JMU WINS HOME OPENER 44-16 OVER VMI

Saturday, September 19

Harrisonburg, Va.

6 p.m.

James Madison University

1-1

VMI

1-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

VMI

James Madison

9/20/2009 1:45:00 AM | Football

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va., Sept. 19, 2009 – Senior Rockeed McCarter (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) had 168 yards receiving and caught a pair of touchdowns in the final 3:14 of the first half to put JMU ahead 31-10 en route to a 44-16 victory over Virginia Military Institute in JMU's home opener on Saturday night at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field.

JMU improved to 1-1 on the season while VMI dropped to 1-1. The Dukes improved to 10-3 in the head-to-head series and won their fifth straight dating back to 1994. JMU is 7-0 against the Keydets all-time at home.

McCarter finished with 168 yards on eight catches. His previous career highs were 87 yards on four receptions. It was JMU's first 150-yard game by a receiver since Alan Harrison had 150 against Villanova on Sept. 6, 2001.

Redshirt senior tight end Mike Caussin (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) nearly made it two 150-yard receivers with three catches for a career-high 145 yards and a pair of scores. It was his second straight week with two scores and third of his career.

JMU rotated quarterbacks on each series throughout the game. Redshirt junior Drew Dudzik (Clifton, Va./Centreville) completed 9-of-13 passes for three touchdowns and 214 yards. Redshirt freshman Justin Thorpe (Richmond, Va./Varina), who started for JMU, completed 7-of-11 passes for 127 yards and one score while rushing for 53 yards and a another touchdown.

The Dukes finished with 486 total yards of offense (8.0 per play), including 341 through the air. JMU picked up 89 of its 145 rushing yards in the fourth quarter.

VMI totaled 288 yards (4.9 per play) with 178 rushing and 110 through the air. Bryan Barnson had a 67-yard catch from Kyle Hughes to account for over half the receiving yards. It was the lowest rushing total for the Keydets' wishbone attack in two seasons under head coach Sparky Woods.

The two scoring throws to McCarter late in the opening half were the key in turning a one-score game into a 31-10 margin at the break.

Thorpe found McCarter on a 14-yard bubble screen with 3:14 left in the half. Redshirt junior receiver Marcus Turner (Berlin, N.J./Eastern) had a key block to spring McCarter into the endzone.

VMI was stopped an inch short on fourth and one with 1:13 remaining and JMU responded with an eight-play, 64-yard drive to score with six seconds left. Dudzik found McCarter on a fade in the left corner of the end zone for the 31-10 halftime lead.

After stopping VMI on the opening drive of the game, JMU took possession on the 22-yard line. Thorpe led the Dukes on a nine-play, 78-yard drive culminating in a one-yard plunge by redshirt junior tailback Jamal Sullivan (Ruther Glen, Va./Caroline) for a lead JMU did not relinquish.

The teams traded possessions until VMI pinned JMU deep and took possession on the Dukes' 40-yard line. Nine plays later Jeff Sexton nailed a 32-yard field goal to make it 7-3 early in the second.

On the ensuing kickoff, JMU redshirt senior Scotty McGee (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) returned it 64 yards to the VMI 26. After gaining just six yards on offense, redshirt sophomore Dixon Wright (Crossnore, N.C./Avery County) hit his first career field goal from 37 yards.

After holding VMI, JMU took possession on the VMI 35 and Dudzik found Caussin for a 65-yard strike, the longest play in each player's JMU career.

VMI capped a quick three-play, 70-yard drive with a four-yard run by Michael Rainey-Wiles. The drive included the 67-yard pass to Barnson. That set the stage for the two late strikes to McCarter to end the half.

In the second half, JMU added a 26-yard pass from Dudzik to Caussin and a 19-yard scramble for a score by Thorpe.

VMI scored its final touchdown on a 13-yard pass from Hughes to Tim Maypray. The extra point was blocked after a bad snap.

JMU will be on the road each of the next two weeks, beginning next Saturday evening with a 7 p.m. contest at Liberty. The game will air locally in Harrisonburg on WHSV's MyValley.

NOTES: JMU has defeated VMI four times since 2004 by a combined score of 179-50... the Dukes scored 45 points in each of the previous three contests while a botched snap on an extra-point attempt prevented that score in this meeting... Caussin and McCarter each had their first career 100-yard receiving games... JMU had two 100-yard receivers in a game for the first time since 1998 against Hofstra by Lindsay Fleshman (114) and Earnest Payton (104)... JMU had 300 yards passing as a team for the first time since throwing for exactly 300 against Villanova on Sept. 29, 2007... McGee had two kick returns in the game for 64 and 48 yards... he has six career touchdowns combined on punt and kick returns, one short of the FCS record.