Mt. Vernon grad Tanner Koziol had nine receptions for 78 yards and Ball State’s lone touchdown Saturday at James Madison.
File photo courtesy Ball State Athletics
By Associated Press
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) — Alonza Barnett III threw for 280 yards and five touchdowns — his second straight game with five TDs through the air — and he added 60 yards on the ground with another score to help James Madison beat Ball State 63-7 on Saturday.
Barnett continued his stellar play after setting a school record last week in a 70-50 win over North Carolina with seven total touchdowns, becoming the first Sun Belt player to throw for five touchdowns and rush for two more in the same game.
Barnett’s performance last Saturday led to an Associated Press National Player of the Week award and James Madison receiving 11 points in the latest top 25 poll. He finished 22 of 34 for 388 yards with no interceptions, while rushing for a career-best 99 yards on 13 carries.
JMU has scored 133 points in the last two weeks.
Barnett’s passing touchdowns against Ball State went for 12, 5, 10, 26 and 22 yards, and his 18-yard touchdown run made it 49-7 with 7:19 left in the third quarter.
JMU dominated the game with 522 total yards of offense, while its defense made three interceptions.
Yamir Knight caught his first touchdown pass on the opening drive of the game, and Jobi Malary rushed for his first career touchdown for JMU with 6:54 left in the first for a 15-0 lead. The Dukes scored touchdowns on their first four possessions.
Defensive lineman Eric O’Neill returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown to make it 35-7 early in the third quarter. Terrence Spence made his third interception of the season and DJ Barksdale added the first of his career.
Taylor Thompson caught five passes for 91 yards and a touchdown for James Madison (4-0). Knight added two touchdown grabs.
Kadin Semonza was 22 of 35 for 168 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions for Ball State (1-3).
Mt. Vernon grad Tanner Koziol had nine receptions for 78 yards and Ball State’s lone touchdown. New Palestine grad Charlie Spegal had two rushes for six yards. Another Dragon, Isaiah Thacker had one carry for six yards.
It was JMU’s first victory against a team from the Mid-American Conference in three tries.
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James Madison 63, Ball State 7
| Ball St. | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 |
| James Madison | 22 | 7 | 20 | 14 | — | 63 |
First Quarter
JMU_Y.Knight 12 pass from Barnett (Ruelas kick), 10:15.
JMU_Pettaway 24 run (Thompson run), 6:54.
BALL_Koziol 15 pass from Semonza (Holmer kick), 3:34.
JMU_Dollison 5 pass from Barnett (Ruelas kick), 1:51.
Second Quarter
JMU_Y.Knight 10 pass from Barnett (Ruelas kick), 4:20.
Third Quarter
JMU_O’Neill 27 interception return (kick failed), 13:58.
JMU_C.Ross 26 pass from Barnett (Ruelas kick), 9:45.
JMU_Barnett 18 run (Ruelas kick), 7:19.
Fourth Quarter
JMU_Thompson 22 pass from Barnett (Ruelas kick), 10:55.
JMU_Malary 32 run (Lipinski kick), 2:40.
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| BALL | JMU | |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 19 | 29 |
| Total Net Yards | 250 | 514 |
| Rushes-yards | 33-77 | 34-228 |
| Passing | 173 | 286 |
| Punt Returns | 0-0 | 1-19 |
| Kickoff Returns | 0-0 | 1-34 |
| Interceptions Ret. | 0-0 | 3-67 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 23-38-3 | 21-29-0 |
| Sacked-Yards Lost | 5-34 | 3-21 |
| Punts | 3-41.333 | 0-0.0 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-Yards | 3-20 | 4-45 |
| Time of Possession | 33:41 | 26:19 |
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INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING_Ball St., Sloan 14-72, Thacker 1-6, Pickett 1-6, Horton 2-6, Spegal 2-6, Kelly 3-6, C.Davis 4-2, Semonza 6-(minus 27). James Madison, W.Knight 6-63, Barnett 10-52, Malary 5-50, Pettaway 4-35, T.Purdy 4-16, Baldwin 4-13, (Team) 1-(minus 1).
PASSING_Ball St., Semonza 22-35-3-168, Leffler 1-2-0-5, Kelly 0-1-0-0. James Madison, Barnett 20-28-0-280, D.Morris 1-1-0-6.
RECEIVING_Ball St., Koziol 9-78, Pickett 8-53, Patel 3-33, Sloan 1-6, Gillie 1-4, Magwood 1-(minus 1). James Madison, Thompson 5-91, Dollison 4-48, Y.Knight 4-44, Ross 3-46, D.Williams 2-12, Kyle 1-30, Moss 1-11, Pettaway 1-4.
MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.
