No. 6 Dukes Down Stony Brook 38-20 to Move to 5-0

Saturday, October 3

Harrisonburg, Va.

Noon

James Madison University

5-0 , 2-0

Stony Brook

2-2 , 1-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Stony Brook

James Madison

10/3/2015 3:58:00 PM | Football

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - The No. 6 James Madison football team tallied more than 500 yards of total offense for the fifth consecutive game on Saturday, as the Dukes bested Colonial Athletic Association foe Stony Brook, 38-20, on a rainy afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field.

With the win, JMU moved to 5-0 (2-0 CAA) for the first time in its 44-year program history, while the Seawolves fell to 2-2 (1-2 CAA) with the loss.

In all, the Dukes piled up 519 yards of total offense, including 294 on the ground, and saw three different players rush for more than 80 yards on the day. Junior running back Khalid Abdullah led the way, carrying the ball 17 times for 114 yards to record his third 100-yard rushing effort of the year. Abdullah also tacked on a pair of touchdowns, giving him a Football Championship Subdivision-best eight on the season.

Redshirt sophomore running back Cardon Johnson ran for 87 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries of his own, while senior quarterback Vad Lee carried the ball 18 times for 91 yards and a score. Lee also went 19-of-29 through the air, despite the weather, throwing for 225 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over.

The JMU offense kept up its blistering pace in the first half of the contest, scoring touchdowns on four consecutive drives and racking up 392 yards, 221 of which came via the run game, before halftime. The Dukes converted eight of their 11 third-down chances through the first two quarters.

Junior linebacker Gage Steele paced the JMU defense on the day, racking up 18 total tackles to tie his career best, including six solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss. Junior cornerback Taylor Reynolds played stout defense on the outside, intercepting a first-quarter pass that marked the only turnover for either team on the afternoon and breaking up five passes in all.

QUOTING COACH WITHERS:
"Good to get the victory today. [Stony Brook] is a very athletic, big, physical football team and we knew that coming in. Hats off to our kids for meeting the challenges of the week. I'm very proud of our football team for handling all of the outside noise, the weather and the issues of the week. We ran the football effectively and threw it effectively."

PLAY OF THE GAME

Senior quarterback Vad Lee found redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ishmael Hyman on this 30-yard touchdown pass that put JMU up, 35-7, just after halftime. The score, which capped the Dukes' first drive after the break, quieted Stony Brook's momentum and moved Lee into a tie for second all-time at JMU with 42 career passing touchdowns.

KEEPING THE PRESSURE UP:
After last week's four-sack performance, redshirt sophomore Andrew Ankrah didn't suffer much of a letdown week against the Seawolves. The young linebacker picked up two more sacks on Saturday afternoon, costing Stony Brook a combined 22 yards, and picked up a third solo tackle for good measure. In all, Ankrah has tallied 6.5 sacks for 48 yards on the season.

CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOK:
Senior quarterback Vad Lee continued his march up the JMU record books. After Saturday's performance, he ranks in the top seven in five career categories at JMU:
Passing Yards: 4th, 4,882 (3rd: Eriq Williams, 5,356)
Passing Attempts: 5th, 619 (4th: Matt LeZotte, 646)
Passing Completions: 4th, 387 (3rd: Greg Maddox, 405)
Passing Touchdowns: t-2nd, 42 (t-2nd: Mike Cawley, 42; 1st: Justin Rascati, 51)
Total Offense: 5th, 6,302 (4th: Rodney Landers, 6,765)

TWEET OF THE GAME:

@JMUWGolf watching our fellow Dukes on the way back to the Burg! @JMUFootball @JMUSports pic.twitter.com/HjBXPE37Ol
— Kelsey Solan (@KelseySolan) October 3, 2015

REGULAR-SEASON SUCCESS:
JMU is one of two teams to have not lost a regular season game since the first weekend of October last season. JMU's 31-28 win at Albany on Oct. 4, 2014 started JMU's current 12-game regular-season win streak. Harvard, which maintains the nation's longest active win streak at 17, is 11-0 since that same weekend last year.

CAA STATUS:
With the win, JMU remains the only undefeated team in the CAA. Depending on the rest of the day's results, the Dukes will be tied for first place in the league, at worst, with a 2-0 record in conference play. JMU has also won eight straight CAA matchups dating back to the Albany win last year.

NEXT UP:
The Dukes will be on the road next week, when they head north to Maryland to face Towson at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10. The Tigers, who had a bye this week, are 2-2 (0-1 CAA) after dropping a 17-13 decision at Elon on Sept. 26.

**MORE INFORMATION TO COME**