“Embarrassing. Shocking”: North Carolina football stunned after JMU routs Tar Heels, 70-50

Mack Brown’s hat hit the floor. After a Bryson Nesbit basket catch was ruled incomplete with 10 minutes left in the second quarter, the coach took off his Carolina blue hat. He threw it to the turf, his headset falling off.

Picking up his belongings, Brown paced the sideline as his team fell apart before him.

If the Tar Heels (3-1) wanted to create chaos under defensive coordinator and “Minister of Mayhem” Geoff Collins, they certainly succeeded. North Carolina’s defensive showing on Saturday was disorderly and haywired — to pick out a few fitting adjectives.

In a 70-50 loss to James Madison (3-0), North Carolina tied the record for the most points given up in a game in program history.

“Embarrassing day,” Brown said after the loss. “Shocking day. You shouldn’t be at North Carolina and lose to a Group of Five team. Period. There are no excuses.”

To place the blame solely on Collins, as easy as it may be, is shortsighted.

North Carolina’s defensive woes are a systemic, pervasive issue. Saturday is yet another indication that no matter the transfers brought in, the top recruits plucked from across the Southeast or the latest defensive coordinator peddling his snake oil schemes, the Tar Heels haven’t been able to build a reliable defense over the course of a decade.

UNC has allowed 60 or more points six times since the turn of the century. Only two of those opponents were Power Five teams.

This is part of what Brown sought to shore up in his return to Chapel Hill. And after the loss on Saturday, with his face red and visibly emotional, Brown took the blame and placed it firmly on his shoulders.

The coach did all of the talking after the game. No players were made available to the media.

“It can only come back to one person, and that’s me,” Brown said. “I’ve hired everybody on the staff. I hired everybody that works in this building, and I’ve signed every player on this team. So, I mean, the people that want to blame me? They should. Because I am at fault.”

‘I have no idea what happened’

Mack Brown’s return in 2019 energized a Tar Heel fan base left weary from rough stretch. A combined 5-18 record over two seasons, to be exact.

The UNC defense under coach Larry Fedora struggled from defensive miscommunication on passing routes and mental mistakes — all deemed correctable in his eyes.

2014, in particular, stands out. That’s the last time — the only other time — UNC gave up 70 points, in a blowout loss to ECU. Thus began a lengthy, treacherous fall that many consider to be one of the worst defensive seasons in program history. The defensive coaching staff turned over. Gene Chizik came and went (for the first time).

And yet, years later, little has changed. Many of the same excuses espoused by Fedora were regurgitated on Saturday — this time from Brown’s mouth.

“We just didn’t communicate,” Brown said. “I don’t know why. I have no idea what happened … we had guys in the wrong place. I thought after the first drive they got frustrated and started trying to do too much.”

The defensive coordinator position has been a revolving door under Brown, who replaced Jay Bateman with Chizik, and then Chizik with Collins.

The same can be said for other defensive coaching positions. Former Tar Heel great Dre Bly reeled in numerous blue-chip recruits as a cornerbacks coach but failed to develop that talent. Defensive line coach Tim Cross — who left with Chizik in January — struggled to discipline his players, according to sources close to the program.

“You know, we weren’t very good on defense when we got here,” Brown said in January, speaking at the introductory press conference for Collins and defensive line coach Ted Monachino. “We were really good on offense and a lot of the offensive players have been drafted. So we continue to get better defensive players. Jay Bateman just got the defensive coordinator job at Texas A&M so sometimes it’s just the circumstances.”

And yet, amidst a variety of circumstances, schemes and personnel shifts, the outcome for the Tar Heels’ defense has remained steadily disappointing.

‘I’m embarrassed’

Collins wants his guys to play violent. He got that on Saturday. Even his most mature players showed signs of breaking as JMU’s onslaught continued, with defensive lineman Josh Harris earning an unnecessary roughness flag and subsequent 15-yard penalty in the second quarter. He jogged to the sideline, took his helmet off, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Two JMU touchdowns later, UNC quarterback Jacolby Criswell had his helmet blown off. When he exited the field, Conner Harrell replaced him and immediately fumbled the ball.

JMU recovered and scored on a 27-yard touchdown run by quarterback Alonza Barnett III.

The Dukes on the sideline embraced, hugging each other as if they’d just won the game. In essence, they had.

The Tar Heels had given up 46 points — the most in a half in program history. Seven minutes remained in the second quarter.

And as Barnett III celebrated in the end zone — with a mockingly joyous TikTok dance in front of the UNC student section — the college crowd emptied.

Perhaps that was the most orderly aspect of UNC’s loss — the way the students lined up single file to exit Kenan Stadium. To sulk back to their dorms and apartments and far, far away from the disaster that had just played out in front of their eyes.

It’s a Carolina tradition of sorts. One that’s become as synonymous to this generation of UNC fans as lighting the Bell Tower blue.

“I felt bad for our fans and our students that came for them to have to look at something like that,” Brown said. “And again, there’s only one place to put it, and that is on me. 100%. I got big shoulders. I’m embarrassed for our whole program that we would put a product like that on the field.”