Preseason No. 1 and No. 2 in the Colonial Athletic Association square off Saturday with both sporting Top 25 rankings.

Who: No. 16 Towson (4-3, 1-2) at No. 2 James Madison (7-1, 4-0) 

When: Saturday, Oct. 26, 3:30 p.m. ET 

Where: Bridgeforth Stadium; Harrisonburg, Virginia

Watch: LIVE on FloFootball

The road to a showdown between James Madison and Towson hasn’t been entirely predictable, however. The Dukes have been impressive en route to a 7-1 start, while the Tigers have faced injuries and some ups-and-downs. 

Losing all-everything running back Shane Simpson preceded a three-game losing skid, including an uncharacteristic 21-point output in the last two losses combined. 

After putting up 56 points in Week 8, however, the Tigers appear to be back in the groove. 

“We definitely needed that,” laughed Tigers coach Rob Ambrose. “They got back to the heart and soul of football, the way we played it earlier in the season. I think we got some of our confidence back.” 

Confidence and a wholly outstanding performance both are necessary to stop James Madison’s seven-game roll. The Dukes are winning with a combination of overwhelming defense and one of the most well-balanced offenses anywhere in college football. 

Towson putting up points at a 33.9 per-game clip is probably no surprise. Perhaps more of an eyebrow-raiser is that a James Madison team renowned for its stellar defense posting north of 40 points per contest.

A high-scoring affair isn’t out of the question Saturday at Bridgeforth Stadium. 

Beware The Linebackers

James Madison’s defensive line is a who’s who of the toughest pass-rushers and run-stoppers in the FCS. Not many teams have a player one can say is a clear Buck Buchanan Award contender; the Dukes have two in the same unit with ends John Daka and Ron’Dell Carter. 

But according to Towson quarterback Tom Flacco, the Dukes' linebacker corps is underrated and dangerous. 

“You throw on the film and starting watching their front seven, and those four defensive linemen are obviously really good. They’re really getting after quarterbacks in the CAA. But also, their linebackers are really sound,” he said. “They’re good in coverage, and also can come up and make plays in the run game.”

Run defense is an early hallmark of James Madison’s, limiting opponents to just 2.3 yards per carry and 68.3 yards per game – both CAA bests. In Simpson’s absence, Yeedee Thaenrat and Adrian Feliz-Platt have taken over much of the responsibility. 

Dual-threat Flacco continues his key contributions, leading the Tigers with 300 yards. 

“That’s where it all starts,” Dukes coach Curt Cignetti said of Flacco. “He can throw, he can run it…he’s a tremendous player.” 

The linebacker corps will be instrumental in addressing Flacco’s playmaking, potentially with a spy on the quarterback. Expect plenty of activity from Dimitri Holloway, who has been outstanding this season with a team-high 64 tackles. 

Holloway’s ability to drop back into pass coverage, as Flacco cited, could also come into effect against one of Towson’s primary targets. Tight end Chris Clark has five multiple-reception games and is coming off his second-best effort of 2019 with 47 yards and a touchdown. 

Tiger Takeaways

Two CAA opponents before Towson have taken the JMU juggernaut to the fourth quarter. The difference in Stony Brook forcing overtime against the Dukes and Villanova watching a slim lead quickly evaporate: the turnover battle. 

Stony Brook garnered two takeaways, including a fumble in the red zone that prevented James Madison from pulling away in the final quarter. By contrast, the Dukes picked off Villanova quarterback Dan Smith three times on Oct. 12, one of which was a critical pick-six by M.J. Hampton late in the contest. 

Knocking off a team as strong in all phases as James Madison typically requires takeaways. Towson’s defense matches James Madison’s atop the conference with 10 interceptions on the season, a byproduct of an aggressive pass rush. 

Coby Tippett and Keon Paye have been two of the most dangerous defenders in the CAA, but Towson has to be equally as cautious throwing into a secondary that includes Hampton and X-factor D’Angelo Amos. 

Ground vs. Air

It’s tough to get any more balanced than Towson, which has rushed 229 times and passed 228. Still, the Tigers’ most prominent big-play threat comes in the passing game. In particular, Flacco’s favorite target, Shane Leatherbury, is capable of springing a huge gain on virtually any reception. 

Contrast that with the approach the Tigers ready for on defense. James Madison has rushed 380 times, with quarterback Ben DiNucci passing just 195. Backups Cole Johnson and Gage Moloney make it 210 for the team. 

The Dukes establish the run, and do it with a platoon of potential difference-makers. Just when a defense thinks it’s bottled up any of the rotation, Latrele Palmer can pop a 69-yard touchdown as he did to slam the door on Villanova two weeks ago. 

Palmer came into that game the Dukes’ fourth-most active ball-carrier.