Monday morning the Colonial Athletic Association held its weekly coaches teleconference. James Madison coach Mike Houston and Delaware coach Dave Brock took questions from reporters on this Saturday’s conference game between the two teams. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg.

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- Mike Houston began the call discussing JMU’s win over the weekend against Maine in the league opener. Houston said, “Anytime you win on the road in the CAA, it’s a quality win.”

- The first-year JMU coach said winning at Maine wasn’t easy. He said Maine’s coaching staff had a great plan to help the Black Bears play well against JMU. Houston said the difference in the game was his team’s ability to force turnovers and capitalize off the turnovers. JMU had 14 points off turnovers.

- James Madison’s defense created three turnovers and had four sacks on Saturday, bouncing back after giving up 56 points at FBS North Carolina in Week 3. Houston said the biggest difference he noticed from the North Carolina game to the Maine game was that the unit “had fewer critical errors.” Houston said by having fewer mistakes, the defense gave up fewer big plays. Another difference Houston said he noticed was the ability to put pressure on the opposing quarterback. JMU didn’t have a single sack in the first three weeks of the season.

- On a bigger scale, Houston pointed out he thinks JMU’s defensive players are getting more and more confident with how they fit within the new 4-2-5 scheme.

- Madison is No. 14 in the FCS for run defense. The Dukes are allowing only 100 yards on the ground per game. Houston said players fitting within the scheme, aids a good run defense.

- On Delaware, Houston said the first thing he noticed about the Blue Hens is how big they are on offense and defense. He added the Delaware offensive line is no exception and helps lead the way for a solid running game. Delaware features three running backs around 200 rushing yards individually through three games. Houston called the Delaware running game, “a huge challenge.”

- Delaware comes off a bye week and Dave Brock said it came at a good time. Brock said he gave his players a few days off to get rested and healthy before practicing Wednesday and Thursday of last week. During practice, the Blue Hens head coach said his team was able to get a jump on JMU.

- Brock said a lot of his team’s prep has been about slowing JMU running backs Khalid Abdullah and Cardon Johnson. Abdullah was named CAA player of the week for his 172 yards and two touchdowns at Maine. The two backs have combined for 851 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Delaware is emphasizing the fundamentals of tackling and gap responsibility at practice, according to Brock.

- When asked how JMU is different from what it used to be under Everett Withers, the fourth-year Delaware coach said, “Mike Houston has put his stamp on this team.” Brock mentioned JMU’s power-run game and explosive special teams plays as evidence.