#7 JMU Returns Home for Family Weekend Matchup with Delaware

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Following a 31-20 comeback victory at Maine to open Colonial Athletic Association play, James Madison returns to Bridgeforth Stadium to begin a two-game homestand by hosting Delaware on Saturday, Oct. 1 for a 1:30 p.m. kick. The 2016 season is presented by CarMax and Saturday's game is sponsored by Sentara.

MIKE HOUSTON FAN AND PRESS LUCHEON

JMU OPENS TWO-GAME HOMESTAND WITH DELAWARE
Saturday marks the 24th meeting all-time between JMU and Delaware and the fourth straight year the teams have met. The Blue Hens lead the series 14-9, which includes a 6-5 edge over the Dukes in Harrisonburg. JMU snapped a three-game losing streak to UD last season, taking a 24-21 comeback victory in Newark.

Delaware has beaten JMU the previous two trips to Harrisonburg, with a 13-10 win in 2010 and more recently, a 30-23 overtime triumph in 2014.This is the 12th October meeting between the two, as UD holds an 8-3 lead in the month. Last time they met, the Dukes rallied from a touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter for a 24-21 win at Delaware back on Nov. 14, 2015.

Trailing 24-20, Delaware had the ball inside two minutes and JMU had used all three timeouts. On a third-and-4 situation, the Hens were stopped a yard short of the first time and were forced to punt. UD's punter shanked it out of bounds for a 5-yard boot, giving JMU the ball near midfield. Facing a third down from the UD 12, Bryan Schor connected with Brandon Ravenel on a 12-yard touchdown pass with only 17 seconds remaining to complete the comeback.

Schor passed for 193 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 65 yards and a score. Cardon Johnson tallied 98 rushing yards, including a 48-yard touchdown rush. Rashard Davis had five catches for 73 yards, and Ravenel had five grabs for 44 yards and the game-winning touchdown reception. Defensively, Kyre Hawkins had 17 tackles and a forced fumble.

BOASTING NATION'S BEST TANDEM
It's no secret JMU has an effective rushing attack. This season, both Khalid Abdullah and Johnson have proved to be elite running backs, despite splitting carries. Both average over 100 yards per game. Abdullah runs for 111 yards per game, and Johnson has 101.8 per outing. The duo has also combined for 11 rushing touchdowns and 13 total scores.

They rank second and third in the CAA, respectively, in rushing yards per game and they are two of the top-six rushing TD leaders. Each have three 100-yard rushing performances in 2016, with Abdullah on a three-game streak.

SCOUTING DELAWARE
The Blue Hens enter Saturday's game with a 2-1 overall record and it will be their CAA opener, coming off a bye. Delaware opened the season with wins against Delaware State (56-14) and Lafayette (24-6) before falling to Wake Forest (21-38).

UD averages 33.7 points per game while allowing 19.3 to its foes. Through three games, it gains just over 300 yards of offense per outing, outgaining opponents by 23 yards on average. Wes Hills leads the rushing attack with 106.5 yards per game, while Thomas Jefferson nets 74.7 per game and Jalen Randolph has 65.3 per contest. Though they do not pass much, the Blue Hens receiving corps is headed up by Diante Cherry, who has 119 yards and three touchdowns this year.

Dave Brock is in his fourth season at the helm, holding a 19-19 record. He is 2-1 versus JMU since taking over the program. Prior to UD, Brock was offensive coordinator at Rutgers and has previous ties to the CAA when he was an assistant at Hofstra from 1995-2002.

DUKES RALLY FOR WIN IN CAA OPENER
Abdullah and Johnson combined for 282 rushing yards and three touchdowns to lead JMU to a 31-20 comeback victory to open CAA play at Maine on Sept. 24. The defense thwarted Maine's offense in the second half, limiting the Black Bears to 120 yards of offense, including just 21 in the fourth quarter. The Dukes also forced four turnovers - three by interceptions and one via turnover on downs - while producing four sacks.

Abdullah ran for a career-high 172 yards and two touchdowns, while Johnson tallied 110 yards and a score. The duo had a pair of long touchdown runs - an 85 yards by Abdullah and a 52 yarder by Johnson. Abdullah's career-long TD was the fifth-longest rush in JMU history.

Brandon Hereford led the Dukes in tackles for the third straight game, making nine stops. Jimmy Moreland and Simeyon Robinson both had seven tackles. Robinson was a force in the trenches with a career-best 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. It was the most tackles by a defensive lineman this season and the most in 13 games.

TALE OF THE TAPE

James Madison		Delaware
48.8	Scoring Offense	33.7
26.0	Scoring Defense	19.3
+22.8	Scoring Margin	+14.4
184.3	Passing Yards	65.3
328.0	Rushing Yards	242.3
512.3	Total Offense	307.6
52% (28/54)	3^rd Down Offense	32% (11/34)
31% (14/45)	3^rd Down Defense	36% (14/39)
86% (6/7)	4^th Down Offense	100% (2/2)
33% (1/3)	4^th Down Defense	67% (2/3)
85% (22/26)	Red Zone Scoring	91% (10/11)
4/6/3	Sacks/Interceptions/Fumble Recoveries	8/7/3

CAA STANDINGS

School	CAA	Overall
#21 Albany	1-0	4-0
#7 James Madison	1-0	3-1
#17 Villanova	1-0	3-1
Elon	1-0	2-2
New Hampshire	1-0	2-2
Stony Brook	1-0	2-2
Delaware	0-0	2-1
#6 Richmond	0-1	3-1
#19 William & Mary	0-1	2-2
Towson	0-1	1-2
Maine	0-1	0-3
Rhode Island	0-2	0-4

TWEET OF THE WEEK

A career-high 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the road earns Khalid Abdullah #CAAFB Offensive POTW!https://t.co/4ubZpeywES pic.twitter.com/e1kA4xe1J0
— JMU Football (@JMUFootball) September 26, 2016

PROMOTIONS – Click here for a complete list of 2016 promotions.
JMU Family Weekend – JMU Athletics welcomes all family members of current Dukes to campus for a fun-filled weekend as the JMU Parent of the Year Award will be presented at halftime. Click here for more information about JMU Family Weekend events.

TICKET INFORMATION
Season, mini-plans and single-game tickets are still available at JMUSports.com or by calling 540-568-3853.

MADIZONE HD SPORTSNET
For those out of market, catch every home football game live on MadiZONE HD SportsNet, presented by the JMU Alumni Association. MadiZONE is powered through Stretch Internet and is free of charge. Curt Dudley serves as the play-by-play man for all home JMU video broadcasts and will be joined by color commentator Adam Coolbaugh. All MadiZONE broadcasts are produced by Telemedia Productions.

JMU SPRINT BROADCAST NETWORK
All 11 regular-season games, as well as any potential postseason matchups can be heard online on the JMU Sprint Broadcast Network or on airwaves at WSVA 550AM and 92.1 FM. Dave Thomas is entering his second season as the play-by-play man for the Dukes and is joined alongside color commentator Clint Estes at home, while Curt Dudley provided analysis on the road.

LOOKING AHEAD
JMU stays home again next week when it faces in-state foe William & Mary on Saturday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on Comcast SportsNet.

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