Wildcats drop heartbreaker 31-28 to No. 1 James Madison

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Weber State lost a heartbreaker 31-28 to No. 1 James Madison in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs Friday night at Bridgeforth Stadium.

The Wildcats held a 28-20 lead with 3:14 to play before JMU scored 11 points to escape with the win.

"This one hurts and it will hurt for a while," said Weber State head coach Jay Hill. "It was a hard-fought game and I'm so proud of our effort, we just came up a little short against a great football team. We showed the heart of a champion tonight and I'm so proud of what this season was but it hurts to lose like that."

Weber State totaled 329 yards, with 289 yards coming in the second half. James Madison finished with 546 yards and had 26 first downs.

The Wildcats got off to a great start as Xequille Harry intercepted a JMU pass less than two minutes into the game and returned it 40 yards to the JMU 5-yard line. Two plays later, the Wildcats took the lead on a Kevin Smith 1-yard touchdown run. It was the first touchdown allowed by James Madison all season.

The Dukes came right back with a 6-play, 73-yard drive in 2:01, capped by a 15-yard touchdown run by Marcus Marshall to tie the game 7-7.

JMU added a 35-yard field goal early in the second quarter for the only other score of the half. In the closing seconds Jonah Williams blocked a JMU field goal attempt and Xequille Harry returned the ball to the end zone but the Wildcats were called for a holding penalty that brought the touchdown back and JMU led 10-7 at halftime.

The Wildcats got going offensively midway through the third quarter as Stefan Cantwell found Smith for an 81-yard touchdown pass to give the Wildcats a 14-10 lead. It was the ninth longest passing play in WSU history.

JMU started the fourth quarter with a Marcus Marshall 20-yard field goal to regain the lead at 17-14 with 12:11 to play.

The Wildcats answered right back with a touchdown of their own. After Cantwell capped a drive with a 1-yard touchdown run and Weber State went back on top 21-17 with 10:01 to play.

After a JMU field goal made it 21-20, the Wildcats marched right down and scored as Cantwell hit Batchelor for a 36-yard touchdown to make it 28-20 with 3:14 to play.

The Dukes scored in less than a minute and converted a two-point conversion to tie the game. After the Wildcats were forced to punt, JMU drove connected on a 46-yard field goal to win the game.

Individually, Cantwell finished with 285 yards of total offense with 238 yards and two touchdowns passing and 47 yards rushing. Kevin Smith rushed for 45 yards and one touchdown and had two catches for 85 yards and a touchdowns. Andrew Vollert had five catches for 47 yards and Batchelor had two touchdowns for 82 yards and a touchdowns.

Defensively, Cardon Malan had nine tackles with three tackles for loss. WSU had three sacks and nine tackles for loss. Adam Rodriguez finished with eight tackles and Jonah Williams added seven.

The loss ends Weber State's incredible season at 11-3. The 11 wins is the most wins in school history and the Wildcats captured their fifth Big Sky Conference title. It was the final game for 15 Wildcat seniors.

"Jay Hill and the Weber State team is as good a team that I have ever faced at the FCS level," said James Madison head coach Mike Houston. "They are extremely well-coached and very composed. That is a very good football team and a lot of credit goes to them. They are first class in everything they do and what an incredible season they have had."

Wildcats drop heartbreaker 31-28 to No. 1 James Madison

Team Stats

Stefan Cantwell

Players Mentioned

Stefan Cantwell

Xequille Harry

Cardon Malan

Adam Rodriguez

Kevin Smith Jr.

Andrew Vollert

Jonah Williams

Players Mentioned

Stefan Cantwell

Xequille Harry

Cardon Malan

Adam Rodriguez

Kevin Smith Jr.

Andrew Vollert

Jonah Williams

Weber State University Athletics