HARRISONBURG — It was a positive performance with an oozing opportunity for so much more.

“We’re not a well-oiled machine on offense right now,” first-year James Madison coach Curt Cignetti said. “But I think we’ve got a chance to be pretty good.”

The Dukes amassed 533 yards of total offense and six different players accounted for touchdowns in their 44-7 non-conference rout over St. Francis on Saturday, but the margin of victory could have been even greater had the offense sustained its solid effort as it moved toward the opposing goal line.

There were three consecutive red-zone trips from the second quarter through the third that ended with kicker Ethan Ratke successfully booting a field goal instead of an 11-man celebration in the bright, brand-new, purple-colored end zone.

“We’ve got to become more consistent,” Cignetti said. “We make big plays, but we get down inside the 10 and we don’t score touchdowns.”

The first of those three series ended when Madison couldn’t muster a yard on a third-and-1 from the St. Francis 3-yard line. Running back Austin Douglas was dropped for a loss of 3 yards.

Quarterback Ben DiNucci, who threw for 221 yards and two scores, even admitted he sailed a throw on the next possession that would’ve resulted in six points on a third-and-goal from the St. Francis 1.

“It was nice to kind of get going a little bit, but I’m sure watching this thing [Sunday] or Monday, there will be a few throws I wish I had back,” DiNucci said. “I missed a touchdown to [wide receiver] Kevin Curry in the corner of the end zone.”

JMU’s opening series of third quarter stalled at the St. Francis 6-yard line and that left the Dukes only coming away with 9 points after running 25 plays for 134 yards on those three possessions.

The failure to convert red-zone touchdowns hurt Madison in its season-opening loss at West Virginia, too, scoring only one touchdown in four opportunities during that contest. For the season, JMU has five red-zone touchdowns in 11 chances.

But as Cignetti said, JMU didn’t have any problem driving the ball on Saturday, which is crucial, because in order to have red-zone tries, the offense has to get there.

And that’s why the Dukes can be optimistic about their offense.

DiNucci made it tough on the Red Flash defense, using his ability to extend plays to hurt the opponent through the air and on the ground. On his 45-yard touchdown throw to slot receiver Jake Brown, DiNucci was flushed to the right and set his feet before firing on target to connect with Brown. DiNucci also had four runs that resulted in first downs including two on third down as part of a 10-play drive that he finished by finding Douglas on a 19-yard touchdown pass.

“We’ve got a lot of playmakers outside and the line did a great job of keeping me clean,” DiNucci said. “So as long as I control what I can control and get the ball to those guys, it’s easy.”

Cignetti said: “[DiNucci] saves us a lot of times with his legs.”

Backup quarterback Cole Johnson was a perfect 4-of-4 for 17 yards to go along with the 2-yard touchdown pass he threw to tight end Clayton Cheatam. Cheatham was the last of nine different receivers to haul in at least one catch Saturday.

And like the receivers, seven different runners carried the ball in a 295-yard rushing effort. Running back Solomon Vanhorse proved his Week 1 performance was no fluke as he ran for 86 yards and two touchdowns all in the first half.

“I always feel like the confidence keeps going up,” Vanhorse said. “The next week is always for the next game and I never worry about the [last] game, so after this game, it doesn’t matter and we’re onto the next one.”