James Madison seeks FCS title repeat after meeting expectations in Mike Houston's first year

HARRISONBURG, Va. — The first time football coach Mike Houston met with his James Madison players in January 2016, he told them they were going to win a national championship together.

“I came here because I think this is a job where you can perennially be one of the top programs in the country and have a legitimate chance to win a national championship,” Houston said. “Certainly didn’t expect that the first year, but that’s what my initial thoughts were.”

Houston was hired Jan. 18, 2016, and he stood before the seniors as their third coach in four years. Although it can initially be difficult for players to trust a new coach, Houston made sure to establish something concrete from the beginning.

“We jelled together quickly,” quarterback Bryan Schor said. “We had been through coaching changes before, and he came in and he said he was going to trust his players and expected us to trust him. From that moment, our relationship started to build.”

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Houston was nervous before the first game against Morehead State. He knew the Dukes were the better team, but he wanted to show the school and fan base just how good they were.

“The thing you’re always worried about is that you are playing somebody that on paper you probably should beat, but I’ve seen so many games through the years where it did not go that way,” said Houston, who had been head coach at The Citadel and led Lenoir-Rhyne to the Division II national championship game. “We really pushed the kids during preseason camp. … I thought we were talented, but I wanted us to look like a good football team in that ballgame.”

James Madison beat Morehead State 80-7, breaking the program’s record for points in a game. The Dukes finished 14-1 in winning the Football Championship Subdivision title, with their one loss coming against North Carolina, a Football Bowl Subdivision school. Houston said the team learned from that loss, and he used it as a teaching moment. For one, his offense wasn’t consistent enough.

“It was a really good experience for us. … Obviously, our expectation was that we were going to go down there and be competitive and have a chance to win,” he said. “When we looked at the film, we saw a lot of potential because we led most of the first half, but you also saw the reasons we didn’t win the ballgame.”

James Madison’s pathway to the national title wasn’t easy, as it had to defeat No.1 North Dakota State, the five-time defending national champion, on the road at the Fargodome in the semifinals.

Safety Jordan Brown said the team was intimidated before the game, but he kept repeating, “We’ve got this” to his teammates to keep them calm and motivated. 

“I can’t describe that moment. It was literally unreal,” said Brown, now a senior. “I think that was the difference-maker right there, when we decided we wanted to win that game. After that, the sky’s the limit for us.”

The Dukes had three weeks after that game to prepare for the national championship, giving the players time to see their families for the holidays and for their bodies to recover. The coaches only took four days off, though, and spent all of their time watching film and preparing everything so that when they arrived in Frisco, Texas, the first week of January, it would be business as usual.

“We didn’t want to have that letdown in the national championship game and lose the great feeling we had,” Houston said. “Everyone was very committed to make sure we were the most prepared team.”

Tight end Jonathan Kloosterman scored the game’s first touchdown, and the Dukes never relinquished the lead, defeating Youngstown State 28-14 for the school’s second national championship. The first came in 2004. 

“That scene on the field is something you can’t put into words,” Houston said. “It was hard to keep your composure when I was being interviewed in the mob after the game because so much goes into the season and into every game, and that’s the culmination of it all.”

James Madison lost 17 seniors, including offensive lineman Mitchell Kirsch and cornerback Taylor Reynolds, who signed with the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons, respectively. The Dukes lost four starters on defense and five on offense, including linebacker Gage Steel (104 tackles) and defensive lineman Martez Stone (team-high five sacks).

Also gone: Khalid Abdullah, who rushed for 1,809 yards and 22 touchdowns and signed with the New York Giants. The Dukes averaged 275 rushing yards per game, fifth in the FCS last season. Cardon Johnson, who was second on the team in rushing (78.2 yards per game in nine games before an Achilles tendon injury sidelined him), is back. 

“Everybody has you circled. Everybody is going to be up for you,” Houston said of being the defending champs. “We have to prepare for that, and we’ve got to know that we can’t have an off Saturday. At the end of the day, you still approach it the same way you do every other year. You just need to focus on the one thing you can control, and that’s the game right in front of you.” 

But a national title also brings national attention. Houston says the program has seen an increase in interested players. Players from Rutgers (defensive lineman Ron’Dell Carter), Maryland (linebacker Gus Little) and Virginia (wide receiver David Eldridge) have transferred to the program. 

“A lot of kids want to come here anyways, and then all of a sudden when you have this, you are going to attract a lot more,” Houston said. “We are getting a lot of FBS-caliber recruits that are legitimately interested in being here.”

Their 2017 schedule features an FBS matchup at East Carolina and home games against Villanova and Richmond, who finished second and fourth, respectively, in the Colonial Athletic Association last season. The Dukes’ Bridgeforth Stadium holds up to 25,000 fans, and there are plans to expand the stadium, although no timetable has been set. The Dukes also have a base of dedicated fans who travel with them.

“We’re very lucky we have the fan base that we do,” Schor said. “To see the way they’ve come out to home games and cheered for us and made it a hostile environment for people to come into is something we appreciate. … It seems to be growing each year that I’ve been there, and I’m just happy to see how it’s going to be this year.”

Although no formal discussions have occurred, Houston said the idea of moving up to the FBS has crossed his mind. 

“There’s been a lot of talk, and the talk is legitimate,” Houston said. “I think JMU is a very attractive institution for a lot of the FBS conferences, because our entire athletic program operates at a pretty high level. … If that opportunity comes to us, I think JMU would enthusiastically transition and would not hesitate.”

For now, the Dukes are focused on the 2017 season and doing everything they can to make it back to the title game. 

“After you win a title, I think you realize the main thing you have to fight is complacency,” Schor said. “You have to fight the idea that just because you won one means you are the best team and that you can go into the next season thinking like that.”