MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — In his first game as a West Virginia quarterback, Austin Kendall threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns, including a 22-yarder to a wide open Tevin Bush in the fourth quarter that helped seal a 20-13 victory Saturday against James Madison.
The game marked the beginning of the Neal Brown era, but the Mountaineers (1-0) struggled to run the ball against the Dukes out of the FCS and trailed, 7-3, at halftime.
WVU finished with 34 yards rushing on 24 attempts, but Kendall, a transfer from Oklahoma, made up for it by completing 27-of-42 passes through the air. Bush had four receptions for 74 yards and Florida State transfer George Campbell also added a 28-yard scoring reception in the third quarter.
James Madison racked up 328 yards of offense, but quarterback Ben DiNucci was sacked four times and intercepted once.
West Virginia kicker Evan Staley added two field goals of 43- and 38-yards for the Mountaineers, who will travel to Missouri next Saturday.
Story will be updated.
