In advance of Saturday’s game between James Madison and Richmond, Dukes coach Mike Houston held his weekly press conference at O’Neill’s Grill in Harrisonburg. Players also spoke with members of the media following the team’s practice.

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- Houston said him, his coaching staff and players put JMU’s 84-7 win over Rhode Island behind them on Sunday. He said the team was able to quickly turn its attention to Richmond.

- The first-year JMU coach said he knows fans of the Dukes probably have had the Richmond game circled on the calendar for a while, but he said his players have focused one week at a time and are now looking at the matchup with the Spiders for the first time this season.

- Richmond like JMU uses a 4-2-5 base defense. JMU defensive coordinator Bob Trott spent the last six seasons at Richmond in the same role. Houston said the defenses are similar but there are variations between the two. He said each the year the scheme changes slightly based on the personnel. Trott molded the scheme this season to fit JMU’s personnel, Houston added.

- Houston said Richmond has a fundamentally disciplined defense with great players. Houston said defensive tackle Winston Craig and linebacker Omar Howard are two standouts for the Spiders.

- Regarding Richmond’s offense, Houston said the Spiders’ unit is the most complete offense JMU will face since matching up with North Carolina in September. Running back Deontez Thompson and backup quarterback David Broadus can run the ball well, he said. Houston also said Richmond starting quarterback Kyle Lauletta is “one of the top players in the league.”

- Houston said Lauletta is a proven player. He compared Lauletta to JMU quarterback Bryan Schor for their similar paths to success. Houston said entering the 2015 season, Lauletta was a question mark and made a name for himself with a great year. He said Schor entered the season as a bit of a question mark and has played great to this point.

- Senior wide receiver Domo Taylor said the game at Richmond Saturday is the biggest game of the year only because it’s the next game on the schedule. He did admit that last year’s loss does serve as motivation for the Dukes. He said the loss really hurt to Richmond last fall because the JMU program had such a great season and day leading up to the game against the Spiders. ESPN’s College Gameday was on campus and to fall to Richmond was a let down to the fan base, he said.

- Taylor said Richmond’s defense is similar to what JMU’s offense has seen in practice against Trott’s defense, so Schor and company should have a good idea of how to attack it.

- Taylor is one of four JMU receivers with at least 200 yards receiving this season. He said the passing game has taken off the last few weeks because Schor has trusted his receivers to make plays. Taylor had a 37-yard catch against Rhode Island on a 50-50 ball Schor lofted downfield. Taylor said he appreciates when Schor trusts him to go make a play.

- Schor seconded Taylor’s thought about Richmond’s defense being similar to JMU’s defense. Schor said the only thing different about Richmond is the Spiders haven’t shown as many blitzes as JMU has throughout the season.

- Schor said Lauletta does a lot of things well and that he actually likes to watch tape of Lauletta whenever he can get a chance. The two quarterbacks are both from eastern Pennsylvania. Schor said he never played against Lauletta in high school, but knew of Lauletta since he played near his sister-and-law’s high school. Schor said he remembers his brother telling him about seeing Lauletta play in high school.

- Senior linebacker Gage Steele said the Richmond game is always a big one and a good one. He like Taylor said last year’s loss to Richmond, “left a sour taste in our mouths.” Steele said the loss has been in the back of JMU’s mind since last fall. He said the outcome of Saturday’s game is very important to the team.

- Steele said there is one big difference between last year’s team that lost to Richmond and this year’s team that is readying to play Richmond. He said this year’s team is much more mature. He said with all the changes of coaches in the offseason, that the players really pulled together and decided to practice and play for each other this year.

- Senior cornerback Taylor Reynolds said having Trott on staff has helped JMU prepare for Richmond. He said Trott and the defense are doing a good job of “scheming up Lauletta.”

- Reynolds also said he’s excited to matchup with Richmond wide receiver Brian Brown. Brown leads the CAA in receiving yards and touchdowns with 835 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. Reynolds said if he could go one-on-one with him every play he would.