Miller Makes Special Teams Impact
Stephen Swofford/DN-R
HARRISONBURG — Senior punt returner John Miller gave his coach a reminder of how James Madison used its special teams to help win a national championship last year.
Miller had a 41-yard punt return for a touchdown and another return of 43 yards in the Dukes’ 52-10 thumping of East Tennessee State on Saturday.
“That’s more of what we’re used to,” Houston said about his special teams.
Last season, JMU led all of the FCS with six punt return touchdowns, and the graduated punt returner Rashard Davis was the Colonial Athletic Association Special Teams Player of the Year.
JMU’s average starting field position Saturday was its own 37-yard line whereas ETSU’s average starting field position was its own 16-yard line.
“We got a few penalties there on kickoff return that we have to eliminate,” Houston said. “But I thought the special teams were a critical part of the ballgame.
“It’s a whole lot easier to call defense if they’re inside the 20 than if they’re out near the 40 and I thought the kicking game was a big reason for that.”
JMU junior kicker Tyler Gray converted all seven of his extra-point attempts and knocked in a 32-yard field goal.
Last week at East Carolina, Gray missed a point-after try and a 35-yard field goal.
Moreland’s Soft Hands
During James Madison’s spring practices in April, junior cornerback Jimmy Moreland said he was working on catching balls out of the JUGS machine to improve his hands.
Coming off the 2016 season, he felt like he had dropped too many would-be interceptions. Moreland had two interceptions last year, but also had nine pass breakups and 11 pass deflections.
Some of those were drops.
The extra work to improve his hands paid off Saturday when he was able to deflect East Tennessee State quarterback Austin Herink’s first-quarter pass into the air and then secure it for an interception.
It was Moreland’s first interception of the season and it set up JMU inside ETSU territory. The Dukes scored four plays later to take a 14-0 lead less than six minutes into the game.
JMU has now forced five turnovers including four interceptions this season. Last year, the defense led the country with 21 interceptions for the year.
‘Like An FBS School’
East Tennessee State coach Carl Torbush left Harrisonburg impressed.
Torbush, who used to be the coach at North Carolina and defensive coordinator at Texas A&M and Alabama and has worked at seven FBS schools in total, said JMU has its program in a good place.
“We got beat by really good football team in a great college environment,” Torbush said. “To me, they’ve got things going up here like an FBS school, maybe not one of the Power Five conferences, but anything else I think they can compare with.
“Mike Houston and his staff have done a great job. I’ve known those guys for a long time”
Spartans Up Next
JMU continues its three-game homestand this weekend when the Dukes host Norfolk State.
The Spartans are 0-2 after losing 14-10 to Division II Virginia State and 20-6 to William & Mary in the first two weeks of the season.
JMU should get a boost in the return of preseason All-American tight end Jonathan Kloosterman, who missed the first two games due to a suspension for a violation of team rules. Kloosterman led JMU with seven touchdown receptions last year.
