BANKS' THREE TDS LEAD JMU TO FOOTBALL WIN AT VMI

Saturday, September 30

Lexington, Va.

1:00 PM

James Madison University

3-1

VMI

1-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

James Madison

VMI

9/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

LEXINGTON, Va., Sept. 30, 2006 ? Senior tailback Alvin Banks (Hampton, Va./Hampton) ran for three touchdowns for the second straight week as James Madison compiled 525 yards of total offense and posted a 45-7 non-conference football victory at Virginia Military Institute Saturday.

Banks scored on runs of two, 13 and five yards and ran 20 times for 110 yards overall. He also caught four passes for 64 yards. His effort followed a four-touchdown effort -- three rushing, one receiving -- a week ago in a win over Northeastern and was the 11th 100-yard-rushing performance of his career.

JMU's total offense figure was its second in as many games of more than 500 yards, following a 549-yard effort against Northeastern. And for the second consecutive game, the Dukes didn't allow a touchdown until the final period, building a 38-0 lead and holding a 476-81 advantage in yards of total offense before the mid-point of the final quarter.

JMU improved to 3-1 with its second-straight victory, and VMI fell to 1-4 with its fourth-straight loss.

Banks capped a 13-play, 63-yard touchdown drive on JMU's first series with a two-yard run. He scored from 13 yards to end a 57-yard march and give the Dukes a 17-0 lead with 6:08 left in the second quarter, and he raised the lead to 24-0 5:54 before halftime with a five-yard run to cap a 69-yard possession.

JMU finished with 277 yards rushing and 248 yard passing. The Dukes led 24-0 at halftime and 38-0 when junior tailback Antoinne Bolton (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) scored on a 29-yard run with 9:22 left in the game.

VMI put together its touchdown drive -- 80 yards in eight plays -- after Bolton's score, and the Keydets gained 122 of their 199 total yards during the final quarter.

JMU scored on seven of its nine possessions and didn't punt for the first time in a game since 1986 at Georgia Southern. The Dukes threw a first-half interception to halt one series, and they ran the clock out at the end of the game.

In addition to the scores by Banks and Bolton, JMU got a 31-yard touchdown run from senior tailback Maurice Fenner (Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside), a six-yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Rodney Landers (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) and a 20-yard field goal by senior placekicker David Rabil (Franklin, Va./Franklin).

Fenner's scoring run came on a fourth-down-and-one play and followed a 26-yard completion from senior quarterback Justin Rascati (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz) to Banks on third-and-27 from the JMU 43.

Rascati completed 18 of 24 passes for 237 yards and hit eight receivers with passes. Junior wide receiver L.C. Baker (Richmond, Va./Armstrong) had team highs of five catches and 67 receiving yards, Banks had four catches, and sophomore wide receiver Patrick Ward (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) had career highs of four receptions and 47 receiving yards.

Senior defensive end Kevin Winston (Beltsville, Md./High Point) and senior linebacker Isaiah Dottin-Carter (Somerville, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin) each had seven tackles to lead the JMU defense. Winston also had two of the Dukes' three quarterback sacks, increasing his career sacks total to 16.5.

JMU returns to Atlantic 10 Football Conference play next Saturday (Oct. 7) for its Family Weekend game at 1:30 p.m. at home against Rhode Island. JMU is 1-0 in Atlantic 10 play, and the Rhode game will be the Dukes' first of seven straight against league opponents.

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