Box Score

Football: James Madison 31, Rhode Island 13 - FINAL

How It Happened:

James Madison's vaunted ground game eventually wore down Rhode Island (3-7, 2-5 CAA) as the Dukes defeated Rhody 31-13 Saturday evening.

On its opening possession of the game, James Madison ran the ball five times for 64 yards and a touchdown. Junior quarterback Justin Thorpe had 44 yards rushing on the drive, including a 10-yard touchdown score.

Rhode Island's defense settled down a bit after the opening drive. The Rams allowed just 36 yards on 19 rushes the rest of the half.

However, James Madison running back Dae'Quan Scott took over in the third quarter, scoring on runs of 66 and 21 yards. Scott finished the day with 127 yards on 13 carries for his sixth 100-yard game of the season.

Inside the Box Score and Beyond:
* Linebacker Doug Johnson had a pair of first half sacks to up his team-leading total to six for the year.

* Linebacker David Zocco had an active game for the Rams. By halftime he already had nine tackles, including his fourth sack of the season. He finished with 15 tackles.

* Quarterback Bob Bentsen scored the first touchdown of his career in the fourth quarter when he rambled in from 10 yards out for Rhody's first score of the game.

* The 251 yards of offense was the lowest total of the season for Rhode Island.

What's Next:
Rhode Island closes out the season at home for its senior day against Towson (12:30 p.m.). Visit ExperienceRhody.com for ticket information.