The season didn’t end the way the James Madison Dukes had hoped. Yet, the program still had a terrific campaign, which ended with a 51-34 defeat at the hands of the Oregon Ducks in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
It doesn’t only mark the end of a season for the Dukes, but the end of Bob Chesney’s tenure with James Madison, with the coach set to take over the UCLA Bruins. Reports that Chesney took the UCLA job broke earlier this month but both schools allowed Chesney to finish the season with the Dukes. Chesney gave a heartfelt opening statement at the start of his postgame press conference.
“I thought our guys certainly played hard, and played hard through the entire course of the game. Just never really amounted to anything. The complementary the football that we’ve been playing all year just really didn’t show up,” Chesney said. “There were spurts on offense, there were moments on defense, there were moments on special teams and there were obviously really bad moments on all three sides of the ball.”
The honest perspective is refreshing. Yes, James Madison was at a serious talent disadvantage but Chesney wasn’t quick to use that as an excuse for the loss. Chesney easily could have brushed off the loss as the difference between a Power Four and a Group of Five program, but Chesney wasn’t having it.
“The lack of complementary football is really what ailed us today,” Chesney said. “Ending it on this night, the way it ended, is not ideal, but at the same point in time, it doesn’t take away from what we did throughout the course of the year.”
Chesney will now make the jump to the Big Ten, where he’ll have even fewer excuses. UCLA will try to give Chesney chances to win playoff games, rather than just participate in them.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Bob Chesney wasn’t making excuses for James Madison’s CFP loss
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
