CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Alonza Barnett III threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to George Pettaway in the final minute of the first half to give James Madison the lead and the Dukes pulled away in the second half to earn a 30-7 win over Charlotte in a season-opener on Saturday night.
Barnett added a 73-yard touchdown pass to Omarion Dollison a minute into the second half and Ayo Adeyi and Pettaway each ran for fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Noe Ruelas connected on a 43-yard field goal in the final minute of the first quarter to give the Dukes the lead, but Max Brown threw 26 yards to Isaiah Myers for Charlotte's lone score to take a short-lived 7-3 lead.
Barnett completed 10 of 18 pass attempts for 219 yards with an interception and carried nine times for 89 yards to lead James Madison. Adeyi carried 17 times for 41 yards and a score and Pettaway had eight carries for 25 yards.
Brown attempted 45 passes for Charlotte, completing 22 with two interceptions for 193 yards. Terron Kellman had 76 yards on nine carries.
