UNC looks to stay undefeated vs. JMU
by Sharon Thorsland
North Carolina finds itself in a quarterback conundrum headed into Saturday’s game against James Madison.. After losing original starter Max Johnson to a season ending leg injury, the Tar Heels went with sophomore Conner Harrell then brought in grad student Jacolby Criswell. And now they’re planning to stick with a two-quarterback system, according to coach Mack Brown. “We’re just going to look at it and see what we can do to find the hot hand and keep them out there,” said Brown in his post-game press conference. Whoever is out there on Saturday will face at James Madison team that is coming off a historic 11-1 season a year ago, and has started out the 2024 campaign 2-0. The Duke are well-rested, coming off an early bye. Kick-off is set for noon Saturday at Kenan Stadium.
The Dukes have no quarterback controversy, as red shirt sophomore Alonza Barnett runs the offense. He’s a dual threat, with 354 passing yards and two touchdowns to go with 131 rushing yards. Barnett’s favorite targets are Cam Ross and Taylor Thompson, they’ve combined for 10 catches and 132 yards. Senior Omarion Dollison has an 80-yard touchdown grab. But the Dukes like to run the ball first, and the Tar Heels will no doubt recognize their leading rusher. George Pettway played two seasons for UNC before transferring to JMU, where he’s picked up 114 rushing yards and a touchdown. Pettway also has five catches for 65 yards and another score. He and the Dukes will face a UNC defense that is greatly improved over past teams, allowing just 256 yards per game, that’s the fourth lowest in the ACC.
JMU’s defense will have all it can handle with UNC’s running attack, which features All-American Omarion Hampton. He’s fourth in the nation with 416 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Dukes are pretty solid against the run, allowing 120 rushing yards per game. And in spite of losing their entire starting defensive front from last season, they’re stingy when it counts, giving up just 6.5 points a game, that’s 7th in the nation. Senior linebacker Jacob Dobbs leads the team in tackles, and defensive lineman Chris Fitzgerald has a sack and an interception.
The Tar Heels have never lost to JMU and they’re 3-0 on the season, but no one is overlooking the Dukes. They’re coming off an impressive 2023 season, are favored to win the Sun Belt again, and have plenty of talent across the board. But not quite enough to upset UNC, who should move to 4-0 on the season. Go Tar Heels!