HARRISONBURG — Following James Madison’s Week 3 loss at North Carolina, Mike Houston said his defense made too many “self-inflicted” mistakes.

In a week, the JMU defense learned to eliminate at least some of the mistakes, according to Houston.

The Dukes gave up 56 points and more than 600 yards of total offense to the Tar Heels, and Houston vowed afterward the same defense would get better.

During the team’s 31-20 win at Maine on Saturday, the unit moved toward what the first-year coach envisioned his defense would look like on a weekly basis this year.

Houston and defensive coordinator Bob Trott have implemented a new 4-2-5 system in their first season at the school.

“I think our guys are getting more and more on the same page as far as how they fi t within the scheme,” Houston said Monday during the Colonial Athletic Association coaches teleconference.

JMU tallied 12 tackles for loss, four sacks and three turnovers in the contest.

In comparison, JMU had seven tackles for loss, no sacks and four turnovers in the first three games of the season.

“The biggest thing that I thought was that we had fewer critical errors,” Houston said. “We still had a couple that we have to get cleaned up, but we had fewer mistakes, which caused us to give up fewer big plays. From that standpoint, we made Maine work a little more to drive the football.

“Then I think the other thing was that we were able to get a little more pressure, not only in the passing game, but in the running game also, to cause problems there. We had a good day with tackles for loss and sacks.”

During the second quarter, junior linebacker Brandon Hereford registered the team’s first sack of the season. Junior defensive end Andrew Ankrah also notched one while defensive tackles Simeyon Robinson and Martez Stone had 1.5 sacks and a half sack, respectively.

Eventually, pressure created by JMU’s defensive front forced Maine quarterback Dan Collins into bad decisions.

Collins threw three interceptions and JMU capitalized by scoring 14 points off turnovers.

“His fi rst pick was really because of their pressure and their ability to get in there,” Maine head coach Joe Harasymiak said. “They bring a corner blitz and he’s able to escape out of it, but he’s got to throw it away.”

The Black Bears were also held to 103 rushing yards on 36 carries.

Despite struggling with pass defense and big plays during the non-conference slate, Houston and Trott have coached the team to success against the run throughout the early part of the season. JMU sits No. 14 nationally in run defense.

Houston said JMU’s stout play against the run is another sign the scheme is working.

“That’s the key to playing good run defense,” Houston said. “It’s about where the defenders fi t, and being able to do it on a consistent basis, so there aren’t gaping holes.”

JMU’s next opponent, Delaware, features three running backs — Wes Hills, Thomas Jefferson and Jalen Randolph — that have combined for 633 yards and eight touchdowns in three games.

Jefferson, Hills and Randolph provide JMU with a “huge challenge,” Houston said.

Delaware coach Dave Brock said he’s preparing his offense to face the JMU defense that was so effective at Maine instead of the one that struggled against North Carolina when his team comes to Bridgeforth Stadium on Saturday.

“When you watch [JMU] against Maine, they’re able to beat blocks, stop the run game and be very aggressive,” Brock said. “I’ve known Coach Trott for a long time. He likes to pressure certain offensive schemes certain ways. We’ll really have to be on top of our game and really understand how the game is going to be called from JMU’s perspective to be able to counter that offensively.”

Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.