HARRISONBURG — James Madison hosted more than a championship football game Friday night.
Thanks to a coaching carousel accelerated to Formula One speed by the earliest national signing day in history, Dec. 3, an unquenchable thirst for postseason’s financial windfalls, and the payroll obligations inherent with athlete compensation, the Dukes staged a Harrisonburg farewell to Bob Chesney.
They made his final game at Bridgeforth Stadium tense, bruising and indelible.
Most important, in their fourth year of membership, they hoisted the Sun Belt Conference championship trophy after a 31-14 victory over Troy.
Redshirt junior tailback Wayne Knight rushed for a career-high 212 yards, 73 on a second-quarter touchdown dash, and quarterback Alonza Barnett iced matters when he weaved 26 yards for a touchdown with 4:11 remaining in the contest.
But the most fitting punctuation came 54 seconds later, when Sahir West sacked reserve quarterback Tucker Kilcrease, causing a fumble that teammate Drew Spinogatti returned 22 yards to the house.
Fitting because this was a win steeped in defense. Fitting because Spinogatti transferred to JMU from Holy Cross, where two years ago he played for Chesney.
For much of the frigid night, this was a slog, and slogs often have hidden gems, largely unnoticed sequences that, in hindsight, loom XXL. Such a moment transpired late in the third quarter when Trojans defensive end Donnie Smith deflected a Barnett pass that cornerback Jacquez White then intercepted.
Racing down the right sideline, White had an opportunity to score and reclaim the lead for Troy — until 328-pound JMU guard Carter Sweazie tripped him up from behind at the Dukes’ 28-yard line. The Trojans failed to move on three plays, and when Scott Taylor Renfroe’s 46-yard field-goal attempt fell short, JMU’s 17-14 edge was preserved.
Furthering Troy’s climb, quarterback Goose Crowder (196 yards passing) injured his right ankle with 1:38 remaining in the third quarter and did not return. Kilcrease then could not dent a JMU defense that pitched its sixth second-half shutout, sacked Crowder five times, recorded 10 tackles for loss (5½ by West, a redshirt freshman defensive end) and held the Trojans to minus-26 yards rushing.
Conversely, the Dukes (12-1 and ranked No. 25 by the College Football Playoff) ran for 318 yards.
Lack of official announcements before Friday notwithstanding, everyone knew that Chesney has accepted a UCLA job that opened Sept. 14, when the school fired DeShaun Foster. And everyone knew that Billy Napier, dismissed by Florida on Oct. 19, will replace Chesney at JMU.
For all his trials with the Gators (22-23 in three-plus seasons), Napier owned the Sun Belt during a four-year run at Louisiana. His Ragin’ Cajuns were 40-12 overall, 27-5 in the league.
The timing of the Chesney-to-Napier transition hinges on the 12-team CFP bracket set to be announced Sunday at noon.
If the selection committee lands on JMU, then Chesney will lead the team into the playoff. If the Dukes don’t make the field and are playing in an otherwise routine bowl, Chesney will head to UCLA while an interim coaches the season finale.
Troy seized the lead at 7-3 on Crowder’s 1-yard run, set up by Crowder completions of 30 and 37 yards. ’Twas the Trojans’ only lead, and it lasted all of 20 seconds.
On JMU’s very next snap, Knight shed four defenders in a between-the-tackles mosh pit and sprinted 73 yards for the Dukes’ first touchdown.
When JMU extended its advantage to 17-7 on Braeden Wislowski’s leaping catch in the back of the end zone of a 26-yard Barnett pass, Troy was teetering.
Sensing the same, Trojans coach Gerad Parker boldly disdained a punt on fourth-and-1 from his own 34, and a pass-interference flag on Elijah Culp gifted Troy a first down. Eight plays later, Tae Meadows’ 2-yard scoring run narrowed the margin to 17-14 headed to intermission.
But as so often happened this season, JMU owned the second half.
How dominant were the Dukes in the Sun Belt?
Since the conference split into divisions in 2018 and started a title game, they are the second team to go undefeated in league play during the regular season and win the championship game. The other was Louisiana in 2021, coached by none other than Billy Napier.
Moreover, JMU won four of the Sun Belt’s four major individual awards. Barnett was Player of the Year, Trent Hendrick Defensive Player of the Year, West Freshman of the Year, and Chesney Coach of the Year.
He leaves Harrisonburg after only two seasons, a tenure Dukes faithful will long celebrate.
David Teel, david.teel@virginiamedia.com
