We forgot to answer listener questions on this week’s podcast. To make up for it, here’s a JMU football mailbag.

Looking at ODU’s schedule (outside of the JMU game), I really can’t find a loss, let alone two. To me, it seems pretty obvious that beating ODU is a necessary condition for a title game birth. Can you find any way to disagree with me? — Andrew

Nope! Anything can happen in college football, but ODU and JMU look like the two best teams in the Sun Belt East by a substantial margin.

Since the Sun Belt went to East and West divisions in 2018, the East champion has finished with a 7-1 record or better in conference games in every season except 2022, when 6-2 got it done for JMU/Coastal Carolina, with Coastal going to the league title game despite a blowout loss at JMU because of the Dukes’ FBS transition. Given their talent and schedules, I’d expect at least one of JMU and ODU to win seven league games.

That’s what makes the game on Oct. 18 so huge. The head-to-head tiebreaker is going to be massive for two divisional rivals. If ODU beats the Dukes, JMU would likely need to win out in its remaining conference games and have ODU lose twice. That seems unlikely to me. The reverse is true, too. If JMU beats ODU, the Dukes probably aren’t losing two conference games. 

The winner on Oct. 18 likely wins the East. It’s the Game of the Year right now in the Sun Belt.

What do you think JMU’s record would be if JMU had McCloud (who did in fact have that dog in him) or Centeio (who also had that dog) starting this year? It’s easy to romanticize players like this. However, I really think they had strengths in areas where AB3 struggles to date. — Andrew

I still think JMU would be 4-1. The Louisville loss, to me, was mostly caused by subpar offensive line play. The group got its butt whooped by the Cardinals’ defensive front. Would Todd Centeio or Jordan McCloud have changed that? Probably not, even though McCloud was a decent scrambler.

Barnett hasn’t been as consistent as many would like and the passing attack needs to improve, but I’m not sure the passing game has actually cost JMU a win quite yet. It’s hard to pass against any competent P4 team if you can’t protect the quarterback. The Louisville loss had more issues than just Barnett’s inconsistency as a passer.

We’ve also only seen McCloud and Centeio with a Cignetti-led offensive attack. It’s hard to say how they’d perform in this offensive scheme. Cignetti has a long history of getting the most out of QBs. 

Given Barnett’s history — bouncing back from being benched in 2023 and rapidly recovering from an ACL tear this offseason — I’d argue he has that dog in him, too. Todd Centeio’s career was massively underwhelming until he connected with Cignetti for his final season.

The coaches need to find ways to best utilize Barnett’s skills the rest of this season, similarly to how Cignetti built his offense around Centeio’s strengths in 2022. Centeio was lethal on play-action passing, so the Dukes threw over 100 play-action passes in 2022. That hasn’t been a part of Barnett’s game in 2025, with JMU only having him throw 25 play-action passes as we near the midway point of the year. Barnett has historically performed his best when given freedom to throw the ball deep, too. Yet his average depth of target against Georgia State was 4 yards. That’s too much dink-and-dunk for Barnett’s game.

Thoughts on OC Dean Kennedy? Was the problem last week him, or was it AB3? — Library Rom

It’s a mix of factors, according to the coaching staff. I’d agree. There are missed throws and reads, subpar play calls, and mediocre routes.

It’s a combination of errors leading to low passing efficiency. If it can be fixed, it starts with Kennedy and Barnett getting on the same page. There was a disconnect last week between what Barnett was seeing and doing and what Kennedy said he wanted to happen. JMU said it wanted to take downfield shots, but Barnett didn’t take any. In the QB’s defense, they’ve coached him to limit sacks this season after negative plays were major issues in 2024, so it’s not a major surprise he’s trying to get rid of the ball quickly on underneath patterns. They need to empower the QB to throw downfield, even if it means bringing the risk of a sack or two into play.

Do you think the skills gap between Barnett and Coleman is significant or that Coach Chesney is just a ride or die guy with AB? — 83Duke

Is it too unlikely to be considered for QB Coleman to be inserted to provide some spark to the passing game? — Rudy

I really like Camden Coleman’s game, but he’s not a viable option right now. Once Barnett was deemed healthy over the offseason, the Dukes decided to redshirt Coleman. As a result, he likely has not taken any QB1 reps since the spring (or maybe early summer).

He’s not going to go from the QB3/4 role to starting QB in the middle of a Sun Belt title race. That’s an unfair spot to put a player who is focusing on his redshirt, which includes getting stronger and gaining familiarity with the offense. His focus should be on the weight and film room in 2025. Thrusting Coleman into the starting role in mid-October would be a shock for not only him, but also the entire offense. ABIII and Matthew Sluka are better prepared for game reps right now, regardless of Coleman’s ability.

Barnett has the bigger arm than Coleman, but Coleman is really accurate and navigates the pocket well. He’s not necessarily more talented than Barnett, but he has a bright future. I love his game, but this season doesn’t seem like the right time for him to play any meaningful snaps.

Is there any world in which Kennedy is out after this year and Tino Sunseri comes back to Harrisonburg? — Craig Roberts

Tino Sunseri spent a handful of games at UCLA as offensive coordinator before getting fired. The very next game after he was let go, UCLA scored 42 points and upset Penn State!

He’s not the savior of JMU’s passing game some fans want him to be. I like Sunseri as a coach, but he still has a lot of developing to do to become an elite OC. As for Kennedy, he’s still developing, too. Both coaches are really young, but Sunseri’s lack of experience as a play caller means he’s a far cry from a suitable Kennedy replacement. 

There’s a great chance Kennedy is gone in 2026, though, because Chesney is going to be a top candidate for numerous P4 jobs. I’d be surprised if Kennedy is JMU’s offensive coordinator in 2026 given Chesney’s popularity among ADs.

But if Chesney and Kennedy return to JMU in 2026, look for Chesney to do these three things to fix the passing game. 1) Create a legitimate competition between Alonza Barnett and Camden Coleman for the starting QB gig. This might even include another portal player with a history of passing success. 2) Hire a veteran offensive assistant/analyst to aid Kennedy with play calling and QB development. 3) Go get a new-era WR. The WRs shredding NFL defenses right now are smaller guys (Puka Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown, etc.) with great hands and exceptional route running. Jalen Cooker did this for Holy Cross. The Dukes went after size in the portal this offseason, but losing Yamir Knight and Cam Ross was a bigger deal than I realized at the time. The Dukes have decent WRs, but Knight and Ross were two of the best route runners in the G5 last year. JMU needs to find a route-running technician in the offseason, not just big bodied guys. If there’s one gripe with JMU’s roster management under Chesney, it’s at WR.

Why isn’t AB being utilized in QB option runs? — Some sort of anti-Antifa account (?)

Thanks for taking a few minutes away from monitoring Antifa to check in on the Dukes’ QB running game.

Barnett has been used on zone reads at times, but I’d agree that using him more in the QB running game would make a lot of sense. He’s a fast downhill runner, although he lacks side-to-side agility. With defenses focused on the Dukes’ running backs, Barnett keeping a zone read or two in the coming weeks could catch a defense sleeping and get Barnett into the open field.

That’s what happened on his short TD run against Georgia State. He faked a handoff at the goal line and had a clear path to the end zone.

Why do so many coaches use atmosphere as an excuse? You go to GaSt and it’s too quiet, you go to App state and it’s too loud. If quiet is bad, then shouldn’t every team including GaSt do poorly? Their defense did pretty well against our offense with no crowd. — Shane Mulderrig

Great question, Shane! We’re stumped. Some of these teams act like Goldilocks when it comes to road environments. It’s too loud. It’s too quiet. Where is it just right??

For a team hoping to win a G5 league title, you’re going to have to win in wildly different environments each week. That’s just how it goes. This isn’t the SEC. A quiet crowd is no excuse for poor play for JMU, given how talented the roster is in 2025. They have enough veteran players that a sleepy atmosphere shouldn’t derail the offense.

Surprised to hear James Franklin coached at JMU on the @JMUToTheHouse podcast. Would be cool to see a list of big names that have stopped here! #GoDukes — Duke Dog’s Burner

Fun question! We’ll make this a podcast segment next week.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications