Appalachian State has done this before. They did it in 2023, when they ended an unbeaten James Madison season in overtime, winning 26-23 in Harrisonburg. On Thursday, October 22, 2026, in Boone, North Carolina, they did it again.
James London’s walk-off 40-yard field goal gave the App State Mountaineers a 34-31 overtime victory over previously undefeated James Madison — a win that dealt a significant blow to JMU’s Group of 6 College Football Playoff hopes, a stakes picture similar to the one playing out in this season’s CFP bowl projections after Auburn’s upset of No. 1 Georgia.
JMU came in at 7-0 overall, 4-0 in conference play, a record confirmed by James Madison University Athletics’ official matchup preview. They were the top team in the Sun Belt East. App State was 4-2, a mark laid out in Appalachian State Athletics’ official game-day preview. On paper, this was not a close matchup.
The game said otherwise.
A Fourth-Quarter Swing and an Overtime Miss
James Madison led 21-13 entering the fourth quarter. Appalachian State tied it at 21 when Henry Hasselbeck connected with Chris Lofton on a five-yard touchdown pass and converted the two-point attempt. The teams then exchanged field goals.
With 6:03 left, Colton Phares intercepted a JMU pass and returned it 21 yards to the Dukes’ 14-yard line. Two plays later, Hasselbeck found Luke Douglas on a four-yard touchdown pass, putting App State ahead 31-24.
But James Madison responded. Camden Coleman scored on a six-yard quarterback draw with three seconds left in regulation, tying the game at 31-31 and forcing overtime.
In overtime, JMU’s Morgan Suarez missed a 47-yard field goal attempt — it hit the left upright. App State then turned to James London, and his 40-yard kick sealed the 34-31 victory.
Malachi Singleton, the kind of dual-threat quarterback who draws comparisons to other recent college stars like Heisman runner-up Diego Pavia, led App State’s offense with 271 passing yards on 26-of-40 attempts and two touchdown passes. Coleman completed 22-of-39 for 232 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception for JMU. The game was played in front of a sellout crowd, per Appalachian State Athletics’ announcement that October home games against ODU and JMU were sold out.
James Madison finished with 423 yards of total offense; App State gained 366. App State controlled the ball for 33 minutes and 10 seconds compared to JMU’s 26 minutes and 50 seconds.
The result moves James Madison to 7-1. They still have time to fight for a Sun Belt title, but the undefeated résumé that could have earned them a Group of 6 playoff bid is gone. For App State, now 5-2, it’s a statement win that keeps them alive in the East Division race.
The App State–JMU rivalry has become something real. Three years apart, App State has now ended two separate unbeaten JMU seasons in overtime.
