JMU RALLIES FOR 35-23 FOOTBALL VICTORY OVER RHODE ISLAND

Saturday, October 7

Harrisonburg, Va.

1:30 PM

James Madison University

4-1 , 2-0

Rhode Island

2-3 , 0-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Rhode Island

James Madison

JMU RALLIES FOR 35-23 FOOTBALL VICTORY OVER RHODE ISLAND

10/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va., Oct. 7, 2006 ? Big plays on both sides of the ball were the difference as James Madison overcame Rhode Island's clock-controlling offense to beat the Rams 35-23 in Atlantic 10 Football Conference play at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field Saturday.

JMU ran only 47 plays from scrimmage to Rhode Island's 86, but the host Dukes got a 64-yard scoring run, a touchdown on a fumble return, a long kickoff return to set up a score and an interception to set up a touchdown in winning their third-straight game.

JMU overcame deficits of 10-0 and 23-21 and improved to 4-1 overall and to 2-0 in the Atlantic 10. Rhode Island fell to 2-3 overall and to 0-2 in the conference.

Junior tailback Eugene Holloman (Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside) had the Dukes' biggest play on a rainy afternoon, racing 64 yards for a touchdown that gave JMU a 28-23 lead with 10:29 remaining. The carry came on the second play after a Rhode Island punt and was among only seven plays from scrimmage the Dukes ran during the final quarter.

Rhode Island had possession for 10:16 of fourth quarter without scoring, and JMU sealed the victory when senior safety Phil Minafield (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz) pulled the ball away from Ram quarterback Derek Cassidy, and JMU defensive end Kevin Winston (Beltsville, Md./High Point) recovered and raced 28 yards for a touchdown and a 35-23 JMU lead with 1:46 to play.

The Dukes used senior wide receiver Ardon Bransford's (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) 49-yard kickoff return to set up their first score, a seven-yard run by senior tailback Alvin Banks (Hampton, Va./Hampton) with 6:18 left in the second quarter. The touchdown was Banks eight in the team's last three games.

The sixth interception of senior linebacker Akeem Jordan's (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) career on the ensuing series set up set up a 26-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Justin Rascati (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz) to senior wide receiver D.D. Boxley (King George, Va./King George) that gave JMU a 14-10 lead with 4:23 left in the half.

Rhode Island went back in front 16-14 with an 11-play, 79-yard drive, but JMU needed only 46 seconds to go ahead on a 28-yard Rascati-to-Bransford scoring pass six seconds before halftime.

Rhode Island took a 23-21 lead on a one-yard Cassidy run at 5:31 of the third quarter, capping a 13-play, 91-yard drive, and the Rams stopped JMU on a fourth-and-one play from their 20 with 1:22 left in the period. Rhode Island then ran 28 plays the rest of the way but didn't again move beyond its 45-yard line.

JMU finished with 349 yards of total offense (247 rushing, 102 passing) after having more than 500 yards during each of its previous two games, and the Dukes didn't have a turnover. Holloman ran 20 times for 142 yards, and Rascati hit on seven of nine passes for 102 yards.

Rhode Island had 421 total yards (249 rushing, 172 passing) and had two turnovers. Fullback Joe Casey ran 28 times for 163 yards, and Cassidy completed eight of 16 passes for 153 yards.

Senior placekicker David Rabil (Franklin, Va./Franklin) had conversion kicks after each of JMU's touchdowns and now holds the JMU career record of 106 points after touchdown. Trey Weis (1990-93) held the old mark of 104.

Saturday's victory also gave Rascati the distinction of being the starting quarterback in more JMU wins than any other player. JMU has won 24 games during the last three seasons with Rascati as its starter. The previous mark was 23 with Mike Cawley (1993-95) as the team's starter.

JMU next Saturday (Oct. 14) plays a noon televised game at New Hampshire, a 27-17 winner Saturday at home over Richmond and the No.1-ranked Division I-AA team in the nation since mid-September.

JMU's game at New Hampshire will be televised by the New England affiliate of CN8 and will be available on CN8's mid-Atlantic affiliate and may be available on various Comcast cable outlets. The game also will be carried in the Central Virginia and Shenandoah Valley areas by CW 29, a cable affiliate of WVIR television in Charlottesville.

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