The Tar Heels suffered not only one of the most embarrassing losses in program history, but one of the worst losses by a power conference school ever. A struggling James Madison offense absolutely destroyed a Tar Heel defense that came in feeling themselves after a solid start to the season. Here are our takeaways from arguably the worst loss in program history.
This Should Be the Beginning of the End for Mack Brown
No matter how the rest of this season, this should be the game that gets pointed at as the loss that shows it’s time to step away. This is the eighth different loss as a double-digit favorite under Brown and the fourth time they have lost by double-digits as a double-digit favorite. This, like many of those games in years past, will probably what turns the season and lead to the type season that we saw under Larry Fedora at the end of his tenure. Once again, the issues lie on the defensive side of the football, an issue that we were hoping was solved by the hire of Geoff Collins. While Collins has to share a lot of the blame, a lot of this comes back to the fact that the team simply wasn’t prepared for this game, another frustrating issue that we have experienced far too often over the last four years. At some point this has to be seen as unacceptable. The 41-19 loss to East Carolina was the beginning of the end for Larry Fedora and that is probably what today’s game was for Brown.
Defense Lost Any Trust Gained in First Three Games
After showing so much promise in the first three games, the Tar Heel defense put together one of the worst performances we have seen in program history. James Madison’s offense came into the game with just 698 yards of total offense and 43 points scored. The Dukes, who scored just 13 points against an FCS opponent two weeks ago, had surpassed that season point total at the 7:14 mark of the second quarter. The 53 first half points were the most that the Tar Heels have ever allowed in a half and the most James Madison has ever had in a half. The Tar Heel defense allowed 611 yards of total offense and 70 points, which was a record for the most points allowed in a home game and tied the program record for points allowed in any game. Alonza Barnett III, who had been very inconsistent in the first two games, put together a career performance that should have him contemplating sitting out the remainder of the year and using this tape to prepare for the NFL Draft. Barnett entered the game with 354 yards passing and two passing touchdowns, but torched this defense for 388 yards and five touchdowns through the air on Saturday. He also came close to matching his season rushing total with 99 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. The run defense was brutalized too, allowing 223 rushing yards after allowing 205 in the first three games of the season. Geoff Collins now has the incredibly difficult task of trying to get this unit to recover from this.
Turnovers Killed This Team
Last week it was penalties that hurt the Tar Heels, but today it was catastrophic turnovers. As productive as the offense was, they turned the ball over five times leading to 20 points for James Madison, which was the difference in the game. The two interceptions, especially the second one, hurt, but they weren’t nearly as impactful as the three fumbles were. That turnover number doesn’t even account for the punt block that was returned for a touchdown and the onside kick recovery that led to fourteen points. The focus of the staff now needs to be on taking care of the football as they head into conference play against a much higher level of competition.
Offensive Line Takes a Step Back as Well
The Tar Heels offensive line looked really good the past two weeks despite being banged up, but they struggled on Saturday. The running lanes that were there for Omarion Hampton in the previous two games weren't there as often as they needed to be today, forcing Omarion Hampton to have to grind out his 139 yards and three touchdowns. The group also had fits in pass protection, especially on the interior of the unit, as Criswell was pressured more than any Tar Heel quarterback has been so far this season. We knew that this group would have their peaks and valleys this season, but it’s concerning that they were bested by a Group of 5 defensive line today.
Offense Got Some Important Answers to Big Questions
The biggest question that needed solving heading into the game on Saturday was at quarterback and the team has their answer. Jacolby Criswell may have turned the ball over twice, but he proved that he is more than capable of leading the offense this season. He finished Saturday’s game 28-48 for 475 yards, the third-most in program history, and three touchdowns. His performance also helped answer some questions at wide receiver, as he brought out the best performances of the season for the majority of the room. J.J. Jones returned to the type of production that we are used to from him and Kobe Paysour looked like the receiver that he was prior to his broken feet last year. Christian Hamilton showed he can be the deep threat this team needed before he got banged up on the fumble that he had on the opening drive. This offense is now capable of moving the football at a pretty consistent rate, but they will need some help from the offensive line and the defense if it’s going to matter.
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