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James Madison Notches Record-Breaking Blowout of North Carolina

The Dukes scored a school-record 53 points in the first half against the Tar Heels.

Tim Capurso

James Madison Dukes linebacker Jacob Dobbs and linebacker Trent Hendrick celebrate in the first quarter of Saturday's game against North Carolina at Kenan Memorial Stadium.
James Madison Dukes linebacker Jacob Dobbs and linebacker Trent Hendrick celebrate in the first quarter of Saturday's game against North Carolina at Kenan Memorial Stadium. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
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The James Madison Dukes' game against North Carolina, its first against a Power 4 opponent this season, on Saturday figured to be a good litmus test of where the program is at under coach Bob Chesney in his first season at the helm.

And boy have the Dukes passed the test with flying colors, as they blew the doors off the Tar Heels with a record-breaking first half that saw them score a school-record 53 points en route to a 70-50 win.

College football fans, in awe of James Madison, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their amazement at the Dukes' dominance.

First, there was the surprise onside kick that bounced off of a Tar Heels player right into the waiting hands of the Dukes.

As the Dukes kept scoring, fans went over-the-top in their reactions.

North Carolina fans had seen enough after the first half.

The Dukes' scoring onslaught was so overpowering that even the ACC Network couldn't take it anymore.

The second half only went slightly better for North Carolina, which outscored the Dukes 29-17. But the first half deficit was simply too much to overcome, and James Madison emerged with a 70-50 victory.

James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III authored a performance for the ages in the win, as he threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns while adding an additional 99 yards and two more scores on the ground.

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Tim Capurso

TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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