FIELD NOTES: JMU Secondary Puts Four On All-CAA Teams
HARRISONBURG – There was satisfaction for Rashad Robinson when him and three fellow James Madison defensive backs earned All-Colonial Athletic Association honors on Tuesday.
The junior cornerback said it meant more to earn the recognition alongside the starters he roams the secondary with each week.
Robinson, junior cornerback Jimmy Moreland and senior safety Raven Greene were named to the All-CAA first-team defense. Senior safety Jordan Brown was a second-team choice.
Moreland and Robinson are the first pair of cornerbacks from the same school to earn All-CAA first-team honors since UMass’ Courtney Robinson and Sean Smalls did so in 2007.
“We wanted to be the number one defensive back group in the nation and we kind of held that standard up,” Robinson said.
The Dukes finished the regular season second nationally for passing defense yielding 145.6 yards through the air per game.
Brown, Robinson and Moreland are among the top 32 individuals nationally for interceptions. Brown, with six interceptions for the year, enters the postseason with more interceptions than any other player in the 24-team tournament.
“We finished top two for passing defense in the nation, but we worked on it all summer,” Robinson said. “And we set that as a goal and wanted to achieve it.”
The Hermitage High School product did so while bouncing back strong from an MCL injury that sidelined him for the entirety of last year’s postseason run.
Robinson recorded two interceptions in the Dukes’ season-opening win at FBS East Carolina and had an 82-yard interception return for a touchdown last month in a victory over New Hampshire.
“Our secondary as a whole, especially our corners room had a great regular season,” JMU coach Mike Houston said. “I think if you ask anybody in the league they are a big factor as to why we were able to do what we did defensively.”
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- For the complete run down of the two awards and 16 all-conference selections JMU players earned, here’s the full story from earlier today.
- Senior punt returner John Miller, who was crowned CAA Special Teams Player of the Year, said he was shocked when he found out he earned the award.
- At the beginning of the year, Miller was tasked with being Rashard Davis’ replacement. Davis was last year’s CAA Special Teams Player of the Year, but Miller said he never felt the pressure to do what Davis did or try to be like Davis. Miller said he was just excited to show everyone that he too could return punts effectively.
- Miller said earning the bye week for was very important to the Dukes. He said the team would benefit from the off week by getting the roster healthy for the playoffs. He added it’s nice that players get to go home for Thanksgiving as well.
- Houston said JMU has started its preparation for both Stony Brook and Lehigh. The Seawolves host the Mountain Hawks in the first round on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Dukes host the winner in the second round on Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. inside Bridgeforth Stadium.
- JMU focused mostly on Stony Brook on Monday night and Tuesday, but would flip to look at Lehigh on Tuesday night and Wednesday.
- The second-year coach said, “I’m not real excited” about a potential second-round meeting with Stony Brook, the CAA’s runner-up. Houston said the Seawolves are a threat to win the national championship.
- Senior defensive end Andrew Ankrah, the CAA’s Defensive Player of the Year, said he thinks Stony Brook is a really good team that has big and strong players. From the Seawolves’ running backs to defensive ends, Ankrah said the entire team tries to be physical from what he can see on film.
- Ankrah said earning Defensive Player of the Year showed him how far he’s come throughout his JMU career.
- Houston said Ankrah could win the Buck Buchanan Award – given to the top defender in all of FCS – as well. “He’s the best player off the best defense in the country,” Houston said. Ankrah is a finalist for the award.