HARRISONBURG — Liam Fornadel is eager for his first game at Milan Puskar Stadium this Saturday.

“I’m excited to take it all in,” said Fornadel, James Madison’s junior right tackle. “It’s going to be another game, but playing in an atmosphere like that, it’s going to be great to see how we do and see how well we’re going to be prepared for this game.”

Though it’s the first time he’ll play there, it isn’t the first time a Fornadel has. His uncle, Ed Fornadel, was a one-time letter winner for West Virginia as an offensive tackle for the Mountaineers in the early 1980s.

“He actually and surprisingly went there when [JMU coach Curt] Cignetti went there,” Liam Fornadel said.

Cignetti, a West Virginia alum and former quarterback, is also the son of former West Virginia coach Frank Cignetti Sr.

Ed Fornadel passed away a few years ago, Liam said, before noting there will be plenty of family in the stands rooting for JMU at 2 p.m. when the game is kicked off.

“I know it’s going to be a very packed game as far as that,” Fornadel, a STATS FCS preseason All-American, said. “I know pretty much the entire Fornadel side is going to make the trip, so I’m excited for that.”

And Fornadel isn’t the only one ready to see familiar faces. There are more ties between JMU and West Virginia than the ones Fornadel or Cignetti have.

Dukes sophomore wide receiver Kyndel Dean said he’s friends with West Virginia senior running back Kennedy McKoy.

“We did play Pop Warner together,” Dean said with a laugh. “We played for the Greyhounds. He was a league older than me and he played a league higher than me, so I was always watching him. But those days are over now and we’re both in college. We’re both playing against each other.”

Dean goes into Saturday’s contest as JMU’s No. 1 wide receiver while McKoy is WVU’s No. 1 running back.

McKoy has rushed for 1,870 yards and 19 touchdowns in his career.

“He was always that good,” Dean said. “He can catch it and can run it and got some burst in him, but I’m excited to show him what I can do, too.”

Last year, Dean made 47 grabs for 614 yards and five touchdowns in his first season as a full-time starter.

Then there’s JMU junior punter Harry O’Kelly, who said he has known West Virginia’s newest addition — LSU transfer punter Josh Growden — for a long time since they both went through the ProKick Australia program before coming to America.

“I punted with him a couple of times back home,” O’Kelly said.

He said he reached out to Growden when he found out the two could be meeting in this season’s opener.

“I sent him a message while he was in the process [of transferring] to say congrats,” O’Kelly said. “It’s good for him. I’m glad he’s going to be there. It’ll be sweet and I hope he’s punting all day.”