#1 JMU HANDLES DELAWARE 41-7 IN CAA FOOTBALL

Saturday, November 1

Harrisonburg, Va.

3:30 p.m.

James Madison University

8-1 , 6-0

Delaware

3-6 , 1-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Delaware

James Madison

11/1/2008 4:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va., Nov. 1, 2008 – Senior Rodney Landers (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) rushed for 185 yards, the second-most in a game by a James Madison quarterback, and two scores in a 41-7 Colonial Athletic Association football win over Delaware on Saturday afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field.

JMU, ranked first nationally by The Sports Network and the FCS coaches, won its eighth straight to improve to 8-1 overall and 6-0 in the CAA. The winning streak is the longest in the program's Division I history dating back to 1980. Delaware fell to 3-6 overall and 1-4 in the league. The 34-point margin of victory was the largest ever by either team in the series, the previous being a 48-19 win by UD at JMU in 1995.

The Dukes dominated the game statistically, collecting 22 first downs compared to 10 for the Blue Hens. JMU ran 77 plays for 385 yards while UD had 43 plays for 169. Most of the yardage difference came on the ground where the Dukes rushed 61 times for 309 yards and the Blue Hens ran 31 times for 94 yards. JMU also led possession 39 minutes to 21 and converted 13 of 19 third downs compared to two of nine for UD.

Landers' 185 yards was the second-most by a JMU quarterback, trailing only the 206 yards he accumulated against Massachusetts in September. He now owns 11 of the top 13 quarterback rushing games in JMU history. Landers went over 1,000 yards for the season with 1,115 and became the second-leading rusher among all players in JMU history with 2,822, passing Kenny Sims (1989-92) and Curtis Keaton (1998-99). He trails only Warren Marshall (1982-86) in team history. Marshall ran for 4,168 yards as a Duke.

After leading 14-0 at the half, JMU broke the contest open with 20 unanswered points in the third quarter, highlighted by a pair of long scoring drives. The Dukes opened the half with a 13-play, 72-yard drive in 6:37, capped by a four-yard run by senior tailback Eugene Holloman (Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside).

JMU then forced Delaware three and out and went on a nine-play, 85-yard drive in 3:44 with a 35-yard touchdown run by Landers, his longest carry of the game.

Following another three and out by the Blue Hens, junior Scotty McGee (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown, his third punt return for a score this season, breaking the JMU season record he previously shared with Gary Clark (1983) and L.C. Baker (2005). The three returns also match Clark's career mark for punt returns for scores.

Delaware followed the return with a 94-yard kickoff score by Jerry Butler for its only points of the game to cut the lead to 34-7.

JMU picked up its final score of the game on a five-yard strike from backup quarterback Drew Dudzik (Clifton, Va./Centreville) to tight end Charlie Newman (Harrisonburg, Va./Turner Ashby). It was Newman's first catch of the season.

The Dukes built a 14-0 first-half lead on a pair of one-yard scoring runs, the first by sophomore tailback Jamal Sullivan (Ruther Glen, Va./Caroline) following a Blue Hens' fumble.

The other score came by Landers following one of JMU's longest drives of the season, a 16-play, 73-yard effort in nine minutes and 16 seconds.

Following an off week next week, JMU will be at home on Nov. 15 at 1:30 p.m. against William & Mary. The kickoff time is a change from the previously announced 6 p.m. start. The 16th-ranked Tribe improved to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the league with a 34-14 win over Towson earlier Saturday.

NOTES: JMU is 6-0 in the CAA for the fourth time under head coach Mickey Matthews (1999, 2004, 2006). The Dukes lost all three times previously in their seventh league game... McGee extended his own record for total career kick and punt returns for scores with his sixth, three each on punt and kick returns... JMU previously had seven-game winning streaks in 1994, 1999, 2006, and this season... the longest streak in school history was 12 games as a College Division spanning the 1975 and 76 seasons... in addition to being the second-most rushing yards by a JMU quarterback, Landers' 185 yards was also the second-most ever by a Delaware opposing quarterback, the most being 201... Landers also climbed from 14th to seventh in season rushing yards at JMU... Jon Williams (Ridgeway, Va./Magna Vista) had two forced fumbles in the game for JMU... the game was played in front of a homecoming crowd of 16,810.