Dukes Breeze Past Norfolk State, Move to 2-0

Saturday, September 10

Harrisonburg, Va.

4 p.m.

James Madison University

2-0 , 0-0

Norfolk State

0-2 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Norfolk St.

James Madison

9/10/2022 10:24:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison used a balanced offensive attack and stout rushing defense to cruise past Norfolk State, 63-7, in non-conference football action on a rainy Saturday evening at Bridgeforth Stadium.

The Dukes improved to 2-0, while the Spartans fell to 0-2. JMU also moved to 3-0 all-time against NSU, having now outscored the opposition 155-21 in the series.

JMU more than doubled up Norfolk State in total yards, at 462-212, which included a 235-9 margin in the run game.

The Dukes rotated in all three quarterbacks, as the trio combined to throw 19-of-25 for 227 yards and four touchdowns. Todd Centeio, playing just the first half, was 12-of-17 for 165 passing yards and three touchdowns. Billy Atkins had a strong third quarter, going 6-of-7 for 48 passing yards and a touchdown.

Kris Thornton continued his strong start, reeling in seven catches for 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns, as he turned in two-plus touchdowns in consecutive games for the first time in his career. Devin Ravenel had his first career game with two receiving scores, as he made three grabs for 40 yards.

JMU's run game once again shined, as the group averaged 5.3 per rush on 44 carries, totaling five touchdowns from four different running backs. Percy Agyei-Obese led all rushers with 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns, averaging 7.3 per carry. Kaelon Black ran for 54 yards and a score, while three other Dukes had at least 25 yards.

Defensively, James Carpenter had a career outing, making a game-high eight tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. JMU conceded just 0.3 yards per rush, as the defensive unit has allowed just 21 rushing yards through the first two games. The defense also had a pair of takeaways, while not turning over the ball once.

JMU scored the game's first 35 points, and after NSU's lone score on a 90-yard pass, the hosts scored the final 28.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Todd Centeio opened the game with a pair of touchdown passes, connecting with Kris Thornton on a 43-yard pass just five plays into the game. On the ensuing drive, he found Devin Ravenel on a 22-yard strike.
After a Jordan Swann interception, Latrele Palmer found the end zone five plays later to make it 21-0 at the end of the first.
Percy Agyei-Obese scored his first rushing touchdown early in the second and Ravenel caught his second TD from Centeio to extend the lead to 35-0 at the break.
After Norfolk State opened the third with a 90-yard touchdown pass, JMU answered back with three more touchdowns, as Thornton, Agyei-Obese and Kaelon Black all crossed the goal line for a 56-7 lead entering the final 15.
The fourth quarter was only 10 minutes long and JMU kept to the ground heavily, as Sammy Malignaggi scored his first career touchdown to close the scoring.

GAME NOTES

JMU was +2 in the turnover margin, with Swann's interception and a fumble recovery by Devyn Coles.
The Dukes did not commit a turnover for the second straight game, marking two consecutive years JMU's offense has not committed a turnover in its first pair of games.
JMU was over 50% for the second straight week on third down, going 6-for-10, while NSU was just 2-for-10. The Dukes also went 2-for-2 on fourth down.
JMU was a perfect 7-for-7 in the red zone, while the Spartans were 0-for-1. NSU's lone red-zone chance at the end of the first half was thwarted by a pass breakup by Chauncey Logan on the final play.
JMU put together three straight scoring drives in the opening 15 minutes, outgaining NSU 178-14.
Otto Kuhns was 9-of-20 for 203 yards and a touchdown to lead the NSU offense. No NSU rusher gained more than seven yards rushing, as it combined for 26 carries and nine yards.
Da'Quan Felton had three catches for 141 yards with the 90-yard touchdown reception for NSU.

UP NEXT
JMU is off next week and will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 24 when it opens Sun Belt Conference play at App State. Kickoff time and network is TBA and will be announced on Monday by ESPN.