FIELD NOTES: "It's The Little Things"

HARRISONBURG – For about a 10-minute portion of James Madison’s practice Thursday, the quarterbacks and running backs worked diligently on handoffs.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

The running backs took traditional handoffs, gives off read option, tosses to their left and tosses to their right without a defense on the other side to disrupt the timing of the give.

“It’s the little things that get you better in practice,” senior running back Taylor Woods said.

Offensive coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick said the drill’s purpose is to perfect the timing of handoffs for particular plays. Running the drill with only quarterbacks and running backs allows both position groups to get a feel for the flow of the handoff before JMU goes to an offense-versus-defense team period, when that particular give will be used within a play against the defense.

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- During the individual portion of practice, running backs coach De’Rail Sims put his players through a gauntlet of ball-carrying drills. He does this each day. Here’s a clip of one of the drills (and yes, I was standing near speakers when I shot the video):

- Woods said Sims’ position drills makes the running backs tired before the team period, which actually benefits the backs. The individual drills are mostly fundamental and physical whereas in the team portion, running backs must understand the offense to run plays, what holes to run through and who to block. “You have to think when you’re tired,” Woods said. Woods said it almost mimics the end of a game.

- Woods is one of five running backs vying for playing time. He said it’s a good competition and that all the backs are pushing each other.

- Senior running back Cardon Johnson is still wearing the medical red jersey at practice as he comes off an Achilles injury. He’s moving around well in all the drills he can do, but as JMU coach Mike Houston said “there’s no sense in pushing it right now.”

- Houston said he’s been impressed by a few true freshmen through the nine days of August training camp. He said both offensive linemen Liam Fornadel and Jake Glavin have a chance to play this season as well as tight end Clayton Cheatham.

- Kirkpatrick said he’s been “very pleased” with attitude of the three freshmen quarterbacks – Gage Moloney, Noah Beckley and Jesse Layne. He said all three are trying just trying to learn JMU’s offense at this point in camp.

- Sophomore Cole Johnson is taking most of the second-team quarterback snaps. Kirkpatrick said right now Johnson is the backup behind starter Bryan Schor.

- On defense, senior linebacker Kyre Hawkins has taken first-team middle linebacker snaps since the start of camp. On Thursday, Hawkins and Virginia transfer Landan Word were the first-team middle linebackers. Hawkins said the competition between the linebackers is strong.

- Hawkins, who played some outside linebacker last year before moving to middle linebacker during the championship game, said as a senior it’s his job to know both spots so that in case of injury or anything else, he’ll be prepared to slide over if he has to.