Believe it or not, there was some good news for UNC and N.C. State on a comically embarrassing college football Saturday.

Starting with a breakdown of the bad news, UNC suffered an epic letdown in a 70-50 loss to James Madison, matching the Tar Heels‘ worst defensive performance in program history as the Dukes became the first opponent to reach 70 at Kenan Stadium.

James Madison averaged 60.5 points in four losses to UNC basketball.

Members of the Sun Belt Conference, the Dukes also received a payout of $500,000 from UNC for playing Saturday, according to a contract obtained by the USA TODAY Network. 

The Tar Heels have lost eight games as a double-digit favorite since head coach Mack Brown returned to Chapel Hill in 2019, including four losses by double digits.

UNC football’s first-half fiasco

Before Saturday’s beatdown, the Dukes lost their previous three games against UNC by an average margin of nearly 28 points. On Saturday, JMU was up 32 at halftime.

The Dukes scored 53 first-half points, reeling off five straight touchdown drives before halftime, and finished with 611 total yards. JMU quarterback Alonza Barnett III accounted for 487 yards and seven TDs. UNC finished with five turnovers.

What happened to UNC vs James Madison?

While the Dukes were taking UNC’s money and beating the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, N.C. State was being throttled in its ACC opener at Clemson. The Wolfpack never arrived in Death Valley, losing 59-35, allowing the second-most points in series history.

The Tigers scored 28 points in the first 13 minutes and didn’t looked threatened, dropping N.C. State to 7-27 against ranked opponents under 12th-year coach Dave Doeren. The Wolfpack had three turnovers and Clemson racked up 523 total yards.

The offseason promised changes for UNC’s defense under first-year defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, but the Tar Heels have shown more of the same through four games.

NC State football’s great expectations dashed

N.C. State entered the year with the embrace of expectations to compete for the ACC championship and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Through four games, including two blowout losses to Tennessee and Clemson, it looks like the Wolfpack is destined for another year without double-digit wins.

So what’s the good news for UNC and N.C. State entering the first day of fall on Sunday?

For the Heels, top-ranked recruit AJ Dybantsa was in Chapel Hill on Saturday for an official visit with UNC basketball and Hubert Davis. Dybantsa is considered the best player in the class of 2025.

For the Pack, the good news arrived in the latter stages of the football loss at Clemson when 2025 four-star recruit Zymicah Wilkins announced his commitment to Kevin Keatts and N.C. State.

We’re one day closer to the release of the full 2024-25 schedule, which will be announced Tuesday on ACC Network.

Welcome to college basketball season in North Carolina.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Good news after UNC loss to James Madison, NC State loss at Clemson