National Champions!!! Dukes Defeat Montana 31-21

Friday, December 17

Chattanooga, Tenn.

James Madison University

13-2 , 7-1

Montana

12-3 , 6-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

James Madison

Montana

12/17/2014 11:53:00 PM | Football

Box Score

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (12/17/04) – National champion.

That's a title that forever will be used with the 2004 JMU football team.

The Dukes earned that distinction Friday at Finley Stadium/Davenport with a 31-21 victory over Montana in the finals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

The Dukes, as they have for most of the season, used a stingy defense, a strong running game, and good special teams play to post the biggest win in their 33-year football history.

JMU allowed a first-quarter touchdown for the only time during the 2004 season and trailed twice, but the Dukes rallied to dominate the final minutes of the game as they did for most of the season.

JMU went in front to stay 24-21 on a one-yard touchdown run by sophomore tailback Maurice Fenner (Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside) with 3:25 left in the third quarter, added an insurance score on sophomore quarterback Justin Rascati's (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz) six-yard run with eight minutes left in the game, and ran the final 6:14 off the clock after getting an interception from junior cornerback Clint Kent (Macon, Ga./Westside).

The Dukes used 14 straight rushing plays in running out the clock at the end of the game and nine straight rushing plays during the 72-yard drive that put them in front to stay.

JMU ran for 314 yards overall – 257 during the second half – and had a 318-202 overall yardage advantage during the final two periods.

Fenner led JMU's attack with 164 rushing yards on 29 carries and ran for two touchdowns. Sophomore tailback Alvin Banks (Hampton, Va./Hampton) added 88 rushing yards on 13 carries, and Rascati ran 11 times for 57 yards and two scores. Rascati also hit on 13 of 18 passes for 132 yards and wasn't intercepted.

In addition to the score that put JMU in front to stay, Fenner scored on a one-yard run with 0:16 left in the first quarter to give JMU a 10-7 edge. Rascati ran 11 yards for a touchdown on JMU's first third-quarter series in addition to his fourth-period scoring carry.

"We went into the game planning to throw the ball, but we were making so many yards rushing that we didn't need to throw," said sixth-year JMU coach Mickey Matthews.

"Our league is great; that was Atlantic 10 football in the second half," Matthews added. "Our league is by far the best in the country. Playing in our league really prepared us to play in this environment against Montana. Our guys thought they were going to win."

The victory was JMU's fifth straight overall and its fourth in the playoffs away from home. The Dukes completed the year with a 13-2 record and became the second straight Division I-AA champion from the Atlantic 10 (Delaware was the 2003 playoff winner). No other team previously had advanced to the championship with straight road wins.

JMU's effort off set an outstanding performance by Montana quarterback Craig Ochs, a transfer from Colorado. Ochs completed 29 of 38 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns, but the Grizzlies had only 44 rushing yards against JMU's defense.

Montana on Friday scored on the game's first series, moving 71 yards in 11 plays. Ochs completed four straight passes for 63 yards during the drive, including a three-yarder to Jefferson Heidelberger for the touchdown with 10:08 left in the opening quarter. Ochs had completions of 18 and 20 yards early during the possession and hit Tate Hancock on a 22-yard completion to the JMU one on a third-and-15 play.

JMU didn't have a first down and had only two net offensive yards during the opening period but begin to move the ball during the second period.

The Dukes pulled to within 7-3 with 8:54 left in the first half on a 28-yard field goal by sophomore David Rabil (Franklin, Va./Franklin), capping a 14-play, 74-yard drive. Rascati completed three passes for 47 yards during the possession.

Fenner's one-yard scoring run for JMU's 10-7 halftime lead capped a 71 yard, 13-play series and came on a fourth-down play.

JMU raised the lead to 17-7 by driving 80 yards in six plays to start the second half. Rascati had an 18-yard run and Banks a 28-yarder to the Montana 21 before Fenner ran for 10 yards and Rascati scored from the 11 with 11:55 left in the third quarter.

Montana scored on the following possession, driving 75 yards in nine plays to get to within 17-14, and recovered a JMU fumble two plays later at the Dukes' 29 to set up a drive that produced a 21-17 Grizzly lead. Ochs completed seven of nine passes for 69 yards and hit Levander Segars on a 17-yard pass to cap the first series, and Montana needed only three plays to take the lead following the fumble. Ochs capped the quick drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Willie Walden with 7:29 left in the third period.

The 72-yard drive that gave JMU the lead for good included Fenner carries of 11, 13 and 11 yards and a 25-yarder by Banks to the Montana 12 before Fenner scored.

Montana missed on a 31-yard field goal on its next possession, and JMU added its insurance touchdown on a 80-yard, 16-play drive during which Rascati hit on six of eight passes for 48 yards and ran twice for 10 yards before scoring from the six.

Ochs moved Montana from its 14 to the JMU 35 in just more than a minute after Rascati's score, but Kent's fourth-down interception – his fifth interception of the year – came on the final offensive play the Grizzlies would run.