Alonza Barnett started Saturday’s second half against Charlotte facing major questions. After surprisingly winning another offseason quarterback battle over a Power Five transfer, Barnett’s first half against the 49ers stressed fans and led to social media questions about if the redshirt sophomore was repeating his Bucknell performance from 2023.

Barnett famously (at least in JMU circles) went just 3-11 against Bucknell, losing his starting job to Jordan McCloud in just over two quarters. McCloud never looked back and led JMU to 11 wins. Barnett played two series in the second half against Bucknell before JMU opted for McCloud the rest of the season.

After going 4-10 in Saturday’s first half with a pair of turnovers and one touchdown pass, some members of a fan base with lofty standards found themselves questioning Barnett’s aptitude as QB1. He quickly shut up his detractors in the second half, thanks in part to an assist from the guy he faced all offseason in the quarterback competition.

Barnett’s first pass of the second half was a perfectly thrown 73-yard touchdown pass to Omarion Dollision to give JMU a two-possession lead it never relinquished. The play call was recommended by backup quarterback Dylan Morris.

“Dylan’s phenomenal,” head coach Bob Chesney said after the game. “Coming out and running the out and up after halftime was his idea. I said to him after the game, ‘You’re an unbelievable teammate. You’re an unbelievable person.”

Barnett Takes Hold of the Job

While Barnett’s first half looked rough – the offensive line deserves some of that blame – a 33-yard touchdown pass to running back George Pettaway at the end of the first half seemingly helped settle Barnett’s nerves.

The touchdown pass to Dollison showcased Barnett’s incredible deep ball accuracy for the second time in as many JMU drives, turning questioning JMU fans in the stands to some of his loudest supporters.

Barnett went 6-8 in the second half, throwing for 126 yards and a touchdown without committing a turnover. He also added a team-high 89 rushing yards on nine carries, with all of the rushing yards coming in the second half.

“It took him a minute, but after that he calmed down,” Chesney said.

Barnett showcased why both Cignetti and Chesney fell in love with his skills during offseason camp.

Different coaching style

Last year’s schedule, with UVA in Week 2 and Troy in Week 3, created a time crunch for JMU to immediately need high-level quarterback production. As a result, Barnett didn’t have much margin for error to maintain the starting job.

It’s hard to question Curt Cignetti’s decision to move on from Barnett. McCloud led JMU to a 10-0 start and won Sun Belt Player of the Year in 2023. He excelled as JMU’s quarterback.

It’s easy to question how Cignetti moved on from Barnett, though. In his post-Bucknell press conference, Cignetti’s comments disparaged the young quarterback.

“We couldn’t throw the ball, at all,” Cignetti said. “We got to the point where we were afraid to call a pass. Was I surprised at the way the quarterback came out after the camp he had? Yeah. I think it got to the point where it’s like a golfer that’s afraid to swing the club.”

Questioning Cignetti’s QB coaching philosophy, which led to a 19-5 record the last two seasons and multiple conference Players of the Year at the position, feels sacrilegious. But he didn’t need to imply Barnett got the “yips” during his first collegiate start. He publicly tore down the quarterback to a level that felt unnecessary and certainly didn’t aid in Barnett’s future development.

Saturday, Chesney and company stuck with Barnett despite armchair quarterbacks calling for his benching. And why wouldn’t JMU stick with Barnett?

Barnett struggled early, but Chesney felt the quarterback was making the right reads and just needed to settle into the game. By all accounts, Barnett is beloved by current and former teammates. He’s capable of being a top Sun Belt quarterback and elite leader.

Plus with Charlotte in Week 1, Garner-Webb in Week 2, and a bye week in Week 3, there was a cushion for Chesney and company to stick with Barnett until he worked through jitters. Cignetti didn’t have that luxury, but it’s not hard to see how a young quarterback would prefer the 2024 approach to Cignetti’s verbal stoning.

Asked after the game if this coaching staff has “a different kind of trust” compared to the last staff, Barnett started to answer the question.

“I mean … ” Barnett stammered, trying to think of the right way to phrase his answer. A smile quickly came over his face before he burst into laughter.

The laughter told it all.

Of course the young quarterback didn’t appreciate his head coach publicly crapping on his nightmare performance against Bucknell. This year, Chesney told offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy after Barnett’s 1-6 start that he still had plenty of faith in Barnett.

“I go, ‘Man, he is on time. He is exactly where he needs to be with the ball. He’s a little high. He’s just gotta calm down a little bit,’” Chesney said over his headset.

Chesney didn’t realize Barnett was on the headset, too.

“I got you,” Barnett interrupted. “Relax, I got you.”

With his coach clearly behind him, Barnett started to cook. He finished the game 9-12 after a 1-6 start, looking like an All-Sun Belt caliber performer.

Bob Chesney’s reputation coming to JMU was that his players adored him. He started to prove that narrative true Saturday, and JMU’s starting quarterback appreciated it.

“This coaching staff is amazing,” Barnett said. “They have full trust and confidence in us.”

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications