— by Patrick Magoon freelance writer for WIZS
The West Virginia Mountaineers received the opening kickoff of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and stunned the North Carolina Tar Heels with a one-play, 11-second scoring drive. Quarterback Garrett Greene connected with wide receiver Traylon Ray, who carried the football 75 yards for a touchdown.
While under pressure early in the first quarter, UNC quarterback Conner Harrell demonstrated exceptional quickness and vision. Harrell’s ability to pivot and evade West Virginia’s defenders resulted in back-to-back first-down runs totaling 32 yards.
“I thought Connor did really well,” said UNC head coach Mack Brown. “I didn’t think we helped him enough.”
However, during the next set of downs, UNC failed to advance the ball effectively through the ground game and had to punt the ball away.
West Virginia failed to gain significant yardage during its second offensive series and had to punt the ball away.
On the ensuing drive, UNC responded with an impressive 47-yard passing play featuring sophomore wide receiver Gavin Blackwell. Blackwell’s one-handed grab moved the Tar Heels into the red zone.
Despite the huge gain through the air, UNC’s offensive momentum quickly dissipated. Harrell’s next pass attempt was intercepted in the end zone, and the Tar Heels finished the first quarter with zero points.
UNC’s defense found its footing late in the first quarter, forcing a fumble near midfield. With possession to start the second quarter, UNC’s offense executed 14 plays, advancing the ball 45 yards to set up a 28-yard field goal. The field goal shrunk West Virginia’s lead to four.
West Virginia failed to score on its next two possessions due to strong tackling and tight coverage from UNC’s defense.
After two sluggish offensive possessions, the Mountaineers responded by scooping up a fumble on a 42-yard punt and carrying the football 78 yards for a touchdown. The touchdown extended West Virginia’s lead to 11 with 1:29 left in the first half.
The scoring didn’t stop there. UNC’s offense quickly marched 76 yards for a touchdown. West Virginia’s offense responded by picking apart UNC’s defense and accumulating 63 yards in 23 seconds to set up a 29-yard field goal.
At the start of the second half, UNC relied on the speed and strength of running back Omarion Hampton to keep the chains moving. However, UNC’s first offensive possession ended abruptly after Harrell’s pass was intercepted and returned 24 yards to the WVU 45.
With under three minutes left in the third quarter, West Virginia’s Michael Hayes kicked the football 34 yards through the end zone. West Virginia extended its lead to 10.
Trailing by 10 to start the fourth quarter, UNC was limited to 14 yards on offense with nowhere to run. In contrast, West Virginia achieved success through its elusive rushing attack, gaining 59 yards and a touchdown.
For the remainder of the final quarter, UNC failed to build momentum on offense. Both of UNC’s fourth-down conversion attempts in the final quarter fell incomplete, and Harrell was sacked on the final play of the game for a loss of seven yards.
“I think it’s just one of those situations where the better team won,” said UNC linebacker Kaimon Rucker. “I’m not discrediting anything that we’ve done.”
