Upcoming Event: Football versus Liberty on September 5, 2026 at Noon
FB
Noon
James Madison
vs Liberty
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Streamer Notes - First Day in Pads at JMU Football Camp
8/10/2016 6:00:00 PM | Football
1) First Day in Shoulder Pads
JMU strapped on the shoulder pads for the first time today and what ensued was a very physical and energetic practice from start to finish. It's easy to say how good a team is with just a helmet on, but Head Coach Mike Houston and his staff are now better able to evaluate the talent on this roster and see areas that still need work as we are three-and-a-half weeks out from the opener.
"We saw some heat and humidity for our first day in shoulder pads after two days of cool weather in shorts," Houston said. "It was a reality check as to what fall camp is really like. It was a tough practice and pretty physical practice for a shells dress. It showed us a lot about who we are and what we have to work on."
2) Handling the Heat
It's obviously warmer for football players to practice when the pads are on, as opposed to just helmets and a jersey, but the cloud cover and cool temperatures from the first two days went away Wednesday. The Dukes had to be mentally prepared to be sharper than they were the previous two days and senior running back Khalid Abdullah touched on the off-season work that prepared them for days like today.
"It was a good day, it was hot out here," Abdullah said. "A lot of guys were out here tired but that's what we needed. The first two days we had a little bit of overcast, so God put the AC on for us but took it away from us today."
He continued, "For the most part, we've been together so long that we've created a sense of cohesiveness as far as how we play. Over the summer we were throwing the ball around doing all the things we needed to do on our own, so once we got out here it was easy for us."
There's more from Khalid, and you can catch his entire Facebook Live interview by CLICKING HERE.
3) Offensive Line Rises to Challenge
The offensive linemen were getting after it on the sleds early in practice and some challenging from the head coach helped with that. A big focus of Wednesday's preseason practice was spent on the inside run, specifically with the O-line. The challenge of playing at a high level with high physicality was tested despite the heat and the players being tired after a very tough first 20 minutes of practice. Well, the Dukes conquered the elements, which made for an exciting session with the defensive linemen and linebackers. Success in this area could mean a ton of rushing yards come September.
"I challenged the offensive line tremendously during the first four periods of practice," Houston said. "Going into inside run, I challenged them to respond even though they were tired and I thought they did. We have to reinforce to them that we need to play at a high level even though we're tired and it's hot, but the inside run was my focal point of the day as far as things we did well and still need to work on."
4) Secondary Continues to Make Plays for Defense
A constant we've noticed throughout the first few days of camp is a physical and fun battle between the skilled players on both sides of the football. Today was no different and the secondary created numerous breakups. We're going to highlight sophomore cornerback Rashad Robinson, who produced a pair of interceptions during practice, one of which we caught on camera as it happened.
Redshirt senior linebacker Gage Steele attributes the defensive success to good communication and the defensive unit being on the same page.
"Going back to the first day of practice, we came out communicating as if we had been out here for a few weeks," Steele said. "I was definitely happy to see that. The communication has continued to get better every day. We keep learning new plays, formations and keys we need to see. The good thing is the whole defense is communicating and staying on one page, which is a big thing if we want to be successful. It is progressing and getting better, and that is what we need to keep building this momentum."
5) Final Thoughts from the Coach
Day three of preseason camp concluded with Coach Houston talking about the greatest Olympic champion (medal-wise) of all time, Michael Phelps, and his road to reclaiming gold in the 200 butterfly event.
He touched on being able to handle the heat, and by heat he didn't just mean weather. Houston was also referring to the pressure and obstacles standing in a person's way from accomplishing the goal in front of him.
"You have to be great when the heat is on," Houston said. "[Practice] is where championships are won. Camp is going to be tough, but we're tougher!"
Quote of the day: "Today was great, today was fantastic, because today was real." ~ Mike Houston
Stay connected with JMU football all camp long through social media @JMUFootball on Twitter, JMU Football on Facebook and JMUSports on SnapChat. We'll also provide numerous "Streamer Notes" each week on the happenings at preseason practice.
Previous Streamer Notes
First Day of Practice (Aug. 8)
JMU strapped on the shoulder pads for the first time today and what ensued was a very physical and energetic practice from start to finish. It's easy to say how good a team is with just a helmet on, but Head Coach Mike Houston and his staff are now better able to evaluate the talent on this roster and see areas that still need work as we are three-and-a-half weeks out from the opener.
"We saw some heat and humidity for our first day in shoulder pads after two days of cool weather in shorts," Houston said. "It was a reality check as to what fall camp is really like. It was a tough practice and pretty physical practice for a shells dress. It showed us a lot about who we are and what we have to work on."
2) Handling the Heat
It's obviously warmer for football players to practice when the pads are on, as opposed to just helmets and a jersey, but the cloud cover and cool temperatures from the first two days went away Wednesday. The Dukes had to be mentally prepared to be sharper than they were the previous two days and senior running back Khalid Abdullah touched on the off-season work that prepared them for days like today.
"It was a good day, it was hot out here," Abdullah said. "A lot of guys were out here tired but that's what we needed. The first two days we had a little bit of overcast, so God put the AC on for us but took it away from us today."
He continued, "For the most part, we've been together so long that we've created a sense of cohesiveness as far as how we play. Over the summer we were throwing the ball around doing all the things we needed to do on our own, so once we got out here it was easy for us."
There's more from Khalid, and you can catch his entire Facebook Live interview by CLICKING HERE.
3) Offensive Line Rises to Challenge
The offensive linemen were getting after it on the sleds early in practice and some challenging from the head coach helped with that. A big focus of Wednesday's preseason practice was spent on the inside run, specifically with the O-line. The challenge of playing at a high level with high physicality was tested despite the heat and the players being tired after a very tough first 20 minutes of practice. Well, the Dukes conquered the elements, which made for an exciting session with the defensive linemen and linebackers. Success in this area could mean a ton of rushing yards come September.
"I challenged the offensive line tremendously during the first four periods of practice," Houston said. "Going into inside run, I challenged them to respond even though they were tired and I thought they did. We have to reinforce to them that we need to play at a high level even though we're tired and it's hot, but the inside run was my focal point of the day as far as things we did well and still need to work on."
The O-line was challenged by @JMUCoachHouston today, especially on the inside run. They got after it today! #GoDukes pic.twitter.com/QDH7q6qJfp
— JMU Football (@JMUFootball) August 10, 2016
4) Secondary Continues to Make Plays for Defense
A constant we've noticed throughout the first few days of camp is a physical and fun battle between the skilled players on both sides of the football. Today was no different and the secondary created numerous breakups. We're going to highlight sophomore cornerback Rashad Robinson, who produced a pair of interceptions during practice, one of which we caught on camera as it happened.
Redshirt senior linebacker Gage Steele attributes the defensive success to good communication and the defensive unit being on the same page.
"Going back to the first day of practice, we came out communicating as if we had been out here for a few weeks," Steele said. "I was definitely happy to see that. The communication has continued to get better every day. We keep learning new plays, formations and keys we need to see. The good thing is the whole defense is communicating and staying on one page, which is a big thing if we want to be successful. It is progressing and getting better, and that is what we need to keep building this momentum."
5) Final Thoughts from the Coach
Day three of preseason camp concluded with Coach Houston talking about the greatest Olympic champion (medal-wise) of all time, Michael Phelps, and his road to reclaiming gold in the 200 butterfly event.
He touched on being able to handle the heat, and by heat he didn't just mean weather. Houston was also referring to the pressure and obstacles standing in a person's way from accomplishing the goal in front of him.
"You have to be great when the heat is on," Houston said. "[Practice] is where championships are won. Camp is going to be tough, but we're tougher!"
Quote of the day: "Today was great, today was fantastic, because today was real." ~ Mike Houston
Stay connected with JMU football all camp long through social media @JMUFootball on Twitter, JMU Football on Facebook and JMUSports on SnapChat. We'll also provide numerous "Streamer Notes" each week on the happenings at preseason practice.
Previous Streamer Notes
First Day of Practice (Aug. 8)
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
S
/ Football
WR
/ Football
CB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
S
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ FootballSaturday, April 25
Thursday, April 23
Thursday, April 23
Tuesday, April 21
