No. 1 Dukes Rally Past Maine 28-10 in CAA Opener

Saturday, September 23

Harrisonburg, Va.

1:30 p.m.

James Madison University

4-0 , 1-0

Maine

1-2 , 0-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Maine

James Madison

9/23/2017 4:53:00 PM | Football

Box Score Box Score Press Conference Highlights Photo Gallery #1 Photo Gallery #2

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Senior quarterback Bryan Schor threw four touchdown passes, and top-ranked James Madison outscored Maine 21-0 over the final 24 minutes to rally for a 28-10 Colonial Athletic Association Football victory on Saturday afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field.

The win came in front of a sold out crowd of 25,330, which was the third-highest attendance in stadium history.

The Dukes improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in CAA play while the Black Bears dropped to 1-2 and 0-2. JMU's Division-I leading win streak remained intact as it extended to 16 consecutive games. That mark is just one shy of Richmond's 17-game streak (2008-09).

QUICK HITS

Bryan Schor passed for 281 yards and four touchdowns and is now three passing scores shy of the JMU all-time record (51 - Vad Lee & Justin Rascati).
Ezrah Archie, playing in his second career game, had eight receptions for 90 yards – both career highs. His final catch, a three-yard touchdown, capped his performance.
Marcus Marshall had a strong second half, finishing with 135 rushing yards and averaging 7.1 yards per carry. It was his first career 100-yard game at JMU.
JMU had seven players catch at least one pass, including touchdown grabs by Archie, David Eldridge, Jonathan Kloosterman and Taylor Woods.
JMU out-gained Maine 472-299, holding the league's second-best rushing offense to only 137 rushing yards.
Curtis Oliver led all players with a career-high 12 tackles, and Kyre Hawkins made two sacks with a pair of pass breakups. JMU's defense tallied 4 total sacks and 7 tackles for loss. The Dukes produced three interceptions, two of which came in the second half by Rashad Robinson and Jimmy Moreland.

WHEN THE GAME TURNED

After Maine took a 10-7 lead early in the third quarter on a 60-yard Josh Mack run, JMU answered four minutes later with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Schor to Eldridge to make it 14-10.
Maine's next three possessions consisted of 17 total yards, two three-and-outs and an interception by Robinson.
On the ensuing drive, JMU went 48 yards, capped off by a Schor touchdown to a wide-open Woods for his first career receiving touchdown.
After another three-and-out, JMU put the game away with an 86-yard drive, which included a 22-yard rush by Marshall, a 26-yard pass to Riley Stapleton and a three-yard passing score to Archie.

ARCHIE HAS CAREER DAY
Ezrah Archie stepped into the starting in just his second career game Saturday, and he made an immediate impact. The rookie corralled eight receptions for 90 yards, leading all players in both categories. His day was highlighted by his first career touchdown, coming on a three-yard grab in the fourth quarter.

MARSHALL SURPASSES CENTURY MARK FOR FIRST TIME AT JMU
Marcus Marshall eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time since transferring to JMU from Georgia Tech last spring. He ran for 135 yards on 19 carries, with a 7.1 yards per carry average. His day was capped off with a 49-yard run late in the fourth to put the Dukes in scoring position. In the final stanza, Marshall went off, going for 84 yards on just four carries (21.0 ypc).

DEFENSE DOES THE JOB AGAIN
The Dukes defense gave up less than 300 yards for the third straight game after allowing just 299 yards of total offense. Maine, known heavily for its run game, was held to 137 rushing years and one touchdown. It was JMU's first time allowing more than 100 rush yards since the FCS semifinals at then-No. 1 North Dakota State. The Dukes had 7.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 total sacks, holding the Black Bears to 162 yards through the air and under a 50 percent completion percentage.

PHOTO OF THE GAME - View Photo Gallery #1 View Photo Gallery #2
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Today's game was the third-largest crowd in Bridgeforth Stadium history.

UP NEXT
JMU hits the road for the first time since week one as it treks up to Newark, Del., to face Delaware. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. inside Delaware Stadium.