WILLIAMSBURG – The demoralizing demotion back to the second-string role could’ve caused him to sputter.

“I wouldn’t say I lost my confidence,” James Madison quarterback Cole Johnson said. “But it did diminish a little bit, I’d say. But as a quarterback you’ve got to have a short memory, focus on the future and quit worrying about the past.”

So, the fifth-year senior let it rip on Saturday. Johnson – depending on the point of view – either played like he didn’t want to lose his job or like he wanted to win it back.

He completed 73 percent of his passes for 220 yards and a touchdown while guiding No. 1 James Madison to a 38-10 thumping of William & Mary in Colonial Athletic Association action at Zable Stadium.

It was the Dukes’ first game back since coronavirus issues forced them to briefly pause and postpone their last two contests. Johnson said he found out late last week he’d be reelevated to starter because Gage Moloney, the fourth-year junior who led a fourth-quarter comeback off the bench three weeks ago to win at Elon, was unavailable.

“Cole Johnson is a very level-headed guy,” JMU coach Curt Cignetti said. “He was anxious to help the team however he could and I thought he really played well. And, he sang the [fight] song at the end on the field.”

Johnson connected on five of his first seven throws for 60 yards and capped the opening series with a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Clayton Cheatham for the game’s first points.

Cheatham found a hole in the middle of the Tribe’s (1-2, 1-2 CAA) defense and that was the spot the Dukes (4-0, 2-0 CAA) targeted throughout the afternoon with Johnson using wide receivers Antwane Wells Jr. and Kris Thornton as well as Cheatham to keep the offense propelling forward.

Said Johnson: “We got a lot of zone coverage from them and then man [coverage] on third down, but when there’s two high safeties and their safeties were pretty far back, so with passes or run-pass option you can kind of exploit the middle of the defense when linebackers step up.”

Johnson tossed passes down the seam for long gains of 25 yards to Wells Jr., 22 yards to Thornton and 32 yards to Cheatham. The reception Cheatham made was a two-handed snag with his arms extended, running perfectly into the football zipped by Johnson.

JMU senior defensive end Mike Greene said: “Cole played great and threw some really good balls. I was watching him out there and it looked like something I would do on Madden.”

Wells Jr. led the Dukes with six catches for 86 receiving yards.

The energy stayed with JMU and never departed after Cheatham’s touchdown.

The Dukes reached the yellow-shaded end zone three times in the first quarter to build its lead. Running back Jawon Hamilton added the first of his two rushing touchdowns on the day after Cheatham’s receiving touchdown, and then holder Alex Miller perfectly executed a fake field goal for a score. He kept the ball and scurried left past the goal line for a 7-yard touchdown to extend JMU’s edge to 21-0.

Miller’s special teams surprise converted a turnover into points for the Dukes, who got another smothering effort from their defense.

With William & Mary backed up at its own 10-yard line, Greene harassed Tribe quarterback Ted Hefter with a pass rush that forced him into a terrible throw while trying to avoid a potential safety. The ball Hefter lofted landed in the hands of safety Que Reid, recording an interception for the second time this year and setting the Dukes up inside William & Mary territory.

“We’ve been focusing on starting faster,” Greene said. “The offense came out rolling down the field and had a great two first drives and then punched it in. That gave us all juice and we were all out there flying around.”

The Dukes, in part, have Johnson – who before this year was a career backup – to thank for that. They held their first halftime lead since Week 1, taking a 28-3 edge at halftime.

Cignetti said he was proud of his players’ preparation heading into the contest.

“It’s a blessing when you get a second chance,” Johnson said. “And it’s nice to have all the guys in the locker room have your back and still have faith in you.”

BOX SCORE

James Madison 21 7 10 0—38

William & Mary 0 3 0 7—10

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

JMU—Cheatham 6 pass from Johnson (Ratke kick), 9:33

JMU—Hamilton 5 run (Ratke kick), 2:58

JMU—Miller 7 run (Ratke kick), 1:20

Second Quarter

JMU—Hamilton 4 run (Ratke kick), 7:57

W&M—Chang 29 field goal, 1:28

Third Quarter

JMU—Ratke 42 field goal, 8:31

JMU—Black 11 run (Ratke kick), 3:27

Fourth Quarter

W&M—Dunn 5 run (Chang kick), 4:19

Individual Stats

RUSHING—JMU: Black 19-141, Hamilton 13-40, Douglas 6-33, Adams 1-19, Miller 1-7, O’Kelly 1-6, Johnson 1-4, Bentley 1-4. W&M: Burns 13-39, Murray 6-23, Lowery 1-8, Hefter 6-(-10).

PASSING—JMU: Johnson 16-22-0-220, Adams 0-1-0-0, Bentley 0-1-0-0. W&M: Hefter 13-20-1-128.

RECEIVING—JMU: Wells Jr. 8-86, Thornton 3-49, Sims 3-27, Cheatham 2-38, Douglas 1-17, Turner 1-3. W&M: Blackman 4-39, Burns 3-15, Mague 2-33, Yates 1-28, Lowery 1-7, Dunn 1-6.