% (119)	42% (60)	16.1	27.5	211.1	7.7	13.1	26 (61)	10 (34)	.29 (51)	1.7 (23)	31% (69)	31% (66)	.23 (97)	6% (72)	2 (64)
SDSU Defense	13	50% (90)	33% (4)	-	-	-	-	-	-	15 (55)	-.04 (2)	1.4 (16)	35% (17)	23% (6)	.06 (3)	7% (22)	1.8 (14)

Teams	Games	PassPlay Rate	PassPlay Success	Comp PG	Att PG	Yds PG	Yds PA	Yds PC	TDs	Ints	PassPlays PPA	PassPlays Expl	PassDowns Rate	PassDowns Succ Rate	PassDowns PPA	DB Havoc	PassDowns Expl
JMU Defense	14	52% (106)	30% (2)	-	-	-	-	-	-	14 (38)	.1 (15)	1.8 (130)	39% (3)	24% (9)	.12 (11)	9% (4)	1.9 (40)
SDSU Offense	13	37% (128)	36% (121)	12.8	22.3	157.9	7.1	12.4	10 (106)	10 (7)	.09 (127)	1.7 (20)	30% (41)	20% (136)	.04 (132)	6% (48)	1.9 (88)

James Madison's Power Ratings
James Madison's Power Rating: -1.26 #77
James Madison's Offense Rating: 13.88 #92
James Madison's Defense Rating: 15.14 #66
2026 Talent Rating: 563.00 #91
Blue Chip Ratio: 0% #104
James Madison's 2026 Expected Record: 1.1 - 0.9
James Madison's 2026 Overall SP+ Rating: 12.3 #25
James Madison's Offense SP+ Rating: 34.9 #18
James Madison's Defense SP+ Rating: 21.4 #39

Average Talent
Average Sun Belt Talent Rating is 466.92
Average Power Five Talent: 871.03
Average FBS Talent: 676.61

Power Ratings Matchup
James Madison: -1.26 San Diego State: 7.65

SP+ Ratings Matchup
James Madison: 12.3 San Diego State: 6.7

San Diego State's Power Ratings
San Diego State's Power Rating: 7.65 #52
San Diego State's Offense Rating: 16.63 #57
San Diego State's Defense Rating: 13.02 #46
2026 Talent Rating: 651.00 #70
Blue Chip Ratio: 0 #104
San Diego State's 2026 Expected Record: 7.4 - 3.6
San Diego State's 2026 Overall SP+ Rating: 6.7 #42
San Diego State's Offense SP+ Rating: 24.4 #90
San Diego State's Defense SP+ Rating: 19.6 #28

Average Talent
Average Pac-12 Talent Rating is 597.13
Average Power Five Talent: 871.03
Average FBS Talent: 676.61

James Madison Scoring
Offense: 37.1 PPG
Offense on Road: 34.1
Defense: 18.4 PPG
Defense on Road: 21.7

James Madison's 2026 Record
Record: 0 - 0
Record vs Spread: 0 - 0 - 0
Over/Under Record: 0 - 0
Record on Road: 0 - 0
Record vs Spread on Road: 0 - 0 - 0

Projected Score
San Diego State 25
James Madison 23

Projected Total Points: 47

San Diego State Scoring
Offense: 26.4 PPG
Offense at Home: 31.2
Defense: 15.4 PPG
Defense at Home: 6.8

San Diego State's 2026 Record
Record: 0 - 0
Record vs Spread: 0 - 0 - 0
Over/Under Record: 0 - 0
Record at home: 0 - 0
Record vs Spread at home: 0 - 0 - 0

Year	Date	Home	Score	Away	Score	Spread	Cover	Total	O/U

Team	Wins	Covers	O/U
San Diego State	0	0	0 Overs
James Madison	0	0	0 Unders

	Wins	Covers	Favs	Dogs
Home Teams	0 - 0	0 - 0	0 - 0	0 - 0
Road Teams	0 - 0	0 - 0	0 - 0	0 - 0

(#77) JMU at (#52) SDSU

Overall StatsOvr
CategoryCat	JMU	SDSU
Game ControlGC	#41	#13
Momentum ControlMC	#18	#37
Net PPPPPP	NR	NR
Power RatePwr	#77	#52
SP+SP+	#25	#42
Perf GradeGrade	NR	NR
OffenseOff	NR	NR
DefenseDef	NR	NR
Spec TeamsST	NR	NR
TalentTal	#91	#70
Blue ChipsBC%	#104	#104

James Madison Notes(2/25) Vibes: Big reset, all new roster, will step back
(2/25) QB1? Could be 4 man race, Maiden some exp LY
(2/25) RB Pettaway back from inj, fun FCS portal adds
(2/25) WR? 5 portals, most prod from FCS. Have depth
(2/25) OL big ? 6 portals, 2 have started. Looks thin
(2/25) Def has 8 w starting exp, 6 are portals. No idea
(2/2) Napier decent hire, but dif type hire than recent
James Madison Injury Report

San Diego State Notes(3/8) Vibes: Lewis era rising, NIL funding is up
(3/1) QB Denegal back but he ain't it. Depth overtake?
(3/1) RB Sutton great (1.3K) very good depth. Strong
(3/1) WR 3 portals, Napier good/back, have options
(3/1) OL 6 portals, 5 fair to good starters, have depth
(3/1) DL has avg prod but good rotation of 6 exp'd guys
(3/1) LB replacing nearly all from a great Def LY
(3/1) DBs 7 portals, some really prod FCS adds.
(3/1) New DC Sumler (DB LY) has big shoes to fill
San Diego State Injury Report

James Madison on Offense

Run heavy Offense 58%, Pass: 40%
CategoryCat	JMU Off	SDSU Def
Game ControlGC	#73	#25
Momentum ControlMC	#9	#11
PPPOffPPP	NR	NR
Perf GradePerf	NR	NR
SuccessSuc	#38	#10
ExplosiveExp	#41	#23
PPAPPA	#41	#4
PowerPwr	#92	#46
SP+SP+	#18	#28
Pts POPPO	#43	#3
HavocHav	#32	#78

James Madison Run Game

Run heavy Offense 58%, Pass: 40%
CategoryCat	JMU Off	SDSU Def
Run GameRun	NR	NR
Run SuccessRSuc	#17	#24
Run ExplRExp	#44	#70
PPAExp	#22	#43
Run BlockR Blk	NR	-
OL YdsOLY	#26	#99
Stuff RateStuff	#65	#109
TackleTak	-	NR

James Madison Pass Game

Run heavy Offense 58%, Pass: 40%
CategoryCat	JMU Off	SDSU Def
Pass GamePass	NR	NR
Pass SuccessPSuc	#60	#4
Pass ExplPExl	#23	#16
PPAExp	#51	#2
Pass Rush/BlockP Blk	NR	NR
F7 HavocF7	#17	#113
DB HavocDB	#72	#22

San Diego State on Offense

Very Run heavy Offense 62%, Pass: 37%
CategoryCat	SDSU Off	JMU Def
Game ControlGC	#11	#14
Momentum ControlMC	#78	#53
PPPDefPPP	NR	NR
Perf GradePerf	NR	NR
SuccessSuc	#76	#2
ExplosiveExp	#112	#132
PPAPPA	#93	#10
PowerPwr	#57	#66
SP+SP+	#90	#39
Pts POPPO	#90	#47
HavocHav	#25	#7

San Diego State Run Game

Very Run heavy Offense 62%, Pass: 37%
CategoryCat	SDSU Off	JMU Def
Run GameRun	NR	NR
Run SuccessRSuc	#40	#6
Run ExplRExp	#94	#117
PPAExp	#43	#14
Run BlockR Blk	NR	-
OL YdsOLY	#10	#5
Stuff RateStuff	#14	#6
TackleTak	-	NR

San Diego State Pass Game

Very Run heavy Offense 62%, Pass: 37%
CategoryCat	SDSU Off	JMU Def
Pass GamePass	NR	NR
Pass SuccessPSuc	#121	#2
Pass ExplPExl	#20	#130
PPAExp	#127	#15
Pass Block/RushP Blk	NR	NR
F7 HavocF7	#22	#25
DB HavocDB	#48	#4

Program Comparison
SDSU 5 Year Profile: Improving Top G5
'26 Profile: Up to Below Avg P4

JMU 5 Year Profile: Consistent Average P4
'26 Profile: Up to Top 25 Contenders

Weather Forecast
Playing in Snapdragon Stadium
Conditions:
Temp: 0°

No Matchups Past 4 Years

JMU's OC Cam Aiken (in his first season)

Player Name	COMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	YPA
Arrington Maiden (Tr)	5	10	50%	59	0	0	5.9
Davi Belfort (Tr)	4	6	67%	53	0	1	8.8

Player Name	CAR	YDS	TD	YPC	LONG
Nick Herman (Tr)	125	921	5	7.4	77
Seth Cromwell (Tr)	138	559	7	4.1	25
George Pettaway	34	195	0	5.7	35
Davi Belfort (Tr)	16	94	1	5.9	19

Player Name	REC	YDS	TD	YPC	LONG
Noah Grevious (Tr)	52	731	3	14.1	73
Jeremiah Harrison (Tr)	38	652	5	17.2	55
Braeden Wisloski	26	358	4	13.8	68
Nick Herman (Tr)	11	113	0	10.3	38

View James Madison's Full Roster

JMU's DC Robert Bala (in his first season)

Top Def	Tack	TFL	SACKS	PRESS
Nakian Jackson (Tr)	51	0	0	0
Gannon Weathersby	50	3	1	5
Amar Thomas	40	7	2	7
Javis Mynatt (Tr)	30	1	1	1

Sacks	Tack	TFL	SACKS	PRESS	PD
Amar Thomas	40	7	2	7	0
Javis Mynatt (Tr)	30	1	1	1	0
Mychal Mcmullin	29	3	1	1	0
DJ Kelly (Tr)	10	1	1	0	1

Pass D	Tack	TFL	SACKS	PRESS	PD
DJ Kelly (Tr)	10	1	1	0	1
Evan Spivey	5	0	0	0	1
Mekhi Rodgers	8	0	0	1	1

SDSU's OC Sean Lewis (been OC for 3 years)

Player Name	COMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	YPA
Jayden Denegal	143	244	59%	1810	9	8	7.4
Bert Emanuel Jr.	9	16	56%	74	0	0	4.6

Player Name	CAR	YDS	TD	YPC	LONG
Lucky Sutton	253	1292	10	5.1	50
Christian Washington	97	560	4	5.8	41
Bert Emanuel Jr.	32	273	2	8.5	72
Jayden Denegal	67	103	4	1.5	29

Player Name	REC	YDS	TD	YPC	LONG
Jordan Napier	48	632	2	13.2	80
Aldrich Doe (Tr)	37	467	2	12.6	35
Javion Kinnard (Tr)	18	228	1	12.7	79
Nathan Acevedo	16	190	0	11.9	42

View San Diego State's Full Roster

SDSU's DC Demetrius Sumler (in his first season)

Top Def	Tack	TFL	SACKS	PRESS	PD
Jalen Thomeson (Tr)	86	7	0	2	1
Dalesean Staley	70	1	0	0	8
Tano Letuli	27	0	0	2	1
Amari Comier	19	3	1	1	1

Sacks	Tack	TFL	SACKS	PRESS	PD
Djibril Abdou Rahman (Tr)	5	1	1	1	1
Amari Comier	19	3	1	1	1
Kai Wallin (Tr)	17	2	1	4	1
Solomon Davis (Tr)	6	1	1	0	0

Pass D	Tack	TFL	PRESS	PD
Dalesean Staley	70	1	0	8
Brady Nassar	14	0	4	3
Krishna Clay	15	1	1	1