HARRISONBURG — Mike Houston and Sean McDonnell already know each other’s teams well, leaving the two coaches to sift through film in search of any newly added wrinkles ahead of this week’s meeting.

Houston, the second-year James Madison coach, can explain how New Hampshire quarterback Trevor Knight has improved since last season. McDonnell, in his 19th year as the Wildcats’ head man, can rattle off a list of JMU players that he thinks have aided the Dukes’ longest active winning streak in Division I.

It’s no secret — JMU and UNH are familiar with the other.

The two teams played twice last year and meet again Saturday at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg for JMU’s homecoming contest.

“Every year is a new year and every team is a new team, so you have to get to know the New Hampshire team this year,” Houston said Monday during the Colonial Athletic Association coaches teleconference. “But certainly a lot of the players are the same.”

JMU took both games last year, winning at UNH 42-39 in the regular season before beating the Wildcats again, 55-22, in the second round of the FCS playoffs in Harrisonburg.

“We’re starting to prep and looking at what they’re doing this year,” McDonnell said. “It’s huge to find out who the cast of characters are that are playing for JMU right now, and they’re solid.

“You watch how they’re attacking people.”

McDonnell said JMU’s style and schemes are largely the same because of the attitude that stems from Houston.

“The thing that continues to impress me about JMU is that they continue to play downhill on everybody,” McDonnell said. “They play an attacking style of offense and an attacking style of defense.”

JMU is second nationally for total defense (232.6 yards per game) and scoring defense (11.4 points per game) and is in the top 10 for turnovers gained and sacks. On offense, the Dukes rank fifth for scoring offense (40.7 points per game) and 10th for total offense (470.3 yards per game).

“They’re creating offensive situations for themselves with their [run-pass options],” McDonnell said. “Then when you turn to the defensive side, you look at the guys who are playing now and they are playing very similar to what they played last year in a lot of ways.

“I think they’re very long and athletic and I think it all starts with [senior safety Raven] Greene. He’s probably one of the best defensive players in the CAA and watching him play, he’s good. Their linebackers have stepped it up, too. I like [senior Kyre] Hawkins. I like [sophomore Landan] Word. I like [senior Brandon] Hereford.”

Houston said his staff has also watched both of last year’s meetings between JMU and UNH to see what the Wildcats tried both offensively and defensively against the Dukes, with the anticipation that the opposition’s game plan could be similar.

“I do think you put a little bit into how each defended and attacked each other last year,” Houston said. “So you glance at those games, especially playing each other twice.”

One noticeable difference Houston said he sees is the play of Knight.

Last season, Knight threw for 1,714 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 12 games. JMU rattled him in the postseason, though, as the signal-caller completed only 8-of-21 throws for 69 yards.

So far this year, Knight has thrown for 1,905 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions in seven games.

“The biggest thing you see is probably just the experience that he has at this point now compared to when we first saw him last year,” Houston said. “And he’s the most dangerous kind of quarterback because you want to get pressure on him, but you don’t want him to get outside the pocket because if he gets outside the pocket, he’s going to extend the play.”

McDonnell added that he thinks the Dukes could compete regularly at the top level.

“Look what they did to [East Carolina],” McDonnell said. “Mike and his staff have done a tremendous job of gathering talent, putting a plan together on the field and executing that plan.”