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HARRISONBURG, Va. – It's down to eight and Colgate's still dancin'.
 
The Raiders won another nail-biter and knocked off another Colonial Athletic Association foe on the road with a 44-38 triumph over No. 5 James Madison here Saturday.
 
James Holland rushed for 165 yards and Jake Melville added 163 – both career highs – as Colgate racked up 343 on the ground. The Raiders outgained JMU 463-298 overall and, more importantly, limited the Dukes to just 59 offensive plays.
 
They entered the game averaging 80.9.
 
Trailing by six, James Madison had four cracks inside the Colgate 10 with the clock winding under four minutes. Three rushing plays netted five yards, and JMU called timeout to set the stage for fourth-and-goal from the Colgate 3.
 
JMU quarterback Bryan Schor lofted his fourth-down pass toward the right corner of the end zone, intended for go-to receiver Brandon Ravenel.
 
But senior cornerback Josh Ford batted the ball down for the defensive play of the game. Ford has been a special teams stalwart all season and was playing in place of injured starter Tyler Castillo.
 
Colgate then ground its way for a key first down and the Raiders ran off the final 1:06 for one of the biggest wins in program history.
 
Colgate advances to the NCAA Division I Football Championship quarterfinals next Saturday at Sam Houston State (10-3). It's only the second time a Raider squad has won multiple games in the FCS playoffs, and the first since the 2003 Raiders made it all the way to the national championship game.
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 44, James Madison 38

Won-Lost Records
• Colgate extended its winning streak to seven games and improved to 9-4.
• James Madison finished 9-3.

Quick Rundown
• Colgate shocked the Bridgeforth Stadium crowd by posting a 17-0 lead just one play into the second quarter.
• But James Madison answered with 28 points in that second stanza. Only a Holland 63-yard TD run kept the Raiders within 28-24 at halftime.
• Colgate bounced back with a 14-point third quarter and led 38-31 entering the final 15 minutes.
• The Dukes tied it early in the fourth but then Colgate answered with 9:15 remaining to go on top 44-38.
• Colgate missed the extra point and the six-point lead seemed to be in jeopardy, but the Raider defense held once again. Shades of the Fordham and Lehigh games – and Georgetown – and Bucknell – and New Hampshire.
 
Rushing Facts & Figures
• Holland and Melville had runs of 63 and 67 yards, respectively. Holland's went for a touchdown, while Melville was pulled down at the JMU 5.
• He scored two plays later.
• Holland's 63-yarder was Colgate's longest rush for a TD since Jimmy  DeCicco broke free for a 77-yard score at Cornell in 2013. DeCicco was one of many Raider football alums in Saturday's crowd.
• Both Melville and Holland rushed for two touchdowns. Melville scored on a 32-yarder to open the third quarter and on the 3-yarder that finished the scoring with 9:15 remaining in the game.
• Holland scored from 2 yards out in the first and from 63 yards in the second.
• Holland carried a career-high 27 times to gain his 165 yards, averaging 6.1 per try.
• Melville carried 14 times for an 11.6 average.
• Colgate's 343-yard rushing afternoon was a season high.
 
Melville Magic – Most of the Time
• Melville had some lucky bounces throwing the ball – and some not so fortunate.
• He finished 8-of-23 for 120 yards and two touchdowns. His first TD pass was tipped into the waiting arms of John Quazza, who stayed in bounds to make it 17-0 Raiders on the first play of the second quarter.
• But just before intermission, Melville was picked for the first time in 209 attempts. JMU's Jordan  Brown waltzed the interception 17 yards into the end zone to cap a 28-point Dukes quarter.
• James Madison led 28-24 at halftime.
• Melville's second touchdown pass was a lob to the right corner that Alex Greenawalt hauled in from 17 yards out to make it 38-31 Raiders late in the third quarter.
• Melville eclipsed the career 1,500-yard rushing mark and now has 1,583.
• He also jumped to sixth in season passing yards with 2,410. He passed Ryan Vena (2,298) and Gavin McCarney (2,372) in the process. Melville and McCarney both hail from Sparta, New Jersey.
 
More Key Info
• Kyle Diener's 12 tackles led all defenders. He increased his team-high total to 121.
• Alex Campbell added eight tackles and Charles Cairnie seven. That duo also posted the game's only two sacks, and they came on JMU's opening drive of the third quarter as Colgate turned the momentum.
• The Raiders won that period 14-3 to register their second straight successful third quarter in as many weeks.
• Colgate now has 36 sacks for the season.
• Nikko Armiento punted four times for a 40.8-yard average.
• All three turnovers in the game resulted in points.
• JMU fumbled a kickoff in the first quarter and a punt in the third, and the Raiders cashed in both times for touchdowns. The Dukes did the same, obviously, with the pick-six just before halftime.
• Cortney Mimms in the first quarter and Cairnie in the third had the Colgate fumble recoveries.
• Colgate finished with a 35:20 to 24:40 edge in time of possession, which wasn't surprising because James Madison has a quick-strike offense. But the 73-59 Raider edge in plays proved decisive.
• The TD catches by Quazza and Greenawalt were their only receptions of the day.
• JMU's Schor finished 13-of-18 passing for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
• Ravenel finished with four catches for 34 yards and five kickoff returns for a whopping 184 yards.
• The Dukes finished with three scoring drives of less than 50 yards – plus the pick-six.
 
Don't Leave Early
• Colgate won its seventh straight game Saturday, and all seven have come by single digits.
• Starting with the Georgetown game Oct. 17, the Raiders have won by 4, 2, 9, 7, 4, 7 and now 6.
• That's an average victory margin of just 5.6.
• The seven-game winning streak is Colgate's longest since the 2012 squad won its last seven of the regular season en route to the Patriot League title and NCAA playoffs.
 
Turning Point
• James Madison carried all the momentum coming out of the halftime locker room.
• The Dukes had scored 28 second-quarter points to overcome a 17-0 Colgate lead, and received the ball to begin the third quarter leading 28-24.
• But Cairnie sacked JMU's Schor on the first play for a 12-yard loss. Two plays later, Campbell sacked Schor for another six yards to force a punt.
• Christian Hardegree returned the punt a Raider season-long 26 yards to set Colgate up at the JMU 37.
• Three plays later, Melville scored on a 32-yard scamper around left end and the Raiders led 31-28.
• They never trailed again.
 
Colgate Postgame Press Conference

Press Conference Link

 
 Courtesy JMU Athletics Communications.

Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Bridgeforth Stadium was 15,045.
• The Raiders improved to 2-1 against the CAA in 2015. Richmond, also of the CAA, is still alive in the lower portion of the bracket.
 
Up Next
• Colgate travels to Sam Houston State of the Southland Conference next weekend.
• The Bearkats improved to 10-3 Saturday night with a 34-29 win at previously undefeated McNeese State.
• Kickoff from Huntsville, Texas, is 7 p.m. Central time. 
• Tickets go on sale from the Colgate Ticket Office on Monday at 1 p.m.