Mack Brown viewing Duke's Mayo Bowl as 'New Opportunity Bowl' for UNC
With the way the portal window currently works, several players on all teams are getting new chances to make a moment. That includes North Carolina as Mack Brown has deemed their appearance in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, both for individuals and their program, and the ‘New Opportunity Bowl’.
Brown spoke about the moniker during a press conference on Tuesday ahead of their matchup with West Virginia. He says the Tar Heels are ready to go, especially since several of their players are getting new chances and more opportunities to play and produce for UNC.
“I think they’re ready to play,” said Brown. “We’ve called it the ‘New Opportunity Bowl’. We’ve told our guys we need to maximize those opportunities.”
Opt-outs and transfers have completely changed the equation for North Carolina. That’s especially so on their offense, a unit that averaged over 34 points and 450 yards per game during the regular season.
“You don’t know. It’s hard to get an opportunity to play. Some of these guys have been wanting to play,” said Brown. “We’ve got 12 starters from the first of the year that won’t be in the game tomorrow night. So it’ll be a lot of new guys.”
“There’s a lot of change on offense, there’s less change on defense. But the offense is going to be a whole new look,” Brown said.
The most significant overall change for North Carolina will be the swap from QB Drake Maye to Conner Harrell. With the former opting out in favor of the 2024 NFL Draft, the latter, a redshirt freshman, will take his place as the Tar Heel’s starter. In limited action this season, he completed 4-6 attempts for 71 yards and a score. He also broke off for 61 rushing yards and a score in one game this season.
UNC will also be without names like LB Cedric Gray, WR Tez Walker, and CB Alijah Huzzie in Charlotte against the Mountaineers.
Even so, North Carolina isn’t going to let those circumstances hold them back. Instead, rather than a negative, Brown thinks his team has taken it as a positive with several players rearing to go in the postseason inside Bank of America Stadium.
“They’ve practiced hard. They’ve had fun,” said Brown.
Updated odds for North Carolina vs. West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl
The latest odds for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl between North Carolina and West Virginia are in from Draft Kings.
West Virginia is currently a 6.5-point favorite with the total iset at 54 points. If you want to bet the money line, West Virginia is (-245) while UNC is (+200)
More information regarding kickoff time and channels are listed below.
How to watch North Carolina vs. West Virginia
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN, FuboTV (streaming)
Location: Charlotte (N.C.)