TOWSON, Md. - For the second week in a row, Coach Rob Ambrose and the Tigers will host a nationally-ranked Colonial Athletic Association opponent when seventh-ranked James Madison University visits Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas® Stadium on Saturday evening, October 9 at 7:00 p.m.

 The game will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1370 AM with Spiro Morekas and Tom Judd calling the action.

The Towson-James Madison game will be part of Family Weekend at Towson University. It will also feature the very popular "Mascot Mingle" where various local mascots join Doc The Tiger to entertain fans and have photos taken. At halftime, the mascots will scrimmage a local youth team.

Joining Doc The Tiger will be "Poe" from the Baltimore Ravens, the Oriole Bird, the "Duke Dog" from JMU, "Keyote" from the Frederick Keys, "Blue Crab" from the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, "The Cups" from Smoothie King, "The Kid" from Hampden Moving and Storage and the "Turtle" from The Green Turtle.

Saturday night's game will also be part of Towson University's Family Weekend.

For ticket information, call (410) 704-2244 or order on-line at www.TowsonTigers.com.

The Dukes, now 3-1 on the year and 0-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association, are coming off a heart-breaking 13-10 loss to #2 Delaware on Saturday. JMU received national notoriety on September 11 when the Dukes pulled off a stunning upset, beating Virginia Tech, the 20^th-ranked team in NCAA BCS, 21-16. The Dukes are one five CAA schools ranked among the top eight teams in this week's NCAA FCS poll.

For the Tigers, this week's game will be their third contest against a top ten team from the CAA. Last month, the Tigers lost to Villanova when the Wildcats were ranked number one in the nation. Last week, the Tigers dropped a 27-14 decision to eighth-ranked Massachusetts.

"We played the number eight team last week and we have the seventh-ranked team this week," says Coach Ambrose. "That is life in the CAA. Consider this - James Madison has a 1-0 record against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and JMU is 0-1 against CAA teams. That says it all."

The Dukes come into Unitas Stadium with the second-best defense in NCAA FCS. JMU has allowed only 39 points in four games, a 9.8 average. The Dukes have surrendered only three touchdowns to date and two of them came at Virginia Tech. While allowing 246.0 yards of total offense per game, the Dukes rank fourth in NCAA FCS.

JMU ranks second in the CAA with a plus-four turnover ratio. The Dukes have intercepted five passes and recovered six fumbles. Junior defensive back Jonathan Williams leads the team with an interception and a fumble recovery.

"James Madison had a very good defense last year and they might be better this year," says Coach Ambrose. "They are incredibly strong and fast - just one more great CAA team we have to play."

Senior quarterback Drew Dudzik leads the JMU offense. After missing the 2009 season with an injury, he has returned to average 165.5 yards of total offense per game. He has passed for 510 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for four TD's. He was the CAA Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Dukes to their win at Virginia Tech.

The Dukes are traditionally an excellent running team. Averaging 193.5 rushing yards per game, they are third in the CAA.

Although he was upset that the Tigers lost to UMass by a 27-14 margin, Coach Ambrose was pleased with how well the defense played.

"For the first three quarters, our defense played together and did a great job slowing down UMass," he said. "UMass is a team that scored 37 points against Michigan in Ann Arbor and we held their offense below their averages."

The Tigers were able to throw a scare into UMass by winning the turnover battle, 3-0. In the first half alone, the Tiger defense forced three fumbles and converted two of them into touchdowns.

In the first quarter, a sack by senior cornerback Jeremy Gardner caused a fumble at the UMass three-yard line. Junior defensive tackle Marcus Valentine picked up the fumble at the three-yard line and ran it into the end zone for a game-tying touchdown.

Early in the second quarter, sophomore Jordan Dangerfield forced a fumble by Jonathan Hernandez at the UMass five-yard line where sophomore linebacker Trevor Walker recovered. On the next play, quarterback Chris Hart threw a five-yard TD pass to Alex Blake, giving the Tigers a 14-7 lead. By halftime, the Minutemen had recovered and owned a 17-14 lead.

The UMass game marked the first time in more than two years that the Tigers played a game without committing a turnover. Their last turnover-free game was a loss at Coastal Carolina on Sept. 20, 2008.

"In order for us to compete in games like this, we have to take care of the ball and we have to force some turnovers," he says. "That's what we did against UMass and we were in the game."

The Tiger defense held UMass to well under its seasonal averages for points and total yards per game.

Dangerfield had another solid performance for the Tigers. The team leader with 43 tackles, he ranks fourth in the CAA. The leading tackler among CAA defensive backs, Dangerfield is also tied for the CAA lead with two forced fumbles. He has also broken up three passes.

Led by sophomore defensive end Frank Beltre, the defensive line has been playing very well. With 29 tackles in five games, he is tied for the lead among CAA defensive linemen for tackles per game. Senior Yaky Ibia ranks fifth among CAA defensive linemen with 23 tackles while Valentine is seventh with 21 stops.

When the Tigers host James Madison, it will be the 23^rd meeting between the two schools. The rivalry with JMU is the longest series in Towson history and it started in 1976 when the schools were called Madison College and Towson State.

The Dukes, who have won six consecutive games against Towson, hold a 16-5-1 series lead. The Tigers' last series win was a 28-21 victory in 1992.

TIGER TALES: Valentine's fumble recovery for a touchdown was the Tigers' first defensive touchdown since Drew Mack, '09 scored on a 49-yard interception return at Richmond on November 11, 2006 ... Senior linebacker Donte Blakey made a career high 11 tackles against UMass ... He is second on the team with 37 tackles in five games and ranks eighth in the CAA.

Walker, who was converted to linebacker during the off-season, had the biggest game of his defensive career against UMass ... He made a career high 11 tackles and recovered a fumble to set up the Tigers' go-ahead touchdown ... Doug Shaw, a "red shirt" freshman who plays fullback and offensive center for the Tigers, also recovered a fumble when he fell on a punt that was muffed by the Minutemen.

Linebacker Kyle Polk, a first-year freshman, made the second start of his career against Massachusetts and had a career high nine tackles.

Senior Hakeem Moore was held to three receptions for 35 yards by UMass ... However, he still picked up 152 all-purpose yards against the Minutemen ... Averaging 169.4 all-purpose yards per game, Moore leads the CAA and is ranked tenth in NCAA FCS ... He also tops the CAA with 77.4 receiving yards per game ... While averaging 23.5 yards per kickoff return, he is second in the CAA ... Moore needs only seven catches to become the 19^th player in school history with 100 career receptions ... He enters the JMU game with 93 catches for 1,215 yards and seven touchdowns ... He needs 72 all-purpose yards to become the tenth player in Towson history with more than 3,000 all-purpose yards.

After this week's game against James Madison, the Tigers will be idle until visiting Richmond on October 23 at 3:30 p.m.