Career Day Through Air Leads #5 JMU Past Elon, 45-21

Saturday, October 30

Harrisonburg, Va.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

Elon

10/30/2021 8:15:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Behind a JMU single-game record six touchdown passes by quarterback Cole Johnson, #5 James Madison dominated the middle quarters en route to a 45-21 Colonial Athletic Association football victory over Elon on a rainy afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium.

The Dukes won their third straight, improving to 7-1 on the year and 5-1 in CAA play, while the Phoenix saw their three-game win streak end, as they evened their record at 4-4 overall and 3-2 in league action.

Johnson was 22-of-25 for 307 yards and six touchdowns, as a record five different receivers found the end zone through the air. After starting 1-for-2, Johnson ended the first half with 20 straight completions, throwing for 276 of his 307 yards with a single-half record five scores in the opening 30 minutes.

Nine Dukes caught a pass in the win, led by Antwane Wells Jr., who turned in his third 100-yard game of the season after making eight receptions for 114 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Kris Thornton tallied five catches for 95 yards, which included a 58-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Clayton Cheatham, Reggie Brown and Devin Ravenel also caught touchdowns. Running back Latrele Palmer paced all players on the ground, rushing for 83 yards.

With the game tied after a furious offensive start, JMU took control over the course of just seven plays. Thornton's 58-yard touchdown catch gave JMU a 21-14 lead with 10:17 left in the second. Three plays later, Taurus Carroll intercepted his second pass of the season on an underthrown ball by Davis Cheek, setting up the Dukes at the Elon 8.

Two plays later, Johnson hooked up with Wells Jr. on the first of his two scores, making it 28-14 with 7:23 to play in the half. JMU closed the second with another Johnson-to-Wells touchdown with 50 seconds to play, making it 35-14 at the break.

The Dukes tacked on 10 more in the third quarter, with Johnson's 31-yard strike to Ravenel giving Johnson the single-game touchdown record and JMU a 45-14 lead. Elon scored midway through the fourth to complete the scoring.

Defensively, safety Chris Chukwuneke made seven tackles with a tackle for loss and safety Sam Kidd had six stops, 1.5 TFL and his first career sack. Defensive end Isaac Ukwu had a career-best 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, while defensive tackle Mike Greene had a season-best 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. JMU made 10 tackles for loss, marking the fifth time it achieved that feat this season.

For Elon, Cheek threw for 198 yards with two touchdowns, an interception and a lost fumble. Bryson Daughtry made seven catches for 112 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown reception. On the opposite side of the ball, Marcus Hillman led all players with 11 tackles, and Devonte Chandler added nine stops.

GAME NOTES

JMU dominated offensively, holding a 454-287 lead in total offense. That included a 307-198 lead through the air and a 147-89 edge in the run game.
JMU converted 6-of-11 on third down while holding the Phoenix to 7-of-16 on third. It was JMU's 16th straight game limiting an opponent under 50%.
JMU had an average starting field position of its own 45, as opposed to Elon starting on average at its own 20.
The Dukes registered 21 first downs, while Elon moved the chains 14 times.
Ethan Ratke's third-quarter field goal extended his streak to 29 straight games with a made kick. He now has an FCS-leading 91 for his career.
All three of Harry O'Kelly's punts landed inside the 20.
JMU scored four red-zone touchdowns on its six trips inside the 20.
Johnson's six passing touchdowns not only was a single-game record but moved him into seventh place on the JMU career list, as he now has 38. His 21 TD passes this season already ranks tied for sixth in JMU single-season history.
He also moved into eighth all-time at JMU in career passing yards (4,729), seventh in career completions (372) and ninth in total offense (5,081).
Wells Jr. moved into a tie for 10th place at JMU with 13 career receiving touchdowns in only his 16th career game.
JMU improved to 9-1 all-time against Elon, having now won three straight in the series.

UP NEXT
JMU is back in action on Saturday, Nov. 6 when it hosts Campbell for Homecoming Weekend. Kickoff from Bridgeforth Stadium is set for a 3:30 p.m. start.