Life-Long Friendship Has Driven Success of JMU Running Back Duo

JMUSports.com Feature written by Wayne Epps ('16)

As young kids, Khalid Abdullah and Cardon Johnson met while running for the same track team in Newport News. They formed a close bond then, and that continues to hold strong at JMU, where the two are now the Dukes' leading rushers.

The Speed City Chargers Track Club brought Abdullah and Johnson together, at about age 5. Their families became close, and so they developed a friendship too.

"So we just ended up basically just becoming like brothers for real," Abdullah said. "Like, I grew up underneath his family, I know his grandmother, I know most of his immediate family. And vice versa."

The two would stay over at each other's houses on occasion and were always together, every day. Track seasons would flow into recreation football seasons, and they played on the same football team for a while too.

"On the field, off the field, we were always together," Johnson said. "And that's what really made us closer, having that friendship and that bond."

Abdullah and Johnson even placed fourth at the 2005 Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics in New Orleans, as part of the same 4x400-meter relay team on a new track squad organized by Johnson's father. Both of Johnson's parents, Donald and Carlene, ran track at Norfolk State University.

But when Abdullah was about 12, he moved to a different part of town, and he and Cardon started playing for separate recreation league football teams. That didn't weaken their relationship though — Abdullah said he would go watch Johnson's games. Then they later had the opportunity to play one another within the same age group.

"It was good competition, just being able to play against each other," Johnson said "It was real fun."

That dynamic continued as the two got older and attended rival high schools because of where they lived. Abdullah went to Heritage High School and Johnson attended to Warwick High School. Warwick bested Heritage in each of their matchups, but both players caught the eye of the coaching staff at JMU.

Abdullah had 1,621 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior, and was named Peninsula District Offensive Player of the Year. He also had 927 yards and five scores as a junior. Johnson put up 1,235 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in his sophomore season, and added another 1,134 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior.

Former running backs coach Ulrick Edmonds recruited them and got them up to Harrisonburg to tour the campus.

"I guess when we both saw [the campus], we just really fell in love with the place," Johnson said. "I know for my parents, they loved it up there. And I would say the same for his parents too."

Abdullah and Johnson actually didn't plan on ending up at JMU together, it just worked out that way. They both announced their college choice in November 2012, just 11 days apart.

After the announcements were made came the question of how exactly the coaching staff was going to capitalize on both of their talents.

"I know that I was excited, because I knew that if we were both going to the same school, it was going to be a problem for anybody, any defense that we were going to go against," Abdullah said. "It was going to be terrible for them, because I know how good he is, I know how well he plays and I know that I can do some of the same things."

The players pushed each other to help themselves make the transition to college, from working in the weight room to learning the playbook. They didn't live together freshman year, but they still linked up at their dorms to study plays, to help each other focus on class or even just to relax and play videos games.

On the field, Johnson redshirted his freshman season. Meanwhile, Abdullah ran for 347 yards and three touchdowns in nine games as a freshman. He followed that up with 547 yards and three more scores as a sophomore in 2014.

But Johnson was forced to sit the 2014 season out after suffering a torn Achilles in the spring game. His support system, from teammates, to coaches, to family members helped him get through that time.

"I never told myself, 'This is going to be the end for me.' Or, 'This is going to be a real setback where I can't push through, get back,'" Johnson said. "So, seeing [Abdullah] do well and seeing other guys in the unit also do well, it just motivated me to come back."

Finally, in 2015, Abdullah and Johnson got their chance to lead the Dukes' running corps together.

"It was a great feeling," Johnson said. "Coming out, first game, last year actually being my first time to actually showcase what I could do. With everybody already knowing what [Abdullah] could do from his previous year. We knew we had something great."

That first game, Johnson ran for 123 yards rushing and a touchdown, while Abdullah had 103 yards and three touchdowns in a 56-7 win over Morehead State University. They were named the team's players of the game, and it set the tone for what turned into big years for both.

"That was just the beginning of it, and then we just showcased that all throughout the season," Johnson said. "And we made big strides, both of us this season."

Johnson led JMU with 1,037 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns last year on 161 carries and was named to the All-CAA Second Team. Abdullah had 975 yards and 13 touchdowns on 194 carries. They finished fourth and fifth respectively for total rushing yards in the Colonial Athletic Association. Stats like that were a "can't miss" for first-year Head Coach Mike Houston.

"Well obviously, I found out about them pretty quickly right after I took the job, or as I started looking into the job," Houston said. "Just the fact that we had basically two 1,000-yard rushers last year. So that's fairly rare in today's landscape of college football."

Houston said one of the biggest things he's noticed about Abdullah and Johnson is that neither are "me guys," meaning they're not selfishly caught up on stats. Abdullah said that running back is a selfish position, with players who always want the ball in their hands. But the relationship he and Johnson have has allowed them to successfully share the load for JMU.

"I think that that has just contributed to how we play now as far as rooting each other on rather than wanting the other person not to do well so that I can get in the game," Abdullah said. "Or he doesn't want me to do well so he can get in the game. It's never been like that."

In spring practice, Houston challenged them to become more physical with the way they run between the tackles, and he said they responded well. He was happy with how the running back group as a whole performed in the spring. While Abdullah and Johnson lead the group, he said junior Taylor Woods is just a step away.

"I think we have a great group in that backfield of talented runners," Houston said. "So, that's something that'll lend itself very well towards our offensive scheme."

Abdullah and Johnson feel like they can top last year's production this year. Abdullah said that, while he doesn't mean to be boastful or cocky, he feels that expectations should be high this season after the bar that was set last season.

"I think last year was just our coming out party," Abdullah said. "I think this year is the year we are really going to make a statement as a duo."

And though this looks to be the final season that Abdullah and Johnson will suit up together at JMU, their friendship is something they plan to share for the rest of their lives.

"A friendship, it's not how long you know each other, it's just about the loyalty," Johnson said. "That's how it is with us. And that's how we're going to keep it."

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