Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics
The James Madison Dukes opened their inaugural FBS season at home with a 44-7 victory over Middle Tennessee Saturday.
From a statistical glance, JMU dominated the Blue Raiders in just about every aspect of the game.
The Dukes had 548 total yards of offense to MTSU's 119 yards.
The Dukes had 287 passing yards to MTSU's 107 yards.
The Dukes had 261 rushing yards to MTSU's 12 yards.
The Dukes had 31 first downs to MTSU's 10.
The Dukes had zero turnovers to MTSU's one fumble.
The Dukes also dominated time of possession.
You get the idea.
JMU senior quarterback Todd Centeio had an impressive showing, throwing for 287 yards and 6 touchdowns. He also had a pass completion percentage of 63.6.
Centeio also led the offense in rushing yards. He had 14 carries for 110 yards, ahead of senior running back Percy Agyei-Obese who had 15 carries for 82 yards.
Senior wide receiver Kris Thornton led the receivers with 12 receptions for 155 yards and 3 touchdowns.
On defense, junior defensive lineman Jamree Kromah led the team with 2 sacks.
Sophomore Jailin Walker led the JMU defense in tackles at 8, 4 of which were solo tackles.
There naturally were and still are many questions surrounding James Madison's transition to FBS. We are eagerly anticipating JMU's introduction into Sun Belt conference play. That comes in three weeks when they face Appalachian State in Boone, NC. However, Saturday's game gave everyone a glimpse into what we can expect from this new FBS program in 2022.
JMU is a veteran team that plays hard in the trenches and will punch you in the mouth if you are not paying attention. Middle Tennessee happened to learn that the hard way.
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