HARRISONBURG, Va. – After a strong opening stanza, James Madison football struggled offensively and Marshall scored 24 unanswered to rally for a 26-12 Sun Belt Conference victory Saturday evening at Bridgeforth Stadium.

The game was played in front of a stadium-record 26,159 fans, which bested the previous record of 26,069 set back on Oct. 24, 2015.

The Thundering Herd improved to 4-3 on the year and 1-2 in Sun Belt play, while the Dukes fell for the second straight week, dropping to 5-2 and 3-2. Marshall improved to 3-0 all-time against JMU.

JMU led 12-2 and gained 129 yards after one quarter but failed to score again, as Marshall held the Dukes to just 118 yards over the final three quarters while forcing five turnovers.

JMU’s defense kept the Dukes in the game, which stayed a one-score game until the late stages. Taurus Jones tied his career high with 13 tackles, which led all players in the game. He also made a tackle for loss and recovered a fumble. James Carpenter set a career best with nine stops and a half sack, while three others had six. Isaac Ukwu had a pair of sacks, while Chauncey Logan and Que Reid notched interceptions. It was the first career pick for Logan.

Percy Agyei-Obese ran for 96 yards, averaging 4.8 per carry to lead the rushing offense. Billy Atkins, making his first career start, threw for 164 yards on 13-of-35 passing with a touchdown and four interceptions.

Kris Thornton had four catches for 47 yards, while Terrance Greene Jr. made three grabs for 66 yards. Zach Horton also caught three passes for 31 yards and his second touchdown of the season.

For Marshall, Khalan Laborn rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns, which included a 61-yard score. Cam Fancher was 15-of-31 for 159 passing yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. Corey Gammage made five grabs for 107 yards and a score.

Marshall’s defense was anchored by Owen Porter, who made nine tackles with 4.5 TFL and 3.5 sacks. Charlie Gray made eight stops while intercepting a pair of Atkins passes.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• JMU got on the board first, using a pair of deep completions from Atkins to Greene Jr. to set up a 35-yard field goal from Camden Wise, giving the Dukes a 3-0 edge with 7:07 left in the first.

• The Dukes extended their lead on a 17-yard pass to Zach Horton, but the extra point was blocked and returned for a defensive PAT to make it 9-2. Wise added a second field goal two minutes later to make it 12-2 after one.

• Marshall found the endzone on a 61-yard rush by Laborn, the longest run allowed by JMU this season, to put the visitors within 12-9 at the break.

• After a three-and-out by to start the second half, Marshall needed just one play, as Fancher connected with Gammage on a 57-yard touchdown pass, giving the Herd a 16-12 lead.

• After forcing its third turnover of the day, Rece Verhoff hit a 38-yard field goal to put the Herd up a touchdown, at 19-12.

• After a fourth-quarter interception, Laborn broke off an 18-yard run to cap off the scoring with 4:07 to play.

GAME NOTES
• Marshall outgained JMU by a 326-247 margin, which included a 167-83 advantage in the run game.

• Third down was rough for both teams, with Marshall going 3-for-18, while JMU was held without a conversion, at 0-for-17.

• With the offensive woes, Sam Clark set a JMU single-game record with 12 punts. He averaged 42.5 per kick with a long of 50.

• Marshall made 11 tackles for loss with seven sacks, as opposed to JMU’s nine and three. JMU had allowed just eight sacks this season entering the game.

• Marshall held a lead in time of possession, at 31:34 to 28:26, marking the first time this season a JMU opponent led in this category.

• It’s also the first time this season JMU has been outgained and outrushed by the opposition.

• The Thundering Herd had a +2 turnover margin (5-3) in the win.

• JMU’s 12 points were its fewest scored at home since Oct. 2, 2010 when it scored 10 against Delaware.

• The Dukes suffered losses in consecutive weeks for the first time since the 2015 season (Oct. 24 and 31).

UP NEXT
JMU is off next week and returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 5 when it travels to Louisville, marking its final non-conference game of the season.

— JMU Athletics —