I think everyone in FCS knows JMU has a stacked roster his year. But all opponents will be deep and experienced too with the super senior rule. I expect the Dukes to get tripped up a couple of times by a veteran team, likely on the road where they will face two top 5 teams before the playoff matchups are even determined.
I think all position groups are strong relative to the FCS, but which ones are the least strong and potential for other teams to expose?
Offense
1 O-Line. Very strong. Road graders. Large. The baby is 302 lb Timming. They should dominate and have the most productive run game of Cignetti’s 3 years. Pass blocking may be shaky though if if if anyone is good enough to shut down the run. I don’t think any of the O-line would be described as agile and fleet footed. Is their a D-line in the FCS that is good enough to stuff the run and rush the passer? I don’t think so.
2 RB’s. Best in the FCS. All types of RB’’s that could each be stars if they were the feature back. No worries here. Opponents will have to game plan against the running game if they hope to have any chance. Otherwise Cignetti will pound them relentlessly a la Mickey Mathews style.
3 WR’s. Very good, but probably won’t get enough opportunities to be the best group in the FCS. YPC should be outstanding though with defenses keyed on the run in early downs. No worries here. Lots of FCS teams have good receivers. They are a dime a dozen.
4. TE”s. Solid, but no game changers here. All are capable blockers and receivers which is required in Cignetti’s run heavy scheme. There seems to be enough versatility that any of them can line up in multiple locations (backfield, tight, or split wide) and be effective.
5. QB’s Not weak, but probably the weakest position group on offense. Cojo is good enough to guide this team, not good enough to carry this team. Opponents will be trying to stop the run first in hopes they can get him in must pass situations and pressure him into game changing turnovers. His career TD to INT ratio is 17 to 13. Not inspiring. You would hope his 6th year would be the best and he reduces the picks while throwing a few more TD’s. The bigger concern for me is QB2. If Cojo gets injured there is no playing experience behind him. We could have a stud or we could have a dud. I’m sure opponents would love to find out by roughing up the gangly Cojo.
Defense
1 D-line. Will be the best in FCS hands down. They won’t be as good as the dominant 2019 D-line but still better than any other D-line in the country this year. No worries here. JMU will control the line of scrimmage every game and free up the bevy of athletes at LB and DB to run around like their hair is on fire. Count on a run stuffing unit to give up less than 75 yards on the ground per game and then rack up a ton of sacks on third and long plays.
2 safeties. Strong here, but no individual superstars like Booth or Lezotte or Marlowe. Should be fine with opponents being forced into passing downs often. I’m ready to see Que Reid hit with authority. Maybe he steps up his play and becomes the game changer. I thought we would see more from Davis who was the state Gatorade player of the year in high school, but he has turned out to be a good player not a great player.
3 LB’s. Solid, no superstars. A bit undersized but proved capable last year that they could be good as a unit. Should be able to get lots of free lanes to the tackle with the D-line being so good.
4 CB’s. Good enough. I don’t see anyone to be feared or to avoid when passing though. A good FCS QB will be looking to get their WR’s involved as the most likely way to beat JMU.
Special Teams
1 Kicking game. Excellent. Ratke is very accurate and the team doesn’t need a long FG kicker anyway. Kickoffs were long and deep enough last year with Madden.
2 Punting game. Solid. Not great though. Houston really used O’Kelly as a weapon and leveraged his Aussie style football skills. It wasn’t just the fake punts, but also the variety of punting. He mixed rugby to the left with rugby to the right as well as traditional high spirals. The last few years he has been just another average punter with little impact on the game.
3 kick coverage. Should be very strong . With 115 players on the roster JMU has athletes galore. Those that want PT will get it initially on special teams. And they will be hungry because there isn’t enough PT to spread around on offense/defense after the Morehead game.
4 kick returns. Biggest need for improvement here. JMU flat out sucked at punt returns last year. They were weak at kickoff returns as well. Cignetti brought in a transfer returner so I have to assume he will be the guy. If he doesn’t turnover the ball it is hard to see how he could be any worse than what we had last year. If the transfer doesn’t cut it, I would love to see Vanhorse return punts and kicks. I think he has the vision and quick feet needed. Perhaps he has shown a tendency to fumble in practice because he hasn’t had many chances to return in his 2 years. With so many talented RB’s there is no need to protect any of them. Normally I wouldn’t want to see a good RB on special teams, but I won’t mind it this year. You have to figure out a way to get your best players on the field.
“Coaching Position Group”
While not on the field, this position group may be the most relevant if the Dukes get tripped up this year. Cignetti has already shown some chinks in his game coaching when things get tight. No worries against the putz’s of FCS. However when JMU plays on the road at Delaware and at Weber St the games could very well be tight into the 4th quarter. Will Cignetti get rooked by he likes of Danny Rocco? That will hurt if he does. This team is too good to be blowing games to FCS opponents, but there will be a closing of the gap this year and games should be more competitive across the board with super seniors leading the charge for upsets. Less easy games in the CAA and the playoffs should have more teams capable of winning it all.
Keep Cojo healthy and I don’t think there is another single injury that will reduce JMU’s chances of winning title #3. This is a one year outlier where FCS teams have the depth of FBS teams. If one man goes down it is just like the barber says… next.
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2021 football position group strengths/weaknesses
