James Madison 34, North Dakota 21 (FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals)

Recap

Full Recap (James Madison) | Full Recap (North Dakota) | Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Behind a strong day both in the passing game and rushing attack, James Madison pulled away in the second half for a 34-21 victory against North Dakota on Saturday night in the FCS quarterfinals at Bridgeforth Stadium.

UND (6-2) trimmed the lead down to three late in the second quarter, but it was as close as the Fighting Hawks would get in their inaugural appearance in the quarterfinals.

The third-seeded Dukes improved to 7-0 on the year and advance to next week’s national semifinal against No. 2 seed Sam Houston in Huntsville, Texas. The Fighting Hawks saw their season end with a 5-2 overall mark.

The Dukes piled up 468 yards of total offense, with 251 through the air and another 217 on the ground.

JMU’s Cole Johnson was 14-of-17 for a season-best 251 yards and two touchdowns, as he connected twice with receiver Antwane Wells Jr., who had yet another career outing in the postseason.

Wells Jr. finished with career highs of seven receptions for 143 yards to register his first career two-score game. His receiving yards was the fourth-most by a JMU player in postseason history.

UND RB Otis Weah continued to find the end zone for the Hawks, scoring his 10th-career rushing touchdown to go alongside his 96 yards on 13 carries. The redshirt sophomore has now scored in every game that he has received a carry in his career.

Stadium: Bridgeforth Stadium

Location: Harrisonburg, Va.

Attendance: 5854

Duration: 2:55

UND: Tommy Schuster (213 PASS); Otis Weah (96 RUSH); Garett Maag (87 REC);

JMU Cole Johnson (251 PASS); P. Agyei-Obese (128 RUSH); Antwane Wells (143 REC);