Gallery: Key Moments from West Virginia Beating North Carolina in Duke’s Mayo Bowl

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bank of America Stadium in Uptown Charlotte felt like a bit like Morgantown on Wednesday evening. The Blue-and-Gold in the stands far outnumbered the Carolina Blue, fans belted out the tunes of John Denver, and the Mountaineers’ football team played well.

West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene piled up 292 yards of total offense as the Mountaineers capped off their best season under coach Neal Brown with a 30-10 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

It’s the first bowl win for WVU since 2020, and its first season of at least nine victories or more since 2016. And the win came against a UNC team that was playing in its home state, and one that — when the season began — had aspirations of competing for an ACC title and College Football Playoff berth. Meanwhile, when this campaign started for the Mountaineers, many questioned whether or not Brown should be on the hot seat. Needless to say, he and his players proved doubters wrong.

While both teams entered this contest with eight wins, they were on very different trajectories, and the vibes of the fanbases contrasted as well. Supporters of Tar Heel football had to grapple with another disappointing season for a Mack Brown-coached team with a future NFL quarterback at the helm, while WVU fans rejoiced and celebrated all that this group of Mountaineers accomplished. And for West Virginia, there’s reason to feel a bit optimistic after the bowl win since much of this team will return as the Mountaineers enter a new era of the Big 12 next season.

Below are a collection of 70 photos from the game by West Virginia Sports Now contributor Mitchell Northam: