James Madison kicks off his latest road trip with a date at Old Dominion

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – With three weeks left in the regular season, four teams still have a chance to win the Sun Belt East Division.

Two of those teams face off this weekend: James Madison (7-2, 3-2) and Old Dominion (4-5, 3-2).

While Georgia Southern controls their own destiny atop the Sun Belt East Division, James Madison can still win the division if they win their last three games and Georgia Southern loses two of their last three games.

“This is a big game for us because it’s our next one,” Old Dominion head coach Ricky Rahne said. “Obviously we’re in the Sun Belt with the same record as them. It’s a crucial match for both of us.”

The Monarchs enter the game rested, just after a bye week. Old Dominion entered the bye losing to App State. Before that, they had won three straight games, thanks in large part to the play of freshman quarterback Colton Joseph.

After taking over for an injured Grant Wilson, Joseph has started five games and is 3-2 in that stretch.

(Joseph) does a really good job in the passing game,” James Madison head coach Bob Chesney said. “They’re starting to get him involved more and more in the run game and some of the quarterback runs, by design. There is a lot we need to prepare for.”

One of the things James Madison is preparing for is the pace of Old Dominion. The Monarchs run a no-huddle offense and like to get off a lot of plays.

Fortunately, some players, like Jacob Thomas, played at that pace a season ago when the Dukes won 30-27 at Bridgeforth Stadium.

“I think their pace got in our way last year, especially when we started to get tired in the third and fourth quarters,” Thomas said. “This year it’s all about communication. People who make sure they know what to do on every play.”

Defensively, Old Dominion will mix up looks and coverage. Communication will be important on the offensive end if the Dukes hope to snap a two-game losing streak.

“Obviously our crowd here is a little friendlier when we have the ball, but that’s not the case on away games,” James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett said. ‘I just make sure we’re on the same page. Offensive line, I meet, we talk about different protections and stuff.

Kick-off on Saturday is at 4:00 PM

Opponent Outlook is presented by Toyota

Injury report

Bob Chesney said center Tanner Morris underwent X-rays after leaving Saturday’s game against Georgia State and the X-rays came back “clean.” Morris is considered day-to-day.

Additionally, linebacker Jacob Dobbs did not play against Georgia State, but Chesney said he could have played. According to Chesney, the staff is giving Dobbs extra time to heal.

The injury report is presented by Augusta Health