Monday morning the Colonial Athletic Association held its weekly coaches teleconference. James Madison coach Mike Houston and Villanova coach Andy Talley took questions from reporters on this weekend’s contest between the Dukes and Wildcats. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m., on Saturday at Villanova Stadium in Philadelphia.

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- Mike Houston opened his time on the call discussing his first experience coaching in the JMU-Richmond rivalry game. JMU knocked off the Spiders, 47-43 on Saturday. Houston said it was “everything I thought it would be.” The first-year Dukes coach added the atmosphere was great with both fan bases there and that the back-and-forth nature of the contest made it a great game.

- Houston said JMU made critical plays in the fourth quarter and handled momentum swings well throughout at Richmond.

- One key factor in Saturday’s win for JMU was special teams, Houston said. JMU’s kick returner Robbie Walker had four returns for 112 total yards and gave the Dukes offense solid starting field position. JMU’s kick coverage also limited Richmond to less than 20 yards per return.

- JMU has now beaten Richmond, New Hampshire and Maine on the road in CAA play. Houston said JMU’s road success could be attributed to a few reasons. First, he said he’s tried to keep JMU’s home and road game day schedules very similar – the only difference between the two are the bus or plane rides to the away game. He also said it helps to have an older team, which he does, and the group is not phased by playing in tough venues and traveling. Finally, since arriving in January, Houston’s tried to push his program to an identity of a physical and hard-nosed team. He said part of that identity is winning late in the season on the road.

- The Dukes travel again this week to Villanova. With his team coming off a very emotional win at Richmond, Houston said his team would refocus for the next game just like they have all year. He said him and his staff talked to the players last night about being able to move onto the next game. When JMU meets again on Tuesday for practice, he expects those player to be totally concentrated on the Wildcats.

- Houston said Villanova, “maybe the best team in the league.” He added the Wildcats have a good offense and a great defense. He said the defense is good because they play very disciplined. Villanova might have the best defensive player in the entire league, according to Houston. Villanova defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon is tied for the CAA lead with 7.5 sacks this season.

- Villanova coach Andy Talley said JMU quarterback Bryan Schor and Wildcats quarterback Zach Bednarczyk are, “very comparable.” Talley said both can run and throw, but that Schor probably is a little more savvy because he’s been around a bit longer.

- Talley added Schor is extremely, “crafty and exudes confidence.” Talley said anytime a quarterback can pull the ball to run and throw as well Schor does, it creates problems. He said his defense has to stay aware of Schor’s running ability.

- On stopping Schor, the longtime Wildcats coach said: “There’s just really no good way to defend him.”

- Villanova leads the CAA in just about every defensive category and is third nationally in scoring defense yielding 14.9 points per game. Talley said his squad’s defensive success stems from the coaching of defensive coordinator Billy Crocker. He added the Wildcats’ pass rush has been strong this year too and his linebacker core is solid.