CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 SPORTS) -- It seemed like everything was going the Cavaliers' way Saturday afternoon. 

Anthony Colandrea, their freshmen quarterback was playing well above his age in his collegiate debut, Mike Hollins scored two touchdowns in his first home game since being shot last November and the team overcame an early deficit to take a 35-24 lead in the third quarter. 

Then came the weather. 

An hour-long rain delay spoiled any momentum that the Cavaliers generated and put it back in James Madison's hand as they finished the game scoring 12 unanswered to win on the road 36-35. 

"We're going to hurt for tonight and then get up in the morning and we're going to get ready for Maryland," head coach Tony Elliott said after the game.

Elliott didn't want his team to dwell on the loss, especially in a game that was meant to honor fallen teammates Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D'Sean Perry and that their legacies extend beyond one football game.  

"I told them prior to the game is this is a defining moment right," Elliott said. "This is an opportunity where we take the next step to having a true, consistent, winning mindset and not winning when it's convenient, winning when you know you're playing a lesser opponent. Every day you wake up you have that winning mindset every day you practice with that winning mindset and you're not necessarily playing to a scoreboard, but you're playing to a standard."

Senior cornerback Tayvonn Kyle also quickly put the game behind him. 

"Everybody takes an L," Kyle said. As a [defensive back], it's a little bit more noticeable, so we got have a thick layer of skin to bounce back and play the next play. And for us that next play Friday so we got to get, like I said come out show."