Aug. 28--Coaches are sometimes given to hyperbole when it comes to describing their own players.
But when James Madison coach Mickey Matthews refers to Rodney Landers as the "best player in the country" and Eugene Holloman as the "best running back in the country," he's probably not far off the mark.
And if they remain healthy this season, Matthews could be proven correct on both counts.
In his first full season as the Dukes' quarterback, Landers passed for 1,678 yards and 13 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,273 yards and 12 TDs.
"I've never seen anyone that I'd trade him for," Matthews said of his senior. "He's a top 20 [quarterback] in the nation. When I watch two ACC teams play or sometimes two SEC teams, I'm thinking to myself that Rodney is better than either one of those guys.
"The guy is just a talented young man. He can take over games, and I'm sure he will some this year. We anticipate he will, and if we're going to be as good as we want to be, he's going to have to."
Landers suffered a bruised bone in his wrist late last season. He still accounted for a school-record total offense mark of 2,951 yards.
Making Landers more of a threat will be the return of Holloman, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game a year ago. He needed two surgeries and appears to be fully recovered and ready to repeat the form that enabled him to rush for 1,085 yards in 2006.
"He looks like the old Eugene, just cutting really well," Matthews said. "All the great running backs have great eyes. They make cuts the rest of us don't see because God has allowed them that great vision. The other thing is he's a tremendous competitor. He really wants to make yards to make touchdowns."
Landers believes having Holloman will give him more running room should he decide to take off.
"Not only will Eugene open up more opportunities for me, it's going to take a lot of pressure off me," Landers said.
"I think at times last year, we were a little one-dimensional, and it caught up to us. But with Eugene in there, he can do some things the younger backs can't do, just out of experience and pure athleticism. With him back there, there's a whole new set of plays we can put in there. I'm really excited about having him back."
Holloman's return should cut down the number of fumbles the Dukes' experienced in 2007, when JMU lost the ball 15 times and had a minus-six turnover ratio.
"I said at the beginning of last season that Eugene Holloman was the one guy we could not afford to lose, because we had a bunch of babies behind him," Matthews said.
"And lo and behold, he was the first guy who went down. We ranked 101st in the nation in fumbles lost because we were playing all those young kids. But the good thing is all those young running backs are ready to play now. They're not fumbling the ball. They're talented guys that can really run. We'll have some really good running backs who can't get on the field this year."
The skinny
Coach: Mickey Matthews (10th season, 64-44)
2007 records: 6-2 (second in South Division), 8-4 overall
Offense: Matthews' biggest concern is finding a tight end and an offensive guard. Either Roane Babington or Arthur Walker will man the guard spot, and Mike Caussin appears to be the tight end choice. This group averaged better than 33 points and 410 yards a year ago, and more should be in the offing with eight starters back. QB Rodney Landers and RB Eugene Holloman are the sparks who will light the fuse for an explosive offense. Rockeed McCarter is the most experienced receiver and deep threat.
Defense : This is the group that concerns Matthews, especially at linebacker, where only one player (D.J. Brandon) with a lot of experience returns. True freshman Jamie Veney is expected to be one of the stalwarts at linebacker. FS Marcus Haywood replaces All-American Tony LeZotte and he'll be surrounded by excellent CBs Evan McCollough and Scotty McGee. An experienced line will be anchored by DT Sam Daniels and DE Hassan Abdul-Wahid.
Specialists: PK Dave Stannard (Clover Hill High) and P Jason Pritchard (Atlee) are back. Stannard converted 49 of 51 PATs and 12 of 14
field-goal attempts, en route to a school record for kicking points (85), and Pritchard averaged 37.5 yards and was the kickoff specialist.
Quotable: "I'm probably more worried about the defense because of the linebacker position, and anytime you lose a guy like Tony LeZotte, it hurts. Inexperience at linebacker is going to raise its ugly head from time to time." -- Coach Mickey Matthews.
Outlook: The pieces are there for the Dukes to have a blockbuster season and make the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. If the defense is able to mesh early and control the opposition, the offense will provide plenty of cushion in most games. JMU must take care of the ball better than it did a year ago and hold the number of fumbles to a minimum.
Bottom line: 7-1 (first in South Division), 9-2 overall
Radio : JMU games will be broadcast on WREJ (1540), 30 minutes before kickoff
Date Opponent Time
Aug. 30 at Duke 7 p.m.
Sept. 6 N.C. Central 6 p.m.
Sept. 13 Massachusetts 3:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 Appalachian St. 7 p.m.
Sept. 27 at Maine 6 p.m.
Oct. 4 Hofstra 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 11 at Richmond 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 25 at Villanova 3:30 p.m.
Nov. 1 Delaware 3:30 p.m.
Nov. 15 William and Mary 6 p.m.
Nov. 22 at Towson 1 p.m.
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