Defensive Dominance Propels #1 JMU Past #11 Richmond, 23-6

Saturday, April 17

Harrisonburg, Va.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

5-0 , 3-0

Richmond

3-1 , 3-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Richmond

James Madison

Defensive Dominance Propels #1 JMU Past #11 Richmond, 23-6

4/17/2021 7:35:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – #1 James Madison used a solid defensive effort, limiting #11 Richmond to only 200 total yards and captured the Colonial Athletic Association south division title with a 23-6 win on Saturday afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium.

The Dukes wrapped up the regular season with an unblemished 5-0 record and 3-0 mark in CAA play while the Spiders dropped to 3-1 overall and in league play. It was also the fifth straight victory for JMU against UR, as it improved to 20-18 all-time in the series.

The Dukes nearly doubled up the Spiders in total offense, out-gaining them by a margin of 384-200. That included a 149-75 lead on the ground, as JMU was paced by Percy Agyei-Obese's 78 yards and a touchdown.

Cole Johnson tallied 261 yards of offense, passing 16-of-25 for 235 yards while rushing for 26 more with a score. Antwane Wells Jr. made four catches for a career-high 92 receiving yards, which included a long of 52. Kris Thornton had three grabs for 54 yards, and three other Dukes had two catches.

JMU had a balanced defensive effort, with five players recording at least four tackles. Wayne Davis led the Dukes with seven tackles, including five solo, while MJ Hampton made five stops with 2.0 tackles for loss. Kelvin Azanama had fives tackles with 1.5 sacks, and Mike Wilcox produced 2.0 TFL, a sack and a forced fumble. Taurus Carroll also recorded his first career interception in the second half.

Special teams also had a few highlights, as Ethan Ratke became the CAA all-time leader in career field goals. He booted home three kicks to move past Towson's Aidan O'Neill (64), as he now sits at 67. Jack Sroba ripped off a career-long 25-yard punt return, and Harry O'Kelly had all three of his punts pin UR inside the 20, averaging 41.7 per boot.

The Dukes jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, as a 46-yard pass from Johnson to Thornton set up Agyei-Obese's one-yard score on the opening drive. After a stop on defense, the Dukes, utilizing a short field, kicked home Ratke's CAA-record field goal to make it 10-0 after 15 minutes.

After teams traded field goals in both the second and third quarters, JMU put the game away in the fourth, as Johnson scored a 31-yard rushing touchdown on a 4th and 3 situation.

PRESS CONFERENCE

GAME FACTS

JMU controlled the pace of the game, out-gaining Richmond 384-200.
The Dukes held leads both in the passing game (235-125) and run game (149-75).
JMU had 19 first downs, as opposed to UR's 11.
The Dukes won the turnover battle, with Carroll's interception being the lone takeaway.
JMU dominated time of possession by a margin of 38:51 to 21:09, which included JMU being on offense for 13:43 in the fourth.
The Dukes did a solid job extending drives, converting 11 of 19 on third down, while holding Richmond to just 5 of 12. JMU also went 1-for-1 on fourth down, resulting in a score.
JMU had four sacks as a team and 7.0 TFLs. UR also had 7.0 TFLs with three sacks.
The Spiders were led by Joe Mancuso, who threw for 125 yards with an interception, and Tyler Dressler, who made 13 tackles with a sack.

UP NEXT
JMU will find out its postseason fate on Sunday, April 18 at 11:30 a.m. during the NCAA Division I Football Championship Selection Show, which will air on ESPNU.