JMU Falls Short at No. 7/8 Villanova, 49-31

Saturday, September 20

Villanova, Pa.

12:30 p.m.

James Madison University

2-2 , 0-1

Villanova

2-1 , 1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

James Madison

Villanova

9/20/2014 4:30:00 PM | Football

Box Score

VILLANOVA, Pennsylvania – In the Colonial Athletic Association opener for both teams, the James Madison football team battled throughout but came up on the short end of a 49-31 decision at No. 7/8 Villanova, Sept. 20. With the loss, the Dukes fall to 2-2 and 0-1 in CAA action, while the Wildcats improved to 2-1 and 1-0 in the league.

Both teams were proficient offensively, as JMU slightly outgained VU 568-563, including 406 yards through the air. The Wildcats had 226 yards of rushing and were more proficient on third down, going 8-for-13 while the Dukes were 9 for 22.

Redshirt-junior quarterback Vad Lee was good through the air, going 23-for-43 for a school-record 406 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The previous record was 388 yards by Greg Maddox against Hofstra on Sept. 12, 1998. Eight different receivers caught balls for JMU, led by redshirt-junior tight end Deane Cheatham's first 100-yard receiving game, making six catches for 109 yards and one score. Lee led JMU on the ground with 72 yards and one score on 28 carries.

Villanova was led by quarterback John Robertson, who was 22-for-27 for 337 yards, while Kevin Monangai carried the ball 15 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Mike Burke was the leading receiver for the Wildcats with five catches for 79 yards and one score.

With James Madison leading 24-14 early in the third quarter, Villanova reeled off 28 unanswered points in the second half. The hosts capitalized on two JMU turnovers for 14 points as part of the run to earn the victory.

Off the opening kickoff, Villanova drove for the first score of the game. A questionable first-down on a chain issue deep in JMU territory gave the Wildcats first down at the Dukes' 11. From there, it took just two plays for Robertson to find Burke in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown. The extra point was good to cap off the 11- play, 82-yard drive to put the Wildcats up 7-0 less than five minutes into the game.

After the Dukes turned it over on downs, Villanova marched deep into JMU territory but Robertson was stripped by junior Rhakeem Stallings and freshman Jimmy Moreland recovered for JMU to get the ball back at its own 31. However, Madison could not covert and punted the ball away.

On their next drive, the Dukes, on second down from their own 44, put their first points on the board as Lee connected with redshirt-freshman Ishmael Hyman for a 56-yard touchdown pass. Redshirt-senior kicker Connor Arnone split the uprights to finish the five-play, 71-yard march and the game was knotted at 7 with seven seconds gone in the second quarter.

Villanova had an immediate answer as Kevin Monangai went 62 yards on the first scrimmage play to put the host Wildcats back up 14-7.

On the first play of the ensuing JMU drive, Lee rolled out on play action and found a wide open redshirt-senior wide receiver Daniel Brown on play action for 71 yards gave the Dukes the ball at the VU 12. From there on third down, Lee threw a bullet to redshirt-senior wide receiver Sean Tapley just inside the goal line for the 6-yard touchdown to tie the game again, this time at 14.

The Dukes took their first lead of the game on a touch pass from Lee to Cheatham, good for the 18-yard score, The good PAT put Madison up 21-14 with 5:44 to go in the first half, a lead they would hold at the halftime break.

Madison opened the second half with the ball and put together a 4:21 drive over 14 plays and 59 yards. The drive stalled at the VU 16 and Arnone made his longest field goal of the young season, a 33-yarder, and the visitors moved ahead 24-14 with 10:39 to go in the third.

Villanova came back with an 11-play, 67-yard march, finished off by tight end Earnest Pettway's 4-yard touchdown catch to cut the lead to 24-21. VU then re-took the lead on the second scoring catch for Pettway, this time from seven yards. The 12-play, 86-yard drive took 3:39 and gave the Wildcats a 28-24 lead with just under two minutes to play in the third.

Wrapping up a 71-yard drive for VU, Monangai scored his second touchdown of the game, this one on a three-yard plunge, to put the Wildcats up 35-24 with 12:07 to play in the contest. An interception thrown by Lee and return by Joe Sarnese gave VU the ball at the JMU 4. Two plays later, the Wildcats went up 42-24 on Austin Medley's two-yard run.

With the longest drive of the season, both in terms of plays (16) and time (5:27), JMU cut into the lead with Lee's 1-yard run with 5:30 remaining in the game. However, Villanova sealed it with a 69-yard shovel pass from Robertson to Gary Underwood with 4:03 to go for the final score of the game.

The Dukes return home for their CAA home opener, hosting rival Delaware Saturday, Sept. 27. The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. kickoff and will be televised on Comcast SportsNet as part of the CAA Television package. Tickets for the game are available by contacting the JMU Ticket Office at www.jmusports.com/tickets or calling 540-568 -DUKE (3853).

Notes:

- Moreland has at least one turnover in each of his first four college games (INT at Maryland, blocked FG at Lehigh, INT-TD vs. Saint Francis, fumble recovery at Villanova)
- Hyman's TD catch in the start of the second quarter was his first collegiate reception.
- All three of JMU's first half scoring drives took less than two minutes and went more than 65 yards.