(STATS) - How well North Dakota State runs the ball and how well James Madison defends it is one of the pivotal factors of Saturday's NCAA Division I FCS Championship Game.

James Madison's rush defense has been a rock, allowing just 61.1 rushing yards per game, which since 2008 has been bettered only by McNeese's 2017 squad, on a mere 2.2 yards per carry. Only one opponent in 15 games has surpassed 100 rushing yards against the Dukes - Stony Brook (118).

A hundred yards is often one half's work for North Dakota State, which is ranked fourth in the FCS with 288 rushing yards per game. The Bison's FCS dynasty, which has won two straight and seven of the last eight national titles, has been below 100 rushing yards just once in its last 130 games - a 23-3 loss at Northern Iowa on Nov. 8, 2014.

The two head coaches have expressed respect for the other's strength. Now it's about gaining an advantage in the trenches when the FCS powers collide.

"The design of their offense is different than the design of our offense. They are extremely multiple with a lot of different personnel groupings," said James Madison coach Curt Cignetti, whose No. 2-seeded team has a 14-1 record.

"They huddle. They'll bring big people out on the field yet shift to empty. So a lot of shifts, a lot of motions, a lot of different looks, a lot more quarterback run, quarterback-read-type stuff probably than we do. More out-of-pocket passes probably than we do. So structurally it's a little bit different. It's similar in that they're committed to running the ball."

Said North Dakota State coach Matt Entz, whose top-seeded team is 15-0: "They do a great job. They're going to get into some different fronts. They're what I'm going to consider a 4-2-5 defense, play a lot of field looks to you, field under is kind of what we're talking. It starts with, I think they've got two great bookend defensive ends with Ron'Dell Carter and John Daka, really dynamic players, guys that are in the backfield, consistently able to get after the quarterback.

"They play a number of different tackles that I really think solidify their front. And their front seven is so dynamic, they can cover some ground."

The Bison offensive line, anchored by All-Americans Dillon Radunz and Zack Johnson, averages 6-foot-5½, 310 pounds per starter, and has opened holes for four rushers over 600 yards, led by running back Ty Brooks and Trey Lance.

On James Madison's defensive line, Adeeb Atariwa and Mike Greene are on the interior of Carter and Daka, and the four starters average 6-2½, 265. They have combined for 75 tackles for losses this season.