If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none. Fans love to repeat the saying, which is credited to John Madden.

Is it true? Well, it depends.

Having two quarterbacks in 2025 is important. Quarterback depth, especially at the college level, can be the difference between winning a conference title or not.

In 2024, JMU started 4-0 but faded in league play to finish 8-4 before its bowl win. The Dukes’ starting QB, Alonza Barnett, struggled with ankle injuries during conference play. With Barnett banged up, the Dukes considered turning to Dylan Morris, but he was unavailable with injuries of his own. A lack of quarterback depth hurt JMU in 2024.

Coach Bob Chesney didn’t want that to happen again in 2025, so he brought in transfers Matthew Sluka and Camden Coleman after Barnett tore his ACL in late November. Barnett healed faster than expected, giving JMU three options entering the fall — and perhaps creating an unexpected dilemma in the process.

JMU can’t seem to settle on QB1.

The Dukes have used both Barnett and Sluka in the first two games, with middling results. Barnett has played 110 snaps, with Sluka taking 42 — 30 came against Louisville in a 14-point loss.

The system has resulted in a 39 PFF passing grade, the third worst in the FBS ahead of only Stanford and Ball State. The Dukes are outside the top 100 nationally in passing efficiency and average fewer than 150 passing yards per game.

Sluka isn’t quite a wildcat quarterback, but his usage has been close. He has 27 carries compared to 11 pass attempts. In those 11 passes, he’s thrown two interceptions. When he enters the game, the defense expects a run. Barnett was the opposite against Louisville, with 35 of his 55 plays being pass plays.

The rotations became predictable, and Barnett looked out of rhythm. He was missing open throws in the second half and struggling to evade pressure, taking four sacks in the loss, including fumbling in the end zone to hand the Cardinals the go-ahead touchdown.

“I think you guys are going to look just at the quarterback,” Chesney said Monday. “I don’t care who is back there at quarterback if we fall off a block and the ball gets batted down, if we miss a guy blitzing off the edge on a run play, that kind of skews the view of that a little bit.”

The Dukes need to figure out a way to be less predictable — Chesney stopped short of saying those words specifically Monday, but hinted at the idea that they need to vary the run-pass splits of each quarterback.

JMU’s offense felt disjointed and choppy overall, which is partially because of execution errors and also partially because of a questionable game plan. Barnett took the field in too many obvious passing downs against an elite defense. So what’s the plan on Sept. 20 against Liberty?

The Dukes seem set on sticking with the system.

“When they have their moments, they have to maximize them,” Chesney said.

In Chesney’s defense, Louisville’s defense will likely be the best the Dukes see all season. He knows that well.

The quarterback groupings were fine against Weber State, as the Dukes leaned on their running game to go over 400 yards of offense. There might not have been any realistic plan to reach 400 yards against Louisville given how badly the Cardinals dominated the Dukes’ offensive line, which finished with a pass blocking grade of 30.6 on PFF.

“I thought the first week we were great … I think in this one, it was a different game,” Chesney said. “It was a different game against different bodies, of different capability, of different size, of different explosiveness, of different twitch, of different strength.”

JMU’s upcoming games offer a reprieve.

Liberty allowed over 300 rushing yards to Jacksonville State, which beat the Flames by 10 points despite only throwing 12 passes for 52 yards. Through two games, Georgia Southern — who the Dukes face on Sept. 27 — has allowed an FBS-worst 50.5 points per game. Georgia State, the Dukes’ Oct. 4 opponent also allows 50.5 points per game. All three teams rank in the bottom four nationally in rushing defense.

Do the Dukes need to settle on a quarterback against those teams? If JMU runs the ball effectively, there’s a clear path to winning regardless of who takes the snaps.

But, there are tougher games ahead. Old Dominion looks decent through two games, and Texas State on Oct. 28 might be the toughest test left on the schedule. The Bobcats are 2-0 with wins over Eastern Michigan and UTSA, scoring 40+ points in both victories. App State and Washington State both look like potential bowl teams, although facing each at home will help.

To win a Sun Belt title, JMU needs some form of passing game. It doesn’t need to be elite, but it needs to be competent. The Dukes don’t need to figure it all out over the bye week — the next three opponents can’t stop the run — but they do need to find something by mid-October.

Whether the Dukes use a one or two quarterback system in a month remains to be seen.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications