Johnson and Ratke Headline Conference Major Awards, 14 Dukes Named All-CAA

Johnson and Ratke Headline Conference Major Awards, 14 Dukes Named All-CAA

11/23/2021 3:00:00 PM | Football

RICHMOND, Va. – James Madison took home two major Colonial Athletic Association Football awards and 14 total players were honored on the 2021 all-conference teams, headlined by quarterback Cole Johnson being voted Offensive Player of the Year and kicker Ethan Ratke repeated as Special Teams Player of the Year.

The all-conference team and major award winners were picked in a vote by the league's head coaches.

Johnson turned into one of the country's top signal callers in 2021, going 233-of-342 for 2,953 passing yards and 32 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He added 184 rushing yards with a team-best five rushing scores. Johnson paced the CAA in passing yards per game (268.5), passing touchdowns (32), completion percentage (68.1%), total offense (285.18) and pass efficiency rating (170.37). Nationally, he was third in efficiency, fourth in completion percentage and sixth in passing touchdowns.

Ratke will go down as one of the greatest kickers in college football history, breaking the NCAA all-division record for career field goals (100) and scoring by a kicker (525). This season, he leads the country with 28 field goals and 12.1 points per game. He's also fifth in the FCS in field goal percentage (.903). His 28 field goals is both a JMU and CAA single-season record. Ratke also ranks second in FCS history in scoring by any player and is the 16th-leading scorer by any college football player to ever suit up.

Joining Johnson and Ratke on the All-CAA First Team were wide receivers Kris Thornton and Antwane Wells Jr., offensive lineman Nick Kidwell, defensive lineman Bryce Carter, linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey, cornerback Greg Ross and long snapper Kyle Davis.

Making the Second Team were defensive linemen Mike Greene and Isaac Ukwu. Rounding out the year with Third Team accolades were kick returner Solomon Vanhorse, linebacker Kelvin Azanama and punter Harry O'Kelly.

Thornton leads the conference in receptions and is tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns while ranking second in receiving yards. He has tallied 69 receptions for 896 yards and 11 touchdowns. Thornton has three 100-yard receiving games this season and three outings with two or more touchdowns, including a JMU-record four versus Campbell.

Wells Jr. leads the league in receiving yards and is tied with teammate Thornton in receiving touchdowns while ranking second in receptions. This fall, he has 67 catches for 994 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wells Jr. has five 100-yard games this season and four games with two or more scores.

For the JMU receiving duo, they rank tied for seventh nationally in receiving touchdowns and top 20 in receptions per game.

Kidwell started every game at right tackle and helped the Dukes' offense lead the country in fewest interceptions (3) and fewest turnovers (7) while also ranking fourth nationally in both completion percentage (67.7%) and pass efficiency (167.60), as well as fifth in scoring (39.5).

Carter has been a force up front since transferring in prior to the 2021 season. He accrued 42 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, one recovery and seven quarterback hurries. He ranks second in the CAA in tackles for loss and tied for seventh in sacks. Carter has five games with 2.0+ tackles for loss and registered at least a full sack in five games.

Tucker-Dorsey led the Dukes in tackles, finishing the regular season with 86 total stops. He also had 6.0 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a recovery. He ranks ninth in the league in tackles per game (7.82) and had four games with 10 or more tackles, including a career-best 12 on Senior Day.

Ross led the Dukes in interceptions, ranking tied for fourth in the conference with three picks. He was also fifth in passes defended, adding a team-high eight pass breakups. Ross tallied 25 total tackles in his 11 starts at cornerback.

Davis, the Dukes' starting long snapper, had no bad snaps all season and aided Ratke in his record-setting season and career. He was part of a PAT/field goal unit that led the league in field goals, field goal percentage and extra points. JMU also paced the country in field goals and was fifth in field goal percentage.

Greene, who was named CAA Co-Defensive Player of the spring, tallied 36 tackles with 9.5 for loss and 3.0 sacks in his nine starts. He ranked third for the Dukes in tackles for loss and was top 20 in the conference in sacks.

Ukwu, who missed the previous two years due to injury, burst on to the defensive scene this season, making 32 tackles with 15.0 for a loss and a team-leading 8.0 sacks. Ukwu ranked third in the CAA in TFL and sixth in sacks. He turned in six games with 2.0+ tackles for loss and six games with at least a full sack.

Vanhorse was one of the country's top kick returners in 2021, as he ranked second with 31.2 yards per kickoff return. He had 12 returns for 374 yards and a touchdown. In the regular-season finale, he averaged 69.5 yards per return, with a 94-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff. He also scored five other touchdowns, with one on the ground and four through the air.

Azanama was JMU's second-leading tackler, making 73 total stops. He ranked top 20 in the conference in tackles per game (6.64). Azanama also produced 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two pass breakups. He had three games with double-digit tackles, including 11 at William & Mary.

O'Kelly earned all-conference for the fourth time in his five seasons, as he averaged 40.3 yards per punt on 39 attempts during the regular season. He only had one touchback with 13 kicks inside the 20 with a long of 50. That included four inside the 20 at Delaware and three versus Elon.

JMU led the way with 14 total all-conference honorees and nine on the First Team. Delaware and Villanova each had 13 selections, while Maine had nine.

JMU's 2021 All-Conference Awards
CAA Offensive Player of the Year: Cole Johnson
CAA Special Teams Player of the Year: Ethan Ratke

First Team
QB                   Cole Johnson
WR                  Kris Thornton
WR                  Antwane Wells Jr.
OL                    Nick Kidwell
PK                    Ethan Ratke
DL                    Bryce Carter
LB                    Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey
CB                    Greg Ross
SPEC                Kyle Davis

Second Team
DL                    Mike Greene
DL                    Isaac Ukwu

Third Team
KR                    Solomon Vanhorse
LB                    Kelvin Azanama
P                      Harry O'Kelly