HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) — Davis Cheek connected with Avery Jones on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1:17 to play and Elon upset FCS second-ranked James Madison 27-24 on Saturday, ending the Dukes’ record 20-game Colonial Athletic Association winning streak.
It was James Madison’s first conference loss since October 31, 2015.
Set up by Gregg Liggs Jr.’s fumble recovery, Cheek engineered a 10-play, 74-yard drive and found Jones in the corner of the end zone. Connor Christianson sealed it with an easy interception in the closing seconds.
Malcolm Summers’ career-long 59-yard TD run — Elon’s longest play of the season — put the Phoenix (4-1, 2-0) up 20-12 early in the fourth quarter, but the Dukes (4-2, 2-1) closed to 20-18 on Trai Sharp’s 6-yard run and pulled ahead 24-20 after DiNucci hit Riley Stapleton on 10-yard touchdown pass.
But Stapleton fumbled on James Madison’s next possession and Elon took advantage.
Cheek was 16 of 32 for 286 yards passing and Summers gained 186 yards on 20 carries.
DiNucci was 24 of 41 for 316 yards for the Dukes, who entered the game riding an FCS-best 19-game home win streak. Ethan Ratke kicked four field goals.
NC Central 40, Howard 35
DURHAM (AP) — Chauncey Caldwell capped a late drive with a touchdown plunge to give North Carolina Central a 40-35 victory over Howard on Saturday.
Howard’s Khalid Dorsey sprinted for a 19-yard touchdown to give Howard a 35-34 lead with 6:19 remaining in the game.
Caldwell answered by leading a 66-yard, nine-play drive. He found a hole on the right side and scored from the 3 with 24 seconds left as North Carolina Central (2-3, 1-1) grabbed its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win.
Howard was not finished. The Bison (1-3, 1-1) drove to NCCU’s 17, but Marcus Martin intercepted Caylin Newton in the end zone to secure the win.
Caldwell totaled 464 yards and four touchdowns, throwing for 311 yards and three scores while running for 153 yards and TD.
Newton threw for 381 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another 77 yards.
The Eagles led for most of the game, taking a 31-26 advantage into the final quarter, before Dorsey’s touchdown.
NC A&T 34, Delaware State 6
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Lamar Raynard threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more as North Carolina A&T kept Delaware State winless with a 34-6 victory Saturday night.
Raynard was 14 of 23 for 171 yards passing for the Aggies (5-1, 2-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference). Marquell Cartwright led the ground attack with 97 yards rushing on 16 carries and Malik Wilson had 107 yards receiving and caught two touchdowns.
Raynard answered Delaware State’s late first-quarter field goal with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Wilson followed by a 10-yard scoring run early in the second to make it 13-3. He squeezed in one more score before the break, a 54-yard touchdown pass to Wilson, to extend the Aggies lead to 20-6 at halftime.
In the fourth, Raynard ran for another score and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Zachary Leslie for the final.
Keenan Black had 108 yards passing and 51 yards rushing for the Hornets (0-5, 0-2). Jose Romo-Martinez kicked field goals of 38 and 49 yards.
Campbell 49, Wagner 3
BUIES CREEK (AP) — Daniel Smith ran for three touchdowns and threw for a fourth as Campbell dismantled Wagner, 49-3 in the Camels final nonconference game Saturday.
With five wins in its first six games, the Fighting Camels are off to their best start since 2008.
Wagner fumbled on its first possession and Smith led Campbell on a three-play, 32-yard drive for the score, dashing in from 16-yards out.
Wagner (1-5) got its lone score less than four minutes into the game when Eric Silvester kicked a 37-yard field goal, but Smith answered on the first play following the Seahawks kickoff, throwing 84 yards to Aaron Blackmon for his second touchdown and ran 27 yards for his third score of the first quarter. He opened the second by dashing 66 yards for a touchdown.
Dorian Jones picked off a Luke Massei pass and returned it 30 yards for a Campbell touchdown to make it 35-3 in the third quarter.
Smith was 5 of 14 passing for 120 yards and a touchdown and carried 16 times for 151 yards and three scores.
Samford 66, Western Carolina 28
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Devlin Hodges set three school records, including six touchdown passes, leading Samford to a 66-28 win over Western Carolina on Saturday.
Hodges, who had eight carries for 24 yards and a score, was 44 of 60 for 562 yards, setting Samford records for passing yards and total offense. His touchdown passes went to six different players. The 586 yards of total offense is a Southern Conference record.
The senior, who is approaching a number of school and conference records, had scoring passes of 26, 23, 16 and 32 yards in the first quarter plus a 19-yard run to give the Bulldogs (2-4, 1-2 Southern Conference), a 45-0 lead after one quarter. After 68- and 3-yard scoring passes in the third quarter, Hodges accounted for seven touchdowns, tying the school record.
DeMarcus Ware added a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter that gave Sanford its most points in SoCon game. Roland Adams had rushing and receiving touchdowns, both covering 3 yards.
Western Carolina (3-2, 1-2) had 362 yards and four turnovers while allowing the Bulldogs’ 736 yards. Will Jones threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third.
Davidson 44, Jacksonville 37
DAVIDSON (AP) — James Story ran for three touchdowns and Davidson built a 35-point lead through three quarters, then watched Jacksonville roar back with 28 fourth-quarter points and held on for a 44-37 Pioneer Football League victory Saturday.
The Wildcats snapped a nine-game Jacksonville winning streak in the series. Davidson had lost 17 straight conference games before beating Valparaiso last week, 40-35.
Story had two short touchdown runs in the first half and Davidson held a 23-9 advantage at intermission after Javier Acre-Ramirez kicked a 26-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.
The Wildcats (5-1, 2-1) scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter and lead 44-9 going into the final period.
Calvin Turner Jr. ran for three fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Dolphins (1-3, 0-1), the third with just under a minute left in the game.
East Tennessee 45, Gardner-Webb 0
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) — Quay Holmes rushed for three touchdowns, Jacob Saylors ran for two scores and ETSU cashed in on turnovers to beat Gardner-Webb 45-0 on Saturday to win its fourth straight.
Holmes is the first Buccaneer since Gavin Varner, in 2003, to rush for three touchdowns in a game.
Holmes scored on a 2-yard run on the Buccaneers’ opening drive, an 11-yarder in the second quarter and a 10-yarder in the third. He gained 105 yards on 20 carries.
Saylors’ 37-yard TD run was set up by Karon Delince’s fumble recovery and his 1-yard TD run in the fourth followed Titus Tucker’s interception. Saylors had 101 yards on 16 carries.
