No. 2 JMU Faces Off Against William & Mary in CAA Opener

Saturday, September 22

Harrisonburg, Va.

3:30 p.m.

James Madison University

William & Mary

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No. 2 JMU Faces Off Against William & Mary in CAA Opener

9/18/2018 1:00:00 PM | Football

@JMUFootball Game Notes Press Luncheon

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Second-ranked James Madison jumps into Colonial Athletic Association play this weekend when it hosts William & Mary on Saturday.

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Bridgeforth Stadium and will be televised on NBC Sports Washington. It will also be streamed on MadiZONE HD SportsNet and can be heard on the JMU/Sprint Broadcast Network, with pregame coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m.

The 2018 JMU football season is presented by CarMax and Saturday's game is sponsored by Sprint.

FAN & PRESS LUNCHEON

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the 41st meeting between JMU and W&M in a series dating back 1978. The Dukes and Tribe have met in all but one season over the past 40 years.

JMU ROLLS IN HOME OPENER
JMU scored on 10 of its first 11 possessions and tallied 667 yards of offense in a 73-7 win over Robert Morris last Thursday in the home opener.

Ben DiNucci had a career-high five total touchdowns, passing for 184 yards and three scores while rushing for 39 yards and a pair of touchdowns. JMU's three quarterbacks who played completed passes to 11 different players and five different Dukes recorded rushing touchdowns. Jimmy Moreland set the JMU all-time interceptions record, taking his record-breaking 15th pick to the house on a 20-yard pick six.

It was JMU's fifth-largest win in school history and the fourth time the Dukes have scored at least 10 touchdowns in a game under Head Coach Mike Houston.

ACTIVE WIN STREAKS ENTERING THIS WEEK
• FCS-best 18 straight wins at Bridgeforth Stadium
• CAA-record 18 straight conference wins
• Six consecutive wins against teams from Virginia
• 11 straight true road wins against FCS teams

SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY
The Tribe comes to town with a 1-1 record but was off last week due to Hurricane Florence. W&M opened the year with a 14-7 win at Bucknell before falling 62-17 at Virginia Tech.

William & Mary averages 15.5 points per game while conceding 34.5 to its foes. The Tribe averages nearly 250 passing yards per game but also concedes over 200 rushing yards. Shon Mitchell has completed 63 percent of his passes through two games, throwing a pair of touchdowns. DeVonte Dedmon is the top receiving target, as he has nine grabs for 221 yards and a pair of scores.

Jimmye Laycock is in his 39th and final season as head coach of the Tribe, holding a 246-190-2 career record. He's led W&M to 10 NCAA playoff appearances, including the 2004 and 2009 semifinals while also winning five conference championships.

RECAPPING LAST YEAR'S MEETING
JMU rolled at W&M last season, with a 46-14 win in Williamsburg back on Oct. 21, 2017. The Dukes had six takeaways, resulting in 33 points off turnovers to register JMU's biggest win ever against the Tribe. The defense also tallied six sacks in the win.

Jordan Brown had two interceptions, and Jimmy Moreland had a pick-six. Bryan Schor tied the program record with his 51st career touchdown, throwing 13-of-24 for 186 yards. He also added a rushing score. JMU set a program record with four field goals, as Tyler Gray and Ethan Ratke each made two.

JMU STRONG IN LEAGUE OPENERS
The Dukes begin their 25th season in the CAA this weekend, and are 16-8 all-time in conference-opening games. JMU is 9-3 at home in league openers, while holding a 7-5 mark on the road, winning its last three CAA openers (2015-17). The Dukes have faced the Tribe twice previously to open CAA play - in 1995 and 2011. They won both of those meetings played in Williamsburg.

THE DUKES AGAINST IN-STATE OPPONENTS
The Dukes have faced 15 teams from the Commonwealth since beginning their football program in 1972. In 126 games, JMU has racked up an 85-61 record against teams from around the state. The Dukes have played William & Mary (23-17) more than any other state team and have also faced Richmond (17-18) 35 times and Liberty (12-6) on 18 occasions.

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. The pregame show begins this week at 2:30 p.m., ahead of the 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

UP NEXT
The Dukes hit the road to battle Richmond at Robins Stadium next Saturday, Sept. 29 at 3 p.m. The game will be televised on NBC Washington Plus and streamed on CAA.TV.