Curt Cignetti will lead second-ranked James Madison into his ol' stomping grounds to face No. 24 Elon on Saturday afternoon.

Who: No. 2 James Madison (3-1, 0-0) at No. 24 Elon (2-2, 1-0)  

When: Saturday, Sept. 28, 2 p.m. ET 

Where: Rhodes Stadium; Elon, N.C. 

Watch: LIVE on FloFootball

Elon’s series history with James Madison functions as a microcosm of how far the program’s come in a short time. 

The Phoenix and Dukes first played in 1998, Elon’s last season as a Div. II program. That was the only outcome decided by single digits in James Madison’s six-game winning streak. After the Phoenix joined the Colonial Athletic Association in 2014, the Dukes won four games by an average 40-points per game margin. 

Last season, however, Elon staked its place as a contender in the CAA when it went into Bridgeforth Stadium and scored a 27-24 win. Davis Cheek threw the winning touchdown pass with just over a minute remaining. 

TOUCHDOWN PHOENIX! Avery Jones with the TD and the Phoenix are up 27-24 over the Dukes with 1:17 to go!#FindThe Edge #CAAFB pic.twitter.com/DC9NZaYOop

— Elon Football (@ElonFootball) October 6, 2018

The win snapped James Madison’s 22-game winning streak against Colonial opponents, and ended the Dukes’ winning streak at Bridgeforth Stadium at 19 games. 

A year later, James Madison’s the visitor and sporting a similar No. 2 ranking. This time, however, the Dukes have a new head coach – Elon’s coach in last year’s upset, to be exact, Curt Cignetti. Cignetti replaced Mike Houston in the offseason, while turning over the reins at Elon to former assistant Tony Trisciani. 

Last year’s landmark, coupled with the shared ties now between the programs, give this series a unique subplot. Both are ranked in the Top 25 for the third straight year, with Elon still in the polls at No. 24. 

The backstory adds intrigue to an important, early date on the CAA calendar. 

Line Control

Trisciani said that the most challenging aspect of Elon’s Week 4 loss at Wake Forest was matching up on the lines. The Phoenix get no reprieve in Week 5, facing both defensive and offensive lines that might well be the best in the Colonial. 

James Madison’s stingy defense begins up front with Ron’Dell Carter. The supremely talented end comes into Saturday’s game with six tackles for loss and an astounding five quarterback hurries. Fellow preseason All-American John Daka and Mike Greene both have three tackles for loss, and Adeeb Atariwa’s made 3.5. 

Dominance up front translates to a scant 65 yards rushing per game; 2.36 yards per carry; and just one touchdown on the ground. 

“If you can make a team one-dimensional, that’s half the battle right there. Then it’s just a matter of stopping the forward pass,” Cignetti said of the rushing defense. 

A change of scenery was just what @rc5____ needed to get back to his dominating ways on the gridiron. pic.twitter.com/cqHse38Qmy

— FloFootball (@FloFootball) August 28, 2019

Elon’s multifaceted run game is arguably the best James Madison will have seen through five games, boasting a trio of capable playmakers in Jaylan Thomas, De’Sean McNair and Brelynd Cyphers. Getting them going against that Dukes line is an obvious challenge, but also necessary: The Phoenix rushed for 255 and 150 yards in their wins over The Citadel and Richmond, but totaled just 19 and 95 in the losses to North Carolina A&T and Wake Forest. 

Similarly, the Phoenix got 212 yards on the ground against the Dukes in last year’s win, 185 of it on a whopping 9.3-per carry from since-graduated back Malcolm Summers. 

James Madison’s excellence in the trenches carries over to offense. All-CAA tackle Liam Fornadel anchors a veteran unit that, through four games, has had no trouble getting its ball-carriers space to run. Three of the Dukes primary rushers – Solomon Vanhorse, Percy Agyei-Obese and Ben DiNucci – average five yards per carry or better. 

Rushing success has made James Madison money on third downs: Its 50.9 percent conversion rate ranks 10^th in the FCS, and seventh among teams to have played three games or more. 

Elon’s own swarming defensive line should have some opportunities to wreak havoc, though. With Marcus Willoughby. T.J. Speight and Marvin Pearson, the Phoenix could have looks at sacks if James Madison’s seven surrendered thus far is indicative of a trend. 

A Fun Quarterback Duel

Two of the CAA’s veteran quarterbacks lead these Top 25 opponents into Saturday’s matchup: James Madison’s Ben DiNucci, and Elon’s Cheek. 

Cheek was rock solid in last year’s win over the Dukes. The game-winner was his only touchdown pass, but he tallied almost 300 yards – a perfect complement to the productive running game, and vice versa. Perhaps most importantly, he avoided throwing an interception. 

Scoring on a defense as talented as James Madison’s is difficult enough without conceding possessions. Another clean game from Cheek is a must. 

DiNucci’s line last year against the Phoenix was hardly unsatisfactory: He threw for 316 yards with a touchdown and an interception. However, Elon’s ability to get to him for five sacks negated DiNucci’s dual-threat ability and proved crucial to slowing the Dukes’ rushing attack as a whole. 

DiNucci has been dangerous with his feet in 2019. His 5.9-yard per carry average is tops among Dukes with more than 10 rushes, and his passing over James Madison’s first four games has been the best of his career. He’s completing 74.2 percent of his pass attempts for 220.3 yards per game, and has seven touchdowns against just one interception. 

“He’s a tough guy to get on the ground. He’s got big guys at receiver, and some speed on the outside,” Trisciani said of DiNucci. 

Davis Cheek totals five TDs to lead @ElonFootball to its first #CAAFB win of 2019 with a 42-20 victory over Richmond.

Check out the highlights pic.twitter.com/E6BqykL3dw

— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) September 15, 2019

Likewise, Cheek’s been excellent for the Phoenix. His averages took a hit against Power Five conference foe Wake Forest, but against FCS competition, he’s put up 220.7 yards per game and completed 60 percent of his attempts. He hasn’t thrown an interception all year on 209 throws, and has eight touchdown tosses – including one beauty at Wake Forest to Avery Jones.  

“When you’ve got a quarterback, you’ve got a chance,” Trisciani said. 

“He’s a great quarterback, and he’s wired to play quarterback,” said Cignetti, who recruited Cheek to Elon along with some other key Phoenix. “You’ve got to remember, he’s been throwing to some of these guys for three years.” 

One of those reliable targets Cignetti mentioned, wide receiver Kortez Weeks, missed Wake Forest week. He could return for Saturday’s CAA matchup, however. The same is true for tight end Matt Foster, another of Cheek’s most dependable targets. 

Red Zone Impact

James Madison and Elon have similar red-zone success rates in 2019: The Dukes have scored on 90.9 percent of such opportunities, while the Phoenix have cashed in on 90 percent. That’s where the similarities end, however. 

Of James Madison’s 20 successful red-zone trips, six ended in field goals. Elon hung tough last season against the Dukes and weathered an early storm by holding them to field goals on three promising possessions, including two that stalled in the red zone. 

That’s been something of a theme for the Dukes again this season; they’re coming off a 37-14 win at Chattanooga that remained in striking distance for the Mocs into the late third quarter as a result of the Dukes settling for field goals on three straight scoring drives; one was a red-zone possession stalling at the 12-yard line. 

Holding James Madison to field goal should in theory give an opponent the opening to score an upset – but that requires a team actually having red-zone opportunities of its own. 

The Dukes have only given up seven red-zone trips all season, and just three touchdowns on them. Elon hasn’t had the field-goal issue James Madison’s faced; in fact, every Elon red-zone score this season’s a touchdown. The Phoenix have only had 10 trips there this year, though. 

Elon’s proven adept on scoring off explosive plays. Exchanging a few red-zone field goals for big-play touchdowns is a recipe for an upset, but a tall order against James Madison’s defense.