There are plenty of dual-threat quarterbacks capable of evading trouble with their feet, but not as many who can do it by altering the arm angle they release the football with too.

“I stepped up, went through the progression and there was a guy in my face,” James Madison quarterback Ben DiNucci said. “So I just kind of flicked it.”

DiNucci, the Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year, did both while leading second-seeded JMU to a 66-21 win over visiting Monmouth in the second round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday at Bridgeforth Stadium.

The senior signal-caller looked more like a shortstop snapping his wrist sidearm style to start a double a play when he maneuvered a pass around a defender to connect with junior wide receiver Jake Brown on a 21-yard touchdown to give the Dukes their first lead, 21-14, of the contest in the opening quarter.

“I went across the middle and saw Ben working,” Brown said. “Then we made eye contact and then I saw a guy about to tackle him, but I knew Ben would make him miss and he flicked the ball right to me.

“But honestly, I’m used to it. I remember the first time he threw me a sidearm pass and that was a year ago, so at this point I’m used to it and used to Ben making guys miss in the backfield.”

Then immediately after Monmouth (11-3) evened the score on its next possession, DiNucci responded.

He capped a 75-yard JMU (12-1) drive with a fake handoff so deceptive, he trotted untouched into the end zone on a 6-yard scoring run when he pulled the ball, giving the Dukes the advantage for good. The touchdown was the first score in a run of 45 straight JMU points to close the game.

“Their ends close really fast in that formation,” DiNucci said, “so kind of figured it was going to happen as soon as we were lined up.”

DiNucci a completed 84 percent of his throws, a Dukes playoff record, for 273 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 10 carries for 66 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

“Ben’s been doing that all year,” JMU offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery said. “… He’s obviously very crafty and the biggest thing obviously was taking care of the ball. He had a great game and was real sharp in the passing game. He did really well with his legs, too.”

Monmouth coach Kevin Callahan said: “It wasn’t like that came out of the blue or it was unexpected or uncharacteristic of [DiNucci]. He’s been playing like that all year long.”

JMU coach Curt Cignetti said he thought DiNucci’s fourth-and-4 pass for 15 yards to Devin Ravenel was one of the critical plays in the victory.

The conversion setup a 1-yard touchdown run for Percy Agyei-Obese that stretched JMU’s lead from 31-21 to 38-21.

“A lot of people there would say kick the field goal,” Cignetti said. “But it’s still a two-score game and I felt like if we did that, it’s a little bit of a win for them. And when you have the opportunity to make it a three-score game, you got to make a play and so we went for it.

“The way the play started I wasn’t feeling great about it, but [DiNucci] threw it off his back foot a little bit and it got out to Ravenel.”

The rushing touchdown for Agyei-Obese, who registered 90 yards on 19 carries, was his second of three scores for the game.

JMU’s 66 points set a program record for points in a playoff game and its 623 total yards of offense also set a school playoff record. The Dukes never punted, and until midway through the second quarter they couldn’t afford to.

They had to keep pace with the Hawks.

Monmouth opened the scoring with a 93-yard sprint for six from running back Pete Guerriero, the nation’s leading rusher, on the first play from scrimmage and then used a 93-yard kickoff return from Lonnie Moore to take a 14-7 edge.

“One of Coach Cignetti’s main messages when he first got here was that we’re always going to keep our poise,” JMU senior defensive end Ron’Dell Carter said, “to keep calm and to always respond to adversity. A lot of things happen in a football game where they make a big play and we make a big play, but it’s always about just playing your game.”

Carter said the defense handled reacting well to Guerriero’s long run.

Monmouth finished with 93 yards rushing as a team for the game as Carter tallied three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack to compliment fellow senior defensive end John Daka’s six tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

The Dukes host Northern Iowa in next week’s quarterfinal.

BOX SCORE

Monmouth 14 7 0 0—21

James Madison 21 17 14 14—66

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

MU—Guerriero 93 run (Mosquera kick), 14:37

JMU—Polk 49 pass from DiNucci (Ratke kick), 12:46

MU—Moore 93 kick return (Mosquera kick), 12:33

JMU—Agyei-Obese 1 run (Ratke kick), 6:16

JMU—Brown 21 pass from DiNucci (Ratke kick), 4:21

Second Quarter

MU—Greene 32 pass from Bahar (Mosquera kick), 14:54

JMU—DiNucci 6 run (Ratke kick), 11:49

JMU—Ratke 39 field goal, 6:12

Third Quarter

JMU—DiNucci 5 run (Ratke kick), 8:57

JMU—Agyei-Obese 9 run (Ratke kick), 3:51

Fourth Quarter

JMU—Painter 11 pass from Johnson (Ratke kick), 8:43

JMU—Tutt 79 interception (Ratke kick), 6:20

Individual Stats

RUSHING—MU: Guerriero 11-107, Bishop 3-2, Bahar 4-(-16). JMU: Hamilton 15-95, Agyei-Obese 19-90, DiNucci 10-66, Kirlew 10-58, Vanhorse 6-12, Moloney 1-7, Johnson 1-5.

PASSING—MU: Bahar 16-32-1-173. JMU: DiNucci 21-25-0-273, Johnson 2-2-0-18.

RECEIVING—MU: Greene 4-72, Moore 4-43, Guerriero 3-37, Tredway 3-16, Clark 1-5. JMU: R. Stapleton 7-87, Polk 6-83, Brown 4-38, D. Stapleton 2-32, Hamilton 1-18, Ravenel 1-15, Painter 1-11, Vanhorse 1-7.