James Madison freshman quarterback JC Evans gains rushing yardage in the Dukes’ 27-17 victory over Western Kentucky. Photo by Glenn Sattell
BOCA RATON, Fl. – Isn’t it interesting that in this day of high-flying, big-scoring passing offenses, the team’s that can run the football are nevertheless succeeding? James Madison proved that to be true on Wednesday in its 27-17 victory over Western Kentucky in the 2024 Boca Raton Bowl on the campus of Florida Atlantic University.
Of the top 11 rushing teams in FBS, five either won their conference this season or are in the College Football Playoffs. Conversely, of the top 10 passing teams in the country, exactly zero won their conference, and none advanced to the playoffs.
Maybe the pendulum is swinging back to the days of hard-running, tough defensive football teams. James Madison would be the shining example of that. At least on Wednesday night it was.
The Dukes (9-4) defense held Western Kentucky to just 16 yards rushing and recovered three fumbles while their offense rolled up 212 yards on the ground, dominating time of possession by more than 13 minutes over the Hilltoppers (8-6).
In winning their first FBS bowl game since moving up in class to the Sun Belt Conference in 2022, the Dukes did all the scoring in the fourth quarter to break a 17-17 tie after rallying from a 14-7 deficit at halftime.
The Dukes dominated the second half because they held the ‘Toppers to minus-2 yards rushing in the final two quarters. Sophomore nickel D.J. Barksdale came up with some big plays along the way, recording four tackles for loss, including a strip sack and earned the Boca Raton Bowl Defensive Player of the Game Award.
It was another strip sack, this time by defensive lineman Khairi Manns, who also recovered the fumble, that set up the Dukes for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore linebacker Gannon Weathersby also came up with a fumble recovery to swing the momentum to James Madison’s side in a game that saw three ties and two lead changes.
The James Madison defense was tough on Western Kentucky rushers at the Boca Raton Bowl. Photo by Glenn Sattell
On the other side of the football, George Pettaway led the James Madison run game with 100 yards on 14 carries. The redshirt sophomore transfer from North Carolina turned in his second career 100-yard game and eighth game this season with at least 75 rushing yards. He didn’t reach the end zone, but he helped set up the Dukes’ offense with an outstanding effort.
Ironically, it was a pair of touchdown passes by two James Madison quarterbacks that proved to be the difference on the scoreboard. Freshman JC Evans, after opening the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter, threw the first pass of his career. It went for 1 yard and found Kyi Wright in the end zone for a game-tying touchdown (14-14) with 8:09 to play in the third quarter.
It was Evans’ only pass of the game, and it was Wright’s only catch of the game as well, but Evans also added 64 yards rushing on 10 carries to earn the Boca Raton Bowl Offensive Player of the Game Award.
But it was redshirt junior Billy Atkins, filling in for the injured Alonza Barnett III (ankle), who made the most of his first start since the 2022 season. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 181 yards, including the game-winner, a 21-yard scoring strike to senior tight end Taylor Thompson with 9:20 left in the fourth quarter that gave the Dukes the lead for good.
Redshirt junior kicker Noe Ruelas put the game out of reach late in the fourth quarter, after Manns’ huge forced fumble and recovery, by connecting on his second field goal of the game. The 25-yarder closed the scoring. Mann was good from 28 yards out late in the third quarter that gave the Dukes a 17-14 edge.
Western Kentucky redshirt sophomore kicker Lucas Carneiro booted a 31-yard field goal in the first minute of the fourth quarter that tied the game, 17-17. The recently named CUSA Special Teams Player of the Year, finished the season 18-for-19 in field goal attempts, including 6-for-6 from 50-plus yards.
The 18 field goals were made consecutively, marking the longest streak in program history. His 94.7 percent makes is also a program record for a single season. Carneiro has also connected on 88 consecutive PATs, the third-longest streak in program history.
While they did most of their damage on the ground, the Dukes did move the ball through the air as well. Photo by Glenn Sattell
Special teams were just that…special, for the Dukes. Redshirt senior punter Ryan Hanson was named Boca Raton Bowl Special Teams Player of the Game. Hanson totaled four punts for a 36-yard average and placed one inside the ‘Toppers 20-yard line. His longest punt of the game was a 46-yarder.
The Hilltoppers, playing in their 11th bowl game over the last 13 seasons, overcame an early 7-0 deficit on a pair of touchdown passes from redshirt sophomore quarterback Caden Veltkamp, who kept the ‘Toppers in the game, completing 25-of-39 passes for 302 yards to finish off a stellar season.
The CUSA leader closed the season with 3,108 yards and 25 touchdowns, which is also tops in the conference.
He threw a 17-yard scoring strike to Moussa Barry early in the second quarter that tied the game, 7-7, then gave Western Kentucky a 14-7 lead with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dalvin Smith in the final minute before halftime. Smith caught two passes for a team-high 76 yards, and Kisean Johnson hauled in a game-high nine passes (70 yards).
But it wasn’t enough to keep Western Kentucky undefeated in Boca Raton Bowl games. The ‘Toppers had won their two previous invitations to the South Florida game.
