James London drilled a walk-off 40-yard field goal in overtime last night, delivering a crushing 34-31 defeat to previously-unbeaten James Madison. Appalachian State pulled off the upset, marking their fifth win of the season and handing the Dukes their very first loss.
Overtime Drama: From Missed Kicks to Game Winners
Man, if you missed this one, you missed a wild ride. The fourth quarter and overtime were pure chaos. James Madison, looking to keep their perfect season alive, started overtime with a field goal attempt. Morgan Suarez, who already tied his career long with a 47-yard kick earlier to give the Dukes a 24-21 lead in the fourth, stepped up for another 47-yarder from the right hash. It bounced right off the left upright. Talk about a gut punch for JMU fans. That missed opportunity opened the door, and Appalachian State absolutely kicked it down.
But let’s rewind to regulation for a second, because the Dukes fought like crazy. Appalachian State had taken their first lead of the game at 31-24 after Colton Phares snagged an interception, returning it 21 yards to the JMU 14, setting up Henry Hasselbeck’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Luke Douglas. With 6:03 to play, it looked like App State had it locked. Not so fast! Dukes quarterback Camden Coleman, who had 232 passing yards and a touchdown, plus an interception on the night, pulled out a trick play on fourth-and-3. He hit Jeremiah Harrison for a critical 3-yard gain to make it first-and-goal from the 6 with only 12 seconds left. On the very next play, Coleman ran it in himself on a quarterback draw, a 6-yard rushing touchdown with just 3 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 31-all and force overtime. Are you kidding me? What a finish to regulation!
Mountaineers’ Clutch Plays and Dukes’ Costly Injuries
While Coleman was making magic for JMU, Appalachian State’s offense had its own heroes. Malachi Singleton threw two touchdown passes and finished with 271 yards on 26-of-40 passing. And then there’s London, the man of the hour. That 40-yard game-winner wasn’t his only big moment. He also nailed field goals from 48, 27, and 36 yards, keeping the Mountaineers in the fight all night. This win pushes Appalachian State to a 5-2 overall record and 2-1 in the Sun Belt Conference.
For James Madison, this loss stings, bringing their record to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play. Adding insult to injury, running back George Pettaway, who had 57 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, left the game late in the fourth quarter with an apparent left hamstring injury and did not return. That’s a huge blow, especially since he snapped his impressive streak of four consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards. Losing a player like that in a tight game can absolutely change the momentum. You hate to see it happen to any player, but it definitely felt like a turning point for the Dukes.
What’s next for these teams? James Madison has to regroup fast, as they’re hosting Troy next Thursday. Appalachian State will take their road warrior mentality to Georgia Southern on Halloween. You know both squads will be looking to make a statement after a game like this.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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