James Madison vs. GA Southern Recap: Pettaway 151 Yards, Three Cash

James Madison held off Georgia Southern 27-24 on Saturday night in a game that went down to the final minute. Georgia Southern led 10-6 at the half after a Max Johnson touchdown pass and a field goal. JMU took over in the third quarter with two touchdowns, then added a third on a 14-play, 82-yard drive that ate 7:16 of the fourth. Georgia Southern scored with 2:27 left to make it a three-point game and got the ball back, but its last drive ended on a field goal try that did not go through. Three DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game.

What cashed

James Madison ML (-310 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: JMU had won its last three FBS games by 13, 26 and 28 points, and Georgia Southern came in 2-3. The spread had moved from 10 down to 7.5 before kickoff, but we still liked the Dukes to win outright. - What happened: JMU won by 3. The Dukes did not turn it over, went 4 of 5 on fourth down, and outrushed Georgia Southern 209 to 122. It was closer than the price suggested, but it cashed. - Worth watching: Heavy favorites at this price need to win almost every time to pay off. Make sure the number makes sense before you put a short moneyline in a parlay.

ALT: Georgia Southern +16.5 (alt, targeted -170 to -200): CASHED - Our read: The main line was James Madison -7.5, so +16.5 gave Georgia Southern more than a touchdown of extra room. Georgia Southern had covered this number in all five games this season and 9 of its last 10. - What happened: Georgia Southern lost by 3, landing 13.5 points inside the number. Johnson threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns, and Josh Dallas caught 8 passes for 111 yards, so the Eagles never fell far enough behind to threaten this alt. - Worth watching: Pairing a favorite's moneyline with the underdog on a wide alt spread covers a big middle of outcomes. Here, any JMU win by 16 or fewer cashed both.

George Pettaway 70+ rushing yards (alt, worth it at -200 or better): CASHED - Our read: Pettaway came in with 497 yards on 74 carries, 6.7 a carry, and had 206 yards on 14 carries the week before against Marshall. We expected JMU to lean on the run. - What happened: Pettaway carried 21 times for 151 yards with a long of 35. That is 81.5 yards over the line. JMU ran it 48 times as a team, and Pettaway got the biggest share. - Worth watching: Pettaway has topped 150 yards in back-to-back weeks. A 21-carry workload at over 7 yards a carry makes his rushing props worth a look again, though books will likely raise the number.

How the game played out

JMU spread its passing touchdowns around. Camden Coleman hit Jeremiah Harrison from 2 yards out, and JC Evans threw both of his completions for scores: a 57-yarder to Cole Keller and a 1-yarder to KD Mosley. Georgia Southern outgained JMU 465 to 438 but turned it over twice, once on an interception and once on a fumble.

Trends to watch

• Johnson threw 38 times for 343 yards in a close game. His passing volume stays high when Georgia Southern is chasing.
• Keller caught 4 passes for 108 yards. He is the JMU receiver who produced the big plays here.
• JMU went 5 of 16 on third down and leaned on fourth-down tries. That style keeps drives alive and adds to the run game's volume.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. For more on these markets, read our moneyline and alt line guides, or head to the CFB hub.