<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4QAhHk_0vkkh04I00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4QAhHk_0vkkh04I00" width="1763" height="1175" ><figcaption>Head coach Bob Chesney and defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill shared that the Dukes have been been done talking about UNC since 6 p.m. on Sunday.&nbsp; Grace Sawyer | The Breeze</figcaption></figure>JMU football is done talking about UNC.After a historic 70-50 win over the Tar Heels last Saturday, defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill said the Dukes have been done talking about the game since 6 p.m. on Sunday. Head coach Bob Chesney shared the same sentiment.“This win is now behind us,” he said. “Like we say every Sunday, when we walk in here, it doesn't matter, find a way to get better, and that's what we’ve got to do as we attack this week.”The Dukes’ focus is now on Ball State, which Chesney said was probably in the “top two” of teams JMU has to face this season.The Cardinals are off to a 1-2 start to the season, with a blowout 62-0 loss to No. 10 Miami and a close 37-34 defeat to Central Michigan. But their rocky start is in spite of some impressive talent on their roster.Offensively, Ball State is anchored by junior tight end Tanner Koziol, who was named to the All-MAC Third Team last season after hauling in 34 catches for 295 yards and three touchdowns. This year, he’s already up to a team-leading 211 yards and two touchdowns on 20 receptions. His 70.3 receiving yards per game is the fourth most in the MAC. Koziol has hauled in those 20 receptions on 26 targets with just a single drop. His offensive PFF grade of 83.1 is the 6th best of all tight ends in the country. His receiving grade of 83.5 is the 4th best among the position.“This guy catches everything,” Hemphill said of Koziol.Both Chesney and Hemphill also praised the Cardinals’ quarterback, redshirt freshman Kadin Semonza. The young signal-caller started three of the Cardinals’ first four games and played in a fourth last season before redshirting, finishing the year 50-for-82 with 480 yards and three touchdowns.He’s started this season 74-for-105 with 658 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. His completion percentage of 70.5% is the highest in the MAC.“He understands how coverages work, he understands where weaknesses are and he gets the ball out quick and accurate,” Chesney said.Of course, JMU has its own young quarterback — redshirt sophomore Alonza Barnett III — who is coming off of a strong performance against UNC with plenty of awards because of it.Barnett’s seven-touchdown day earned him Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week, Associated Press National Player of the Week, a Manning Award Star of the Week, Davey O’Brien National Co-Quarterback of the Week and Walter Camp FBS Offensive Player of the Week.“I'm proud of how he responded with all the noise around him,” offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy said. “That's really what it's about. It's about us at the end of the day. It's about who we are in this room, how we control ourselves. We can't control anything else. And the performance he put out was amazing to see, but that's who he is.”Moving forward, Kennedy hopes the offense’s identity is what was put on the field last Saturday, with big explosive plays and efficiency across the board. But the defense, which gave up 50 points after two straight weeks of giving up no more than seven, looked back on the win with a much different perspective.“It wasn't good at all,” redshirt junior defensive lineman Eric O’Neill said. “50 points, no matter how you put it, no matter how much our offense scores, is unacceptable. But we're ready to come back and be a lot better.”Hemphill described his unit’s performance as a tale of two different types of series, with eight good and eight bad. The Tar Heels scored in seven of their 16 drives, and they made it to JMU’s eight-yard line before fumbling in their first.“There were some really good things that happened and there were some really bad things that happened,” Hemphill said. “In terms of tackling, communication, staying on top of some of the receivers, there's things we’ve got to get cleaned up for sure, for next week.”For the offense, the Dukes’ return to Bridgeforth Stadium this Saturday will provide an opportunity to showcase their offensive prowess in front of a sold-out Family Weekend crowd.“We are a high powered offense,” senior tight end Taylor Thompson said. “I think we've proved that. So I think from going on, I think Bridgeforth can expect to see that a lot more often.”</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Preview | JMU football moving past UNC win, focusing on Ball State

JMU football is done talking about UNC. After a historic 70-50 win over the Tar Heels last Saturday, defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill said the Dukes have been done talking about the game since 6 p.m. on Sunday. Head coach Bob Chesney shared the same sentiment. “This win is now behind...