#1 JMU Hits the Road for Commonwealth Clash at William & Mary

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Top-ranked James Madison hits the road for the third time this season on Saturday with an in-state battle at conference-rival William & Mary.

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Zable Stadium and will be televised on Cox Communications in the Tidewater area and locally on WHSV's My Valley. It will also be streamed on Tribe Athletics TV and can be heard on the JMU/Sprint Broadcast Network, with pregame coverage starting at 2:30 p.m.

The 2017 JMU football season is presented by CarMax.

FAN & PRESS LUNCHEON

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the 40th meeting between JMU and William & Mary, with the Dukes holding a 22-17 advantage. JMU held off the Tribe, 31-24, in last season's meeting and is seeking its first triumph in Williamsburg since a 20-14 win on Sept. 24, 2011.

CAA RECORD SET FOR JMU - WIN STREAK TO 18
JMU's win over Villanova was the 18th consecutive triumph for the Dukes, which set a new CAA record. They surpassed Richmond's 17-game mark from 2008-09. The Dukes have also claimed 13 straight league victories, which is tied for second and just two off the record. It is also a program record for wins and leads all Division I teams, both at FBS and FCS. USF has won 11 straight, while Miami has claimed 10 in a row. No other FCS team has won more than seven straight.

The 18-game mark is tied for 10th all-time in FCS history, matching San Diego (2005-06), Davidson (1999-01) and Eastern Kentucky (1982-83). JMU is the first FCS team with this long a win streak since Harvard won 22 straight from 2013-15. The Dukes last saw defeat on Sept. 24, 2016 - a 56-28 setback at ACC-foe North Carolina. JMU has also won 19 straight games against FCS opponents, with the last loss coming on Dec. 5, 2015 versus Colgate in the second round of the playoffs.

SEEKING TO MATCH BEST START
Back in 2015, JMU started the season with a 7-0 mark - a program record. This Saturday, the Dukes can match that when they face William & Mary. The Dukes have started at least 3-0 in six seasons and 4-0 only three times.

JMU outscores opponents by an average of 39.83 to 11.0, which ranks third in FCS in win margin (+28.8).

SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY
The Tribe enters this weekend with a 2-4 overall record and 0-3 mark in CAA play following a 17-0 setback at Delaware last week. Last week, W&M only allowed 195 yards but managed just 196 of its own. The Tribe turned the ball over three times and never reached the red zone to remain winless in CAA play. W&M scored 15.8 points per game while allowing 17.7 per outing.

The Tribe are last in the CAA in total offense (277.2) while ranking second in pass defense (179.3) and fourth in total defense (291.5). Jimmye Laycock is the long-time head coach for the Tribe, holding a 245-184-2 in 38 seasons. He's coached in all 39 games in the series. He led the Tribe to 10 NCAA playoff appearances, including the 2004 and 2009 semifinals while winning five conference titles

TALE OF THE TAPE

JMU		W&M
39.83	Scoring Offense	15.8
11.00	Scoring Defense	17.7
+28.83	Scoring Margin	-1.9
234.8	Passing Yards	137.2
249.0	Rushing Yards	140.0
483.8	Total Offense	277.2
48% (38/80)	3^rd Down Offense	33% (27/81)
33% (32/96)	3^rd Down Defense	32% (29/90)
50% (3/6)	4^th Down Offense	71% (5/7)
50% (4/8)	4^th Down Defense	32% (4/11)
86% (25/29)	Red Zone Scoring	73% (11/15)
18/11/4	Sacks/INT/Fumb. Rec.	20/1/3

HAWKINS EARNS SECOND DEFENSIVE HONOR
Following a standout performance in JMU's 30-8 win over Villanova, Kyre Hawkins was named CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week for the second time on Oct. 16. Hawkins turned in a game-high 10 tackles, as well as 3.0 tackles for loss in the win. He also matched his career highs with 2.0 sacks and two pass breakups. JMU limited the Wildcats to just 174 yards of offense and 30 passing yards. 'Nova only passed midfield one time in the game, coming on their lone scoring drive.

SCHOR NEARING PASSING TD RECORD
Last week, Bryan Schor reached a career milestone, becoming the fifth JMU QB to reach 5,000 career passing yards. This week, he goes after another plateau, as he needs just one passing touchdown to tie the all-time record and two to own it. Schor has thrown for 50 passing scores, trailing just Vad Lee and Justin Rascati (51).

Additionally he ranks in the top-8 at JMU in five career categories, including three top fives. He is third in passing touchdowns (50), while also ranking fifth in both passing yards (5,158) and completions (393), sixth in total offense (5,172) and eighth in pass attempts (561).

DEFENSE POWERS JMU PAST 'NOVA
JMU held No. 11 Villanova scoreless for three quarters and used a 14-0 run late in the game to pull out a 30-8 win on Oct. 14.

The Dukes held 'Nova to just 174 yards, including 30 passing. They also had three takeaways, including Brandon Hereford's pick-six late in the fourth. Kyre Hawkins had 10 tackles, including 3.0 for loss and 2.0 sacks, while Andrew Ankrah had 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Bryan Schor threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns, as he became the fifth JMU quarterback to surpass 5,000 career yards. Terrence Alls tied a career high with seven catches, leading the game with 83 yards.

GRAY MATCHES KICKING MARK
In last week's win over Villanova, kicker Tyler Gray tied an all-time JMU record, with three made field goals. He converted from 22, 36 and 17 yards out to set his career high. It was the 15th time a JMU kicker made three field goals in a game.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

JMU crowd spectacular again. Tremendous showing. What a morning thanks to you all. We are very appreciative. @CollegeGameDay was a blast!
— Rece Davis (@ESPN_ReceDavis) October 14, 2017

JMU SPRINT BROADCAST NETWORK
All 11 regular-season games, as well as any 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 in his third season as the play-by-play man for the Dukes and is joined by Clint Estes on color commentary.

UP NEXT
JMU returns home for Homecoming weekend when it faces New Hampshire in a rematch of the 2016 FCS Second Round. That game is set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Bridgeforth Stadium. It will be the 18th meeting in the series, with JMU leading it 9-8 over UNH.

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