2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl Preview

The 2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl features the 8-4 North Carolina Tar Heels against the 8-4 West Virginia Mountaineers. Here is the 2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl Preview.

North Carolina Tar Heels (8-4)

North Carolina won eight games to make their fifth-straight bowl game. They defeated five teams who are playing in bowl games: Appalachian State, Minnesota, Syracuse, Miami and Duke. They lost one game to a team that didn’t make a bowl game: Virginia.

The Tar Heels score 36.5 points per game, ranking them 15th in the country. They pass for 306.8 yards (ranked eighth) and rush for 197.1 yards per game (ranked 16th).

Drake Maye was a star quarterback for the Tar Heels, but he has decided to enter the 2024 NFL Draft. Conner Harrell will likely start in his place after throwing for 71 yards on the season. Seven players have at least 200 receiving yards on the season. Leading receiver Tez Walker has also declared for the NFL Draft. That means J.J. Jones will be the leading active receiver with 658 yards and two touchdowns.

Omarion Hampton leads the team in rushing with 1,442 yards and 15 touchdowns. Behind him, British Brooks has chipped in with 318 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, the Tar Heels give up 27.1 points per game, ranking 72nd in the country. They allow 163.1 rushing yards (ranked 86th) and 242.3 passing yards per game (ranked 100th). Linebacker Cedric Gray had another good season with 121 total tackles. Kaimon Rucker paces the team with 8.5 sacks. Alijah Huzzie has made plays in the secondary with six passes defended and three interceptions.

West Virginia Mountaineers (8-4)

West Virginia won eight games to make their first bowl game since 2021. They defeated two bowl-eligible teams this season: Texas Tech and UCF. They lost to Houston, who didn’t make a bowl game.

The Mountaineers score 31.5 points per game, ranking 40th in the country. They pass for 203.8 yards (ranked 94th) and rush for 234.3 yards per game (ranked third).

Garrett Greene has played decently at quarterback for West Virginia this season. He has passed for 2,178 yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions on 53.2 percent completion. Six pass-catchers have at least 200 receiving yards on the season. Devin Carter and Kole Taylor lead the team with 501 and 411 receiving yards respectively.

Two running backs have done most of the work out of the backfield for the Mountaineers. CJ Donaldson Jr. leads the team with 798 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Jaheim White has played well with 792 yards and three touchdowns. Greene has done some damage himself from the quarterback position with 708 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

On defense, West Virginia concedes 27.5 points per game, ranking 75th in the country. They allow 144.3 rushing yards (ranked 47th) and 239.9 passing yards per game (ranked 93rd). Lee Kpogba has been the leader of the team with 85 total tackles. Three different players have at least three sacks this season, but there hasn’t been a dominant pass rusher. Beanie Bishop has been a standout this season with 20 passes defended and four interceptions.

Prediction

North Carolina has defensive issues and a lot of their difference-makers on offense won’t be playing in this game. West Virginia can run the ball and eke out a win.

West Virginia Mountaineers 31 North Carolina Tar Heels 28

Make sure to check out our college football page for more content like 2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl Preview!

You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers!

• SEO Powered Content & PR Distribution. Get Amplified Today.
• PlatoData.Network Vertical Generative Ai. Empower Yourself. Access Here.
• PlatoAiStream. Web3 Intelligence. Knowledge Amplified. Access Here.
• PlatoESG. Carbon, CleanTech, Energy, Environment, Solar, Waste Management. Access Here.
• PlatoHealth. Biotech and Clinical Trials Intelligence. Access Here.
• Source: https://thegamehaus.com/college-football/2023-dukes-mayo-bowl-preview/2023/12/13/