HARRISONBURG – With two weeks until the season opener, James Madison has officially turned the page on August training camp and is ready to prepare for East Carolina.

“We’ve kind of concluded the preseason camp portion,” JMU coach Mike Houston said at the team’s media day on Saturday at Bridgeforth Stadium. “We turn our attention tomorrow East Carolina University to give ourselves two weeks to get ready for them.

“I’m happy with where we are right now. We’re not ready yet, but I thought we made significant improvement from last week to this week in our scrimmage situations.”

Kickoff at East Carolina on Sept. 2 is set for 6 p.m.

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- Houston said cornerback Charles Tutt is out for the season with a torn ACL. Tutt will take a medical redshirt this fall.

- Tutt was in competition with Rashad Robinson, Jimmy Moreland and Curtis Oliver for starting roles until the injury.

- Houston said senior John Miller has won the starting punt return job. Miller was the backup to the graduated Rashard Davis last year. Miller returned two punts for touchdowns last season. Freshman D'Angelo Amos will backup Miller.

- The competition for a punter is still ongoing, according to Houston. Freshmen Harry O’Kelly and Jeremiah McBride are in contention for the job.

- Houston said a few true freshmen could play this season including cornerback Wesley McCormick, defensive lineman Mike Greene and offensive linemen Liam Fornadel and Jake Glavin.

- Houston said the team is going to try to redshirt quarterback Gage Moloney.

- Offensive coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick said he visited Oklahoma during the spring to exchange ideas with the Sooners’ offensive staff. Kirkpatrick, of course, worked with first-year Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, when they both were at East Carolina. Kirkpatrick was the wide receivers coach and Riley was the offensive coordinator there under Ruffin McNeill.

- Kirkpatrick said he spent three days with Riley in Oklahoma this spring. He said, “We just bounced ideas off each other,” and “That it’s just what coaches do.”

- Defensive end Darrious Carter, who transferred to JMU from Virginia last year, said he’s made it part of his job to help the recent FBS transfers acclimate to JMU.

- Carter said last year that he didn’t have that teammate to go to for help with the defense or just getting adjusted to school. He’s helped fellow defensive end Ron’Dell Carter, who is his camp roommate, learn the defense. He’s also helped the recent Virginia transfers David Eldridge and Landan Word adjust since he was in their shoes last year.