Postcard from Boca: For Holy Cross Transfers, One Final Go-Around with Bob Chesney

By Mike Barber
JMUSports.com Correspondent

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – When Bob Chesney came to James Madison, he brought a group of four of his former Holy Cross players with him. For Jacob Dobbs, Pat McMurtie, Tyler Purdy and Terrence Spence, the move meant they had another season with the coach who had so heavily shaped their careers.

"It meant everything," Purdy said this week. "I tried to tell him that in my senior speech, just how grateful I was for him to choose me to come here with them. He didn't have to do that. To be one of those guys he asked to come down here meant everything."

By earning a bowl bid – the Dukes face Western Kentucky on Wednesday in the Boca Raton Bowl – that group also got themselves another few weeks with Chesney and with each other. That's added a level of enjoyment to the month and a level of gravitas to the game.

"This game is finite," Dobbs said. "You can't play it forever. This could be my last football game this week. It'll definitely be my last football game with Coach Chesney."

The group contributed in major ways on the field as the Dukes went 8-4 in Chesney's first season leading the program. But they also played an invaluable role off the field, serving as a bridge between the locker room and Chesney as he and his staff worked to build relationships with their new players.

Chesney said they had an invaluable contribution speaking to the team in what he called, "the meeting after the meeting," both explaining Chesney's expectations and instructions and assuring them he was someone they could trust.

"Those things give credence to your words," Chesney said.

On the field, of course, their production was similarly impactful. Dobbs, Spence and McMurtie all earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors.

Dobbs leads the defense with 73 tackles and Spence has picked off a team-high five passes.
Purdy scored a pair of rushing touchdowns before being injured, and McMurtie started every game this season.

Perhaps most importantly to the foursome, they helped Chesney launch his JMU program with a winning season. Now, they'd like to give him his first bowl victory.

For Chesney, the week has already been a special one. It afforded him to make one more batch of memories with a special group of players.

"We know what we mean to each other," Chesney said. "Yes, we won a lot of games along the way, but it's those personal relationships that I think matter the most."

An afternoon with heroes: A contingent of JMU football players visited veterans at the Palm Beach VA Hospital, spending time talking to them about their lives and service and, of course, a little about football and the upcoming bowl game.

"It meant everything, especially having a grandpa who served in the military," said JMU quarterback Alonza Barnett III. "They were able to tell me a different perspective of what they experienced and what they go through."

The Dukes who made the visit said listening to the veterans share stories of their time in the military – and of their love of football.

"It's really been a very special experience to hear some of their life stories," offensive lineman Riley Robell said. "And listen to them explain to us what football used to be like. How they watched it. The things they remember. It explains how big football is, that it can bring people together."

Most of all, the players in attendance said the visit was an opportunity to express gratitude for the veterans' service to the country.

"These guys are heroes," running back Tyler Purdy said. "We're so lucky we're able to play this game because of guys like them. It's really special to be able to spend time with them and thank them for everything they've done for us."

A Georgia Southern flavor?: As the JMU coaching staff prepared the Dukes for Wednesday's Boca Raton Bowl, they naturally focused on video from Western Kentucky's previous games. But Chesney said they also spent time breaking down video of Georgia Southern's win over JMU during the regular season.

The connection? Western Kentucky is coached by Tyson Helton. His brother, Clay, is the coach at Georgia Southern.

"I think a lot about this coach being the brother of the coach of probably the team that got the best of us," Chesney said. "What types of things are we going to see that are going to carry over? How can we protect ourselves against, not only Western Kentucky, but also Georgia Southern."

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