JMU football score: Alonza Barnett III, Dukes drop 53 first-half points in record-setting upset win vs. UNC

Sarah Effress

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JMU football score: Alonza Barnett III, Dukes drop 53 first-half points in record-setting upset win vs. UNC image

North Carolina was a double-digit favorite heading into its matchup with James Madison. The Dukes, however, would hear none of it following kickoff in Chapel Hill on Saturday morning.

To the chagrin of Tar Heels fans, JMU built an 11-point lead within the first five minutes of the game. UNC surged back with two scores on its next two possessions, but it took just two plays for the Dukes to regain the lead for the remainder of the half.

Over the course of the first 30 minutes of play, JMU punched in seven touchdowns and a field goal to mark the highest scoring half in program history. It also happened to be the most points UNC has allowed in any half ever, first or second, leading to the Tar Heels being booed off the field at the break by their own fans.

Despite a rousing effort by North Carolina in the second half, the damage was done. JMU was outscored by 12 points before the final whistle but still came away with the 70-50 win, starting the season 3-0 for the fifth year in a row.

Here's everything to know about the Dukes' halftime score, including how quarterback Alonza Barnett III and JMU dropped 53 points on UNC in two quarters.

MORE: Times, TV channels, live streams to watch Saturday NCAA Week 4 games

James Madison vs. North Carolina box score

Team1234F
JMU252871070
UNC147171250

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The Dukes kicked things off with a quick 1:24 drive ending in a 50-yard field goal from kicker Noe Ruelas. JMU's special teams was to thank for the team's next score—Jayden Mines returned a blocked punt to go up nine before Ruelas faked the extra point for a successful two-point conversion pass to Jack Mowrey. 

UNC would take the lead afterward, scoring on its next two drives. But the Dukes returned the favor and did the same thanks to a 69-yard passing touchdown from Barnett to Omarion Dollison and a rushing score from the quarterback as well. The Tar Heels would score once more before halftime but it was all JMU after that.

Barnett finished out the second quarter with two consecutive passing touchdowns followed by one more on the ground himself and the defense would earn the final score. Terrence Spence intercepted UNC's Jacolby Criswell on 2nd & 18 from Carolina's 17-yard line, running it back for a pick six and rounding out the Dukes' half up 32.

It was certainly a tale of two halves, however. UNC only allowed one score by the Dukes in the third quarter—a 7-yard touchdown pass from Barnett to Dylan Williams—while chipping away at the lead throughout. The Tar Heels started off with a field goal, then tacked on touchdowns off a 15-yard run and a 34-yard return off a blocked punt, just as JMU did in the first half.

The score at 60-38 Dukes heading into the fourth, the Tar Heels would not give up despite their win probability nearing zero. Ruelas would hit another field goal for JMU and Barnett threw a final touchdown pass to Logan Kyle amidst two UNC scores in the final 15 minutes. Criswell had a much better performance in the second half, but it was too-little-too-late and JMU dealt North Carolina its first loss of the season. 

How much did UNC pay JMU to play in 2024?

Per a contract obtained by the USA TODAY Network, UNC payed JMU $500,000 to lose at home in Chapel Hill.

Alonza Barnett III stats

  • Comp/Att: 22/34
  • Pass yards: 388
  • Pass TD: 5
  • INT: 0
  • Carries: 13
  • Rush yards: 99
  • Rush TD: 2

Barnett's first score of the game was a thing of beauty—a deep shot to Dollison for a 69-yard score. It came on a free play, so the quarterback could have done anything he so pleased, but he just so happened to locate Dollison downfield and make a stunning completion to give JMU back the lead in the first quarter.

He ran the next one in himself and then completed touchdown passes to Cam Ross for six yards and Taylor Thompson for 13 yards, the latter coming after a 42-yard completion to Ross topped by a roughing the passer call that got JMU into the red zone.

Barnett's final touchdown of the half, a 27-yard rushing score, was the only play of the drive. The Dukes' defense continued to impress throughout the first half and caused a fumble on the previous drive to give the offense great field position.

North Carolina's defense came out of the locker room with a chip on its shoulder and held Barnett to just one passing touchdown in the third quarter. After starting the fourth with a field-goal drive, the quarterback threw his fifth touchdown of the day with 4:26 to go in regulation, setting a program record for most total scores in a single game with seven including his two rushing touchdowns. 

Jacolby Criswell stats

  • Comp/Att: 28/48
  • Pass yards: 475
  • Pass TD: 3
  • INT: 3
  • Carries: 8
  • Rush yards: 5
  • Rush TD: 0

Criswell didn't actually have that bad of a game, JMU just had a really really good one. He still threw for two touchdowns in the first half for a combined 69 yards and led another scoring drive where Omarion Hampton punched in a 28-yard run. 

It was the Carolina defense that stepped up in the second half, allowing Criswell & Co. to work on closing the gap. The Tar Heels opened the third quarter with a field goal drive and tacked on another rushing effort from Hampton and a score off a blocked punt. Both touchdowns came with two-point tries, one of which was successful. 

Criswell threw his third score of the game in the final frame, a 5-yard pass to Jordan Shipp, after Hampton was able to punch in another six points. Conversions on both of UNC's fourth quarter efforts would fail as well, but the quarterback still threw for nearly 500 yards despite three interceptions along the way.

Sarah Effress

Sarah Effress Photo

Sarah Effress is an editorial intern for The Sporting News. She is a recent graduate of Northwestern University, and loves to talk soccer and women's college sports.