17

Western Ky.
WKU

8-6, 6-2

27

winner

James Madison
JMU

9-4, 4-4

Western Ky.
WKU

8-6, 6-2

17

27

James Madison
JMU

9-4, 4-4

winner

Points by quarters

team	1	2	3	4	F
WKU Western Ky.	0	14	0	3	17
JMU James Madison	7	0	10	10	27

Match Review: Football | 12/18/2024 8:56 p.m | Mike Barber

By Mike Barber
JMUSports.com correspondent

BOCA RATON, Fla – A pair of quarterbacks that had yet to lead a scoring drive this season led James Madison to its first-ever bowl victory.

Freshmen JC Evans ran for a touchdown and threw for a sophomore and redshirt junior Billy Atkins hit a game-winning fourth-quarter goal as JMU defeated Western Kentucky 27-17 in the Boca Raton Bowl on Wednesday night in South Florida.

“At some point that light shines on you,” Duke’s coach said Bob Chesney said. “When that happens, it will either expose you for all the work you have done or it will expose you for the work you have not done. To be the backup and the backup to the backup, they fought, they stayed the course and they never, ever gave up.”

Twenty years and one day after JMU won its first FCS national championship, the Dukes celebrated their first bowl title, a victory they secured with the formula that made them successful all season.
JMU controlled the football, played stifling defense and capitalized on two turnovers.

In front of an impressive and energetic crowd of purple-clad fans, the Dukes racked up 212 rushing yards, collected three sacks and 11 tackles for loss, and recovered three fumbles, raising their season total to 12.

defensive Khairi Manns’ Strip sack and fumble recovery with 3:02 remaining helped JMU (9-4) improve to 3-2 in one-score games and 3-3 when trailing at halftime.

With starting QB Alonza Barnett III Atkins was sidelined by injury and made his first start since 2022. He went 16-for-23 for 181 yards and hit tight end Taylor Thompson for a 21-yard touchdown with 9:20 left.

Evans, in his most comprehensive play of the season, ran for a 5-yard touchdown, JMU’s first score of the game, and later his first career pass went for a 1-yard touchdown. He rushed for 64 yards and a score.

“I didn’t know how much I was going to play tonight, but I knew I was going to make the most of it,” said Evans, a Miami native. “I just have so much trust in the people around me and I know that those people trust me.”

George Pettaway ran for 100 yards on 14 carries, his second 100-yard game of the season.

Wednesday night’s contest was a clash of colors – JMU wore purple pants and jerseys with white helmets, while WKU went all red – and styles.


The Dukes ran the ball on 22 of their first 34 snaps, while the Hilltoppers and star quarterback Caden Veltkamp put it in the air. He played nine of the team’s first 14 snaps.
After a three-and-out on the first possession, JMU’s offense got a spark from Evans.


Evans alternated with Atkins almost snap for snap at the start, breaking off a 27-yard run, gaining 43 yards on four carries and capping the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, giving the Dukes their first bowl appearance game gave us a lead.


The Hilltoppers (8-6) responded with two touchdown passes from Veltkamp. The Conference USA Player of the Year, who placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal before the bowl, threw a 17-yard scoring strike to Moussa Barry and an 11-yarder to Dalvin Smith.

Outside of the second drive, the Dukes’ offense faltered, missed opportunities for big plays and points and was shut out for the remainder of the first half.


In the second quarter, kicker Noe Ruelas missed a 47-yard field goal attempt wide right and had a 56-yard attempt on the final snap of the half blocked by WKU.


The Hilltoppers led 14-7 at halftime and got the ball early in the third quarter with a chance to take full control of the game.


But the Duke defense forced a three-pointer and the offense scored the game-winning score with a 71-yard drive. Evans, who had already secured his first career touchdown, caught his first scoring pass, throwing a 1-yard touchdown to the tight end Kyi Wrightmaking the game 14-14 with 8:09 left in the third quarter.


JMU took a 17-14 lead on a 28-yard field goal by Ruelas with 2:25 left in the third. WKU tied the score again at 17-17 with a 31-yard field goal 47 seconds into the final frame.


That set up the dramatic finish when Atkins made a shoulder-back throw into the end zone, which Thompson elevated and caught against two WKU defenders.


“I saw the one-on-one duel, I threw it overboard, trusted Taylor and he did it,” Atkins said. “Big game.”


The catch, followed by the final completion by the defense, gave the first-year coach Bob Chesney A remarkable performance to cap off a season that began with a complete rebuild of the JMU roster and ended with the Dukes winning nine or more games for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons.


“Just a great moment in the history of our program,” Chesney said. “Being the first to do something for the first time is a big deal.”

Bowl Awards

Game notes

• JMU outscored WKU 203-136 in the second half, with 65 Hilltopper yards on one pass in the third quarter and 33 on the final desperation drive.
• JMU led in rushing yards 212-16, including 102-2 in the second half.
• The long distance in running performance led to a 13-minute lead in time of possession (36:32-23:28).
• Overall, JMU outscored Western 394-318 and averaged 4.6 yards per rush compared to 0.8 yards for WKU.
• JMU was among the national leaders in turnover margin all season and hit +3 in the bowl win, resulting in six points on two field goals.
• In its 20th all-time postseason appearance, JMU improved to 25-17 in postseason games.
• JMU won nine or more games for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons. The only exceptions were the eight-game spring 2021 season and the 8-3 2022 season, in which the program played only 11 games and was ineligible for the postseason due to reclassification.
• With his two field goals in the second half Noe Ruelas made 16 field goals in 2024 and has made 31 in his career.
• Pettaway managed at least 75 rushing yards in his eighth game of the season, surpassing 100 yards for the second time in his career.
• Dollison caught six passes, finishing with a career-high 82 yards.
• Thompson’s fourth-quarter touchdown was his sixth scoring catch of the season.
• The Sun Belt Conference improved to 2-0 on the bowl season as JMU followed South Alabama’s 30-23 victory over Western Michigan on Dec. 14 in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl.