HARRISONBURG – James Madison’s defensive backs were just waiting.

Salivating for their turn.

“I feel like there are certain times in the ball game when we’re just keying in on it,” senior safety Raven Greene said.

The five starters, consisting of an All-American, four All-Colonial Athletic Association team choices and a reliable slot cornerback, all took advantage of their chance on Saturday.

Top-seeded JMU shutout Stony Brook for the first 48 minutes and those five starters each had an interception during the 26-7 win in the second round of the FCS playoffs at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg.

Greene’s interception with less than three minutes left in the game provided JMU with a program first – five different defenders recording an interception in the same contest. Senior safety Jordan Brown and junior cornerback Curtis Oliver each had one in the first half. Junior cornerbacks Jimmy Moreland and Rashad Robinson each had one in the second half.

“We knew that once they get behind, they’re going to start forcing the ball a little bit,” Moreland said. “That’s when we start sending blitzes and keep playing man-to-man really tight to keep making plays.”

JMU built its lead with a score on the opening possession before capitalizing off Brown’s interception, freshman D’Angelo Amos’ 49-yard punt return and Oliver’s interception.

Senior quarterback Bryan Schor completed all seven of his throws on that first drive and capped the series with a 5-yard touchdown pass to junior running back Trai Sharp to take a 6-0 advantage.

After Brown’s second-quarter interception, JMU’s consequent possession led to a field goal. Amos’ return set the Dukes up inside the Stony Brook 30, which led to Schor finding senior wide receiver Terrence Alls for a 1-yard touchdown.

“I think the punt return skewed the game,” Stony Brook coach Chuck Priore said.

Oliver’s pick came with one minute left in the half. It led to another field goal and a 19-0 halftime edge.

From there, Stony Brook had no choice but to use junior quarterback Joe Carbone to throw the ball in order to make the contest competitive.

Carbone entered Saturday with 22 touchdowns to just three interceptions, but didn’t escape with the same success, as the second half became the point in the game that Greene, Moreland and the rest of the secondary can’t wait for.

“We knew we were getting an amazing pass rush and that we were blitzing,” Moreland said. “As the game went on, we knew that [Carbone] was trying to get the ball out quick with little fade routes.”

Moreland’s pick prevented Stony Brook from getting into JMU territory late in the third quarter.

Carbone tried to sail a pass over Moreland’s head to a receiver, but the cornerback knocked the ball up in the air only to snatch it and secure it.

“I knew it was third-and-long, so I expected [Carbone] to go deep,” Moreland said. “I baited him up a bit and was on top of the route, so once I looked back he threw it back shoulder and I was able to make a play and tip it up.”

JMU’s offense scored on the next possession when senior running back Taylor Woods crossed the goal line on a 1-yard run to take a 26-0 lead.

Second-year Dukes coach Mike Houston said his secondary, which always possessed talent, has improved steadily since defensive coordinator Bob Trott and cornerbacks coach Tripp Weaver began working with the group last year.

“There’s an art to learning how to play man coverage,” Houston, a former secondary coach himself, said. “When you see us out there, we’re playing press-man outside leverage, press-man inside leverage, off-man, buddy-man. We’re playing a million different things to the casual observer, you don’t see, but there’s a lot of intricacies and teaching points in every one of those.

“And I think our kids have worked very, very hard to learn how to do that. I think that the coaching staff has done a great job of teaching that and I think it compliments our D-line and our linebackers who did a great job taking the run away today and getting pressure on the quarterback.”

Houston said he started to see that the group could thrive in man coverage last year when the Dukes picked up momentum heading into the playoffs.

Moreland said last year’s quarterfinal win over Sam Houston State gave the secondary the confidence that they could succeed in the defensive system.

“Sam Houston State was kind of the first one that was on the big stage and it stood out because of [SHSU quarterback Jeremiah] Briscoe and company,” Houston said. “And us being able to matchup with them by playing straight-man all day long.

“That was the first one on the big stage.”

JMU is heading back to the quarterfinal again. The Dukes will host Weber State on Friday at 7 p.m. The Wildcats knocked off eighth-seeded Southern Utah 30-13. It’ll be the third time in JMU history the Dukes face a team from the Big Sky.

With its win Saturday, JMU (12-0) also pushed its Division I-best active-winning streak to 24 straight victories.

Stony Brook’s season ends at 10-3.