Neal Brown receives mayonnaise bath after Duke's Mayo Bowl victory
In the lead-up to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Mack Brown made it clear he wanted the traditional mayonnaise bath. He missed out on that opportunity two years ago when North Carolina lost to South Carolina, and he had another chance to get the bowl game victory on Wednesday against West Virginia.
Once again, he had to watch from afar as Neal Brown took part in the celebration after the Mountaineers defeated the Tar Heels 30-10. That meant he’d get the chance to do what (almost) every coach in college football wants to do during Bowl Season: Take the mayonnaise bath.
“I’m gonna take it like a champ,” he told Harry Lyles Jr.
WVU struck first in the game as Garrett Greene found Traylon Ray for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to take a 7-0 lead. While North Carolina then made it a 7-3 game, it was all Mountaineers the rest of the way en route to the resound win.
For Brown, it marked the end of a special turnaround season in Morgantown. A year ago, West Virginia went 5-7 and missed out on a bowl game for the second time in four years. Questions swirled about Brown’s future as the head coach, and he appeared on many hot seat lists entering the 2023 season.
He silenced those quickly with an 8-4 record heading into the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. But he still wanted one more win on the board before the offseason officially got underway. Of course, that also meant he’d have to get bathed in mayonnaise afterward.
While he didn’t want to say whether he liked mayonnaise — he chose to “plead the fifth” on that question — Brown said he’d absolutely partake in the celebration if it meant another victory.
“If that means a ninth win, I’ll gladly take the bath,” Brown said in a Dec. 5 press conference.
Greene put together a solid performance to lead WVU to the win, completing 12 of 24 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown while also adding 75 rushing yards on the ground. He left the field to a resounding ovation from the Mountaineers fans in attendance as he capped off an impressive season.
For North Carolina, Conner Harrell stepped in at quarterback after Drake Maye opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft. He had a good day, as well, as he had 199 yards and a touchdown along with 46 rushing yards. It wasn’t enough, though, as West Virginia put together a big performance to come away with win No. 9 on the season.
And for Neal Brown, it was time for a celebration he’ll never forget.