TAKEAWAYS: James Madison Notches Program's First-Ever Bowl Victory

Kevin Barral | 8 Hours Ago

Sep 21, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; James Madison Dukes defensive lineman Amar Thomas (8) reacts in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

BOCA RATON, FL - The James Madison Dukes made history on Wednesday night as they defeated the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers by a final score of 27-17, claiming the program's first-ever bowl victory.

Caden Veltkamp with Impressive Bowl Performance

Despite entering the transfer portal, quarterback Caden Veltkamp decided to play in the Hilltoppers' bowl game. He finished the night completing 25 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns.

The Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year finished the season with 3,108 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and ten interceptions. He led the conference in passing yards and touchdowns. He joins Middle Tennessee quarterback Nick Vattiato as the only quarterbacks in the conference with over 3,000 passing yards this season.

Veltkamp will remain in Boca Raton as he is set to visit Florida Atlantic on Thursday, December 19th. Zach Kittley, the newest head coach at FAU recruited Veltkamp back when he was the offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky. The redshirt sophomore will also reportedly visit Miami (Ohio) on December 21st.

James Madison Defense Lives Up To The Hype

Going into the Boca Raton Bowl, JMU had the top rushing defense in the Sun Belt, allowing 123.7 rushing yards per game. The Dukes defense limited WKU to just 16 rushing yards on Wednesday. The Dukes also caused plenty of havoc, forcing three turnovers with one of them sealing the game. Quarterback Caden Veltkamp was sacked three times on the night and JMU made 11 tackles for loss.

Hometown Kid Makes An Impact

Freshman quarterback JC Evans, a Miami native, had a lot of firsts on Wednesday night. JMU took an early 7-0 in the first quarter as Evans ran it in for a seven-yard touchdown. His first and only pass attempt was a one-yard passing touchdown to Kyi Wright. The Miami Central product finished the game with 64 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on 10 attempts. His performance notched him Boca Raton Bowl Offensive Player of the Game.

"He came in and did a great job," said James Madison head coach Bob Chesney. "He ran behind his pads...When we had a chance to let him throw, he executed that play excellently. He prepared all week, for the past two weeks and really all year...Whether he's on scout team or wherever he was, he takes every rep real seriously."

Big Night For Billy Atkins

James Madison starting quarterback Alzona Barnett III missed the Dukes bowl game due to an injury, so head coach Bob Chesney had to turn to redshirt junior Billy Akins along with Evans to run the offense.

Atkins, who hadn't started a game for JMU since 2022, finished the night with 16 completions for 181 passing yards and one touchdown, which came in the fourth quarter to seal the game.

The Dukes will finish the season with a record of 9-4. WKU will fall to 8-6, their second-most losses in a season under Tyson Helton.

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