Tar Heels Look to Stay Undefeated Against James Madison

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ––  Tomorrow, North Carolina (3-0) will face James Madison University (2-0), the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs. 

The Tar Heels have won all meetings against the Dukes by 35 or more points and it is a series that dates back to their first meeting in 2007, where UNC won 37-14. The Dukes are also 3-10 all-time against teams from the ACC.

The game will be UNC’s final non conference matchup as they face Duke on Sept. 28th, meaning that they have one final opportunity to clean up the mistakes.

“We had too many penalties, and that’s not who we are,” head coach Mack Brown said.”We had 17 penalties, 12 of those 17 were pre-snap or post-whistle and we can’t have those. I don’t know where it came from. We will go back to that in practice tomorrow to get that straightened out.” 

While Brown said that the program turned in an unusual number of those calls to the ACC Review Board, senior defensive end Desmond Evans was responsible for the majority of the calls including two for roughing the passer. 

Evans and the rest of the defensive front limited the Eagles to just 10 points and on two occasions prevented them from capitalizing on first-and-goal opportunities. This improved defensive showing is valuable, but it can’t be at the expense of too many penalties.

The Dukes underwent a major roster overhaul in the offseason after their former head coach Curt Cignetti left for the job in Indiana. They lost 19 players to the portal and 12 followed Cignetti to join the Hoosiers. To make up for the deficit, they brought in 26 transfers and are now led by first-year head coach Bob Chesney who was previously coaching at the FCS level with Holy Cross. 

“They play extremely hard, they’re well-coached, and they’ve got a lot of confidence,” said offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. “We’re going to have to play really well. We’re going to play better than we have played so far to win this football game.”

Coach Brown noted that their loaded roster is yet another consequence of the fluidity of the transfer portal highlighting that it can be difficult to accurately assess just how talented they are.

“This is a chance for them to come in here and get a great upset,” he said. “So we’ve got to get ready to go and clean up the things we’ve got to do.”

Former UNC running back George Pettaway is making his first return to Chapel Hill after two seasons where he struggled to make a dent in the depth chart. A four-star prospect out of high school, he and Omarion Hampton were in the same recruiting class and were expected to be the future commanding duo in UNC’s backfield. 

But that expectation never materialized, leading Pettaway to redshirt and find a better fit.

Now, as the No. 2 running back for James Madison, Pettaway has tallied up 114 rushing yards and 65 receiving yards. He had a 33-yard touchdown in the Duke’s win over Charlotte. 

Senior Ayo Adeyi is a new transfer for the Dukes as well, starting ahead of Pettaway, but he’s struggled on the ground a bit tallying just 40 rushing yards on 20 carries. 

JMU’s Alonza Barnett III emerged victorious in the quarterback battle outpacing Washington transfer Dylan Morris to secure the starting position for the Dukes. Barnett is a former high school teammate of defensive lineman Travis Shaw, both of whom attended Grimsely in Greensboro, N.C. His exceptional performance earned him MVP honors during the state championship game. 

However, Barnett faces a significant challenge in jumpstarting the Duke’s offense, which has struggled to find its rhythm early in games. They managed a mere nine first-half points across the entire season. While North Carolina’s offensive prowess lies primarily in Hampton and their formidable run game, a slow start for JMU could prove catastrophic. 

The Dukes, who are coming off a bye, face an uphill battle in their bid to upset North Carolina’s NFL-caliber roster. If their defense fails to contain the Tar Heels’ ground game, the contest could quickly spiral out of control.

The key for the Dukes lies in their ability to establish an early offensive presence and mount a sturdy defense against the run, elements that will be crucial in their quest for a competitive showing against a powerhouse opponent.