NORFOLK, Va — The annual Royal Rumble saw Old Dominion have its hands full with the defending Sun Belt Conference champion James Madison Dukes.
The Monarchs were facing not only the top offense in the Sun Belt, but also one of the conference's toughest defenses. Adding to the challenge, ODU was without a key component — quarterback Quinn Henicle, who missed the game with an undisclosed injury.
That put redshirt freshman Ryan Huff under center as the Monarchs looked to snap a four-game losing streak against the Dukes.
Instead, James Madison continued its dominance of the rivalry.
Camden Coleman threw four touchdown passes as the Dukes cruised to a 46-20 victory over Old Dominion in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams Saturday night.
Coleman connected with Cole Keller for a 3-yard touchdown and Michael Scott for a 20-yard score as James Madison jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Dukes continued to pull away in the second quarter. Coleman found Jeremiah Harrison for a 13-yard touchdown and Corey Scott for an 18-yard score to give James Madison control heading into halftime.
Morgan Suarez added a field goal in the first half and connected on three more field goals after the break.
Seth Cromwell scored a late touchdown for the Dukes, who finished the night with 405 yards of total offense.
Suffolk native George Pettaway led James Madison's rushing attack with 110 yards as the Dukes improved to 4-0 on the season.
Huff provided some offensive production in his first start. He threw a touchdown pass to Leon Haughton Jr., while Maurki James also found the end zone for the Monarchs.
But ODU struggled to keep Huff upright throughout the night.
The Monarchs surrendered nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss, making it difficult for ODU to generate consistent offense against the defending conference champions.
Old Dominion falls to 1-3 overall and has now lost three straight games.
Meanwhile, James Madison remains unbeaten and continues its recent dominance over its in-state rival.
The Dukes are now 5-0 against Old Dominion since joining the Sun Belt in 2022.
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