HARRISONBURG — Terrence Alls knew to keep running.

He had seen his quarterback, junior Bryan Schor, refuse to give up on what seemed to be dead plays in the past.

“Every week in practice we work on scramble drills just because we know he can keep a play alive,” Alls said. “I had to keep running and find some open space because I knew he’d find some way to throw the ball.”

Alls — James Madison’s junior receiver — was right.

In the second quarter of JMU’s 43-20 win over Delaware, two opposing defensive linemen chased Schor from the pocket. Schor scurried to his right. He had the option of throwing the ball away or even tucking the ball to run for a few yards, but he didn’t.

On the run, he fired to Alls, who had sprinted from the left side of the field to the right corner of the end zone.

“The initial route was covered, so I looked into the backfield and saw Bryan scrambling,” Alls said. “I had to get to the other side of the end zone for space. Once the ball was in the air, I wanted to make sure I could come down with it.”

The two connected for a touchdown, giving the Dukes a seven-point edge that would balloon into a 21-point lead by the end of the quarter.

In the third quarter, the quarterback-receiver combination would hook up again on another “scramble drill” play. While being pursued by a Delaware blitz, Schor changed directions in the backfield twice before launching a high-angle throw 33 yards downfield to Alls.

JMU coach Mike Houston said Schor’s ability to throw on the move elevates the offense.

“He is able to extend plays with a scrambling ability,” Houston said. “Then he is able to accurately throw it on the run. Not every quarterback can do that. Being a former defensive coordinator, I know anytime I had to face a mobile quarterback, it just scared the snot out of me because I didn’t have the extra hitter.”

Schor has completed 69 percent of his throws for 878 yards and six touchdowns. He also has 272 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

Houston said as JMU’s offensive staff learned more about Schor’s skill set through spring practice and fall camp, the scheme began to feature more elements of Schor’s strengths.

“I don’t classify myself as dual-threat by any means,” Schor said. “Whatever we need in that specific game is what I’ll try to do. A lot of our scrambles aren’t something we plan on doing and it may get more difficult if opponents plan for it more, but it’s not something we can really think of. If our receivers are open, I’d rather throw the ball and not scramble. I’d rather go 10-for-10 and throw all completions.”

Whether Schor sits in the pocket or scrambles to throw, when he releases the ball, his top asset — accuracy — is also his top priority.

“Something that we always say is ‘aim small, miss small,’” Schor said. “Accuracy is definitely something I pride myself on.”

On Saturday, Schor will face the CAA’s second-best passing defense when the Dukes (4-1) host William & Mary (2-3). Schor made his first career start last fall against the Tribe.

William & Mary coach Jimmye Laycock said he sees a much-improved version of the JMU signal-caller.

“What I see is a guy that looks to be able to do everything that they’re asking him to do,” Laycock said. “Whether it’s making a throw, making the reads or running the ball, he looks like he can do everything and anything very efficiently.”

Houston said Schor has made huge strides just from when the two first met.

“In the spring he was a guy that was smart and could get the ball to where it needed to be,” Houston said. “Now he’s a guy that could make a play.”