Harrisonburg, VA – With a trek seventeen hours across country via bus, the Braves geared up for a competition full of firsts: the first meeting between schools, the Dukes first time squaring off against a Southwestern Athletic Conference member institution and today's game served as their home season opener.
As the Braves gathered at the hotel anxiously awaiting kick off; they were met with a blast from the past…..severe thunderstorms. With anxiety setting in, the Braves learned that their opportunity to face off against the #5 nationally ranked Duke Dogs would be delayed an hour pending the status of the storms hovering over Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field.
With the clock striking 7:00 p.m. an hour after the original kick off time, the Braves took the field for their moment of truth. Would they ride in on the wings of last weeks' victory and upset a nationally ranked team or would they fall victim to the Dukes reign?
The first half of action was ALL James Madison and Dae'Quan Scott. The redshirt junior tailback from Staunton, Va./Robert E. Lee High School gained 146 yards of total offense and scored three touchdowns. In between Scott's ground show, teammate Justin Thorpe managed to reach the end zone for seven of his own sending JMU into the locker room with a 28-0 lead over Alcorn State.
Knowing that this would not be an easy task, Hopson gathered the troops during the half with one primitive message at hand; “never give up…keep fighting and execute on every play, every down….every series. It's the small things we need to execute and capitalize on”, said Hopson.
Heading out of the locker room with a renewed since of urgency and hope, the Braves rallied in the 3
rd quarter in preparation for a comeback. With ten plays, forty-three yards and only four minutes and thirty-one seconds the Braves lit up the score boards with a thirty-nine yard field goal by
Ernesto Santillan; starting the third quarter with a score of 28-3.
The Braves celebration didn't last long as the Dukes offense took the field with one purpose in mind, increasing their lead and Jordan Anderson didn't disappoint. He finds the end zone with a thirty-one yard pass from Justin Thorpe extending the lead to 35-3.
In the final quarter of play, the Braves regained momentum finding themselves in several first and ten situations however JMU's defense proved to be too much for the Braves. On the last scoring drive of the Dukes home season opener Ryan Dixon on a pass from Michael Birdsong…one play, thirty-nine yards iced the game with a final score of 42-3. JMU extends their winning streak to 2-0. The Braves finish tonight's contest 1-0 in conference play and 1-1 overall.
Hopson credited JMU for being one of the best teams in the nation. He went on to say that “we had some great runs throughout the game and competed well against the nationally ranked team; if we could play them this well we are definitely ready to kick-start SWAC play.”
The Braves are back in action Saturday, September 15, 2012 at home against the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff. Kick-off is slated for 2:00 p.m.
