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CFB fans criticize Mack Brown and UNC for allowing 53 points to James Madison in the 1st half | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

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North Carolina had a disastrous first half against James Madison on Saturday, trailing 53-21 at halftime.

JMU quarterback Alonza Barnett III completed 14 of 21 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Barnett also ran for 64 yards and two more scores. Omarion Dollison (two catches, 119 yards, one touchdown) and Cam Ross (6/109/1) both surpassed the 100 mark by halftime. The Dukes also had 418 yards in two quarters.

The first quarter alone was a disaster in terms of defense and special teams.

Tanner Speerman @Subscribe

They just turned the onside kick into a TD

Yet JMU only led 25-21 at the start of the second quarter. However, the Dukes then scored four unanswered touchdowns to continue their decline, the last score being a 33-yard pick-six by Terrence Spence.

Darren Rovell @Subscribe

UNC is paying James Madison $500,000 to play them today.
HALF…
James Madison 53, North Carolina 21.
👀👀👀👀

It was a brutal 30 minutes for UNC and head coach Mack Brown, who received much of the ire on social media afterward.

Patrick Forde @ByPatForde

I apologize for thinking James Madison could score 70 against North Carolina. Now it looks more like 90.

Brett McMurphy @Brett_McMurphy

James Madison scored a total of 43 points in 2 games against Charlotte and Gardner-Webb. The Dukes have 46 points … in 22 minutes at UNC. James Madison leads 46-21

Billy M @BillyM_91

Mack Brown has no business surviving this

Avinash Kunnath @Subscribe

Mack Brown became aware of the power of Cal Twitter this week, saw a trip to Berkeley on the horizon for 2025 and started filling out his retirement papers because… pic.twitter.com/v2zkazedqW

Dan Clouds @DanielClouds

I don't like to write mean things about Mack Brown, who was always a gentleman personally and helpful professionally. But sometimes it is necessary to write mean things.

Anthony Pagnotta (Flounder) @Subscribe

It's Mack Brown's fault for not keeping his team ready week in and week out. It's brutal. https://t.co/8j5TNTjqVS

Tyler Gibbs @derGibbster3000

Bubba should look at this and make the decision to fire Mack Brown today. The program is already in decline and we're sure to miss out on a few recruits, but stop delaying the rebuild. https://t.co/pugkfnlOLH

Ray Rudell @RudellRT

Mack Brown is embarrassingly outdone. The @UNCFootball The team is completely unprepared for this game. It is predictable but daunting.

Zack Pearson @Zack_Pearson

This game alone should be reason enough to end the Mack Brown 2.0 era.
This is just embarrassing.

Stewart Mandel @Subscribe

Guys, this is a real hit.
James Madison 46, UNC 21 … in the second quarter!

Brett Jensen WBT News @Brett_Jensen

Mack Brown's farewell tour begins today. I'm not sure if he'll last the rest of the season.

Brown, 73, is in his second stint as UNC's head coach. He started in Chapel Hill in 1988 and coached there until 1997 before moving to Texas. Brown coached the Longhorns from 1998 to 2013 and returned to UNC in 2019. Brown has 285 career wins, notably leading Texas to an undefeated season and the 2005 national championship. Eight of Brown's teams also finished in the top 10 in the Associated Press poll.

Brown's return to UNC has been an uphill battle, however. The Tar Heels entered Saturday with a 41-27 overall record under Brown since 2019 and a 24-18 record in the ACC. Only one of Brown's teams finished in the top 25 (2020) and four of the five teams lost in a bowl game.

This year's UNC team is off to a 3-0 start with wins over Minnesota, Charlotte and UNC Central, but JMU's performance clearly leaves much to be desired and raises questions about Brown's future.

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