BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University secured a dramatic 34-31 overtime victory against previously unbeaten James Madison University on Thursday night, thanks to a 40-yard field goal from James London. The walk-off score sent a sellout crowd of 33,322 fans spilling onto the field at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The win hands JMU (7-1, 4-1 Sun Belt) its first loss of the season, improving App State’s record to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
The game-winning kick came after a series of intense moments in overtime. London’s vision was temporarily impaired on the sideline when a teammate accidentally struck him in the face while signaling "no good" on JMU's preceding 47-yard field goal attempt. That Dukes' kick clanged off the left upright, closing their opening possession of overtime without points. London jogged onto the field late for App State's decisive play. After Henry Hasselbeck gained 5 yards on a first-down keeper from the JMU 25, and quarterback Malachi Singleton centered the ball, London calmly drilled the field goal following a clean snap from Parker Stone and hold by Jaxson Dunn.
The Mountaineers faced an uphill battle throughout regulation, falling behind 14-3 early in the game. They clawed back, tying the score at 21-all and again at 24-all in the fourth quarter. London’s third field goal of the night tied the score with 6:16 remaining. One play later, Colton Phares intercepted a JMU pass, returning it 21 yards to the Dukes’ 25-yard line. This setup Hasselbeck’s 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Luke Douglas, giving App State its first lead of the night at 31-24 with 5:52 left.
JMU, under first-year coach Billy Napier, responded to force overtime. Camden Coleman scored on a 6-yard quarterback draw with three seconds left in the fourth quarter, capping a 15-play drive that included a crucial fourth-and-3 completion for 3 yards to the App State 6 with 12 seconds remaining. Napier opted to tie the game with an extra point rather than attempting a two-point conversion. App State won the coin toss to start overtime and chose to defend first. This decision paid off when Ja’Den McBurrows tackled quarterback JC Evans for an 11-yard loss on a trick play, pushing JMU behind the chains and leading to their longer, ultimately missed, field goal attempt.
This victory marks the second time in the last four years that App State has defeated an undefeated, headline-making JMU team with a walk-off score in overtime. The prior instance was in 2023 when Joey Aguilar’s touchdown pass to Kaedin Robinson secured a 26-23 victory over a 10-0 Dukes squad. London had a perfect night, going 4-for-4 on field goals, placing him among other App State kickers like Michael Hughes (2023) and Chandler Staton (2021) who have made walk-off kicks in recent years.
Defensively, Phares led the Mountaineers with a game-high 13 tackles, including a key tackle for loss on a third-and-short run. The App State defense limited JMU to 92 rushing yards on 30 attempts. On offense, Malachi Singleton completed 26 of 40 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Hasselbeck accounted for three completions, including the fourth-quarter touchdown to Douglas.
JMU opened the game with an eight-play touchdown drive. App State trailed by 11 points before Singleton threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Alexander Sanchez with 1:02 remaining before halftime, narrowing the deficit to 14-10. The first half saw 11 punts from both teams. Other early points included London's 48-yard field goal and Evans' 70-yard touchdown pass to Braeden Wisloski, which occurred on the first play after a Mountaineers' punt, following Ricky Lolohea blocking a 48-yard field goal attempt.
The Mountaineers began the third quarter with an 11-play scoring drive that lasted nearly five minutes, but stalled, leading to London's 27-yard field goal. JMU extended its lead to 21-13 with an 11-play, 67-yard touchdown drive that featured a muffed punt, a missed sack, and bobbled potential interceptions before Coleman's 19-yard touchdown pass to Cole Keller. Trailing by eight points entering the fourth quarter, App State tied the score at 21-21 with 13:15 left when Singleton completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chris Lofton, followed by Sam Pickett III on the two-point conversion.
With this result, every team in the Sun Belt’s East Division now has at least one league loss. App State has now responded to an earlier loss to Old Dominion with consecutive victories against Coastal Carolina and JMU. The Mountaineers are scheduled to play at Georgia Southern next weekend.
