UNC, West Virginia Have Short Football History Together

When North Carolina and West Virginia run out of the tunnel onto the field at Bank of American Stadium on December 27, it will be just the third time the football programs have done so before facing each other.

Even though UNC and WVU were actually in the same league for three seasons from1950 through the 1952 campaign as members of the Southern Conference, they never faced off until the Gator Bowl on January 1, 1997.

And, the Tar Heels and Mountaineers have met each other just once since, as well. The schools are just 404 miles apart, and perhaps West Virginia joining the recent waves of ACC expansion would have made more sense than a couple of the schools that came in, yet just twice these two programs have squared off.

Yet, with respect to the other instate ACC schools, WVU and NC State have met 11 times in football, the most recent in 2019 in Morgantown. WVU has faced Duke four times, the most recent time in 1982. West Virginia and Wake Forest have also met just twice, and those games were played in 1955 and 1957.

What’s interesting is that on both occasions the Heels and Mountaineers have met were in bowl games. So, the schools have never scheduled one another.

The don’t play in basketball either. Just five times ever, with the last meeting in 1965.

So, with Carolina and WVU slated to take each other on in a couple of weeks, here is a look inside their only two meetings thus far:

Jan. 1, 1997

Gator Bowl

Jacksonville, FL

In a game matching the top two rated defenses in the nation, the No. 12 Tar Heels rode a 17-point second quarter to win their 10th game of the season, beating the No. 25 Mountaineers 20-13.

Chris Keldorf, UNC’s All-ACC quarterback, could not play because of a broken ankle, so Oscar Davenport got the first start of his career. Davenport hooked up with Octavus Barnes for an 18-yard touchdown to put Carolina on the board in the second quarter.

A Josh McGee field goal responded to WVU kicking one, and Davenport ran the ball into the end zone from five yards out.

McGee kicked another field goal in the third quarter, but WVU scored its only touchdown of the afternoon. A Mountaineers field goal in the fourth quarter cut the margin to the final score, as UNC held off a West Virginia push toward the red zone with a couple of minutes remaining.

UNC cornerback Dre’ Bly, a first-team All-American, picked off two passes in the game, giving him 13 for the season.

Davenport completed 11 of his first 14 passes and finished the day 14-for-26 with 175 yards and a score. Leon Johnson paced Carolina on the ground with 79 yards on 25 carries.

The Tar Heels totaled only 263 total yards, while the Mountaineers amassed just 289.

UNC finished the season 10-2 and ranked No. 10, and WVU finished 8-4. A crowd of 52,103 was in attendance.

Dec. 27, 2008

Meineke Car Care Bowl

Charlotte, NC

In the only other meeting on the gridiron between the schools, the Tar Heels and Mountaineers exploded out of the gate combining for 35 points in the first quarter.

WVU led 21-14 after one period on the strength of touchdown passes of 44 and 35 yards, and an 18-yard scoring run. Carolina, however, rolled with two big plays; a 73-yard connection between quarterback T.J. Yates and wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, and then running back Cooter Arnold hit Nicks for a 66-yard score, as Butch Davis and his staff dipped into their trickery bag.

Carolina recorded a sack in the second quarter as well as the second scoring strike from Yates to Nicks (his third of the game), this time for 25 yards. UNC led 23-21 at halftime.

A Pat McAfee field goal put the Mountaineers ahead in the third quarter, but Yates responded with a 5-yard touchdown run for UNC’s final points. A 20-yard scoring pass by WVU quarterback Pat White with 7:14 remaining were the game’s last points.

Yates was 15-for-25 with 211 yards, a TD and an interception. Nicks had eight receptions for 217 yards and three scores. Shaun Draughn led UNC’s rushing attack with 65 yards on 17 attempts.

Carolina finished with 370 total yards to 455 for West Virginia.

UNC finished the season 8-4 as did West Virginia. The attendance was 73,712.