ACKER'S TDS LEAD JMU TO FOOTBALL WIN AT LIBERTY

Saturday, September 26

Lynchburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

2-1

Liberty

2-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

James Madison

Liberty

9/27/2009 3:15:00 AM | Football

Box Score

LYNCHBURG, Va., Sept. 26, 2009 - Sophomore tailback Corwin Acker (Landover, Md./Blake) ran for a career-high 147 yards and two second-half touchdowns to lead James Madison to a 24-10 non-conference football victory at Liberty Saturday.

Acker scored on a 65-yard run to break a 10-10 tie early during the final quarter and later had a 13-yard scoring carry to all but seal the victory for the Dukes.

JMU won for the second straight week and raised its record to 2-1 while Liberty fell to 2-2.

Acker's career-long 65-yard carry came on the first play from scrimmage after Liberty had pulled into a 10-10 tie on Matt Blevins' 27-yard field goal with 14:55 to play. Acker got to the outside to his left and raced along the sideline to score at the 14:35 mark of the final period.

His 13-yard touchdown run came with 1:58 remaining on the first play after JMU junior free safety Griff Yancey (Glen Allen, Va./Hermitage) returned an interception 34 yards.

Acker ran 12 times overall and late during the game was playing in place of junior tailback Jamal Sullivan (Ruther Glen, Va./Caroline), who didn't return to play after suffering an apparent lower leg injury during the third quarter. Sullivan had run 15 times for a career-high 93 yards and JMU's first touchdown, and he and Acker led a 301-yard rushing attack for the Dukes.

JMU finished with 348 yards of total offense during a game that was played in a steady rain. Liberty had 217 yards (96 rushing, 132 passing). The Flames compiled only 88 yards of total offense during the second half.

Blevins' game-tying field goal came after Liberty recovered a JMU fumble at the Dukes' 43-yardline, JMU's third turnover in less than 10 minutes of clock time midway through the contest. The Flames reached the JMU 10 in nine plays before evening the score with the successful kick.

The Dukes returned the ensuing kickoff to their 35 to set up Acker's first touchdown.

Liberty reached the JMU 34 on the following possession and then pinned JMU at its five-yard line with a punt. The Dukes failed to move for a first down from deep in their territory but got a 65-yard punt from junior punter Matt Goff (Fairfax, Va./Robinson) to push the Flames back to their 29. The punt is the eighth-longest punt in team history.

The teams then traded punts before Yancey's interception return set up JMU's clinching touchdown.

JMU scored first, getting a 35-yard field goal from sophomore placekicker Dixon Wright (Crossnore, N.C./Avery County) on its first possession after forcing a Liberty punt. The Liberty kick went to the JMU two-yard line, and the Dukes drove 80 yards in 12 plays to score with 5:22 left in the opening quarter. JMU compiled six first downs and got four rushing attempts for 41 yards from Sullivan while reaching the Liberty 18.

Liberty went in front 7-3 on the next series, moving 80 yards in 10 plays with quarterback Tommy Beecher scoring from the one on a second-down play on the opening play of the second period. Beecher set up the score with a pair of long third down passes. He hit wide receiver B.J. Hayes with a 26-yard pass to the JMU 34 on a third-and-10 play and wide receiver Chris Summers on a 43-yard completion to the JMU one on a third-and-20.

JMU took a 10-7 lead with 5:14 left in the first half when Sullivan scored from five yards to cap a 46-yard, five-play possession. Junior quarterback Drew Dudzik (Clifton, Va./Centreville) hit senior tight end Mike Caussin (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) on a 16-yard pass to start the drive and Sullivan had carries of nine and 17 yards before his scoring run.

A five-yard interception return of a deflected Liberty pass by sophomore defensive end D.J. Bryant (Baltimore, Md./Randallstown) gave JMU the ball at the Liberty 41 with 2:53 left in the half, but the Dukes squandered the scoring chance by throwing an interception from the Liberty nine.

JMU, which didn't have a turnover during its first two games, threw another interception and lost a fumble during the third quarter.

The Dukes open Colonial Athletic Association play next Saturday (Oct. 3) in a 3 p.m. game at Hofstra.