Bob Chesney Opens Up On Oregon Fans, Autzen Experience After Losing To Ducks

The No. 5 Oregon Ducks kicked off their College Football Playoff run in a dominant fashion against the No. 12 James Madison Dukes. The Ducks won the game 51-34, for the first playoff matchup at Autzen Stadium.

After the game, James Madison coach Bob Chesney met with the media, and he addressed whether he felt the Dukes deserved a spot in the playoff and how the team kept up with the Ducks.

James Madison Dukes College Football Playoff loss Oregon Ducks Bob Chesney Autzen Stadium Big Ten Dan Lanning Dante Moore — Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; James Madison Dukes head coach Bob Chesney looks on during the second quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

JMU Belonging In the CFP

“I mean, obviously today the, you go through the yards, 509 to 514, you can go through some other things in there where we did hang with them. But, I think the scoreboard itself, you know, I think every time we got down there we kind of shot ourselves in the foot," said Chesney.

“If we did not do that, if we didn’t end with 13 penalties, is this a little bit of a different game, maybe. But at the same point in time that’s a tough offense to stop and I think it’s tough for a lot of teams in the entire country to stop.”

“But I thought we hung in there in moments on our offense. If we did not go backwards and didn’t find ourselves jumping offsides. Obviously it’s a great environment to play in here and it does affect the game.”

“I think there’s moments in here where I said where I feel like we could play with them. I think that today the complementary football and us playing elite just did not exist.”

“So I think for us, there’s moments when I look at yards and all the other things that comes with it that there’s a lot of bright spots that I do think that, I don’t want to say on a different day, but I do think that if we just could have put a couple more of those plays together, ball in the back of the end zone, we have a shot.”

“We were just a little bit over powered for sure on defense.”

The Inclusion Of Group Of Five Teams Amid First Half Blowout

“I’m so not involved in that conversation. I just try and prepare our team to come in here and play the best football that we possibly can. That’s a, I think a conversation that’s a little bit above me.”

“I think we came here to accomplish a task. We did not play complementary football. We did not play our best football. There were moments where we did have some, I think some really productive plays on offense, defense, special teams, all the way through just wasn’t enough. It had to be elite to hang with this team and it just wasn’t.”

How Autzen Stadium Environment Treated JMU

“I thought everybody did great. We have a lot of people wearing green in our hotel and they were very nice and complimentary and accepting. I thought they, this environment was pretty cool.”

“We walked through the indoor yesterday and got a chance to see a little bit more of the facility and I just thought overall, the excitement around this team, the support for this team, it reminds me a lot of us. Just with, 30 more thousand people in the stands.”

“But, really close to what opponents have to deal with when they come into our place.”

What Chesney Saw From Oregon’s Offense

“I think that they were just, they were big, they were physical, and on the edge. A lot of their runs didn’t show up on the middle, they showed up on the edge. And they understood that and they were able to be really physical on our corners and some of our DBs and we just had to put a stop in that play and not let it stretch out and it showed up a whole bunch of times. Then your fits gotta be perfect.”

“I thought the way their interior offensive linemen climbed to the second level was pretty special. And then they just cut some things off that, even if you got hats out there, you’re missing guys inside just because of how quickly they got up on the second level.”

“And then you just never really got a hard stop on the edges. We really never created edges and it just let it, just stretched us a little bit. And this kid wasn’t afraid to just put his pads down and just kind of run through people.”

“They’re fast, they’re big, they’re strong on every which way on offense. It was a very good football team.”

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JMU’s Adjustments In The Second Half

“I think that ultimately, it’s not anything we were doing so different in the first half. I think that we were just playing a little bit more differently. Playing with a little bit more confidence. Understanding that we could be on this field with these guys. That we can do things, make some yards after the catch.”

“Our protection I thought was really good. I didn’t think [Alonza Barnett III] was under a lot of duress today, which I thought coming into today might be the case. And I thought we held up pretty well in there.”

“There was a lot of things in there that started to click a little bit more. I think when it slowed down a little bit for us, when we were able to deal with the noise. But then, you just got stuck with some of those situations when you were going backwards. Especially when you got into the red one. Just, not ideal. You gotta be gaining three to four yards on every play down there and instead we were going backwards.”

“I thought our protection held up. I thought we believed we could run with them and play and I thought Nick DeGennaro was the one that kind of popped it opened and then the rest just started to flow after that.”

“You wish there was a couple other things you could have done differently at the end there. Obviously dropping the ball at the one-yard line, not ideal. And then, being at our own one-yard line and going backwards. But there’s moments that I thought our guys just never stopped believing. They felt like they wanted to go out and if they were going to go out they wanted to go out with a fight.”

Elijah Culp’s Interception

“I think Trent had a lot to do with that as well. You know, Trent knew what was coming and was able to get a little piece of that receiver which put Elijah in a position to have that interception.”

“After playing through a game that was just tough and physical on all the DBs out there, it was like a third level where this ball really showed up a bunch. And stick with it and put yourself in a position.”

Chesney On Making It To The CFP

“The complementary football that we’ve been playing all year just really didn’t show up. There were spurts on offense, there were moments on defense, there were moments on special teams, and then there were obviously really bad moments on all three sides of the ball and I think we needed to play elite football. We needed to play our best football of the entire year.”

“We needed to match up really well with them and play an aggressive style. There were moments where we did and moments where we did not. But, I think the lack of the complementary football was really what nailed us today.”

“I thought again, for our seniors, to be in this stage to put themselves in this situation, I'm really proud of them. To build this program and their acceptance of us from the very beginning is pretty awesome and I told them to make sure they take their pads off slowly because for some of them it will be the last time they’re taking those pads off.”

“To accomplish what we did to get here are things that we should be really really proud of. And obviously ending it on this night the way it ended is not ideal but at the same point and time it doesn’t take away from what we did throughout the course of the year.”

Emotion Level For Chesney Leaving The Field

“I didn’t get in the locker room. It’s a pretty tight locker room over there so, you can’t all fit, but I stood on the end one there and made sure I gave every kid on this team a hug as they walked off the field. And we’ll have a moment tonight and then again tomorrow before we fly out to just have a conversation about all of this.”

“But, I just told them to be proud of what they did all year and disappointing as today is and tonight is, still just be really proud of what they’ve accomplished throughout the course of this year and I think that should be the case.”

“Just sad to be ending it the way we just did.”

How Chesney Wants JMU To Be Remembered After Loss

“I think as a team that accomplished a lot of firsts and maybe the ones that first got us to this stage. So, the second time and third time that we show up here it will be a little bit different.”

“There was just guys that had produced all year that we really needed their leadership. And I think that’s ultimately is what this entire program is about is believing in one another. They’re always willing to give to one another and they’re always at a part where they’re celebrating each other’s successes. Just wish there was a little more of them here tonight.”

“The sky is the limit for this program for sure.”