James Madison loses RB Johnson to season-ending injury
(STATS) - James Madison leading rusher Cardon Johnson has been lost to a season-ending lower right leg injury, coach Mike Houston announced Monday.
Johnson was injured in the top-ranked Dukes' 75-14 win over Norfolk State on Saturday. The redshirt senior has rushed for 347 yards and three touchdowns in the team's 3-0 start, including 265 yards and two scores in a season-opening win at East Carolina.
The native of Newport News, Virginia, has been plagued by Achilles injuries during his career, missing all of 2014 and the final six games of James Madison's national championship season last year. Johnson has a case to petition the NCAA for a sixth season of eligibility, but Houston says that's up to Johnson, who's already a graduate student.
"You hate losing a veteran player there at that position, or any position," Houston said. "You hate it for (Johnson), him being a fifth-year senior and having that happen to his senior year."
The Dukes, who host Maine in the CAA Football opener for both teams on Saturday, have excellent depth at running back with Georgia Tech transfer Marcus Marshall and junior Trai Sharp.
