In advance of Saturday’s playoff game between James Madison and Sam Houston State, Dukes coach Mike Houston held his weekly press conference Tuesday at O’Neill’s Grill in Harrisonburg. Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler spoke on the Southland Conference teleconference and JMU players also talked with members of the media following the team’s practice.

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- Houston said Sam Houston State quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe does a great job of getting the ball out of his hands. Briscoe has 57 touchdown passes this year. Houston said Briscoe's combination of a quick release and strong arm allows him to get the ball to receivers as fast as he wants to.

- Sam Houston State’s offense operates using quick tempo. The Bearkats try to take less than 12 seconds between one play and the next. Houston said the key to countering tempo is by making sure everyone on defense communicates before the snap. Good communication will allow the defense to get set properly. He added JMU has shortened some of its defensive calls to speed up the communication process.

- Because Sam Houston State snaps the ball so frequently and tries to maximize its offense snaps, Houston said he would rotate defenders more often than he normally does to keep his defense fresh.

- Sam Houston State ranks No. 1 in scoring offense, so the Bearkats provide JMU’s defense with its toughest test since playing at North Carolina in September. Houston said his defense has improved greatly over the last month and added that its starting to look like everything him and defensive coordinator Bob Trott envisioned when the two began installing it last spring.

- Offensively, JMU was without senior right tackle Mitchell Kirsch for most Saturday’s second-round win over New Hampshire. Kirsch didn’t practice Monday or Tuesday. Redshirt freshman Tyree Chavious filled in for Kirsch against the Wildcats. Houston said he thought Chavious “did pretty good” and called him, “very athletic.” Houston said the only thing Chavious lacks is experience, but added Chavious would be a good player for the next few seasons at JMU.

- The temperature is expected to be around 20 degrees at kickoff Friday. Houston said the cold weather wouldn’t impact his team. He said, “It will be cold. It will be dark. It will be perfect.”

- Keeler said Sam Houston State practiced in sunny, 70-degree weather Tuesday morning. He said he doesn’t think his team would let cold temperatures be a factor on Friday. He added his team would lean on the experience it had two years ago in the playoffs when the Bearkats won in a cold-weather game at Villanova.

- Keeler said Sam Houston State’s air raid offense systematically compares to what Mike Leach did at Texas Tech and is doing now at Washington State. Keeler said it’s also similar to what Kliff Kingsbury is using at Texas Tech now. He said the one trait he really likes about his offensive coordinator Phil Longo is that Longo doesn't get caught up in having to hit a certain quota for passes in a game. He said Sam Houston State ultimately takes what the defense gives them.

- When Keeler was the head coach at Delaware, he tried to recruit JMU cornerback Taylor Reynolds. Keeler said his recruiting pitch to Reynolds was that Reynolds could stay at quarterback – Reynolds was a good quarterback at Newark (Del.) High School – instead of moving to cornerback. Keeler added he’s happy for Reynolds with all the success he’s had at corner in his time at JMU.

- JMU quarterback Bryan Schor said going into every game the Dukes offense believes it should score on every drive regardless of the opponent. He said going into Friday, he’s aware Sam Houston State leads the country in scoring, but also said it isn’t his job to worry about the opposing offense. He said his job is to beat the opposing defense.

- Schor said Sam Houston State’s pass rushers “really standout when you turn on the tape.” Bearkats junior defensive end P.J. Hall has eleven sacks this season. He said most of Sam Houston State’s defensive linemen are very athletic.

- Schor said throughout the year, JMU’s offensive line has done a great job of protecting him. He said the protection has given him comfort to stay in the pocket and make strong throws, which he said, has led to his great completion percentage. He 74 percent completion rate leads the country.

- JMU junior safety Raven Greene said Sam Houston State has really quick wide receivers. He said there is a challenge that comes in covering some of the smaller slot receivers. Greene said he has to keep his eyes in the right spot and react to what the offense does from play to play.