Hempstead, NY (Sept. 21) - Burke George kicked a career-high-tying 50-yard field goal in the second overtime and linebacker Mike Wilkerson sealed the win with an interception on the goal line on Hofstra's ensuing possession as James Madison came back from a 21-7 deficit to defeat Hofstra 24-21 in double overtime on Saturday afternoon at James M. Shuart Stadium.
The loss evens Hofstra's record at 2-2 on the season, including 2-1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. James Madison, meanwhile, improves to 3-1 on the year and 2-0 in conference play.
George's kick came just moments after he missed a potential game-winning 34-yard field goal in the first overtime. Hofstra began the extra session with the ball, but kicker Chris Onorato missed a 36-yard attempt which barely went wide left. James Madison called three conservative runs into the line to set up the game-winning kick, but George pushed the ball outside the right upright from 34 yards to send the game into a second overtime.
James Madison took the ball first in the second extra session, but Hofstra seized the momentum and drove the Dukes backwards, culminating in a sack from Daniel Garay and P.J. Murray to put James Madison back on the 32-yard line on fourth down. George then came on the field and kicked a 50-yarder through the uprights with room to spare, matching his career high which he set against Maine last season.
Hofstra, though, appeared to be on its way to a scoring threat on the ensuing possession. Running back Vemba Bukula gained seven yards on two carries, and quarterback Ryan Cosentino found receiver Marques Colston opened underneath the defense for a seven-yard gain down to the James Madison 11-yard line. A seven-yard carry from Bukula put Hofstra in a second-and-three situation on the JMU four-yard line and Hofstra called a play action, with the left-handed Cosentino rolling out to his left. Cosentino stopped and looked to find Colston in the middle of the end zone, but Wilkerson settled in at the goal line and read the play, stepping in front for the game-sealing interception.
James Madison jumped in front 7-0 early in the game when running back Rondell Bradley took a sweep around right tackle and scampered 73 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. However, Hofstra responded in strong fashion, scoring on its next three possessions to take a 21-7 lead midway through the second quarter. Cosentino evened the score at 7-7 when he found Ricky Bryant in the right corner of the end zone from 20 yards out to cap off an eight-play, 47-yard drive with 3:41 left in the first quarter.
After the defense held, Cosentino again led the offense down the field, commanding a 10-play, 71-yard drive capped off by a four-yard touchdown strike to Isaac Irby, giving the Pride its first lead at 14-7 with 11:03 left in the second quarter. After another defensive stop, Hofstra completed its third straight long scoring drive, going 54 yards in 12 plays, capped off by a three-yard touchdown pass to Colston with 5:16 remaining in the half to give the Pride a 21-7 edge.
However, James Madison took back some of the momentum before the half, thanks to some trickery. Quarterback Matt LeZotte threw what appeared to be a receiver screen to Mike Connelly along the right sideline. However, the pass went two yards backwards, and Connelly took a step back and threw deep down the right sideline to a wide-open Alan Harrison, who got behind the defense and ran all the way down to the Hofstra four-yard line. One play later, fullback Chris Iorio plunged in over left tackle to pull the Dukes back within 21-14.
The second half was a defensive stalemate most of the way through, with neither team generating many scoring chances. Hofstra had a good opportunity to pick up some much needed insurance points in the fourth quarter, driving down to the James Madison 27-yard line, where it faced a fourth-and-one. The Pride lined up to go for it, but a costly false start penalty pushed the ball back five yards and Hofstra elected to punt the ball away from the 32.
On Hofstra's next possession, Cosentino faced a second-and-20 from his own 21 yard line and looked over the middle to Bryant. The ball deflected off Bryant's hands and was intercepted by Justin Ruffin at the Pride's 43-yard line with 9:46 left. James Madison converted on a pivotal third-and-nine from the Hofstra 42 as LeZotte found Connelly near the left sideline for a 20-yard gain. Then, facing third-and-goal at the 10-yard line, LeZotte threw a timing pass to Harrison in the right side of the end zone, and Harrison outleaped cornerback Robert Thomas for the ball, evening the score at 21-21.
In the final minute of play, Hofstra almost made a big play on defense as linebacker Renauld Williams came through on a blitz and forced LeZotte to fumble, but the ball was recovered by James Madison and the Dukes were able to kill the clock to force overtime.
Cosentino threw for 304 yards, completing 34 of his 55 passes for three touchdowns and two interceptions. Ricky Bryant (106 yards) and Jamaal Perry (78) yards each caught 10 passes, while Colston chipped in with 90 yards on eight catches. The Pride, though, did not find much running room on the ground, as Bukula led Hofstra in rushing with 34 yards on 13 carries. Bradley rushed 32 times for 177 yards and a touchdown for James Madison, while Harrison caught five passes for 135 yards and one score.
Defensively, James Glee had 14 tackles (seven solo) for Hofstra, including tackles on the first six plays of the game (counting the opening kickoff). Daniel Garay chipped in with 13 tackles (four solo), while Williams had 11 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass deflection. Dennard Melton and Justin Ruffin each had nine tackles to lead James Madison, while Wilkerson had five tackles, two deflections, and the game-clinching interception.
Hofstra is next in action when it travels to Northeastern next Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. contest.
Game Stats
