University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
James Madison
James Madison Defeats Richmond 34-14
10/11/2003 | Football
Oct 11, 2003
HARRISONBURG, Va. - Three freshmen combined to run for 227 yards, and James Madison held Richmond scoreless until the final five minutes as the Dukes celebrated homecoming with a 34-14 Atlantic 10 Football Conference victory over Richmond Saturday at Zane Showker Field at Bridgeforth Stadium.
Red-shirt freshmen tailbacks Alvin Banks (Hampton, Va./Hampton) and Maurice Fenner (Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside) ran for 96 and 87 yards, respectively, and true freshman wide receiver Ardon Bransford (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) carried for 44 yards as the Dukes compiled 279 yards on the ground and 404 total yards.
Banks carried 12 times and scored on a three-yard run, and Fenner carried 10 times and had a five-yard scoring run. Banks had sat out JMU's Oct. 4 game at Villanova with a leg problem.
The victory snapped a two-game JMU losing streak and raised the Dukes' overall record to 3-3 and their Atlantic 10 mark to 2-2. Richmond fell to 0-5 overall and to 0-4 in the Atlantic 10.
The Dukes took control by scoring on four straight first-half possessions to lead 24-0 by halftime, and their margin was 34-0 after three quarters. Richmond's two touchdowns came in the final 4:39, and 141 of the visiting Spiders' total yards came on their two late scoring drives.
Richmond's best scoring chance before the final period came on its first possession, but the Spiders had a 28-yard field goal attempt blocked after driving from their 29 to the JMU 11. JMU junior cornerback Cortez Thompson (Fredericksburg, Va./ Courtland) returned junior defensive tackle Sid Evans' (Manassas, Va./Osbourn Park) block to the Richmond 48, and the Dukes got the game's first points seven plays later on an eight-yard pass from junior quarterback Matt LeZotte (Augusta, Ga./Westside) to sophomore wide receiver Nic Tolley (Virginia Beach, Va./Kempsville) with 3:58 left in the first quarter.
Richmond penetrated the JMU 30 on only one more occasion until after the score was 34-0, and JMU scored two touchdowns and had a field goal during a 4:51 span of the second quarter.
Banks' three-yard scoring run with 9:26 left in the second period capped a 10-play, 76-yard JMU drive and gave the Dukes a 14-0 lead, and true-freshman David Rabil's (Franklin, Va./Franklin) first college field goal completed a seven-play 56-yard series and gave JMU a 17-0 edge at the quarter's 5:05 mark.
The Dukes quickly raised the lead to 24-0 when sophomore linebacker Isai Bradshaw (Cambridge, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin) returned a fumble 12 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the next Richmond series.
An interception in the end zone stopped JMU's final drive of the first half, but the Dukes moved 52 yards in eight plays with Fenner scoring from five yards to increase the to 31-0 on their first possession of the second half. A 26-yard Rabil field goal on the next JMU possession gave the Dukes a 34-0 lead.
Richmond's points came on a seven-yard Kenny Dantzler run with 4:39 left and on a 36-yard pass from Bryson Spinner to Boyd Ouden with 0:43 to play. The scoring drives covered 71 yards in 13 plays and 80 yards (penalty yardage included) in six plays.
In addition to its 279 rushing yards, JMU also threw for 125 yards with LeZotte hitting on eight of 13 passing attempts.
Richmond finished with 380 total yards (133 rushing, 247 passing). Spinner completed 27 of 40 passes for the Spiders' 247 yards through the air, and Ouden had eight catches for 93 yards.
The Dukes' defense intercepted three passes - two by junior safety Rondell Bradley (Levittown, Pa./Harry Truman) and one by sophomore cornerback Clint Kent (Macon, Ga./Westside) - in addition to Bradshaw's fumble recovery. JMU hadn't had a player intercept two passes in a game since Mike Masella (1995-98) picked off two at Delaware in JMU's final 1998 game. Bradley also had an interception a week ago at Villanova.
JMU is at William & Mary next Saturday (Oct. 18) in Atlantic 10 play, and Richmond hosts New Hampshire in league play.
