North Carolina came into Saturday’s matchup with James Madison with a 3–0 record. Yet how impressive that mark was with victories over Minnesota, Charlotte and North Carolina Central was questionable.
Actually, the Dukes answered that question definitively by going into Chapel Hill as 12.5-point underdogs and stunning the Tar Heels, 70–50. In an utterly bananas game, both teams combined for over 1,000 yards of offense after three quarters and each squad scored a touchdown on a blocked punt.
So far in this game, James Madison has:
Made a 50-yard FG
Recovered a UNC fumble
Blocked a punt for a TD
Had the kicker and longsnapper connect for a 2-pt pass
Hit a 69-yard TD pass
Recovered a surprise onside kickThe first quarter isn’t over yet.
— Tanner Spearman (@tannerspearman) September 21, 2024
Quarterback Alonza Barnett III threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns, adding 99 yards on eight carries with another two scores to lead James Madison (3–0). Receivers Omarion Dollison caught three passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, while Cam Ross notched seven receptions for 107 yards and one score. George Pettaway added 87 yards rushing.
North Carolina appeared to right itself by taking a 14–11 lead late in the first quarter on a 28-yard TD run by Omarion Hampton. But the Dukes quickly went back on top, 18–14, with Barnett and Dollison connecting on a 69-yard scoring pass.
JMU coach Bob Chesney stayed aggressive by calling for an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, which the Dukes recovered. Two plays later, Barnett hit Dollison for a 50-yard pass which led to a two-yard TD run by the sophomore QB and a 25–14 lead.
The Tar Heels closed the deficit to 25–21 on their next possession, finishing off a 75-yard drive with a Jacolby Criswell scoring pass to Bryson Nesbit. Yet the defense couldn’t come with a stop, allowing the Dukes to put together its own 75-yard drive which ended with a six-yard TD throw to Ross.
Criswell threw for 474 yards in a losing effort, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Kobe Paysour had four receptions for 93 yards and J.J. Jones added five catches for 86 yards. Hampton led the Tar Heels with 139 yards rushing and three scores.
James Madison added two more touchdowns before halftime, one on a pick 6, to go into the locker room with a 53–21 lead. That’s the most points JMU has ever scored in a half and the most North Carolina has ever allowed in a half.
UNC scored a touchdown late in the third and added two in the fourth to presumably make the final score less embarrassing. Yet the Dukes got yet another score – giving Barnett five TD passes for the day – to put 70 points on the Kenan Memorial Stadium scoreboard.
Next Saturday, UNC travels to Duke for a 4 p.m. ET kickoff. James Madison hosts Ball State at 1 p.m. ET.
