Ground Game, Strong Second-Half Defense Propel Dukes to Season-Opening Win

Saturday, September 2

Harrisonburg, Va.

6 p.m.

James Madison University

1-0 , 0-0

Bucknell

0-1 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Bucknell

James Madison

Ground Game, Strong Second-Half Defense Propel Dukes to Season-Opening Win

9/2/2023 9:19:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison football used a strong rushing attack, amassing 261 yards on the ground to seize control and take a 38-3 victory against Bucknell on Saturday evening in front of 23,756 fans at Bridgeforth Stadium.

The Dukes (1-0) out-gained the Bison (0-1) by a 436-208 margin, which included 261-62 in the run game. The second half was lopsided, as JMU held Bucknell to just four yards while gaining 249. In the fourth, JMU's defense held the visitors to -6 yards on just eight snaps.

The Dukes led 17-3 at halftime and pulled away with 21 unanswered points in the second half.

Kaelon Black led the way on offense with a game-high 125 rushing yards on 12 carries (10.4 avg.) while the Dukes got running scores from Alonza Barnett III, Latrele Palmer and Ty Son Lawton. Palmer added 45 rushing yards on 10 attempts (4.5 avg.).

Jordan McCloud entered the game at quarterback in the second half, passing for 144 yards and two touchdowns, which was highlighted by a 57-yard touchdown strike to Reggie Brown. Brown finished with three grabs for 77 yards, while Maxwell Moss had a pair of catches and his first career touchdown in his debut. Barnett III also threw for 15 yards and ran for 29 in his first career start. Brett Griffis added 16 passing yards on his two pass attempts in the fourth.

Defensively, Taurus Jones led the Dukes with nine tackles, a pair of tackles for loss and a sack, while Mikail Kamara had six stops, a career-high 2.5 TFL and a sack. Jailin Walker also made 1.5 tackles for loss, sharing a sack with James Carpenter.

For Bucknell, Ralph Rucker threw for 140 passing yards, and Rushawn Baker picked up a team-best 43 rushing yards.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Camden Wise booted home his 12th career field goal from 36 yards out to put the Dukes up 3-0 after one.
JMU's strong rushing game set up the first touchdown of the year early in the second, as Barnett III scampered in the endzone from nine yards out to extend the lead to 10-0 in the first minute of the second quarter.
Black went over the century mark in the first half, setting up a Palmer 13-yard touchdown rush, the 15th of his career, making it 17-0 in favor of JMU.
Bucknell got on the board as time expired in the first half on Matt Schearer's 49-yard field goal.
In the third, JMU took advantage of a short field again, as a McCloud first-down run set up Lawton's first JMU touchdown on a five-yard rush. That gave JMU a 24-3 lead after three.
McCloud went deep and found Brown on a 57-yard pass with 11:28 to play, while Moss rounded out the scoring with 6:35 to go on his 13-yard touchdown catch.

GAME NOTES

JMU went 5-of-12 on third down, while Bucknell was limited to 3-of-15. It's the 35th straight game JMU has held its opponent under 50% on third.
JMU averaged 6.7 per play, while holding BU to 3.6 per snap.
The Dukes dominated field position, with an averaging starting field position at its own 46. Bucknell, on the other hand, began drives on average at its own 21. JMU began drives on average in BU territory in the first (49) and third quarters (49).
Four of JMU's five touchdown drives were less than two minutes, with the longest being 3:10.
The Dukes produced nine tackles for loss and three sacks, while Bucknell had five and one.
Bucknell held a 32:07 to 27:53 lead in time of possession.
Wayne Knight had production in the run game, pass game and on special teams, with 23 rushing, 11 receiving and a punt block.
On special teams, Solomon Vanhorse averaged 30.0 yards on two punt returns, with a career-long 35-yarder.
Ryan Hanson averaged 49.3 yards per punt on three attempts, which included a game-long 59-yard boot.

UP NEXT
JMU travels to Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 9 to face Virginia. Kickoff at Scott Stadium is set for a noon start and will be televised on ESPNU.