Tag: JMU Football

Defense takes a massive step backwards in Tar Heels’ blowout loss to James Madison

The Tar Heels’ defense turned in one of its worst defensive efforts of head coach Mack Brown’s tenure on Saturday afternoon.

I finally thought that after hiring defensive coordinator Geoff Collins in the offseason, the UNC football team finally fixed its long-standing defensive issues.

Those issues largely looked long-gone in the Tar Heels’ first three games, as they allowed 47 total points and 769 combined yards to Minnesota, Charlotte and NC Central. There were some defensive lapses, as to be expected with even the best units, but also plays North Carolina made it wouldn’t have in season’s past.

On Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium, James Madison exposed all the defensive issues we feared in years’ past.

The Dukes racked up 611 total yards and scored seven offensive touchdowns, with quarterback Alonza Barnett having a hand in all seven, en route to stomping the Tar Heels 70-50.

“Our defense, who played great all spring, all preseason and played outstanding for the first three games, looked awful today,” UNC head coach Mack Brown said. “We had communication problems, we had missed tackles, we had guys wide open for a touchdown.”

North Carolina had a manageable 11-point deficit entering the second quarter, but 28 points essentially put the game out of reach and gave JMU a halftime advantage too large to overcome.

JMU kicker Noe Ruelas added a pair of long field goals, hitting from 50 and 44 yards. The Dukes also scored a pair of defensive touchdowns, blocking a first quarter Ben Kiernan punt and taking a Jacolby Criswell pass 33 yards to the end zone.

The Tar Heels now head back to the drawing board, hoping to solve a regressing unit before opening up ACC play at archrival Duke next weekend.

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New UNC starting QB Jacolby Criswellhas solid game in first start despite turnovers

Jacolby Criswell provided the UNC football team with one of its only positives in a blowout loss against James Madison.

There were hardly any positive takeaways for the UNC football team after Saturday’s poor excuse of a game against James Madison.

The Tar Heels allowed JMU to rack up 611 yards and score 70 points against them. The Dukes scored seven offensive touchdowns, with quarterback Alonza Barnett accounting for all seven (five passing, two rushing), while their defense added two more touchdowns on a blocked punt and pick-six.

If there even was one positive takeaway for North Carolina on Saturday? New starting quarterback Jacolby Criswell, who – despite losing a fumble and throwing a pair of interceptions – threw for a career-high 475 yards and three touchdowns.

Criswell shined particularly on his two first-half touchdown throws. He connected with tight end John Copenhaver for a 35-yard score in the first quarter, then opened up the second quarter scoring when he connected with his starting tight end, Bryson Nesbit, for a 34-yard catch-and-run.

“He made some great throws,” UNC head coach Mack Brown said about Criswell. “Just unbelievable throws. That’s the first real game he started since he’s been here. He started, I think, 4 years ago or something. Played one half. But he made some unbelievable throws today and he’ll just get better and better. And he saw a whole lot of looks, they (JMU) blitzed him a whole lot. He was the one bright spot for sure.”

https://twitter.com/GrantHughesNC/status/1837581914246729967

Criswell’s third and final touchdown pass went to freshman Jordan Shipp, with the freshman catching a 5-yard, over-the-shoulder pass for his first career score.

It’s extremely difficult to think of positives after a game like today, but knowing that North Carolina found its starting quarterback is something to be happy about.

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Former UNC football QB Drake Maye back in Chapel Hill

Drake Maye made his long-awaited return to Chapel Hill on Saturday.

Saturday was an absolute letdown for the UNC football team, which got smacked around by James Madison in the first half en route to a 53-21 halftime deficit.

North Carolina turned the ball over four times, including a pick-six for JMU’s last score of the first half. After showing signs of life early offensively, UNC only scored seven second-quarter points. JMU’s offense scored 38 first-half points, while its defense blocked a punt for a touchdown and recorded a pick-six

While the on-field product was bad, the Tar Heels had a special visitor on the sidelines.

That special visitor was Drake Maye, North Carolina’s 2022 ACC Rookie and Player of the Year, who the New England Patriots chose third overall in this year’s NFL Draft.

Maye impressed during NFL preseason action to the point where his head coach, Jerod Mayo, hinted at Maye possibly being New England’s starter. More recently, Maye made his regular season debut in garbage time against the New York Jets.

If only Maye played defense, the Tar Heels certainly could’ve used him today, as UNC allowed over 400 yards in the first half ALONE.

Maye was in Heisman Trophy contention each of his two seasons (2022 and 2023) in Chapel Hill, only for those campaigns to be undone by North Carolina’s signature, late-season collapses.

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Tar Heels commit too many mistakes early, get blown out by James Madison at home

Saturday afternoon was all kinds of embarrassing for the UNC football team.

I don’t think anyone in Kenan Stadium, or those watching on TV, expected the outcome of Saturday’s UNC-James Madison football game.

The Dukes presented the Tar Heels a significantly tougher challenge than Charlotte or NC Central, but nonetheless, they’re a team the Tar Heels should beat.

JMU ended up being too much of a challenge for North Carolina, dominating the game throughout and winning 70-50 in a game that left many questioning if Mack Brown should still be in Chapel Hill.

The Dukes generated 609 yards of offense, scoring NINE touchdowns and converting two fields goals (50 and 44 yards). JMU quarterback Alonza Barnett accounted for 487 yards of offense and seven touchdowns himself, with five of those coming in the first half.

The Dukes’ defense was anything but stellar, allowing 50 points but they forced five Tar Heel turnovers. UNC starting quarterback Jacolby Criswell, backup QB Conner Harrell and wide receiver Christian Hamilton all fumbled, while Criswell threw a pair of interceptions

Despite all that went wrong for North Carolina, including those turnovers, its offense played fairly well otherwise.

Criswell shined in his first start, throwing for 474 yards and three touchdowns. Omarion Hampton led the Tar Heels’ rushing attack with 139 yards and three scores, while tight ends John Copenhaver and Bryson Nesbit combined for 133 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

JMU exposed a ton of UNC weaknesses today – and I’m genuinely concerned for the rest of the season.

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Tar Heels to see a heavy dose of former running back in Saturday football clash with JMU

It’ll be interesting watching George Pettaway in a James Madison football uniform on Saturday. Can UNC players slow down their former teammate?

Another game day at Kenan Stadium is almost here, with the North Carolina Tar Heels preparing to face the James Madison Dukes, in Week 4 college football action on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET

UNC will be rolling into the final game of its homestand with Jacolby Criswell at starting QB, with head coach Mack Brown announcing the news earlier Friday. You can also count on another big game from running back Omarion Hampton, while the North Carolina defense hopes to continue proving itself as a top unit.

JMU enters Kenan Stadium 2-0 and off a bye week. In terms of players, though, there’s a name the Tar Heels are very familiar with.

That player is running back George Pettaway, who played at UNC in 2022 and 2023, before hitting the transfer portal this offseason. Pettaway didn’t find a ton of success in Chapel Hill, totaling 93 rushing yards and two touchdowns, but he currently leads the Dukes with 114 yards and a score.

Take a look at what North Carolina defensive coordinator Geoff Collins had to say about his players facing Pettaway:

“He was a big topic of conversation,” Collins told InsideCarolina’s Evan Rogers. “Obviously, the guys are familiar with him, have a great deal of respect for him. Like him a lot, dynamic in the backfield. And when they move him out in different spots, out in space, a lot of teams will do that and it’s just a decoy. When they do that with Pettaway, it’s real. I mean, he had that long touchdown right before the half against Charlotte. Other things out in space that he’s doing, he’s an impressive athlete and everybody has a great deal of respect for him.”

There’s no doubt the Tar Heels will be excited to see Pettaway before kickoff, but once that initial whistle sounds, it’s all blood, sweat and tears.

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FTW VIBE CHECK: Hendon Hooker’s stellar start vs. Auburn’s struggles

Let’s take a look at the vibes in college football heading into the weekend’s games.

Welcome back to VIBE CHECK, where we monitor and assess the weekly pulse of college football. Each week, we grade a handful of teams based on their on-field performance, off-field shenanigans (good and bad!), message board chatter, and more. This is very (read: not at all) scientific and should be taken very (read: not at all) seriously.

Happy Friday, everyone. We have an incredible slate waiting for us this weekend with six ranked-ranked matchups, including No. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee. Remarkably we are at the half-way point of the season, and no one team looks totally untouchable. Does this mean we will see a CFP of someone other than just Alabama/Georgia/Ohio State/someone else? Probably not. But let’s pretend it might.

Let’s get to the vibes.