Tag: duke’s mayo bowl

UNC Football vs. WVU: Game preview, info, prediction and more

We preview the ACC matchup between the UNC Football program and WVU.

The North Carolina men’s football program will take on West Virginia in the Dukes Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium.

What felt like the season that UNC would break into the college football relevancy quickly turned after losing to a 2-4 UVA despite being 6-0. After that loss, the Tar Heels playoff hopes derailed, going 2-3 with a gut-wrenching loss to Clemson and blown out of Carter-Finley Stadium with NC State getting the last laugh.

Outside of playing for a mayo bath, UNC is in a unique situation, with many of their key players opting out of the bowl game in preparation for the NFL draft or because they’ve transferred to another school. Winning is always the priority, but getting a good look at the talent that will be utilized next season is right on its heels of importance.

As UNC gets ready for its bowl game, let’s get into our preview for the Tar Heels and West Virginia.

How to watch Wednesday UNC-WVU Duke’s Mayo Bowl game

Here’s how you can watch Wednesday’s Duke Mayo Bowl game for the UNC football program and WVU.

The 8-4 UNC football program will face off against 8-4 West Virginia in the Dukes Mayo Bowl, with the winning coach awaiting a Mayo bath.

This year Mayo Bowl game will take place at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte North Carolina, the same field UNC opened their season on. A lot has changed for the Tar Heels since game one, most importantly being the players available.

UNC will be without some of their top players, including a top two QB in the nation in Drake Maye and defensive star Cedric Gray. All isn’t lost for UNC, with the Tar Heels still having one of the nation’s best running back, and defensive leader Kaimon Rucker at their disposal.

Let’s take a look at how to watch Wednesday bowl game.

UNC-WVU, RADIO, AND STREAMING INFORMATION

WHAT? North Carolina (8-4, 4-4 ACC) vs. West Virginia (8-4,0-0 ACC)

WHEN? Wednesday, Dec. 27th. 5:30 p.m. ET
WHERE? Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte NC
TV? ESPN  (Watch and stream the game live on ESPN)
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network
LINE? N/A
LAST MEETING? WVU won 31-30 on Dec. 27, 2008
ALL-TIME SERIES? Tied 1-1
PREDICTION? UNC 31, WVU 20

 

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How has North Carolina fared in its past 10 Bowl Games?

The Tar Heels don’t have a great track record in bowl games, sporting a 3-7 mark in their last 10. They play West Virginia on Wednesday.

A 6-0 start by the UNC football team had Chapel Hill buzzing like the midst of March Madness.

Outside of an almost slip-up to App State, Carolina won most of those games with ease. Drake Maye stayed in contention for the Heisman Trophy, while Tar Heel fans learned about the sudden superstardom of Omarion Hampton.

This was supposed to be the year UNC proved it belonged atop the ACC. It returned Maye, snatched wide receivers Devontez Walker and Nate McCollum from the transfer portal and returned its few defensive stars, including Cedric Gray and Kaimon Rucker. 

Another epic collapse, which started with a loss to then-1-win UVA and ended with an embarrassment at N.C. State in the regular-season finale, crushed all hopes of an ACC Championship.

Despite this troubling trend of late-season collapses, Carolina continues to find ways to make bowl games. UNC isn’t very good in these games, compiling just a 3-7 record in its last 10 appearances, but it’s made a bowl game in all but two years since 2013.

The Tar Heels have a chance to pick up a rare bowl win on Wednesday, Dec. 27 at 5:30 p.m. ET, as it takes on the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. UNC last played in this bowl during 2021, when it lost to South Carolina.

Let’s take an extended look back in the Heel’s past 10 bowl appearances, starting with last year against Oregon.

Kaimon Rucker announces return for fifth year in hilarious video

Kaimon Rucker is a leader on the UNC football squad’s largely-struggling unit. Will be see him back in Tar Heel Blue next year?

With the spread formation being commonplace across today’s college football world, it’s become increasingly difficult for defenders to generate pressure on the opposing quarterback.

Established powerhouses, like Alabama and Georgia, have the recruits and athletes to break through the spread. Some teams have quarterbacks who hold the ball too long, which leads to increased sack opportunities for the defensive line.

Early in 2023, the UNC football team actually did a phenomenal job in generating pressure. Carolina sacked South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler nine times in Week 1, rode a few strong defensive performances to a 6-0 start, then collapsed to fall out of fringe CFP and ACC Championship contention.

Despite all the defensive struggles, there’s been one constant within the unit – Kaimon Rucker, the starting senior Jack linebacker from Hartwell, Ga.

Rucker led the Tar Heels with 14 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.

Rucker’s play definitely warrants himself a place on an NFL roster, but is he going that route?

He makes you think so, but NOPE!

Rucker teases Tar Heel Nation early in the video, thanking them for a great four years. He then starts to walk off screen and – BAM – he comes back.

Not only will Rucker return for his COVID year in 2024, he’ll also be playing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl next week. This will be a much-needed reinforcement for a depleted roster, with several players opting out to focus on the NFL Draft.

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UNC and West Virginia have super-brief football history against each other

The UNC and West Virginia football teams have only played each other twice before. They’ll face off again in the 2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Before they respectively joined the ACC and Big 12, did you know that UNC and West Virginia were – long before any of us were born – in the same conference?

While they’re 6.5 hours away from each other, UNC and West Virginia were both members of the Southern Conference from 1950-1952. Surprisingly, a football matchup between the two upcoming Duke’s Mayo Bowl opponents never happened in those three years.

Carolina and the Mountaineers didn’t play each other until late in the 20th century, then waited another 11 years between matchups. Both teams sit at 8-4 ahead of next week’s bowl clash.

West Virginia is in a significantly better spot, winning four of its last five games (UCF, BYU, Cincinnati, Baylor). The Mountaineers dropped their season opener to Penn State, then broke off four consecutive wins.

UNC is the exact opposite, bursting out to a 6-0 start before losing games to UVA and Georgia Tech – both whom are opponents it should have dominated. The Tar Heels rebounded with back-to-back wins against Campbell and Duke, but defensive issues re-surfaced in losses to Clemson and N.C. State.

Even though there’s not a ton to speak on between these two teams, let’s go back a couple decades and revisit the first two UNC-WVU matchups. With both teams splitting the first two clashes, you could say the Duke’s Mayo Bowl will decide the best of three.

Gene Chizik says we’ll see more freshman nab playing time in Duke’s Mayo Bowl

With the UNC football team having nothing to lose in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, defensive coordinator Gene Chizik will go deep into his roster.

Defense and the UNC football team don’t go well together.

We thought they did early in the season, as the Tar Heels jumped out to a 6-0 record and beat most opponents with relative ease. A 9-sack performance against South Carolina and holding Syracuse to single-digits had Tar Heel Nation believing – had UNC finally solved its historically, underperforming unit?

Think again.

In consecutive weeks, a pair of struggling UVA and Georgia Tech programs combined for over 1,000 yards against Carolina. We thought the woes went away with back-to-back wins against Campbell and Duke, but they resurfaced against a pair of middle-of-the-road offenses in Clemson and N.C. State.

With UNC having not much left to play for, expect for its first bowl victory since 2019, defensive coordinator Gene Chizik plans to give more playing time to a trio of freshman – Kaleb Cost, Tre Miller and Amare Campbell.

“Kaleb Cost is gonna be a guy you see more of than you’ve been seeing all year,” Chizik told Inside Carolina. “It’s a great opportunity for him – he gets three weeks to get ready. You’ll see Try Miller –we planned on playing him more earlier in the year, and then he had some health issues that set him back. Every time he seemed like he was going to move forward, he’d take a step back. We expect to see and play him a good bit at the corner spot. That’s great opportunities for him there. Amari Campbell, who is a guy that we probably should’ve played more during the year, he’s going to get his opportunity. Three young guys that are all freshmen, you’re going to see a god bit of. They’ve had good work and we expect them to play well. It’ll be interesting.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1AcMt1vRkR/

Campbell, a linebacker, registered 10 tackles (eight solo, one for loss) across 10 games. He also made a highlight play in UNC’s win over Syracuse, intercepting a Garrett Shrader pass and returning it 19 yards.

Miller, a defensive back, recorded a lone tackle in the Campbell game. According to UNC’s official stats, Cost has not appeared in a game this year.

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Paysour injures other foot, will now miss Duke’s Mayo Bowl

UNC’s deep wide receiver corps is even more depleted now, with Kobe Paysour breaking his foot this week. Who will Conner Harrell throw to?

Just last week, the UNC football team learned it was getting wide receiver Kobe Paysour back for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Paysour is the Heels’ number five receiver in terms of receiving yardage, which would be a huge boost to a unit that lost Devontez Walker to the NFL Draft. Carolina’s plan was to have a receiving corps that consisted of J.J. Jones, Bysonson Nesbit and Georgia Tech transfer Nate McCollum.

UNC’s now going to have one less amongst that group.

On Wednesday, Dec. 20, InsideCarolina announced that Paysour will now miss the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 27 with a broken foot.

This injury definitely has an impact on the receiving corps, particularly one with a new quarterback in Conner Harrell under center. Harrell showcased what he can do in UNC’s blowout win over Campbell, but he has yet to start a game for the Tar Heels yet.

While Paysour won’t be playing in next week’s bowl game, I expect he’ll return to Chapel Hill next Fall. He’ll likely have a more featured role in the offense, alongside J.J. Jones and Nate McCollum atop the depth chart.

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Current ticket prices for UNC football vs. West Virginia in Duke’s Mayo Bowl

A look at the ticket prices for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl matchup between the UNC football program and West Virginia.

The regular season didn’t end as planned for the North Carolina Tar Heels as they lost two-straight games to Clemson and NC State to finish 8-4 overall and 4-4 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. With just one game left in the year, the Tar Heels are preparing to face off against West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

The game presents a chance for the Tar Heels to end the season on somewhat of a positive note. But they will have to do so without a handful of key starters including Drake Maye, Tez Walker and Cedric Gray, all opt-outs for the game.

For those looking to take the trip to Charlotte, tickets are still somewhat affordable but maybe a little higher than expected.

As of Monday, SeatGeek has tickets listed from $95 to $1,252 per ticket. Many of the 300-level tickets are in the range of $95-$205.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Duke’s Mayo Bowl tickets at Seat Geek” link=”https://seatgeek.pxf.io/Wqv7dZ”]

With the game being in Charlotte, it’s right in UNC’s backyard. But Morgantown isn’t that far away with just over a 6-hour drive. It should be a good representation for both teams.

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Conner Harrell excited for QB1 opportunity in Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Drake Maye’s declaration for the NFL Draft has thrust Conner Harrell into the QB1 spot for the UNC football team. Harrell’s ready to shine.

If he weren’t a top prospect for the 2024 NFL Draft, there’s a good chance Drake Maye would be quarterback UNC in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 27.

With Maye being arguably the 2024 NFL Draft’s top quarterback prospect and Carolina’s bowl game not having major implications, he decided to opt out and instead, make a decision best for his future.

It would be great to see Maye light up the field one last time, but I completely understand his decision.

Maye’s decision, however, opens up the door for yet another talented quarterback to show Tar Heel Nation his skillset against West Virginia.

That young man is none other than Conner Harrell, a redshirt freshman from Alabaster, Ala. whose 2023 highlight play was a 61-yard touchdown run against Campbell.

Harrell actually spoke to the media on Thursday, Dec. 14, addressing his sudden rise to QB1 status:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C01pSbdsavJ/

“I’m blessed to have the opportunity and blessed to be in this position,” Harrell told the media. “I’m just taking advantage of it (being QB1) every day in every practice. Drake (Maye) left, now it’s my turn to be loud and be that leader. You always have to be prepared, no matter what, because my number could’ve been called at any second in the season. I take that preparation that I’ve being doing all year and now multiply, add onto it so it’s a smooth transition.”

Harrell played in four games this year, with his most extensive action being in relief of Maye against Campbell. He finished the 59-7 Carolina victory with 132 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns.

Harrell was also quite the football player at Thompson High School, throwing for 84 touchdowns, nearly 6,500 career yards and leading his team to two state championships.

It still remains to be seen whether Harrell or Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson will be QB1 next year, but a strong performance from Harrell in two weeks could give him the early leg up.

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Tar Heels getting much-needed, offensive reinforcement for Duke’s Mayo Bowl

UNC wide receiver Kobe Paysour broke his foot in mid-October. There’s a strong chance he suits up for the Tar Heels in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

When the UNC football team started its 2023 campaign 6-0, it had sights set on something greater than just any old bowl game.

Carolina was ranked 10th in the AP Poll after Week 6, putting it ahead of current College Football Playoff team Alabama. There was still an outside chance, but the Tar Heels were attempting to defy the odds and make the CFP.

A loss to UVA put a major dent in those hopes, while a loss to Georgia Tech the following week ended them. Regular season-ending defeats against Clemson and N.C. State – also in consecutive weeks – slipped UNC from a possible New Years’ Six bowl to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Several Carolina stars and highly-ranked NFL Draft prospects, most notably Devontez Walker and Drake Maye, have opted out. Their sights are set on staying healthy for long NFL careers. While it’d be great to see the electric duo playing, I don’t blame either of them for looking ahead in the future.

The Tar Heels are getting one important part of their offense back for their bowl game, though, as sophomore wide receiver Kobe Paysour will return from a broken foot sustained in mid-October.

Paysour was one of UNC’s top receivers before he injured himself, catching 22 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns in just five games. He still sits ahead of Carolina’s number two tight end in John Copenhaver, who played in all 12 regular-season games and finished with 279 receiving yards.

Particularly with Walker opting out, Paysour’s likely going to be looked to more in the passing game. He has an early opportunity to develop rapport with new UNC QB1 Conner Harrell, who takes over for Maye.

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