Bob Chesney did not try to hide what the night meant. After a hard-fought 31-14 win over Troy, James Madison stood alone as Sun Belt champions, and the coach’s voice carried the weight of an entire year.
“Culmination of a year with many different ways to win football games,” Chesney said. “It takes a full year to put a trophy in a trophy case. You do not put that trophy in a trophy case just here tonight. It takes that full year.”
He talked about sacrifice, the grind, and refusing to lose.
“We talk a lot about the price of anything is the amount of life you are willing to sacrifice for it,” he said. “Only one team can know what that sacrifice was and that is certainly us.”
Chesney praised his defense for another suffocating finish. Six second-half shutouts this year. Eight sacks Saturday night. And a level of toughness that mattered most when the game tightened.
JMU football head coach Bob Chesney on why he thinks JMU should be in the 12-team College Football Playoff ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/VQR86JC4If
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“They are tough and they believe,” he said. “I always think of it like a boxing match. You are just feeling each other out. But then our guys understand what the game is and they get into an educated attack mode.”
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Offensively, the Dukes sputtered early until Wayne Knight delivered the play the stadium needed. His 73-yard touchdown broke a deadlock and finally let everyone breathe.
“Relief is a fair word,” Chesney said. “We missed throws. We dropped passes. Then you pop a big one and you feel like you get some breathing room.”
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Chesney lit up talking about quarterback Alonza Barnett III’s yearlong arc of resilience.
“I do not know if any quarterback studies the game more than he does,” Chesney said. “His growth has been phenomenal.”
Then came the emotion that followed him throughout championship week.
“Yeah there has been a little extra emotion,” he said. “You realize how special a place James Madison is. This is the greatest group of five school in the country and it is not even close.”
The night built toward a moment even cameras could not fully capture.
“I thought standing on the stage, me and Wayne probably shared that moment,” Chesney said. “It was just a different feel that I am sure does not happen everywhere else.”
Asked if he would coach James Madison in the College Football Playoff should the Dukes be selected, Chesney did not flinch.
“Definitively in the College Football Playoff,” he said.
And on the clarity to come regarding his UCLA future, Chesney kept it simple “Tomorrow (Saturday)…we should have a little bit more clarity,” he said.
But as the trophy sat behind him and his players gathered close, Chesney kept the focus exactly where he said it belonged.
“Distraction is easy,” he said. “Focus is hard. They have done a phenomenal job all year long.”
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