James Madison scores a school-record 53 points in the first half in a 70-50 win at North Carolina

North Carolina entered Saturday's game against James Madison with a 3-0 record, but how impressive that mark was after wins over Minnesota, Charlotte and North Carolina Central was questionable.

In fact, the Dukes finally answered that question by going to Chapel Hill as 12.5-point underdogs and surprising the Tar Heels 70-50. In a completely crazy game, both teams combined for over 1,000 yards of offense in just three quarters and each team scored a touchdown after a blocked punt.

JMU quarterback Alonza Barnett III threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns and added 99 yards on 13 carries and two more scores to lead James Madison (3-0). Receiver Omarion Dollison caught three passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, while Cam Ross caught seven passes for 107 yards and a score. George Pettaway added 87 yards on the run.

North Carolina appeared to recover late in the first quarter when it took a 14-11 lead on a 28-yard touchdown run by Omarion Hampton. But the Dukes quickly regained the lead (18-14) when Barnett and Dollison connected on a 69-yard touchdown pass.

JMU coach Bob Chesney stayed aggressive and called for an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, which the Dukes recovered. Two plays later, Barnett threw a 50-yard pass to Dollison that led to a 2-yard touchdown run by the sophomore QB and a 25-14 lead.

The Tar Heels cut the deficit to 25-21 on their next possession, capping a 75-yard drive with a touchdown pass from Jacolby Criswell to Bryson Nesbit. But the defense couldn't stop the attack, allowing the Dukes to launch their own 75-yard drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown throw to Ross.

Criswell threw for 475 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions in a no-win game. Kobe Paysour caught four passes for 93 yards and JJ Jones caught five passes for 86 yards. Hampton led the Tar Heels with 139 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

James Madison scored two more touchdowns before halftime, one on a pick 6, and went into the locker room with a 53-21 lead. That's the most points JMU has ever scored in a half and the most North Carolina has ever allowed in a half.

UNC scored a touchdown late in the third inning and added two more in the fourth to perhaps make the final score less embarrassing, but the Dukes scored another touchdown – Barnett caught five touchdown passes on the day – to put 70 points on the Kenan Memorial Stadium scoreboard.

Next Saturday, UNC travels to Duke with kickoff at 4 p.m. ET. James Madison hosts Ball State at 1 p.m. ET.