JMU Football | Postgame Press Conference at Charlotte with Bob Chesney

yeah it's a great uh first win um a lot of work went into this moment right a lot of work went into this from you know back in December to hiring a staff and establishing that and then finding you know our guys on this team and not not wavering on what we believe to be the right guys for us not only very capable on the field but High character guys and I thought they did a really good job today they came together takes a minute to get started takes that first quarter to really what is my place how does this all work together what's our communication like and that's you know usually what it is and then after that first quarter is over you know you start to find a way to settle in I loved the way our offensive and defensive staff made adjustments at halftime and came back out and played a really nice you know second half first half is what it is in the first game you know you realistically get better the biggest improvement from one half to the other but then of of the first game and then really from game one to game two so I'm excited to see what it looks like next week coach you held a pretty good secret through preseason camp who was going to be your starting quarterback so when once that decision made for too um you know probably like a not too long ago a couple weeks maybe I don't know actually I don't know the date I didn't mark it my calendar or anything like that but I think you know you know we're the Dylan's phenomenal absolutely phenomenal and and coming out and running the out and up at at uh you know after halftime was his idea you know and really just the support and I said to him after the game you're an unbelievable teammate you're an unbelievable person and he really did a phenomenal job so you know I think that you know they're both very competitive and I'm sure Dylan will have a moment moment as well this year so it's not you know there's a lot of you know good that came out of this today and I'm just really proud of the way zo played it was in his home state being able to play the way he did was was pretty impressive it took him a minute but after that he calmed down and and that's why why he's you know behind that Center did you say anything to him like after that one for six start how you kind of just come down yeah just relax and and I I was talking to coach Kenny I go man he is on time he is exactly where he needs to be with the ball he's a little high like he just got to calm down a little bit and I didn't know he was on the heads he goes I got you relax I got you I said all right good we're good and then after that he went 8 for 10 and started to open it up a little bit pulled the ball down and ran and did played a really nice game first half a little humid on on the field on both sides was that something you seen that was possibly kind of disrupting a couple of the snaps on charlott's end also for you as well no for them yeah which was great and humidity working one way is perfect if we could have it that way and and that's how it worked but I I mean we we did Bobble One Snap or one shot over our head as well but uh that was it that it got wet out there for a minute but you know it's better than the rain that we were thinking we were going to play in you didn't have to use them often tonight but talk about ran Hansen in that pun that he sent down into the one unbelievable really unbelievable he and then the last one the the 45 like four three Hang Time on it you know our guys already standing next to him as the kids Fair catching you know the the punt really really great punt but that one he hit a little Sidewinder you know and did what he does and and danced it down the one but I thought you know Antoine being able to run down there and pin that ball with the help I think it was Chase Regan was the other guy down there but that's things we practice you've been at our practices at the end we practiced that every single day not every single day but almost every single day and it was cool to see it you know be executed at such a high level first half second half was it what they were doing or what you guys weren't executing what we weren't executing and some of it was just straight up communication you know we burned a time out in the first quarter because we couldn't get out on the field and get lined up you know and then defensively we just flat out missed two calls and then there was other moments where we didn't know which there's three signalers and and we didn't real really realize which one was live on at a moment or two and it was just you know there was it's game one stuff though it's what you would expect so when we got in that second everything was so much moving so much slower for everybody and I thought we did a really nice job on the defensive side of the ball you said earlier this week you were testing the defensive prep week on doing some schemes of what Charlotte does without telling them how beneficial was that to be able to see um just how how strong that yeah I think it was great and in the end did a lot of what we had anticipated uh but there were some other things in there too that we did not anticipate and I just thought you know coach H coach Barber you know coach the Mike's coach Eddie Whitley coach Daniels ook and and Justice did a a really really really good job of you know speaking calmly you know Cal breeds calm chaos breeds chaos and they spoke calmly they figured it out they sat with the guys they looked at the iPads they were able to really dissect it quickly and and did a nice job went for a lot of fourth Downs today I'm curious how you make those decisions and what went into those well we didn't come here to kick field goals right we came here to be aggressive we came here to build trust and I think it's the most important thing you could do for an offensive line and an offense especially in game one uh in quarter number one we kicking three now you fast forward we scor the touchdown missed the extra point we might as well kick the three because it was nine points in the end anyway but uh we're we want to stay aggressive you you don't make you make the field goal and you walk out out of there with three when you're down inside the 10 sometimes inside the five I think that's where you have to remain aggressive and Trust your your offense and now I think we have that trust and now they have to execute next time around is some of that oh sorry I is some of that just trying to put that hey I believe in you guys absolutely absolutely especially in game one quarter one yes you guys held them scoreless in the second half and a lot of that at one point came down to Jacob Thomas making that really big tackle what does it say about these guys their hustle and just chasing down those plays even when it looks like they're breaking out yeah that's exactly it and and and just let's talk about Jason Novak for a minute and just the way he got these guys in shape all summer long because there's no we could play a whole another quarter maybe another half if we had to out there it was very impressive to watch those guys just compete believe in themselves and go but Jacob Thomas that that he doesn't make and right when he Dove I was like oh no and and because if he misses that it's a touchdown but he did a really good job of you know clipping the kids heel and you know exactly what we you know were hoping for you guys for some turnovers today including Christmas nice little interception what was it like seeing that defense it was awesome watching Chris Cher with the ball in his hands it was awesome I hope you bring him up here and get a chance to talk to him about it it but he he is a fun kid to be around really just brings a whole lot of energy to that locker room and uh it was that there was a I think another interception by eagland right and then there's a fumble or two so couple things I thought we were so close to blocking that punt it just missed the Kid shot it out to the right but just missed but that thing was almost in there in the in the back of the end zone too so I thought overall a good day kick kick coverage we got to work on and then we have to just clean up a couple things on offense and defense but I thought overall you know a a good starting point for the season along those lines with the conditioning it seemed like the offensive line in particular got stronger as the game there were some struggles early but definitely definitely I think it had some of it had to do with our scheme and the adjustments we made that made the angles a little bit better for them but ultimately they're at the end we flipped to the fourth quarter and we're like just put go just go right now like you got them like you got them right they're they're they're ready to break like you just go you got them and I love watching our guys just finish those blocks and and just play Such physical you know just run their feet and not ever admit for a second that they might be tired and just play through the whistle every play and that was that was impressive by the o l