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Instant Reaction: JMU Football Destroys UNC, 70-50

Bennett Conlin

JMU football just wrapped up a commanding 70-50 win over North Carolina, moving the Dukes to 3-0 and giving them a massive win over an ACC foe. It’s the second consecutive season JMU beat an ACC team, with the Dukes beating UVA last fall.

While it’s still very early in the 2024 season, the Dukes enter the College Football Playoff conversation. They’re one of a handful of Group of Five teams with wins over Power Four teams this season, and they’re an early favorite to contend for the playoff out of the Sun Belt.

Here’s our instant analysis of the game. 

Bennett Conlin, JMUSN co-founder: That game was insane! JMU scored 53 first-half points, as Alonza Barnett put up video game numbers and Terrence Spence looked like the most dynamic DB in the country. Spence recorded two interceptions and blocked a punt that was returned for a score. After a sluggish performance against Gardner-Webb in Week 2, JMU was anything but sluggish against UNC. That was an incredible showing. 

Barnett finished with nearly 500 yards of offense and seven TDs. He didn’t turn the ball over. He looked like the best player on the field for either team for much of the afternoon, and JMU fans might soon forget about Jordan McCloud’s 2023 season if Barnett keeps this up.

There’s still a lot of season left, but my immediate reaction is that JMU is going to be in the College Football Playoff conversation in November. This team is explosive on offense, defense, and special teams. That combination will work exceptionally well in league play.

Now, allowing 600+ yards and 50 points to UNC’s QB3 gives me some legit concerns. The 12 penalties for 105 yards were also an issue. Still, the Sun Belt East isn’t as much of a gauntlet this year compared to previous years, and the Dukes have a lot to build off from this game. It wasn’t perfect, but JMU beat an ACC team with a less-than-perfect game. That is highly encouraging.

Jack Fitzpatrick, JMUSN co-founder: Wow. That’s really all the reaction. Just wow.

After the Gardner-Webb disaster I truthfully came into this game with very low expectations. A competitive loss, for me, would’ve been a win. But wow. Dukes dominate. Barnett had 7 total TDs, a new school record, in just his fourth start. He is legit and extremely talented.

Chesney and company made the right call and OC Dean Kennedy being down on the sidelines seemed to make a huge difference. The offense has a hit a gear that I didn’t think existed. I could be a little worried about the defense but I’ll wait on that. Because 70 points is damn impressive and a win by 20 is a win by 20. Wow. What a game. What a win. What a team and what a coaching staff.

Sully Haq, JMUSN on-campus contributor: This team just proved why they deserved our patience through the first two games of the season. Say what you want about UNC not being at full strength at QB, dropping 70 on an ACC opponent is something any college football team can be proud of. JMU was legitimately bullying UNC during moments, such as the onside kick recovery.

I thought it was going to have to be a mistake-free game to beat UNC, but there were some moments of error like Cam Ross’s fumble and Ryan Hanson’s blocked punt. The explosive plays on offense and forced turnovers on defense are what won JMU this game. I try not to be a conspiracy theorist, but there could be some truth to the idea that Chesney intentionally hid a lot of the Dukes’ explosive plays in their game plan against Gardner-Webb.

Now it’s important to remember there other G5 teams such as Memphis and NIU that have gotten upset wins this season, so the Dukes are still going have to play exceptional football for the rest of the season, but it is now reasonable to start daydreaming a little about a CFB Playoff berth.

Chase Kiddy, close friend of JMUSN and longtime JMU football expert: How is it possible to have one singular takeaway from this game? It’s like having one opinion about literature, or music, or the universe. It’s just too big to be summed up in a paragraph or two.

I mean, this game was the equivalent of the Stefon skits on Saturday Night Live. It had everything. Incredible interceptions! Blocked punts! Surprise onside kicks! Fourth downs on the wrong side of the field! Special teams players throwing two-point conversions! More blocked punts! 
At one point, it felt like JMU might score 100 points. An hour later, it felt like JMU might blow a 30-something point lead. It was like doing mushrooms and jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. 
Let’s boil it down to two takeaways. If the Gardner-Webb game showed JMU fans the 2024 floor, maybe a magical first half against UNC showed us the ceiling. Barnett chucking bombs, an imperfect but aggressive defense, and incredible execution on special teams.
But let’s be careful about getting too high on the supply. This was an absolute blowout where UNC still finished with more total yards than JMU. The Dukes won because of an avalanche of turnovers and big plays that feels totally unsustainable over the course of a full season. The defense was up and down, to say the least. 
Still, I thought the offense put together some of its best drives of the season while the result still hung in the balance, and in my opinion, that looked like the biggest positive takeaway with Sun Belt play on the horizon. 

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications

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