CHAPEL HILL – To his credit, Mack Brown owned Saturday’s debacle.

He took the blame for North Carolina’s embarrassing 70-50 loss to James Madison at Kenan Stadium, and he should have.

This is his program. It’s his team. Everyone in the building is there because Brown wants them there.

This is Brown’s program, this is his team, and Saturday was the low point of his second stint at the helm of the Tar Heels.

“It can only come back to one person and that’s me,” said Brown, who appeared drained and almost in a post-emotional stage. “I’ve hired everybody that works on this staff, I’ve hired everybody that works in this building and I’ve signed every player on this team. So, the people that want to blame me, they should. Because I am at fault, 100%.”

Brown wouldn’t say it’s the low point when asked, he needs time to absorb it and decide. But when he does, and the game film is in the rearview mirror, meetings with the coaching staff are concluded, and the team as a whole puts to bed this outing, sometime Sunday evening, Brown likely will have one conclusion: This is the low point.

It’s rock bottom, and it’s rock bottom in so many ways.

A defense that had played well through the first three games and appeared headed in a respectable direction simply imploded. JMU quarterback Alonza Barnett ran 38 on the first play of the game. And he and the Dukes never stopped.

Carolina did not appear ready to play on that side of the ball, an all-too-common theme in recent years. The plan didn’t invite plaudits, and whatever adjustments that were attempted were of no use.

With 7 minutes and 11 seconds left in the first half, JMU had scored more points in a half against UNC than any team since Carolina started playing football in 1888. The Dukes tacked on another touchdown a few minutes later to take a 53-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.