HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) — Graduate transfer Todd Centeio threw six touchdown passes to tie James Madison's single-game record and the Dukes made a sparkling debut at the FCS level with a 44-7 win over Middle Tennessee in a season-opening game on Saturday night.
The Dukes, a two-time FCS champion moving into the Sun Belt Conference, were never challenged, piling up 548 yards of offense and holding the Blue Raiders to 119, just 12 on the ground.
Centeio was 21 of 33 for 287 yards and ran for 110 yards on 14 carries, helping James Madison to its 20th-straight home opening winning.
Kris Thornton had 12 receptions for 155 yards, hauling in three straight touchdowns, covering 7, 35 and 19 yards. That came after Reggie Brown had touchdown receptions of 20 and 29 yards to start the scoring.
Middle Tennessee had 11 first downs, 20 less than James Madison, and had the ball for just 23 minutes.
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