Postgame Quotes
HAMILTON – Chris Puzzi's 15th field goal of the season set off a Colgate Football celebration 15 years in the making.
The eighth-seeded Raiders knocked off sixth-ranked James Madison 23-20 here Saturday on Puzzi's 38-yard field goal as time expired. The win lifts Colgate to an NCAA Division I Championship Quarterfinal matchup against No. 1 North Dakota State next weekend in Fargo.
Not since 2003 had Andy Kerr Stadium hosted an NCAA playoff game, but this one was worth the wait.
Both teams scored in every quarter and both teams led by seven points. But not a single point more than that as this one was too close to call even in the closing minutes.
Colgate had the final say after stopping a JMU fake-punt try at the Raider 41 with 2:46 remaining.
Two plays later,
Grant Breneman found
Owen Rockett for 26 yards toward the home sideline and Colgate was in business at the JMU 35.
James Holland Jr., followed with four rushing plays for 14 total yards, and the Raiders were well inside Puzzi's range as the seconds ticked away.
The Dukes called back-to-back timeouts to try and ice Puzzi, but Colgate's record-breaking kicker was having none of that. He stepped into his third successful field goal attempt of the day and squeezed it just inside the right upright, setting off a delirious celebration on Crown Field.
Scoring Recap
James Madison struck first and made it look easy. Jawon Hamilton returned the opening kickoff 37 yards to the JMU 43, and the Dukes needed just three plays to reach the red zone.
It looked like the Raiders might force a field goal, but
Dillon DeIuliis was whistled for pass interference on a very close call – turning a fourth down into a first-and-goal. Cardon Johnson carried it over from the 2 and the Dukes led 7-0.
Puzzi connected once in the first quarter and once in the second and Colgate trailed 10-6 at intermission.
To start the third, the Raiders fumbled on their first snap from scrimmage. But Colgate's defense held the Dukes to a field goal, setting the stage for a key momentum swing.
Colgate took the ensuing kickoff and marched 75 yards in six plays. Breneman's swing pass to Holland turned into a 28-yarder to the JMU 41. Three plays later Breneman kept it and dashed 32 yards to tie the game at 13-13.
Colgate held James Madison and then took over at its own 10-yard line. No worries. The Raiders marched the 90 yards in just eight plays.
Breneman's crossing route to Rockett accounted for 39 yards into JMU territory, and then Breneman found
Owen Buscaglia for 20 to the Dukes 17-yard line. Three plays later, Rockett was free in the end zone for a 14-yard TD and Colgate suddenly led 20-13.
In just less than 10 minutes on the clock, Colgate had completely flipped its fortunes as the sounds of "Let's go 'gate!" filled the air.
Seemingly ready to put the game away, the Raiders intercepted JMU quarterback Ben DiNucci on each of the next two possessions but couldn't cash in. The more painful of the two was a fourth-and-1 at the JMU 10 when Holland met a Madison stone wall that kept it a one-score game.
JMU pulled even after another special teams jump-start, this time a D'Angelo Amos 42-yard punt return to the Colgate 44. The Dukes needed just six plays to cover the distance as DiNucci kept it from 7 yards out with 8:22 remaining.
Colgate went three-and-out and punted to JMU, which drove into Raider territory and reached the 40. But a 1-yard tackle-for-loss by
T.J. Holl and then an incomplete pass set up fourth-and-5 from the 41.
From punt formation, James Madison's Harry O'Kelly instead sprinted to the right but was met by a host of Raider defenders and stopped well short of the line to gain. Special teams stalwarts
Nick Alvarez and
Milton Braasch II earned official tackle credit.
Colgate took over with 2:46 remaining and drove quickly into the Raider folklore highlight reels.
Bottom Line
• No. 8 Colgate 23, No. 6 James Madison 20
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate improved to 10-1 with its 15th straight win over an FCS opponent.
• James Madison's season ended at 9-4.
Stats of the Game
• How tough was James Madison? Colgate's defense intercepted five DiNucci passes and yet the Raiders could muster only three points from those turnovers.
• JMU scored three points off Colgate's lone turnover, a fumble on the first play of the second half.
• Breneman returned from injury and saw his first game action in a month. He finally looked like the old Grant by the second half.
• After the break, the sophomore was 8-of-11 for 130 yards and a touchdown. His 32-yard TD scamper was Colgate's longest rushing play of the afternoon.
• Puzzi's now stands alone in the Colgate records book with 15 made field goals. The previous mark of 14 was set by
Jonah Bowman in 2014.
• He's also ahead of Bowman's season percentage mark of .875. Puzzi is at 15-of-17 for .882.
•
Tyler Castillo picked off two of Colgate's five interceptions. The senior now has 13 for his career, tying for fourth all-time in Raiders history.
• His six interceptions for the season also tie for fourth all-time and are the most since
Mike Armiento posted six back in 2013.
• Holl was the team's tackle leader with 11, pushing past the century mark to 105 for the season.
• Rockett was the game's leading receiver with five for 104 and the go-ahead touchdown.
• The Raiders had a 10-minute edge in time-of-possession (35:00 to 25:00) but allowed a season-high 392 yards of total offense. The Dukes rushed for exactly 200 yards.
Double Digits!
• Colgate reached 10 wins in a season for just the fourth time in program history and the first since 2003. Here's the list:
Year W-L Head Coach
1977 -- 10-1 Fred Dunlap
1999 -- 10-2 Dick Biddle
2003 -- 15-1 Dick Biddle
2018 -- 10-1 Dan Hunt
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance inside Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium was 6,418.
Up Next
• Colgate advances to play No. 1-ranked North Dakota State in next Saturday's quarterfinals.
• The Bison (12-0) handled No. 23 Montana State 52-10 Saturday in Fargo.
• NDSU is the defending national champion and winners of six of the last seven NCAA crowns.
• Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. Central time (noon Eastern) on ESPN. Catch the Colgate broadcast on 94 WKXZ-FM.
