VILLANOVA, Pa.—After playing four of its first six games on the road, including back-to-back long road trips in the last two weeks, Villanova (3-3, 0-3 CAA Football) will be staying put for the next three weeks with a pair of home games on either side of a bye week.  While the Wildcats won't have to board a bus or a plane for the next few weeks, the schedule doesn't do them any immediate favors either.  Villanova hosts No. 6 James Madison (4-2, 2-1 CAA Football) on Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Villanova Stadium in its third straight game against a nationally-ranked conference opponent.   
 
Both teams will take the field on Saturday coming off a loss in their previous game, with the Wildcats falling to Maine (13-10) on the road last weekend while the Dukes saw their 20-game conference winning streak come to an end in a 27-24 loss at home to Elon.  James Madison leads the all-time series with Villanova by a 15-11 margin and has won the last three matchups, but the Wildcats have won eight of their 14 home games in the series. 
 
It speaks to the perennial strength of CAA Football that more than 40 percent of the games Villanova has played in the last 11 years have been against a nationally-ranked foe.  Since the start of the 2008 season, the Wildcats have taken the field a total of 131 times and have played a ranked opponent in 53 of those games.  Villanova has a record of 27-26 in those contests, including 16-10 at home.  Saturday will be the 13^th time in the last 14 meetings that the Dukes are ranked when the Wildcats face them. 
 
One of the strengths for Villanova in the first six weeks of the 2018 campaign has been its ability to move the ball.  The offense leads CAA Football and ranks 12^th in the nation this season with 131 first downs.  Two of the Wildcats biggest playmakers have been senior running back Aaron Forbes (Newburgh, N.Y.) and senior slot receiver Jarrett McClenton (Bensalem, Pa.).  Forbes has scored at least one touchdown in four straight games, including four rushing touchdowns in his last three contests.  He has run for 400 yards on the season while averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
 
McClenton is tied for the CAA Football lead with five receiving touchdowns on the season, and his 410 receiving yards on 25 catches rank ninth in the league.  He recorded consecutive 100-yard games earlier in the season against Lehigh and Towson, and his five touchdowns are tied for 11^th nationally. 
 
On the defensive side of the ball, Saturday's contest features the two teams that are tied for the CAA lead with nine interceptions.  Senior linebacker Jeff Steeb (Sweetwater, N.J.) and freshman corners Christian Benford (Randallstown, Md.) and Elijah Trent (Rockville, Md.) each have two picks on the season for the Wildcats, while junior safety Julian Williams (Airmont, N.Y.) had both an interception and a fumble recovery in the game at Maine last week. 
 
James Madison has made consecutive appearances in the FCS national championship game in the past two seasons, winning a national title in 2016 and returning to the title game last year.  A balanced Dukes offense is averaging 426.0 yards per game this season, including 225.2 passing yards and 200.8 rushing yards per contest.  Redshirt junior quarterback Ben Dinucci has completed 70 percent of his passes (98-of-140) on the year while throwing for 1,117 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.  Redshirt junior linebacker Dimitri Holloway leads the JMU defense with 49 tackles. 
 
Villanova will have a bye following Saturday's game and next returns to action when it hosts New Hampshire on October 27 at 2 p.m.