HARRISONBURG, Va., Sept. 20, 2008 – James Madison outscored Appalachian State 35-11 in the second half, turning a 21-0 halftime deficit into a 35-32 victory in a meeting of top-five ranked football teams on Saturday evening in front of a Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field record crowd of 17,163.

JMU, ranked fifth nationally in both the Sports Network and FCS Coaches polls, improved to 3-1 on the season while consensus #1 ASU fell to 1-2.  

Senior quarterback Rodney Landers (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) rushed 20 times for 113 yards and two scores, including a 62-yard scamper on JMU’s first offensive play of the second half.  He also completed 7-of-13 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.

Senior Eugene Holloman(Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside)  rushed for 73 yards on nine carries for the Dukes, the key coming on a 47-yarder as JMU drove for its final score with two minutes remaining.

Junior quarterback Armanti Edwards (Greenwood, S.C.) rushed 26 times for 109 yards for ASU while being sacked three times.  He completed 11-of-19 passes for 142 yards and one score.  Sophomore Robert Welton (Gray, Ga.) rushed 17 times for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns while junior Josh Johnson (Newland, N.C.) hauled in four receptions for 71 yards and a score.

Trailing 21-0 at the half, junior Scotty McGee (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) put the Dukes on the board quickly in the second half with a 99-yard return for a touchdown on the opening kickoff to ignite the JMU comeback.  The return tied JMU career records for kick returns with three, matching Dwight Robinson, and combined kickoff and punt returns with four, equaling Gary Clark.

After forcing the Mountaineers three-and-out, the Dukes struck quickly again with a 62-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Landers on the first play of the drive, pulling JMU within seven just two minutes into the half.

ASU again went three-and-out but a Landers interception set up the Mountaineers on a short field, leading to a 30-yard Jason Vitaris (Seneca, S.C.) field goal with 6:09 in the quarter and a 24-14 ASU advantage. 

Another quick-strike connection from the Dukes produced a touchdown with Landers finding sophomore Griff Yancey (Glen Allen, Va./Hermitage) on a 35-yard pass on the second play of the 34-second drive.

The teams traded possessions into the fourth quarter when Landers led the Dukes on an eight-play 46-yard drive, capped by a four-yard touchdown run by senior Holloman on his first carry of the half to give JMU its first lead at 28-24.

The Mountaineers appeared poised to drive down the field for the go-ahead score on the ensuing drive when Welton was stripped by freshman Jamie Veney (Kilmarnock, Va./Lancaster/Fork Union) while attempting to drive through a pile of JMU tacklers.  Junior Gerren Griffin (Fairburn, Ga./Sandy Creek) jumped on the free ball for JMU with 8:21 remaining.

The Dukes responded with their longest drive of the game in terms of plays (10), yards (87), and time of possession (5:50).  JMU rushed on nine of the 10 plays, capped by a one-yard Landers touchdown with 2:31 remaining for a 35-24 lead.

ASU responded quickly with Edwards leading a five-play, 51-yard drive in just 49 seconds, the key being a 38-yard pass from Edwards to Johnson to move to the JMU four yard line.  Welton ran it in from there to pull the Mountaineers within five.  Edwards then ran in the two-point conversion to close within three at 35-32.

In the onside kick situation, JMU recovered but was called offsides, presenting another opportunity.  However, the second attempt was covered by reserve quarterback Drew Dudzik (Clifton, Va./Centreville) to give JMU possession and the Dukes eventually had a fourth-down punt to run out the clock and seal the win.

Appalachian State led in total yardage 351-302, however JMU led the second half 236-128.  The first half was dominated by the Mountaineers with 223 yards on 38 plays compared to just 66 yards on 20 plays for the Dukes.  ASU also led in possession nearly two-to-one and converted 5-of-8 third downs, compared to just one out of five for JMU.  The Mountaineers had 12 first downs while the Dukes had just two in the first half.

The Mountaineers’ first touchdown came on a six-yard run by junior Devon Moore halfway through the opening period.  The teams traded possessions before ASU struck again halfway through the second on an 11-yard pass from Edwards to Johnson.  The third score came with just 31 seconds remaining when Welton capped a nine-play, 66-yard drive with a two-yard score.

After three consecutive home games, the Dukes will travel to Maine next Saturday, Sept. 27, for a 6 p.m. contest against the Black Bears.  The game will be broadcast live on My Valley, which is channel two on Harrisonburg Comcast cable and on-campus at JMU.

NOTES:  JMU head coach Mickey Matthews, in his 10th season, earned his 67th win at JMU, matching the program record previously held by Challace McMillin (1972-'84)... the JMU victory snapped a string of four consecutive losses to ASU dating back to 1991... the Dukes’ win came on the heels of a 28-27 victory by the Mountaineers in the 2007 Football Championship Subdivision playoffs... JMU improved to 3-3 all-time against top-ranked foes.