Running back Jamal Sullivan will be watching his James Madison teammates from the sideline for the next month.

The redshirt sophomore had surgery on a ligament in his left thumb on Monday. Sullivan hurt the thumb last week in practice.

Head coach Mickey Matthews expects Sullivan to miss four to six weeks.

Before the injury, Sullivan had been what Matthews called "1-B" on the depth chart, behind starter Eugene Holloman.

Matthews says the Dukes are counting on sophomores Griff Yancey and Scott Noble to step up. Both were forced into action when Holloman got hurt last season. Now they're fighting to get back on the field this year.

"That's what I love," says Yancey. "I love the competition out here. It makes everybody in the running back corps a whole lot better out here."

"It's competition in that meeting room, every day," says Noble. "Every day, the guy beside you is trying to get just as good as you, so he's pushing you."

"Oh, it's intense," says Matthews. "If you snooze, you lose, you know? If you miss some practice time, there's some guys jumping in there, taking your turns, and improving. The competition makes you well in a hurry."