It’s college football preview week on WTOP.com. Check back all week as we break down all the local Division I squads.
WASHINGTON — While Virginia Tech and Navy are focused on contending for conference crowns, Maryland tries to make back-to-back bowls, and Virginia dreams of the postseason, there’s a school in the area attempting to defend its second national title in 13 years.
Welcome to the world of FCS (formerly I-AA)! Believe it or not, instead of following up the best regular season with the most confusing postseason, FCS plays a regular season that is still rather important and lets the top 20 percent of the field play it out for the championship. What a concept! Thank goodness the extra demands haven’t forced players on all of these teams to drop out of school because an extra game or five was interfering with class time.
James Madison
Last year: 14-1, 8-0 CAA | Won FCS title by beating Youngstown State 28-14
The Dukes begin the 2017 season ranked #1 — just as they were in 2005 when they were defending their last National Championship. Coach Mike Houston returns 13 starters and, most importantly, gets quarterback Bryan Schor back on campus for his senior year. The dual threat threw for 3,002 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2016 while running for 10 more scores. Schor directed the #1 offense in the CAA last fall — will he get help from transfers Marcus Marshall (RB, Georgia Tech) and David Eldridge (WR, Virginia) this year?
One key to JMU’s title run last fall was a much improved defense. Andrew Ankrah (3.5 sacks and a forced fumble) leads nine returning starters on that side of the ball. The schedule breaks the Dukes’ way this year, with home games against #9 Villanova and 16th-ranked New Hampshire leading up to a November showdown with #7 Richmond.
Richmond
Last Year: 10-4, 5-3 CAA | Lost to Eastern Washington in FCS Quarterfinals 38-0
The Spiders deal with a coaching change. Danny Rocco’s departure for Delaware brings former defensive coordinator Ross Huesman (who was on Mike London’s staff for the 2008 National Championship season) back to the Spiders, fresh from building Chattanooga into a program that made four straight trips to the playoffs. Just like his JMU counterpart last year, Huesman gets a stocked team to work with, as 16 starters return from 2016.
Richmond led the conference in passing last fall, and senior Kyle Lauletta (3,022 yards passing with 24 touchdowns) returns after missing the FCS playoffs with a torn ACL. Running back Deontez Thompson gained over 1,000 yards as a freshman — he’ll need to improve if the Spiders are to become a more balanced attack (the ground game was the third-worst in the CAA).
Defensively, there will be a shift from the 3-4 to the 4-2-5. Defensive lineman Brandon Waller (5.5 sacks in 2016) will be expected to fill the void of graduating pass rush dynamo Winston Craig. The schedule begins with a bang as the Spiders visit #3 in FCS Sam Houston State on Sunday, Aug. 27. They also play four road games over a key five-week stretch. While games with #1 James Madison and #9 Villanova will be daunting, there’s also a trip to face former coach Rocco at Delaware.
William & Mary
Last Year: 5-6, 3-5 CAA
The Tribe take little consolation from coming within a touchdown of eventual champ JMU and routing rival Richmond last year. A third losing record in six years has W&M chasing the Spiders and Dukes, and although they return five starters on each side of the ball, there will be plenty of inexperience in the backfield. Quarterback Steve Cluley is gone after starting three years, and two-time CAA all-star running back Kendell Anderson also graduated.
Coach Jimmye Laycock is back for his 38th season on the sidelines and needs to shore up a run defense that allowed the most yards per carry in 2016. It may take a year for Laycock to get this program back to contender status. The schedule starts at Virginia, where the Tribe last opened a season in 2009 with a 26-14 victory over the Cavaliers … not that anyone in Williamsburg or Charlottesville remembers.
Towson
Last Year: 4-7, 3-5 CAA
The Tigers have not posted consecutive losing seasons since coach Rob Ambrose’s second year at the helm in 2010. Ten defensive starters return after a rough season where the unit ranked last in the conference in stopping opponents on third down and came up short forcing turnovers (16 takeaways tying for 80th in FCS) and sacks (less than two per game). The one player not returning was their top difference-maker in 2016: Jordan Mynatt was the only Tiger to record a sack, interception and fumble recovery. Junior linebacker Chris Tedder led the team in tackles last fall and will be the keystone on that side of the ball.
Morgan Mahalak is back at quarterback after missing six games last fall due to injury. He’ll be minus his top two targets from last season, Andre Dessenberg and Christian Summers, who combined for 61 percent of the team’s catches and 75 percent of the receiving yardage. Mahalak will likely lean on the running of Shane Simpson (5.6 yards per carry and 71 yards per game in 2016) a little more. It won’t take long to see if 2017 is a bounce-back season or not: The schedule begins with games against local foes Morgan State and Maryland, and preseason #7 Richmond comes to Johnny Unitas Stadium Sept. 30.
Georgetown
Last Season: 3-8, 0-6 Patriot League
Can Patrick Ewing turn back the clock to the ’80s when Hoya Paranoia was a way of life, especially with all of the defections from last winter’s 14-18 roster … sorry, wrong sport. The gridiron Hoyas return 17 starters from a team that started 3-0 but saw their hopes blow up when quarterback Tim Barnes went down to a season-ending injury at Harvard. Eight straight losses turned a season of promise into an autumn of discontent.
If Barnes stays healthy, he’ll be in charge of an offense that has potential — fellow senior Alex Valles is a threat as a runner and receiver. The defense loses top pass rusher Phil Novacki to graduation, but junior linebacker J’V’on Butler is back after leading the team in tackles. The big nonconference affair takes place Sept. 30 at RFK Stadium when Harvard drops by the District one year after Barnes and the 2016 season went down to injury and flames.
Howard
Last Year: 2-9, 2-6 MEAC
The Bison boast a new head coach in Mike London, who led Richmond to the 2008 FCS title. London won 24 games in two seasons with the Spiders; in six years with Virginia, he tallied just 27 victories. After a season coaching the Maryland defensive line, London is ready for a new challenge … and Howard football is definitely a challenge. The Bison have won a combined eight games over the last three seasons.
Caylin Newton will attract plenty of attention. The freshman quarterback is the younger brother of former NFL MVP Cam, but the offense will rely on the running of senior Anthony Philyaw (1,230 yards and 9 TDs). Defensively, there are a lot of strides to be made with a unit that allowed 50-plus points three times last fall and 30 or more points on four other occasions. The former defensive guru will have his hands full, as after early-season trips to UNLV and Kent State, London takes his Bison to face the school he led to the FCS championship nine years ago. Richmond is very welcoming in September.
