No. 16 W&M Rallies for Last-Minute, 44-41 Win over No. 9 JMU

Saturday, October 31

Williamsburg, Va.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

7-2 , 4-2

William & Mary

6-2 , 4-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

James Madison

William and Mary

No. 16 W&M Rallies for Last-Minute, 44-41 Win over No. 9 JMU

10/31/2015 8:46:00 PM | Football

Box Score

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Tailback Kendell Anderson scored on a two-yard touchdown with 44 seconds left in an offensive shootout to lift No. 16 William & Mary to a 44-41 win over No. 9 James Madison in Colonial Athletic Association football action on Saturday evening at Zable Stadium.

The loss dropped the Dukes to 7-2 (4-2 CAA) on the season, while the Tribe improved to 6-2 (4-1 CAA) with the victory.

JMU controlled the contest much of the way, with W&M taking its first lead of the game at 37-34 with 7:24 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Dukes responded immediately, however, going 75 yards over 10 plays that spanned just 2:12 before junior running back Khalid Abdullah plunged into the end zone from a yard out to put JMU back on top, 41-37. W&M got the ball back with 5:12 to go and picked up five first downs on an 84-yard drive, with Anderson taking a handoff off-tackle to put the Tribe on top for good.

JMU tallied 460 yards of total offense, including 233 on the ground while the Tribe amassed 469 yards of offense. The Dukes average 6.2 yards per play in the defeat.

Sophomore quarterback Bryan Schor performed admirably in his debut as a starter, going 17-of-27 through the air for 227 yards and a touchdown, while rushing 15 times for 64 yards and another score.

Redshirt sophomore running back Cardon Johnson posted his fourth career 100-yard rushing effort, carrying 17 times for 134 yards and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Rashard Davis notched a career game of his own, racking up 125 yards on four catches, all in the first half.

The Dukes' offensive effort marked the first time that the Tribe had allowed more than 40 points since a Nov. 10, 2012 contest again Old Dominion, a stretch spanning 32 games.

Defensively, sophomore safety Marcell Johnson paced the Dukes a season-best with 11 total tackles, including seven solo stops, while sophomore linebacker Kyre Hawkins racked up a career-high nine solo tackles. His 10-tackle performance was the second time this year he reached double-digit stops.

Junior safety Raven Greene made the defense's biggest play of the day, stepping in front of a first-quarter pass and taking the interception 35 yards for a score. The touchdown marked JMU's first defensive score since then-sophomore Taylor Reynolds ran back a pair of interceptions at Richmond on November 15, 2014.

W&M was passed by Anderson, who rushed for a game-high 138 yards and three touchdowns. Fellow tailback Mikal Abdul-Saboor also ran for 68 yards and three scores.

QUOTING COACH WITHERS:
"We played a really good team tonight, a very physical team and big team. I thought our kids fought. They had a little bit more offense than we had and that was the gist of the game."

PLAY OF THE GAME:

NEARING THE RECORD BOOKS:
Junior wide receiver Brandon Ravenel is just four yards away from cracking the JMU leaderboard in career receiving yards and receptions. Ravenel currently has 1,398 yards, while Dwayne Hayes (1988-91) sits in 10th place with 1,402. The Stafford, Va., native is also closing in on former JMU standouts L.C. Baker (2004-07) and Daniel Brown (2011-14) with 1,434 and 1,450 yards, respectively.

With his seven catches on Saturday, Ravenel also has 100 career receptions, just two behind Delvin Joyce (1997-2000), who sits in 10th with 102 catches.

TWEET OF THE GAME:

Ahhhhhhh pick 6!!!!!! #GoDukes
— Dominic Palumbo ?? (@TheESPNkid) October 31, 2015

CAA STATUS:
The loss drops JMU behind both Richmond (5-0 in CAA play) and William & Mary (4-1) in the CAA standings. Maine (3-1) and Villanova (2-2) are also facing each other late Saturday night.

PHOTO OF THE GAME:
73641

Junior cornerback Taylor Reynolds drills William & Mary receiver Daniel Kuzjak, seperating ball from man and breaking up a 25-yard pass with the hit.

COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY

NEXT UP:
The Dukes will take their bye week this Saturday before finishing their 2015 regular season with contests at Delaware and against Villanova. JMU will head to Newark, Del., to face the Blue Hens on Nov. 14 before facing the Wildcats at home on Nov. 21.