Big 12 Football: Duke's Mayo Bowl Preview-West Virginia vs. UNC
It's officially bowl season where we are gifted with 42 games this year and plenty of obscure names. Look no further than the Duke's Mayo Bowl between West Virginia and North Carolina.
The game will be played on Wednesday, December 27th at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN. Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte will be the host. WVU is currently favored by 6.5 points.
This is the third matchup between the two teams and the first since 2008 where West Virginia won 31-30. The Mountaineers had a pretty successful season finishing 8-4, tied for fifth in the Big 12. They picked up a 24-21 win over TCU in September improving their record to 4-1 and looked like a legitimate contender for the conference championship. However, back-to-back losses to Houston and Oklahoma State derailed those chances.
West Virginia relied on a heavy ground attack on offense finishing with 2,812 yards which was No. 1 amongst Power 5 schools. They were also No. 1 in the Big 12 in fewest sacks allowed per game. I would certainly expect that trend to continue. They will be without their leading rusher, CJ Donaldson, so expect a heavy dose of Jahiem White.
The Tar Heels are playing in their fifth bowl game in a row. They also had a tremendous start to the season going 6-0 before bad losses to Virginia and Georgia Tech. UNC enters the postseason with the fourth-ranked offense averaging over 500 yards per game. However, they will be without Drake Maye who declared for the 2024 NFL draft. The high flying offense will take a hit without Maye as they prepare for a stout West Virginia defense.
Season Leaders
Passing Yards
West Virginia-Garrett Greene - 135-235, 2,178 yards, 15 TD, 4 INT
North Carolina-Drake Maye - 269-245, 3,608 yards, 24 TD, 9 INT
Rushing Yards
West Virginia-CJ Donaldson-171 car, 798 yards, 11 TD
North Carolina-Omarion Hampton-234 car, 1,442 yards, 15 TD
Receiving Yards
West Virginia-Devin Carter-27 rec, 501 yards, 2 TD
North Carolina-Devontez Walker- 41 rec, 699 yards, 7 TD
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