College Football
Preview
North Carolina vs West Virginia
When: 5:30 PM ET, Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Not many expected West Virginia and North Carolina to be in Duke's Mayo Bowl, but for entirely different reasons.

West Virginia (8-4) was picked last in the preseason Big 12 poll and head coach Neal Brown firmly was on the hot seat. The Mountaineers finished 6-3 in the Big 12, good for a tie for fourth place.

The Mountaineers are probably excited to be here.

North Carolina (8-4) had national championship aspirations and was ranked as high as No. 10 after winning its first six games. But UNC lost four of its final six to finish 4-4 in the ACC, in a three-way tie for sixth place.

The Tar Heels probably are struggling for motivation.

"The goal is to make this an enjoyable experience for our players and to get a ninth win," Brown said when the matchup was announced. "It's a quality matchup, and I have a lot of respect for (North Carolina coach) Mack Brown, what he's done during his coaching career and how he conducts his business.

"They're one of the top 10 offenses in the country, and they're really balanced. We know their personnel well because we recruited a lot of their guys and didn't get them."

One of the nation's best rushing teams, West Virginia is averaging 234.3 yards per game, third among FBS teams. The Mountaineers spread it around, with three different backs rushing for at least 64 yards per game. Jahiem White leads with 72 yards per game. Garrett Greene (13) and CJ Donaldson Jr. (11) each have double figures in touchdowns.

The Duke's Mayo Bowl is West Virginia's 40th bowl appearance, including 19 in the past 22 years. This is the third meeting between the two schools, all in bowl games, with each winning once.

Maybe the mayonnaise bath that goes to the winning coach will help UNC smooth some bruised egos.

"We need to win," Brown said. "I'd let someone hit me with a frying pan 365 days if we won. Mayonnaise is easy."

Brown's biggest concern will be replacing star quarterback Drake Maye, who likely will be selected early in the 2024 NFL Draft. Maye passed for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2023, but he opted out of the bowl game to focus on his preparation for the draft.

He'll be replaced by freshman Conner Harrell.

Harrell has appeared mostly in late-game situations. He played in four games, completing 4-of-6 passes with one touchdown. But he knows it's his time to shine.

"This is an opportunity to prove what I can do, how I can play," Harrell said of his preparation for his first start. "So definitely every practice, no matter if we're in shorts or pads, every throw is an opportunity to show what I can do."

The Tar Heels will be very thin at two other positions: tight end and wide receiver. Bryson Nesbit and John Copenhaver are injured and Kamari Morales is in the transfer portal. The Tar Heels will have no scholarship tight ends making the trip. The only tight end on the depth chart to have caught a pass is redshirt freshman Deems May.

At wide receiver, Devontez Walker's departure for the NFL and Kobe Paysour's foot injury means a lot of attention will be on UNC's fourth-leading receiver in 2023, Nate McCollum.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W‑L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
North Carolina 8-4 L2 36.6 27.1 6-1 2-3 8-4 0-0 4-4
West Virginia 8-4 W2 31.6 27.5 5-1 3-3 3-2 0-1 6-3
Last Meeting
North Carolina West Virginia
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
12/27/08 WVU 31 UNC 30 370 93 277 455 123 332
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
North Carolina T. Yates 60.0 211 2 1
West Virginia P. White 81.2 332 3 1
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
North Carolina S. Draughn 17 65 3.8 0
West Virginia N. Devine 13 61 4.7 1
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
North Carolina H. Nicks 8 217 27.1 3
West Virginia A. Arnett 7 93 13.3 2
Touchdowns Player TD
North Carolina H. Nicks 3
West Virginia A. Arnett 2
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
North Carolina D. Maye 63.3 3608 24 9
West Virginia G. Greene 53.1 2178 15 4
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
North Carolina O. Hampton 234 1442 6.2 15
West Virginia C. Donaldson Jr. 171 798 4.7 11
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
North Carolina D. Walker 41 699 17.0 7
West Virginia D. Carter 27 501 18.6 2
Touchdowns Player TD
North Carolina O. Hampton 16
West Virginia G. Greene 13
Quickchart Matchup
North Carolina North Carolina Off vs  West Virginia West Virginia Def
North Carolina 503.9 yards
West Virginia 384.4 yards
North Carolina 5.2 yards/rush
West Virginia 4.4 yards/rush
North Carolina 8.5 yards/attempt
West Virginia 7.4 yards/attempt
West Virginia West Virginia Off vs  North Carolina North Carolina Def
West Virginia 438.2 yards
North Carolina 405.4 yards
West Virginia 5.3 yards/rush
North Carolina 4.1 yards/rush
West Virginia 7.9 yards/attempt
North Carolina 7.1 yards/attempt