BOCA RATON – The team that wins the turnover battle usually wins the game.
It worked out in favor of James Madison at the Boca Raton Bowl on Wednesday night (Dec. 18).
The Dukes (9-4 final record; first FBS bowl win in program history) forced three turnovers in a close 27-17 win over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (8-6 final record). All three turnovers were fumble recoveries, two of which happened in the second half and directly led to field goals by redshirt junior kicker Noe Ruelas.
“Anytime you can turn the ball over, it means a lot,” James Madison head coach Tyson Helton said in a press conference with media members.
Tied at 14-14, Western Kentucky was driving down the field and reached James Madison territory at the 7:11 mark of the third quarter. After senior running back Elijah Young’s 16-yard run placed the Hilltoppers at the Dukes 49-yard line, his teammates were doing what they could to keep the drive going.
But on the next play, James Madison sophomore linebacker Gannon Weathersby recovered a lost fumble at the Western Kentucky 40-yard at the 6:54 mark. This set the Dukes up relatively well for a potential score to take the lead.
They capitalized on the opportunity by way of an eight-play, 30-yard drive that took more than four minutes off the clock. After advancing all the way to the Western Kentucky 10-yard line, Ruelas connected on a 28-yard field goal to give James Madison a 17-14 lead at the 2:25 mark.
From that point on, James Madison would not trail again.
Western Kentucky was able to answer right back with a field goal on its own. A seven-play, 62-yard drive resulted in a 31-yard field goal by redshirt sophomore kicker Lucas Carneiro with 14:13 left in the fourth quarter. This would tie the game up at 17-17.
But James Madison scored the game’s final 10 points, most of which came on the very next drive.
Redshirt junior quarterback Billy Evans (16-for-23 passing, 181 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions) led a nine-play, 75-yard drive that would result in him completing four of five passes on the ensuing possession. His best pass of the game was a perfectly thrown 21-yard touchdown pass on a corner route to senior tight end Taylor Thompson with 9:20 left. With an extra point by Ruelas, James Madison took a 24-17 lead.
“I think for people to see that and recognize it and get the throw, it felt great,” Evans said. “We had a talk about it early in the game. So the fact we had to come back to it, basically it was a nice opportunity. It was cool.”
But Western Kentucky was not done yet, as redshirt sophomore quarterback Caden Veltkamp (25-for-39 passing, 302 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions) did everything he could to keep his team in the game. After both teams exchanged punts, he completed a nine-yard pass to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Moussa Barry and then had a two-yard run to give his team a first down at their own 41-yard line.
What happened on the next play?
James Madison redshirt senior Khairi Manns sacked Veltkamp and recovered a lost fumble to help close this game out at the 3:02 mark.
“I thought we put good pressure on the quarterback,” Helton said. “I thought our defense did just that. It all starts up front.”
From the Western Kentucky 34, it took five plays and 27 yards for Ruelas to seal the deal with his 25-yard field goal. The game’s final score came at the 1:57 mark.
James Madison finished this game with 394 total yards and 19 first downs. Meanwhile, Western Kentucky had 318 total yards and 14 first downs.