Boca Bowl Final: James Madison conquer Western Kentucky, 27-17

By / Devy & College Football / Leave a Comment
Boca Bowl, The League Winners

The winner of the 2024 Boca Bowl will officially go down in the history books. After a hard-fought battle between Western Kentucky and James Madison, the Dukes came out victorious. Winning by a score of 27-17, it was their first-ever bowl game victory at the FBS level in their second-ever bowl game appearance. It is also their first Boca Bowl victory.

Despite the loss, the Hilltoppers consistently kept the game close throughout the four quarters. Through their hard-nosed defense and explosive offense, Western Kentucky made James Madison earn every point and yard on Wednesday night.

How did the result occur the way it did? And who stood out the most? Follow along for the recap of the 2024 edition of the Boca Raton Bowl!

JMU’s offense finds a way in the Boca Bowl

In the face of adversity, success can be found or achieved.

Without starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III, James Madison had to figure out how to replace him and try to achieve the high levels of production he attained at quarterback. Their solution? Utilizer not one, but two quarterbacks.

The Dukes deployed true freshman JC Evans as a battering ram on offense, and it worked just as intended. Evans rushed for 64 yards on 10 carries, including his first career touchdown that came in the first quarter of the game.

He also added a passing touchdown later in the game. On his first career passing attempt, the young quarterback found tight end Kyi Wright for a score that was also the tight end’s first career touchdown.

If Evans was the runner, Billy Atkins was the passer. The veteran quarterback did exactly what the Dukes needed him to do, passing for 181 yards and a touchdown. Despite a run-heavy game plan, he hit throws outside the numbers whenever asked to do so. He created time with his legs and hit throws out of structure.

And when crunch time approached, Atkins hit one of the throws of the game – connecting with Taylor Thompson for what ended up being the game-winning touchdown. He threw an impressive pass through traffic and past multiple defenders, letting Thompson make a great catch in the process.

Other players ended up being key contributors to the win as well. George Pettaway finished his season on a great note, carrying the ball 14 times for a crisp 100 yards. Omarion Dollison had 82 yards on six receptions, including multiple deep catches that kept scoring drives alive. Both Knight brothers, Wayne and Yamir, were extremely explosive in space and made plays happen whenever they touched the ball.

It is impressive that, despite their obstacles, the Dukes were able to have such a productive offense. Racking up 394 total yards of offense without a starting quarterback, especially in a bowl game, makes it that much more impressive.

JMU has a great foundation after one year of playing under coach Bob Chesney. Going forward, it is clear that the Dukes could become a powerhouse in the Sun Belt with the right additions and progress.

JMU’s defense makes key plays

While not perfect, JMU’s defense showed up when it mattered.

Cornerback Terrence Spence showed off his tackling prowess against the Hilltoppers, racking up four tackles and a tackle for loss. He flew downhill and displayed a toughness that few players have at the cornerback position.

Safety D.J. Barksdale was arguably even more impressive during the bowl game. Whenever ball carriers came his way, Barksdale laid them out with the “boom”. He had a huge tackle for loss on standout WKU wideout Kisean Johnson and forced a huge fumble early in the game.

The biggest plays from the Boca Bowl came from the trenches, though.

Standout defensive lineman Eric O’Neill, on top of multiple run stuffs, had a huge sack that knocked Western Kentucky out of touchdown range on a second down pass attempt. The play had a huge impact on the game, and O’Neill knew it; he fired multiple imaginary arrows into the back of a WKU offensive lineman to celebrate the play.

And in crunch time, Khairi Manns came through with the biggest play of the game. Rushing off the edge, he had a strip sack on Caden Veltkamp, and recovered it after it fell on the ground. With JMU kicking a field goal on the ensuing drive, it was essentially the game-sealing play for the Dukes on Wednesday night.

The Hilltoppers found some success through the air against the Dukes. However, that was to be expected from a passing attack that was extremely productive in the regular season.

Yet with a firm-run defense, an opportunistic back-end, and players who know how to close out games, the Dukes have a great foundation on defense to build upon in future seasons. They only proved that point more correct through their performance tonight against a tough Western Kentucky team.

WKU’s offense shows explosive potential

Even in defeat, there were still some positives for the Hilltoppers.

Veltkamp was extremely effective for most of the night, passing for 302 yards and two touchdowns. He consistently attacked the middle of the field and hit his players in stride, allowing them to make big plays and put the Hilltoppers in great positions to score points.

Veltkamp, who had plenty of big-time throws, was arguably responsible for the throw of the night. Sitting in the pocket on a third and long, the quarterback ripped an absolute laser to wideout Dalvin Smith for a touchdown. While the wideout made a phenomenal catch, Veltkamp fit the ball in a window that only a few quarterbacks could.

Outside of Smith, wideout Kisean Johnson was a consistent contributor for the Hilltoppers. Whether in space or deep down the field, he made the life of Veltkamp much easier and allowed Western Kentucky to have “easy buttons” within their scheme. Fellow wideout Easton Messer constantly created space in the middle of the field and racked up yardage when the ball was in his hands. However, he did have a bad drop early in the game that likely took points off the board for WKU.

On defense, Keyshawn Swanson led the charge for the Hilltoppers. Whether it was his 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, or his pass breakup in coverage, Swanson was a key reason that WKU kept the Dukes in check. It was not a one-man army on defense for the Hilltoppers, but he ultimately made the lives of his teammates much easier.

Western Kentucky had all of the chances to win the Boca Bowl, but ultimately could not get the job done. They dropped multiple wide-open passes that could have turned into long gains or touchdowns. They had multiple key turnovers that gave James Madison points; without them, the Dukes likely would not have scored enough to win the game. However, due to their mistakes, the Hilltoppers’ defense cracked, and the offense could not keep the talented James Madison defense in check.

Western Kentucky will be losing plenty of players to graduation and the transfer portal; such is life as a G5 school in the NIL era. But with a solid coaching staff and an established track record of success, the Hilltoppers should be right back in play for bowl contention in no time.

Winning thoughts from Coach Chesney

After his team’s first-ever bowl victory, James Madison head coach Bob Chesney spoke about what the win meant to him and the school.

“A great moment in the history of our program. To be the first to do anything is a big deal. Doing it down here in Boca in a bowl game matters a lot to us. Not only to the program but also to the community and to all these young men who believed in it. We assembled a group that believed in and fought for one another in a very short period of time. They had the next man-up mentality the entire day, month, and year. At some point, that light shines on you. It either reveals you for all of the work you have done or exposes you for the work you did not do.”

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