Duke's Mayo Bowl: Gameday Live Blog
It’s not for all the Tostitos, but stakes will be high when UNC faces South Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. The 6-6 Tar Heels and 6-6 Gamecocks will both be looking to salvage winning records on the season, but perhaps of more interest to the national audience, the winning coach will forgo the traditional Gatorade bath and be doused with a bucket full of the title sponsor’s condiment.
Duke’s Mayo offered $10,000 to the winning coach’s charity of choice if they agreed to the mayo dump. South Carolina’s Shane Beamer was the first to agree to it, but a short time later, Mack Brown said he was in.
“If it means getting the win, you could hit me in the face with a frying pan for all I care,” Brown said.
The Tar Heels will be playing in this bowl for the fifth time and under the fourth different named sponsor. North Carolina is 1-3 in previous trips to the Belk, Meineke Car Care, and Continental Tire Bowl.
The Tar Heels have also played South Carolina in the stadium on two occasions, opening the 2015 and 2019 seasons against the Gamecocks and splitting the two games.
Carolina got a boost when quarterback Sam Howell announced he was participating in the bowl, unlike the four-star players who sat out last season’s Orange Bowl to prepare for the draft.
South Carolina hasn’t been as fortunate. Leading rusher ZaQuandre White and pass rusher Kingsley Enagbare have opted out, and starting quarterback Jason Brown transferred after the regular season.
Scouts from the Packers, Bears, Steelers and Titans are on hand for the game.
Carolina is wearing blue helmets and jerseys with white pants. S.C. has white helmets and pants, red jerseys.
UNC is the visiting team. They choose tails. It's heads. SC defers. UNC getting the kick coming up in seconds.
Rough start for UNC's defense. Give up 20 yard rush to Bell on the first snap and a 69-yard touchdown pass to him on the third. SC up 7-0 early.
Replay shows that Howell's pass to Green was a yard short. Mack punts on fourth and one, and it takes SC another three plays to find the end zone, 66 yards to Bell again. Two-point conversion makes it 15-0 Gamecocks.
UNC manages to stop a South Carolina drive at the 12. SC kicks a field goal to go up 18-0. Still 27 seconds left in the first quarter.
British Brooks gets the Heels on the board with a 63-yard touchdown run. SC lead cut to 18-7
That's the longest TD run in UNC bowl history, topping a 59-yarder by Amos Lawrence in 1980
UNC's defense gets a stop. Forces a SC punt. Progress is being made...
Howell takes a sack to stall a promising UNC drive. Atkins hits from 40. 18-10 SC with 5:44 left in the half
South Carolina with a strong drive to flip momentum back. McDowell takes it 35 yards for the score. UNC couldn't stop the SC ground game on that drive. 25-10 Gamecocks
UNC lines up to go for it on fourth down from the 14. False start. Carolina kicks instead. Atkins from 36 makes it 25-13.
South Carolina gets the ball to start the half and marches downfield. 9 play drive takes five minutes off the clock and makes it 32-13.
Razzle dazzle--reverse flea flicker finds Walston wide open for a 37 yard touchdown. Chandler takes in the two-point conversion. Score is 32-21
SC tacks on another field goal to go up 38-21 with 50 seconds left.
Sam Howell's day (and career?) is done. Drake Maye comes in to mop up.
