No. 9 JMU Closes Regular-Season Home Slate Saturday Against Rhode Island

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Ninth-ranked James Madison returns home this Saturday, Nov. 10 to host Colonial Athletic Association foe Rhode Island for Senior Day.

Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Bridgeforth Stadium and will be televised on MASN and SNY. It will also be streamed on MadiZONE HD SportsNet and on Eleven Sports Next through Twitch. The game can be heard on the JMU Sprint Broadcast Network, with pregame coverage beginning at 1 p.m.

Saturday's game is sponsored by Pepsi and the 2018 JMU football season is presented by CarMax.

PRESS LUNCHEON

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the 14th meeting all-time, with the Dukes leading 10-3. JMU has won eight straight dating back to 2002. Last season, JMU rolled 38-3 in Kingston, R.I., and back in 2016, the Dukes put together their largest win in school history with an 84-7 romp. URI's last win over the Dukes came back on Sept. 22, 2001 - a 16-12 win in Harrisonburg. That's also the only time the Rams have won at JMU. The Dukes are 6-1 vs. Rhody at home.

LAST TIME OUT
New Hampshire forced JMU into six turnovers, including two interceptions for a touchdown, leading to a 35-24 win over the Dukes last Saturday in Durham, N.H. The loss snapped JMU's 13-game road win streak against FCS opponents and an 11-game road win streak versus CAA foes. Despite the minus-six turnover margin, JMU out-gained UNH 486-315 in total yards. JMU also outscored the Wildcats 21-14 in the second half, including 14-0 over the final 9:21.

Trevor Knight threw for 181 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 76 yards and a score. Two of UNH's three first-half touchdowns came via pick-sixes by Rick Ellison and Evan Horn. Cole Johnson replaced Ben DiNucci in the first quarter, throwing for a career-high 398 yards, which was the third-most passing yards in JMU single-game history. Riley Stapleton had a game-high eight catches for 116 yards while both David Eldridge and Kyndel Dean had over 75 receiving yards.

SCOUTING RHODE ISLAND
The Rams enter this week with a 5-4 overall record and 3-3 mark in CAA play following a 24- 21 loss at Elon last week.

Making his return after missing the last four games, JaJuan Lawson passed for 349 yards and three touchdowns, but a 21-point second quarter by Elon was enough to hold off URI. Rhody averages 30.9 points per game, which ranks third in the CAA, while allowing 26.8 to its foes, which is eighth in the conference. The pass game has been solid on both sides of the ball as URI is third in passing offense (240.2) and second in passing defense (172.8).

Aaron Parker leads the CAA with 836 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns and is second with 6.7 receptions per game. On defense, LB Mack III is fourth in the league with 11.0 tackles for loss and Maurice Jackson is tied for fourth with 6.5 sacks.

Jim Fleming is in his fifth season at the helm, as he's led Rhode Island to its most wins this season since a 5-6 mark in 2010.

JMU TO HONOR 11 SENIORS
JMU will recognized its 11 seniors Saturday prior to kickoff against Rhode Island. Over the past four seasons, JMU's 2018 senior class has compiled a 43-8 record. They have been part of winning three straight CAA championships and advancing to the national title in back-to-back seasons, which included winning the 2016 championship.

The seniors include: Darrious Carter (DL), Robert Carter Jr. (LB), David Eldridge (WR), Hunter Etheridge (QB), Tyler Gray (PK), Cardon Johnson (RB), Marcus Marshall (RB), Jimmy Moreland (CB), Curtis Oliver (CB), Trai Sharp (RB) and Grant Westbrook (S).

AMOS PACES FCS IN PUNT RETURN GAME
D'Angelo Amos proves week in and week out to be one of the premier punt returners in the country, as he leads the FCS with three scores. He leads the CAA and country with 25.1 yards per punt return this season. Amos tied a school record with two punt for a touchdown at Villanova, doing so in a span of 2:10 of the third quarter.

MORELAND, SMITH AMONG CAA LEADERS IN INTERCEPTIONS
Jimmy Moreland and Adam Smith are two of the CAA's leaders in interceptions this season, as Moreland is second with four and Smith is tied for third with three. Moreland has an FCS-leading and JMU-record three pick-sixes this season. He also leads the country with 172 interception return yards. Smith nabbed his third interception against Stony Brook two weeks back and is one of seven CAA players to have at least three picks.

HOLLOWAY CONSISTENT ON DEFENSE
Dimitri Holloway has shined all year long after coming back from a season-ending injury. He ranks second in the CAA with 9.7 tackles per game, which is good for 16th in the FCS. Holloway has 70 tackles through six CAA games, which is tied for first with UD's Troy Reeder for tackles in conference play. He's tallied at least nine stops in all CAA outings, including a career-high 18 vs. Stony Brook.

WAYS TO WATCH THE GAME
Saturday's game will be regionally televised live on MASN (Mid-Atlantic Sports Network) and SNY (SportsNet New York). Fans may also watch the game on MadiZONE HD SportsNet, presented by the JMU Alumni Association (www.jmusports.com/MadiZONE) or through Eleven Sports Next on Twitch.TV. Curt Dudley will provide the call for Saturday's game, with former JMU offensive lineman Dorian Brooks on color commentary. JMU student Jack Fitzpatrick will be down on the sideline for additional analysis.

LISTEN ON THE 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 fourth season as the play-by-play man for the Dukes and is joined by Clint Estes on color commentary. Nikki Newman will provide additional analysis from the sideline at every home game. The pregame show begins this week at 1 p.m., ahead of the 2 p.m. kickoff.

UP NEXT
The Dukes close out the regular season on the road, as they travel to Towson on Saturday, Nov. 17 for a 2 p.m. kickoff. The game will be streamed on CBSi and College Sports Live. It can be heard on the JMU Sprint Broadcast Network.

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