HARRISONBURG — Tyler Tezeno knows all about how offenses operate in the Big 12 — he played in the conference for two years.

Now the starting right guard at Sam Houston State after transferring from West Virginia, Tezeno said the offensive system he plays in now matches what he did in Morgantown, W.Va., and what other programs in the league like Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas Tech do, too.

“It compares well,” he said. “We have the same fast tempo and we do things very simply, so as an offensive line we only have a few things to worry about. That’s why I like this offense.”

He said one of the reasons Sam Houston State was attractive after leaving West Virginia was because he didn’t have to learn a drastically different offense.

The fifth-seeded Bearkats bring their prolific offense, which ranks No. 1 nationally in total and scoring offense, to Harrisonburg today for the FCS quarterfinals against fourth-seeded James Madison.

Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler said his offense, under the direction of offensive coordinator Phil Longo, is as wide-open of an air raid as Mike Leach uses at Washington State or Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech.

“Those are good examples,” Keeler said. “The one difference is that I think Mike wants to throw the ball, period. We’re a more take-what-you-give-us operation. If we ran the ball only seven times Friday night, I’m OK with that. But it is not like we need to fill a quota. But yeah, I would think what Leach, and what Kliff does up at Texas Tech are a lot of the building blocks of what we do offensively.”

Keeler said Sam Houston State has opted to throw the ball more this year than in the past because of its quarterback.

At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, junior Jeremiah Briscoe has worked mostly within the pocket to throw for 4,459 yards and 57 touchdowns. The 57 touchdowns is an FCS single-season record — he’s only one touchdown throw shy of Colt Brennan’s Division I mark.

“We run our offense differently because of his accuracy,” Keeler said. “That’s the thing about this offense, we tweak it however we need to in terms of whoever the trigger guy is. Last year, the trigger guy was someone who was a dual-threat quarterback, but now we have a gunslinger.”

So, how does JMU slow Briscoe and his bevy of talented receivers?

JMU coach Mike Houston said the Dukes’ defensive plan actually starts with eliminating the Bearkats’ rushing attack. Sam Houston State averages 184.6 rushing yards per game to compliment its passing game.

The first-year Madison coach wants to make Sam Houston State one-dimensional by only allowing Briscoe and company to throw.

“I think we have to try to. That’s the big key,” Houston said. “The thing is that if we can neutralize the run game and keep from giving up the big play in the passing game, then I think we can have some success.”

In order to take away Sam Houston State running backs Corey Avery and Remus Bulmer, who split carries at the position, JMU’s defensive line will have to win battles at the line of scrimmage against Tezeno’s unit.

The Sam Houston State offensive line uses wide splits — maybe the widest JMU will have seen all year — to create large lanes for the backs to run through.

“If you’re going to spread like that, you better have an athletic offensive line because you’re creating space for defensive linemen to be one-on-one,” Houston said. “In the run game, it does create angles and space, so you have to have linebackers that can get there quickly to fill the gap.”

Houston said if his defensive line — made up of Andrew Ankrah, Martez Stone, Cornell Urquhart and Darrious Carter — can win one-on-one battles with the offensive line, Sam Houston State would have to tighten its formations.

On the perimeter, JMU defensive coordinator Bob Trott said he plans to match defensive backs with receivers and ultimately try to avoid situations that put linebackers at a disadvantage. Having linebackers against slot receivers or skill players out of the backfield isn’t ideal.

Trott said JMU sophomore Curtis Oliver should see plenty of snaps at the slot-cornerback position.

“Curtis has been a really good addition to what we’re doing,” Trott said. “He’s been able to pressure from that position and cover from that position. That leaves [senior cornerback] Taylor [Reynolds] where he can play on the outside consistently. It gives us a fifth defensive back and it’s been huge.

“We do try to match teams when they get in four-wide sets. We always do it. We try to match the opponent and our kids have responded well.”

The toughest Sam Houston State receiver to cover is Briscoe’s favorite target, junior slot receiver Yedidiah Louis.

The 5-foot-8, 180-pounder sits in the top 10 nationally for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He has 73 catches for 1,333 yards and 14 scores.

Louis said Longo puts him in a great position to play without having to think.

“I’m one of the smallest dudes on the field, so there are bigger guys, but it’s a game of leverage,” Louis said. “You have to know angles and how aggressive the defender is by watching film and knowing their tendencies.

“But, it’s mostly reaction when I’m out there on the field. I don’t like to think a lot because when you think, you second guess your move.”

JMU junior safety Raven Greene, who’s racked up five interceptions this season, said the Madison defensive backfield must know the opposing personnel before the snap.

“I just have to make sure my eyes are where they’re supposed to be, so I can make plays when I can,” Greene said.