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Last Updated On: May 03, 2025 11:34 AM , Published On: Dec 19, 2024 08:55 AM
The recent news is about James Madison winning its First-Ever Bowl Title in the Boca Raton Bowl. James Madison vs. Western Kentucky closed at 27-17, with James Madison defeating Western Kentucky.
James Madison Historic Win
James Madison has appeared victorious in regular-season games but has never won a bowl. In the 2023 Armed Forces Bowl, they faced defeat. This year, JMU made its first-ever victory and held the title of Raton Bowl win.
James Madison played against Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in Raton’s Bowl Program. JMU defeated the Conference USA runner-up Western Kentucky with three takeaways, scored 27-17, and made it to the program’s first bowl win in school history.
Boca Raton Bowl
On Wednesday, the Boca Raton Bowl kicked off on December 18, 2024, in FAU Stadium in Florida. James Madison Dukes from SuBelt’s Conference and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers from Conference USA faced each other. ESPN and Fubo live-streamed the game.
Key Players of the Game
James Madison played without its starting quarterback, Alonza Barnett III, who suffered a knee injury in a 35-33 loss to Marshall on Nov. 30. Dukes tuned to the backup quarterback Billy Atkins, who had a history of three pass attempts.
Billy Atkins and JC Evans led the offense. The duo combined 394 yards and a 20-3 second-half scoring advantage. Atkins completed 16-of-23 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown, while Evans ran for 64 yards and one touchdown score.
Billy Atkins stepped up and threw a 21-yard pass to senior tight end Taylor Thompson and Kyi Wright, which gave the Dukes a 24-17 lead and helped them seal the game. Running back George Pettaway carried the ball 14 times for 100 yards—his second 100-yard performance of the season.
Dukes Defensive Unit
The Dukes' defensive back, Chris Shealin, led the Duke's defensive unit with seven tackles and showed a standout performance. Duke's defensive backs had four players with 1.5 or more tackles for loss in linebacker Gannon Weathersby (2.5 TFL), sophomore defensive back DJ Barksdale (2.0 TFL), redshirt senior defensive lineman Khairi Manns (1.5 TFL) and freshman defensive back Tyler Brown (1.5 TFL). Khairi Manns' strip sack and fumble recovery at 3:02 sealed the win for James Madison.
Season Recap
With the win, James Madison improves to 9-4 on the season. Dukes from SunBelt’s Conference headed to 1-1 in two all-time bowl appearances when it is just in its third FBS season. In addition, it was the fifth game this season that JMU had three or more takeaways in a game. This marks a significant milestone for the program.