James Madison @ East Carolina preview

Junior Gardner Minshew will get the start under center for East Carolina, which looks to snap a four-game losing streak when it plays defending FCS national champion James Madison on Saturday night in the season opener for both teams. Minshew, who completed 119-of-202 passes for 1,347 yards and eight touchdowns last season, won a tight battle over Duke graduate transfer Thomas Sirk in the preseason.

East Carolina won its first two games last season, including an impressive 33-30 victory over in-state rival N.C. State in the second contest. Things, however, unraveled quickly thereafter for the Pirates and they went 1-7 in American Athletic Conference play. The Pirates also have to replace Zay Jones, a second-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills, who finished second in the nation with 1,746 receiving yards and tied for the team lead with eight touchdowns. James Madison figures to pose a stern test as the Dukes were selected to win the Colonial Athletic Association title and are ranked No. 1 in the nation in several preseason FCS polls.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN3.com. LINE: None

ABOUT JAMES MADISON (2016: 14-1): Paced by a dominant defense, the Dukes won their final 12 games last season capped by a 28-14 victory over Youngstown State for their second FCS title. James Madison, whose lone loss of the season was at N.C. State 56-28, will have to replace running back Khalid Abdullah who ended his career atop the school record books in career touchdowns, single-season touchdowns and single-season rushing yards. The Dukes finished as the FCS leader in scoring margin at plus-25.5 points per game, second in points per game (46.7) and 16th in points allowed (21.2).

ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (3-9): Sirk, a dual threat, appeared to have the nod at quarterback after an impressive career at Duke which included a 2015 season that saw him amass 3,428 total yards of offense, the second-best in school history. An Achilles tendon injury, however, has slowed his progress and coach Scottie Montgomery went with Minshew, who is more familiar with the system. The Pirates also have to replace James Summers (now with the Arizona Cardinals), who ran the wildcat at quarterback and led the team in rushing with 869 yards and seven scores, in their bid to climb the AAC standings.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Junior Devin Anderson, who gained 258 yards on 57 carries last season, is the leading returning rusher for the Pirates.

2. ECU finished 11th out of 12 teams in the conference in scoring defense last season, allowing 36.1 points per game.

3. James Madison senior TE Jonathan Kloosterman, who scored seven touchdowns last season, will miss the game because of a violation of team rules.

PREDICTION: East Carolina 34, James Madison 20