Field Notes - 8.16.16
On Tuesday, James Madison held its preseason media day event in Harrisonburg. Coach Mike Houston held a press conference while assistant coaches and players met with the media. Here are some notes from the event:
-Houston said junior Bryan Schor remains ahead of South Carolina transfer Connor Mitch in the battle for the starting quarterback job. Schor has taken most of the first-team reps throughout camp. Benefiting from starting four games at the end of the 2015 season, participating in spring drills and having extra reps in the summer, Schor has built good chemistry with the roster, according to players and coaches.
-Houston said last week that Schor has improved his leadership qualities. Houston said he challenged Schor to better his leadership after the spring. He added that Schor has benefited from the competition with Mitch and “that the competition has sparked Schor to be much better than anything that the coaching staff saw during the spring.”
-During his press conference Tuesday, Houston said that the competition between Schor and Mitch would keep going for another week and a half. -Some freshmen have made a strong early impression on Houston. Houston said he could see five true freshmen – defensive end John Daka, linebacker John Kinney, safety Bryce Maginley, safety Adam Smith and offensive lineman Mac Patrick – playing this fall. Houston said Daka could “be impactful on the defensive line and on special teams.” Houston added that Patrick could play right away as a substitution for the Dukes on interior of the offensive line.
-Houston was also asked about the strength of the CAA. Houston said the league was one of the top two FCS leagues, if not the best. Houston called JMU's CAA opener at Maine on Sept. 24 "a tough game to win."
-Offensive coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick spoke in-depth regarding tempo. Kirkpatrick said he wants JMU’s offense to go as fast as it can. Read about Kirkpatrick’s push to accelerate tempo in Wednesday’s DN-R. Kirkpatrick said he wants JMU’s offense to play with a pace similar to that of recent teams at East Carolina. Kirkpatrick spent the last 11 years at ECU where he worked with a coach notorious for pushing tempo in Lincoln Riley – now the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. Riley is an extension of Mike Leach’s and Dana Holgorsen’s air-raid coaching tree.
-Kirkpatrick also added that later this week he wants to distribute first-team quarterback reps more evenly, so by the end of the week Mitch should be taking more first-team snaps. -Schor said more than a week into camp that he believes chemistry of the first team offense is strong. When asked about Houston’s request of him to become more of a leader, Schor said he knew it was something that he’d have to do. The key for Schor was finding the right time to speak up, he said. Schor didn’t want to force leadership with his teammates, but instead take charge of the team when he felt it was necessary. Schor said he thinks his approach has worked well.
-Wide receiver John Miller, a native of Columbia, S.C., said he was familiar with Mitch before the quarterback arrived on campus last month because the University of South Carolina is in Columbia. Miller said he was surprised that JMU was able to land Mitch since he had started the first two games last season for South Carolina. In the locker room, Miller said his locker is right next to Mitch’s locker, so he’s been able to learn a bit about the ex-Gamecock during camp. Miller said some players that transfer to JMU from a power five or FBS school come with an ego, but the signal caller didn’t. Miller said Mitch is “a laid back guy.”
-Special teams coach John Bowers said Miller along with Brandon Ravenel, Charles Tutt, Terrence Alls, Cardon Johnson and Rashard Davis are options to serve as the team’s kick returner and/or punt returner.
-Through a week and a day of camp, Bowers said he has really focused on kickoff and punt when the team has special teams periods. Bowers said later this week the team will focus on kickoff return and punt return.