Dukes Stopped Short in 44-38 Loss to Colgate in FCS Second Round

Saturday, December 5

Harrisonburg, Va.

1 p.m.

James Madison University

9-3 , 6-2

Colgate

9-4 , 6-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Colgate

James Madison

Dukes Stopped Short in 44-38 Loss to Colgate in FCS Second Round

12/5/2015 6:15:00 PM | Football

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Colgate quarterback Jake Melville's 67-yard run with 10 minutes left set the junior up for the eventual game-winning, 3-yard touchdown, handing James Madison a 44-38 loss on Saturday afternoon in the NCAA FCS Second Round at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field.

The Dukes, who wrapped up their season at 9-3, drove down the field with a chance to take the lead in the final minutes, but a fourth-down pass from the Colgate 3-yard line fell incomplete in the right corner to seal JMU's fate. The Raiders improved to 9-4 and will face the winner of McNeese State and Sam Houston State in next week's quarterfinals.

After Colgate used a muffed kickoff and a pair of lengthy drives to storm out to a 17-0 lead just seven seconds into the second quarter, the Dukes erupted for four touchdowns before halftime, taking a 28-24 lead into the break with 28 points in the span of 10:12.

Following the break, the two teams traded scores through much of the second half. Colgate used a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to take leads of 31-28 and 38-31, but a 40-yard field goal from senior kicker Ryan Maglio and a 28-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Bryan Schor to junior wide receiver Rashard Davis erased both deficits.

Just two plays after Davis' score, however, Melville took a read option play up the middle for 67 yards, putting the Raiders on JMU's 5-yard line before finishing the job himself just two plays later from the 3 to give Colgate its final margin with 9:15 to play.

The Dukes drove 46 yards on eight plays in the waning minutes, but Schor's fade pass intended for junior wide receiver Brandon Ravenel was batted away on fourth down and Colgate was able to run the clock out.

On the afternoon, Schor completed 13 of his 18 passes for 141 yards and a pair of scores, both to Davis, while not throwing an interception. The sophomore also ran 14 times for 54 yards and an additional touchdown.

Davis turned in his third career two-touchdown game, as the junior grabbed three catches for 45 yards. Ravenel caught four balls of his own for 34 yards, while putting on a dominant display in the return game. In all, Ravenel racked up 184 kickoff return yards on just five tries, including a 66-yarder that put JMU in position for its first touchdown.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Andrew Ankrah led the way for the Dukes, amassing nine tackles and a hurry on a day that saw him pick up a team-high six solo stops, matching his career high. Junior linebacker Gage Steele also tallied nine tackles for JMU.

QUOTING COACH WITHERS
"We played a very good Colgate team today. Hats off to Coach Hunt and his staff. I like his football team and I think they have a chance to make some noise. We had 11 seniors and it's amazing that, even though only about half of them start, it's one of the best senior classes that I've been around because they've all bought in. They all care about the football team and they do things right on and off the field. That's all you can ask from a senior class."

GOLDEN BOOT
Junior punter Gunnar Kane had a standout game for the Dukes, averaging 45.0 yards across four punts, including a long of 51 and three kicks that pinned the Raiders inside their own 20-yard line. The 45-yard average marked Kane's second-highest average of the season, bested only by a two-punt, 108-yard performance against Lehigh. The junior also had 12 punts inside the 20 across the final three games.

1,000-YARD MAN
Sophomore running back Cardon Johnson picked up 49 yards on Saturday, lifting him to 1,038 on the season and carrying him across the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. The campaign marks the first time a Duke has cleared the barrier since then-senior Dae'Quan Scott racked up 1,040 yards in 2013.

RETURN ACE
Junior wide receiver Brandon Ravenel had the best return game of his career on Saturday, racking up 184 kickoff return yards on just five runbacks, including a 66-yarder that put JMU in position for its first touchdown. Three of his five returns put JMU on Colgate's side of midfield, with two coming prior to halftime and setting the Dukes up for touchdowns.