HARRISONBURG — James Madison will take as many cracks as it can get against Colgate’s historically strong defense.

“They want to control the game,” Dukes defensive coordinator Bob Trott said of the Raiders. “They’d love to keep the ball the entire time, so they have a nice plan, a nice group of guys. They’re older, they’re experience and it shows in their record.”

Today, JMU (9- 3) will try to advance in the FCS postseason with a victory over No. 8-seed Colgate (9-1) in the second round of the tournament at Andy Kerr Stadium in Hamilton, N.Y. The winner moves to the quarterfinals to face either top-seeded North Dakota State or Montana State next week.

Colgate’s formula is simple – keep time of possession in its favor and lean on its defense that’s in line to set the FCS single-season record for scoring. Colgate,

with Buck Buchanan Award finalist defensive end Nick Wheeler and Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year linebacker T.J. Holl leading the way, is yielding only 5.7 points per game this year.

The Raiders use a zone-read option offense and Trott said it’s his defense’s job to make sure JMU’s offense gets as many possessions and chances to score as possible.

On average Colgate controls the ball for nearly 34 minutes per game, which allows the Raiders defense to be fresh and ready each time it goes back on the field.

Colgate senior running back James Holland, who rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns when the Raiders beat JMU in the 2015 playoffs, was the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year for his 1,065 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Sophomore quarterback Grant Breneman has six rushing touchdowns this year.

“When you have a mobile quarterback and then a physical, fast running back like they have, you don’t know if you want to take the quarterback or the running back,” Dukes junior defensive end Ron’Dell Carter said. “You’ve got to be very, very disciplined with your eyes and very disciplined with your technique.”

The Dukes have the 10th best rushing defense in all of FCS, giving up only 101.4 yards on the ground per game and last week in their opening- round win over Delaware, JMU held the Blue Hens to 2.8 yards per carry. JMU also forced Delaware into five consecutive three-and-outs to start the game.

“They’ve got a lot of playmakers on defense,” Holland said. “They have a lot of talent on their unit, but this is what you ask for in a playoff game and our team is excited having to compete and work for that win, so we’re looking forward to it even though we know it’s not going to be an easy.”

A replication of the steady defensive performance against Delaware would aid the offense today for the Dukes, who know they’ll need plenty of tries with the ball.

“We’ve got to take what we can get,” James Madison senior running back Trai Sharp said. “First quarter and second quarter we’ll come out with the same mindset in take what you get can, take what you can get and eventually the game will come to you. Eventually they’ll make a mistake or you’re speed can get you in open space, so we’ve got to stay patient and play inside the system.”

JMU offensive coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick said he plans to use versatility with how he calls the game.

In their last three wins, JMU has averaged 35.3 points per game.

“They get off blocks and they’re just defending everything,” Kirkpatrick said. “Sideline to sideline, run or pass, so we’re just looking at it as a great challenge.

“We’re going to have to play really high efficient football. We know it’s going to be a limited number of possessions in the game because they eat the clock up offensively and they run the ball. We’re going to have to play an outstanding game.”

Colgate coach Dan Hunt called Dukes quarterback Ben DiNucci, “the x-factor.”

DiNucci, a third-team All-Colonial Athletic Association team choice, has thrown for 2,083 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 357 yards and eight more scores in his first season at JMU.

“If we are having success against the run, I know they can turn to him in the pass game and he creates all sorts of headaches,” Hunt said. “When they do throw it, if you want to blitz him, he tends to be athletic enough to make the first blitzer miss and it’s advantage JMU. And if you don’t rush him, he’s patient enough to stay back there and wait until something becomes open and so that’s something we’ve got to be ready to see.”

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.