As we wrote in our preview of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the game saw two teams at the same point in the season but with very different outlooks. UNC, frankly, expected much more out of its 2023 campaign. The West Virginia Mountaineers, on the other hand, rolled into the season picked to finish 14th in the Big 12 with their quarterback picked as the worst Power Five starter. That number 14 became a rallying cry, and head coach Neal Brown and his Mountaineers kept the momentum alive tonight. By a final score of 30-10, WVU wins Duke’s Mayo Bowl and caps off their first nine-win season since 2016.
WVU Wins Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Heading into the game, we expected offensive fireworks from both teams. While freshman signal caller Conner Harrell acquitted himself well for the Tar Heels, UNC simply could not cap their drives. As a result, all the fireworks happened on West Virginia’s side of the ball, and the Mountaineers cruised to a lopsided win.
Surprisingly, WVU did not surpass 100 rushing yards until midway through the third quarter. Indeed, their first touchdown came from a 75-yard touchdown pass on the opening play of the opening drive from Garrett Greene to Traylon Ray. West Virginia’s second touchdown came from a punt return touchdown by Beanie Bishop, their first since the Tavon Austin era. Greene finished with 228 passing yards and 64 rushing yards. West Virginia’s only other touchdown in the game came from an 11-yard scamper by Jahiem White.
In total, West Virginia ran just 54 offensive plays. They played outside of their normal script, as they also held the ball for just 25 minutes to North Carolina’s 35. The Mountaineers also played uncharacteristically undisciplined football, finishing with nine penalties for 70 yards.
Defense Wins … Bowls
The Mountaineers defense has been so-so this season, finishing the regular season surrendering 27.5 points per game, good for 77th among FBS teams. Tonight, however, they played sound football defensively. They held UNC to just 10 points and 348 yards. They held the Tar Heels’ strength–their run game–to just 141 yards and under three-and-a-half yards per carry. But for a garbage-time 53-yard scamper by British Brooks, in fact, UNC would have finished with fewer than 100 yards on the ground. As a testament to the strength of its defense tonight, West Virginia held elite back Omarion Hampton to just 62 yards and just over three yards per carry. Lee Kpogba had a lot to do with that.
The Mountaineers forced the Tar Heels into several mistakes, ripping off two interceptions and forcing a third turnover on special teams. They did so by getting back to Defensive Coordinator Jordan Lesley’s roots and dialing up pressure. Indeed, West Virginia piled up seven sacks in Charlotte and got into the backfield plenty of other times. In the first half, Harrell evaded a handful of sacks with his legs. The relentless attack, however, proved too much for the Tar Heels offensive line.
Finishing on a High Note
As WVU wins Duke’s Mayo Bowl, West Virginia fans certainly have to feel good about a season where fans expected very little. Brown, who entered the season firmly on the hot seat, certainly rewarded the school for its loyalty. That said, the Mountaineers have plenty of work to do in the offseason to build on their momentum. They certainly hope to return enough to enter the 2024 season with their first top-25 ranking of the Coach Brown era.
For North Carolina, they certainly hope that the showing by Harrell gives them a legitimate quarterback competition heading into the season. That would certainly be a good problem for Mack Brown‘s Tar Heels to have.
