HARRISONBURG — The flashbacks and the déjà vu were warranted.

James Madison fans had seen this before – a Ravenel accelerating past trying-but-failing tacklers and dashing into the Bridgeforth Stadium end zones.

During the Dukes’ win over Morgan State on Saturday, sophomore receiver Devin Ravenel became the first JMU player to catch a touchdown pass and return a kick for a score in the same game since his older brother, Brandon Ravenel, did it against New Hampshire in the 2016 postseason.

“I talk to him a lot because he’s been here before, same school and everything,” Devin said Saturday. “It’s just he helps out a lot with telling me when to stay focused. He’s just a teacher and a mentor, basically, for me in football, school and life.”

Devin’s 19-yard touchdown grab got the Dukes on the scoreboard and was the first of his career. The second came in the fourth quarter when he returned an onside kick 43 yards for a score.

“It’s a blessing for something like that to be able to happen and be able to occur especially with the way it happened,” Brandon said in a phone interview Sunday. “The touchdown catch, kickoff return and since it hadn’t happened since I was in school, it’s so cool to see something like that happen.

“But, obviously, he can’t stay satisfied.”

Brandon, who was away for a work trip in Colorado, said he was bummed he didn’t get to see Devin’s standout performance from the stands, but is proud of his younger brother.

“Because we share the same last name there’s going to be comparisons and all that,” Brandon said. “But he’s his own person and does his own thing, so I’m trying to let him live his own college career and let him figure things out for himself, but when he has questions or I feel it’s necessary to talk to him about something, we always chat it up.”

In his four seasons at JMU, Brandon tallied 160 catches for 2,250 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Brandon ranks second, fourth and fifth all-time at JMU in those respective categories. He also was part of the Dukes’ 2016 national championship squad, but said he wouldn’t be surprised if Devin put together a similar career.

“His future is what he makes of it,” Brandon said. “Everything I worked so hard to be he already has naturally, so it’s in his hands. He can do whatever he wants and the sky is the limit. If he wants to be the leading receiver in JMU history, I think he definitely has the potential, but it’s up to what he makes of it.”

First-year JMU coach Curt Cignetti said he noticed early into his time leading Madison that Devin Ravenel’s skill set could provide a boost to the offense this season.

“He was playing on the outside in the spring and we moved him into the slot,” Cignetti said. “The slot gets a little more free access as a route runner and doesn’t have to get off press coverage. He’s got slot skills and he had a really strong camp and he’s a player. He rotates in there with Jake [Brown] and when we go four wide [receivers], he’s been in that package, so he does a lot of things for us.”

The catch in the end zone showed off Ravenel’s athleticism, too, leaping and extending his arms to corral the football as he dragged both feet across the purple turf before momentum carried him out of bounds.

“I didn’t know if I was going to play college football at one point,” Ravenel said. “And then now I’m here and I’m scoring a touchdown. It’s the greatest feeling and [my teammates] shared the celebration with me and it just made me feel good.”

Ravenel said a broken collarbone in his junior year of high school left college coaches without film of him to evaluate. He didn’t earn his JMU offer until his visit to a one-day camp during the summer before his senior season at North Stafford High School.