JMU officials say they're keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Hanna.

Kickoff of the Dukes' home football opener with North Carolina Central is at 6 p.m. Saturday. Associate athletic director Geoff Polglase said Thursday that if the storm is just rain by kickoff, the game will proceed as scheduled.

Polglase also said the school has plans in place, in the event the rain alters the parking situation on campus, or lightning delays the game.

The team also spent Thursday getting ready for Hanna by practicing with wet footballs.

"As I like to say, it's an outdoor sport, and we don't get to set the thermostat on what the weather will be in football," said head coach Mickey Matthews Thursday. "Would (Hanna) be a problem? Certainly. But it's not going to be a determining factor as far as we're concerned."

For one, JMU is primarily a running offense to begin with. And they also have the advantage of the artificial turf field at Bridgeforth Stadium.

"It drains pretty quickly," says senior center Scott Lemn. "I know we've had some pretty heavy rain, and come out like 20 minutes later and it's barely been wet."

"When you play on the natural grass, it gets everywhere. It gets in your mouth. It gets in your face," says junior defensive tackle J.D. Skolnitsky. "At least this way, it's just the little black rubber dots."