College Football 2010 | W&M looks good, but has company

William and Mary returned to the Football Championship Subdivision spotlight last season, advancing to the national semifinals before falling to eventual champ and fellow Colonial Athletic Association-member Villanova 14-13.

The Tribe has a lot of returning talent this year, starting with running back Jonathan Grimes, who is on the watch list for the Walter Payton Award. And after winning 11 games a year ago, the Tribe was picked No. 1 in the nation in the FCS by one preseason publication.

Alas, Villanova also has plenty of returning talent with which to try to defend its national championship. And it has three players on the Payton watch list. And was picked No. 1 in five preseason publications.

Bottom line: William and Mary is expected to be very good, but the title of team to beat in the CAA looks to belong to Villanova .

That doesn’t mean much in early September, with everyone 0-0 . A year ago, Richmond was the defending champion and the team to beat.

As usual, William and Mary coach Jimmye Laycock is playing it low key a year after he reached the 200-win mark for his career.

“I don’t know how good we can be,” Laycock said. “Last year, I didn’t know if we could be that good. ... This year, I don’t know either. To have a winning record may be great for us this year. You can’t say.”

A lot of the Tribe’s success could revolve around the quarterback spot, where transfer Mike Paulus is expected to get the nod. Paulus’ older brother, Greg , enjoyed a good basketball career at Duke but then transferred to Syracuse and started at quarterback for the Orange for a year.

James Madison looks to rebound after a sub-par year by Dukes standards. Two Hampton Roads products – defensive lineman Ronnell Brown and linebacker Pat Williams are expected to be catalysts.

“You know you’ve got a pretty good program when you go 6-5, just miss the playoffs, and everybody says you had a down year,” Brown said.

The Dukes, who have averaged nine wins a year over the last six seasons, hope a healthy Drew Dudzik can lead them to more victories this time around. The quarterback missed the second half of last season with a foot injury.

While Richmond made the playoffs a year ago and won it all in 2008, the Spiders lost 70 percent of their starting lineup from last season – and their head coach. Mike London is now the head coach at Virginia, replaced at Richmond by Latrell Scott.

The sleeping giant in the league could be Delaware, which had underperformed of late but will be led yet again by Penn State transfer Pat Devlin at quarterback. Devlin is on both the Payton list and the watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He’s the only FCS quarterback on the list.

Rich Radford, 446-2463, rich.radford@pilotonline.com

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William and Mary

Coach Jimmye Laycock, 31st season at William and Mary (200-141-2) and overall

Last year 11-3, 6-2 CAA South (third); lost to Villanova 14-13 in FCS semifinals.

Returning starters 6 on offense, 6 on defense, punter.

Impact players RB Jonathan Grimes is a national player of the year candidate after rushing for 1,294 yards as a sophomore. LB Jake Trantin was in on 90 tackles as a sophomore. B.W. Webb picked off 8 passes as a freshman. The big question for the Tribe, however, is at QB, where Mike Paulus is expected to take command after transferring from North Carolina .

Good news The Tribe returned to the elite of the FCS last season and expectations are that it will stay there. William and Mary is ranked No. 1 in the FCS in one preseason publication (Phil Steele’s).

Bad news QB R.J. Archer and WR D.J. McAulay were a dangerous combination and will need to be replaced. The same can be said for DL Adrian Tracy and Sean Lissemore.

The big game Oct. 2, vs. Villanova. The preseason polls have these two teams 1-2 in the CAA. Having the Wildcats at home on this year’s slate should help.

Bottom lineThe program that always seems to have a QB in the making needs to find one quickly. If that happens, the Tribe could be playing deep into December.

Ticket info 757-221-3340

Website www.tribeathletics.com

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Richmond

Coach Latrell Scott, 1st season

Last year 11-2, 7-1 CAA South (first); lost to Appalachian State 35-31 in FCS quarterfinals.

Returning starters 3 on offense, 4 on defense.

Impact players WR Kevin Gray had 48 receptions for 545 yards in '09. The Spiders will look for big efforts defensively from DL Martin Parker, LB Eric McBride and DB Justin Rogers.

Good news The Spiders will begin play at their new, on-campus facility this season as they move out of Richmond Stadi um . The new stadium seats a cozy 8,700 and is called E. Claiborne Robins Stadium.

Bad news Scott is Richmond’s third head coach in four years. Granted, the Spiders won a national title with Mike London at the helm two years ago, but that’s a lot of turnover at the top.

The big game Sept. 25, vs. Delaware. If the Spiders are to have a big season, this game is a must-win. It kicks off play in the CAA for Richmond.

Bottom lineThis doesn’t look to be Richmond’s year and road games at Villanova and William and Mary don’t help the cause.

Ticket info 1-877-SPIDER-1

Website www.richmondspiders.com

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James Madison

Coach Mickey Matthews, 12th season at JMU (82-51) and overall

Last year 6-5, 4-4 CAA South (fourth)

Returning starters 6 on offense, 7 on defense, placekicker and punter.

Impact players QB Drew Dudzik returns after missing half of 2009 with foot injury. OT Theo Sherman should anchor experienced line and give Dudzik the time he needs. DL Ronnell Brown (Hickory) hopes to cause havoc on the line. LB Pat Williams (First Colonial) is the team’s top returning tackle r.

Good news When a 6-5 year is considered a down year, that’s a program that has established itself as a winner.

Bad news The Dukes play Virginia Tech in the second week of the season and must avoid getting too banged up against a highly ranked FBS opponent.

The big game Nov. 13, vs. William and Mary. By that point, the Dukes could be closing in on a return to the FCS playoffs, and this could be the game that gets them in.

Bottom lineThe Dukes will be competing for a playoff spot.

Ticket info 540-568-3853

Website www.jmusports.com