FARGO-One glance at the season statistics for James Madison quarterback Bryan Schor and "75" is the number that pops off the page.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior has completed 75 percent of his passes heading into the NCAA Division I FCS semifinals. The Dukes play five-time defending national champion North Dakota State University at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at Gate City Bank Field in the Fargodome with a trip to the FCS championship game at stake.
"He's a special player," said James Madison head coach Mike Houston. "He has some ability and has very good accuracy and very good velocity on his throws."
A dual-threat quarterback, Schor has completed 199 of 267 passes for 2,648 yards and 24 touchdowns in 12 games. He's also rushed for 534 yards and 10 touchdowns on 103 attempts, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
"He's a complete football player," Bison head coach Chris Klieman said. "I'm really impressed with him. ... He really makes them go."
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Schor leads a balanced James Madison offense, which averages nearly 50 points and 532 yards per game. The Dukes scored 60 points per game in their first two playoff games, earning a 55-22 victory against New Hampshire and a 65-7 win against Sam Houston State last Friday in the quarterfinals.
"They're really balanced and that's something that makes them so good on offense," Klieman said.
Dukes running back Khalid Abdullah has rushed for more than 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. The 5-foot-10, 220-pound senior also has 13 catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
"He can stick his foot in the ground and get vertical really fast," Klieman said. "He breaks tackles, catches the ball out of the backfield."
The Dukes also have four players who have more than 400 receiving yards. Senior wide receiver Brandon Ravenel leads the team with 44 catches for 708 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 16.1 yards per catch.
Schor, who played in eight games and started four last season, is the orchestrator. The Dukes lowest point total this season came in a 20-7 victory at Villanova in November. Schor left that game with an injury in the second quarter.
"He keeps plays alive, that's where I think he's been so impressive," Klieman said. "He does a great job of finding receivers late downfield."
The Dukes finished with 607 yards in their quarterfinal win against the Bearkats, including 356 rushing yards. Schor completed 13 of 17 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown against Sam Houston State. He also added a 1-yard scoring run.
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"He's a very smart player," Houston said of Schor. "He understands our scheme. He has a very good relationship with his receivers. He knows where he can put the ball ... and he has the ability to get it there."
