There are just five unbeaten teams left in college football. James London kicked a walk-off 40-yard field goal in overtime as Appalachian State beat previously-unbeaten James Madison 34-31 on Thursday night at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina — ending JMU’s first regular-season loss in over a year.
James London (Credits: ESPN)
The Dukes (7-1) had not lost a regular-season game since Week 2 of the 2025 season, a 28-14 defeat to Louisville. Their collapse at the finish was brutal: after App State sacked quarterback JC Evans for an 11-yard loss to start overtime, kicker Morgan Suarez’s 47-yard attempt bounced off the left upright — and London did the rest.
London was the night’s hero beyond the winner, also converting field goals of 48, 27 and 36 yards for the Mountaineers (5-2, 2-1 Sun Belt). Quarterback Malachi Singleton threw two touchdown passes, finishing 26-of-40 for 271 yards, while Henry Hasselbeck — the son of former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck — tossed a 4-yard touchdown strike to Luke Douglas.
How Appalachian State Stunned James Madison
Appalachian State never led until the fourth quarter. Down 21-13 in the third, the Mountaineers clawed back before a game-changing sequence with 6:03 to play: Colton Phares intercepted a pass and returned it 21 yards to the JMU 14, and two plays later Hasselbeck’s touchdown pass to Douglas gave App State its first lead at 31-24.
JMU quarterback Camden Coleman (22-of-39, 232 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) refused to fold. Facing fourth-and-3, he hit Jeremiah Harrison for exactly 3 yards, then scored on a quarterback draw with just 3 seconds left to force overtime at 31-31. Dukes coach Billy Napier chose the extra period over going for two and the win — and the missed field goal in OT made that decision haunt the final result.
The loss also cost JMU running back George Pettaway late in the fourth quarter; the North Carolina transfer, who finished with 57 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, left with an apparent left hamstring injury and did not return, snapping his string of four consecutive 100-yard rushing games.
What the Loss Means for the College Football Playoff Picture
This is a significant blow to JMU’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff for a second straight season. With the Dukes out of the unbeaten club, only Miami, BYU, Texas Tech, UCLA and Utah remain undefeated in the FBS. A year ago, JMU got the help it needed when Duke won the ACC title; the Dukes finished as the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion and earned a trip to Oregon in the first round.
The path is now much narrower. Up next: JMU hosts Troy next Thursday, while Appalachian State visits Georgia Southern on Halloween — with all the momentum in Boone after one of the wildest finishes of the college football season.
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Source: ESPN — read the full story there.