UNC's offense lags behind after JMU's high-scoring first half

North Carolina’s offense couldn’t keep up.

With only a minute remaining in an already tumultuous first half that found UNC down 46-21, graduate quarterback Jacolby Criswell slung a pass to sophomore wide receiver Chris Culliver in the middle of the field. 

Instead of a first down, JMU’s Terrence Spence jumped the route, picking off the ball and sprinting 33 yards into the end zone. 

Another touchdown. James Madison’s seventh of the first half. 

The Dukes scored 53 points in the first 30 minutes of play. It was the most points the Tar Heels have allowed in a first half, ever. And North Carolina couldn’t answer. 

In UNC’s stunning 70-50 loss to JMU on Saturday in Kenan Stadium, the North Carolina offense didn’t cause the bleeding, but it certainly didn’t help. Even as the defense allowed James Madison to relentlessly storm down the field, incomplete passes, turnovers and offensive missteps in the first half pushed the Tar Heels further down into a hole they could never get out of. 

“Embarrassing day, shocking day,” head coach Mack Brown said. “You shouldn’t be at North Carolina and lose to a Group of Five team. Period.”

The Dukes got whatever they wanted, and when it mattered, the Tar Heels didn’t. 

While JMU put up 28 points in the second quarter, UNC’s mistakes piled on. 

In that time, North Carolina only found the end zone once. 

Down 39-21, sophomore quarterback Conner Harrell — who briefly entered the game after Criswell’s helmet came off the play before — fumbled the snap. JMU recovered and on the next play, scored another touchdown. 

When Harrell sat on the bench on UNC’s sideline, he smashed his helmet into the turf between his feet. 

On North Carolina’s next drive, Criswell launched a pass for junior wide receiver Gavin Blackwell on the James Madison sideline. Instead, Spence got his body in front of Blackwell’s and picked the ball off. 

Criswell walked to the sideline with his head low. He didn't look up, even as a teammate tapped him on the back. 

Five turnovers. Incomplete passes and the pick-six followed. At halftime, North Carolina sluggishly exited the field to a cacophony of booing. 

“I’m embarrassed,” Brown said. “I’m embarrassed for our whole program that we would put a product like that on the field. I feel really bad about that.”

And by the time UNC’s offense found some rhythm in the second half, it was too late. Saturday marked only the second time Brown lost when his team scored more than 40 points. 

As for the reason behind the early offensive blunders, the head coach didn’t have an answer. 

“[Our offense] scored 50, so it would be hard to say they had a bad day,” Brown said. 

It didn’t matter that junior running back Omarion Hampton rushed for three touchdowns for the second straight week. Or that five receivers tallied more than 50 receiving yards. 

It made no difference that Criswell, in his first start of the season, threw for 475 yards and three touchdowns. 

The 29 points in the second half weren’t enough, either. 

“We were in such a hole,” Brown said. “We couldn’t get out.” 

@carolinewills03

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