PREVIEW + PREDICTION: West Virginia vs. North Carolina
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01:02 This is the walkthrough game day show,
01:05 the final one of the 2023 season,
01:08 presented by Country Roads Air Duct Cleaning.
01:10 Take me under comfort.
01:11 I'm Skylar Kelley, and that is my partner in crime,
01:13 Eugene Napoleon.
01:15 And man, brother, this is crazy.
01:17 Back to a bowl game for the first time
01:19 in a couple of years.
01:20 It's actually the first one I think we've done on this show,
01:22 because we haven't been to a bowl game in a while.
01:26 In the COVID year, I don't remember
01:28 if we ended up doing a show that year.
01:30 So this is our first bowl preview that we've done.
01:33 But before we get into West Virginia and North Carolina,
01:36 I do want to get your thoughts on the '23 season.
01:39 Because again, it wasn't expected to go 8-4.
01:43 This was a team that was picked to finish 14th in the Big 12
01:46 Conference.
01:47 Completely over exceeded expectations.
01:52 And I guess, depending on who you ask,
01:55 because I think you may or may not
01:57 have had this team as an 8-9 win team, maybe 10 win team.
02:00 Hell, I don't know.
02:01 You may have said they were going to go undefeated,
02:02 because I know that's how you usually are.
02:04 But just your overall 50,000 foot view of this thing,
02:09 do you feel like the program is in good hands now
02:12 and is starting to head in the right direction?
02:15 Well, a few things.
02:17 First, I believe I said we'll either be 9-3 or 8-4.
02:23 I think I said that right.
02:24 Technically, you can't be wrong now,
02:25 because if they win the bowl game, that's non-wins.
02:28 Right.
02:29 So I said that from the onset.
02:30 But my view of it, the long view of it
02:34 is whenever you win seven to eight games at this level,
02:40 that's a successful season.
02:41 And again, I keep telling people they don't understand,
02:44 it's hard to win at this level.
02:46 We're 8-4, going into a bowl game with the potential
02:50 to be 9-4.
02:53 I personally believe Neil has done exactly what he said
02:59 he was going to do when the university entrusted him
03:03 in this position.
03:05 Trust the climb, give me a few years,
03:08 let me get my culture in here, let me build
03:10 the way I'm going to build.
03:12 So for those who are saying, yeah, but Gene, he did it,
03:15 and the schedule would depict it was a weak schedule, listen.
03:21 The same way that we're 8-4, we could
03:23 have been freaking 4-8.
03:25 You are what you're recognized you are.
03:28 That's what it is, right?
03:29 Because the so-called experts said
03:30 that we would finish dead last in a freaking conference.
03:34 So I can't look at the schedule and now flip it up
03:37 and down, upside down, and say, they were so wrong
03:41 because we were so right.
03:42 What I'm saying is, the same schedule
03:44 that they depicted us to be the last in the freaking conference
03:49 is the same schedule that we're 8-4 on.
03:51 So you can't have it both ways.
03:56 Things can be true at one time, but in this scenario,
03:58 you can't have it both ways.
04:00 So I am happy that we're 8-4.
04:03 I am happy that Neil and his staff
04:04 is showing progress because that's really what you want.
04:08 In this stage of his career, that's really what you want.
04:11 You want to see progress.
04:13 This is a leapfrog progress compared
04:15 to what the expectations were prior to the season even
04:19 starting.
04:20 So I'm very happy that we're 8-4.
04:22 I think we are heading in the right direction.
04:27 Now, next year, the pressure will be on to be better
04:30 than 8-4.
04:31 I will say that because that will be the expectations.
04:34 You can't take a step back.
04:36 We've talked about it multiple times.
04:37 Once you set this expectation, you
04:40 feel like you're heading in the right direction.
04:42 This is how you coached your way off the hot seat.
04:44 You've got to continue to go that way
04:46 and not go back to six or seven wins.
04:49 But to go back and double down on your point
04:51 about a lot of people saying, well, it's only eight wins
04:55 and it was against the schedule.
04:57 If you went back to, let's say, the middle of July or August
05:01 and you went to these same fans and said,
05:03 what would your expectation be for this team?
05:05 How many wins?
05:07 Most of them would probably say, eh, four, five, six.
05:10 Hell, some of them may even say two or three
05:14 because there are so many question marks about this team.
05:16 You didn't know what the quarterback situation was
05:18 going to look like.
05:19 You didn't know what the defense was going to look like.
05:22 You didn't really have any proven commodities
05:24 receiver.
05:25 You were kind of relying on Devin Carter to be your guy.
05:28 And he didn't even end up being a guy, really.
05:30 I think he got passed up by some of the young bucks.
05:32 But I think a lot of people need to go back and think
05:36 what they were thinking in July and August
05:38 because I was wrong about this team.
05:40 I said, I think six and six, maybe--
05:42 I don't know if I went quite to seven and five.
05:44 But I think I was around six and six.
05:46 So I was still wrong on this team, 100%.
05:50 But it's not that, oh, well, they
05:54 should have been eight wins with this schedule.
05:56 No, no, no.
05:58 He coached this team to get to eight wins.
06:00 He exceeded expectations.
06:03 The reason why they're eight and four is because of development.
06:07 Garrett Green was a guy that was not a full-time starter
06:11 coming into the season.
06:12 By year's end, he's one of the top quarterbacks in the country
06:16 in terms of passer rating and all this other stuff,
06:19 deep ball completions.
06:20 He's going to be one of the top returning quarterbacks next
06:23 year.
06:24 And you have to-- and that's a good point.
06:26 That's a very good point, Scarlett.
06:28 And you have to give that-- yeah, the word development.
06:30 He was developed into that not only prior to,
06:34 but during the season.
06:35 You kind of saw the maturations that he was going through.
06:39 And it was really good.
06:41 Look at the backfield.
06:42 Look at that.
06:43 Look at the development in the backfield.
06:45 Look at the development in the receivers,
06:47 including out tight ends for some people.
06:49 You could argue that he won eight games with a core that
06:52 was made up of either first-year starters, newcomers,
06:56 or true freshmen, like Pops.
07:00 No, absolutely.
07:01 And see, that's why--
07:03 here's a double-edge.
07:05 That's why next season--
07:06 You got to give up.
07:07 Exactly.
07:07 Because you have a young roster of talent
07:11 that all balled out this year.
07:13 And they're all coming back.
07:16 You're getting your key nucleus of studs back.
07:19 So now, with a year under their belt,
07:22 they're feeling really good about what they've done.
07:25 What will next year bring?
07:27 And that's what I'm excited.
07:28 I'm really excited about that phase of this thing.
07:31 What will next year bring?
07:32 Yeah, I think they're heading in the right direction.
07:35 They've got some good talent coming
07:36 in through the high school ranks, which we just
07:38 saw earlier this week, transfer portal.
07:41 They've got some guys locked up.
07:42 So it's only going to get better, I think.
07:44 So let's go ahead and get straight into this preview.
07:48 West Virginia, North Carolina, we're
07:49 not going to go as long as we normally do on here
07:51 because it's the holidays.
07:52 We want you guys to not have to sit here and listen to us
07:55 for 45, 50 minutes like you normal.
07:58 And plus, to be honest, Gene, there's not really a whole lot
08:00 we can dive into because North Carolina doesn't
08:03 want to be in this game.
08:05 So there's not much for us to go off of.
08:08 And really, for West Virginia's coaching staff,
08:10 this is a pretty tall task because they don't really
08:13 have a lot of tape on these guys.
08:15 Like the quarterback situation, Drake May
08:17 played 99% of their snaps this year.
08:20 He's not playing this game.
08:21 You're going to have to go back to whatever Connor
08:24 Harrell did against Campbell, which was he went 4 for 4,
08:28 had a nice touchdown pass.
08:30 And then outside of that, you have
08:31 to go back to his high school tape.
08:33 You have no idea what you're going to do here.
08:35 But I will say this is a Carolina team
08:39 that you could question the interest level
08:43 because they start out the season 6-0.
08:45 They thought they were going to go to the college football
08:47 playoff, potentially at worst in year 6.
08:50 They lose four of their last six games.
08:52 One of their two wins during the back half of the schedule
08:55 was against Campbell, which is my wife's alma mater.
09:00 No offense there, but I mean, it's Campbell.
09:03 You might want to watch it.
09:04 Yeah, I mean, but it's Campbell.
09:07 One of your two wins in the last six games of the season,
09:11 that's pretty sad.
09:14 So we'll see what the Tar Heels look like when
09:16 they come to Charlotte.
09:18 But I think Neil Brown made a really good point
09:21 in his initial bowl press conference where he said,
09:24 look, people may say they may not want to be there,
09:28 but he views it the other way because those kids that
09:32 were expected to be a big part in them getting
09:34 to the playoff for the New Year's 6, they're not playing
09:37 in this game.
09:38 The guys that are playing are going
09:39 to be these young freshmen and retro sophomores that
09:43 are getting an opportunity to go out and play.
09:45 So I think the excitement was--
09:47 And they want to be there.
09:49 Exactly.
09:50 Don't get it twisted.
09:51 You put on that North Carolina uniform--
09:53 I don't care what uniform it is, but in this case,
09:55 we're talking about UNC.
09:56 You put on that North Carolina uniform,
09:58 you're going to want to represent.
09:59 Yeah.
10:00 You're going to want to bring it home
10:02 for the city, the state, and all that.
10:04 So, oh, no, I'm with Neil on this.
10:06 They're going to come to play.
10:08 You better bet your bottom dollar.
10:10 They're going to come to play.
10:12 They're not going to just roll their helmets on the field.
10:13 No.
10:15 They're going to come to play.
10:16 So with Drake May not out, obviously, that's
10:19 a major change in what they're going
10:21 to be able to do offensively.
10:24 I think Harold's a really good dual threat quarterback.
10:26 And in my opinion, he's more athletic,
10:28 which I think poses a bigger problem for West Virginia
10:31 because we've seen throughout the years, particularly
10:33 with this defensive staff, they do much better,
10:37 as probably most staffs do, against quarterbacks
10:39 that hang in the pocket and just stick there.
10:41 They're statues.
10:43 If there is a guy that likes to get a little bit mobile,
10:46 that's where the issues come into play.
10:48 And I'm not saying that they would
10:50 have tremendous amounts of success against Drake May
10:53 because he can use his legs, too.
10:55 But this is a different animal because he
10:57 is a true dual threat quarterback that
10:59 can really use his legs.
11:01 When you go and face a quarterback like this,
11:04 where you have very little tape on,
11:07 how do you go about game planning
11:10 around a quarterback like that?
11:12 Well, I think what you said, the key points would be,
11:14 you would have to go and figure out what this kid is.
11:17 So honestly, yeah, you would go and you
11:19 would look at the Campbell tape.
11:20 And you literally would break that down.
11:22 Then, to be honest, you would go back to the high school stuff.
11:24 And the reason why--
11:25 and it's because you wouldn't want
11:27 to see the maturation between what he did in high school
11:29 and what he did at Campbell, when they played Campbell,
11:31 to be honest with you.
11:32 To see if there's any comparison into what he morphed into now.
11:38 Because if that's the only true tape--
11:39 it's not like you're going to get his practice footage.
11:42 If that's the only footage you have, you really have to--
11:46 that's like, put that thing under a magnifying glass
11:49 and really break down what he does,
11:51 what he has the ability to do.
11:52 And then I'm going to tell you something
11:53 which is kind of funny.
11:54 You almost have to project out the high school stuff,
11:59 the Campbell stuff.
12:00 You almost have to project out what you think--
12:04 let's just use Campbell, for instance.
12:06 If he's good at throwing mid-range balls, right,
12:09 in that 20, 30, 35-yard area, you almost
12:16 going to have to say, OK, he's a better short-range passer
12:21 than a long-ball thrower.
12:22 Then we better make sure that we keep everything in front of us.
12:28 We better make sure that, because this is what he does well.
12:30 And let's say if he rolls out and he can throw really good
12:33 on the move, OK, we know that that coaching staff,
12:38 if they're-- and we know how good their coaching staff is,
12:41 right, they're going to probably have plays designed and drawn
12:47 up to his strengths, which means he rolls out,
12:51 throws really well on the run, we're
12:52 going to get probably a heavy dosage of that.
12:54 We know he's a mid-ball thrower, like between 20, 25, 30 yards,
12:59 we're going to get a steady dosage.
13:01 We know this.
13:02 Nine times out of 10, now, if he's a deep ball or a gunner,
13:05 now you know, OK, this kid pretty much
13:07 has a really nice arsenal.
13:09 His arsenal is really good.
13:10 Like, he can do a bevy of different things.
13:13 Dude, we're going to have to prepare for him
13:15 as if it were Drake May.
13:18 Yeah.
13:19 Because he can do all that.
13:21 And I think that's the biggest wild card of it.
13:24 And it all is, he's got the arm talent, for sure.
13:28 We saw in the small little bits that he
13:31 got to play against Campbell.
13:32 But is that who he is?
13:35 Or is this just that's against Campbell,
13:37 he's taking advantage of one-on-one situations?
13:40 We'll see.
13:41 But the one thing I do know is they're
13:43 going to lean on the running game.
13:44 Amarion Hampton is one of the best running backs
13:47 in the country.
13:48 He is one of the few starters that is playing in this game.
13:51 And I would imagine with Drake May out,
13:53 they're going to lean on him.
13:54 We've seen West Virginia at times
13:56 really struggle against the run.
13:58 So when you have that element, plus a dual threat quarterback,
14:03 it kind of brings you back to the Houston game a little bit,
14:07 to not Oklahoma State, but TCU, I guess,
14:12 would be another example.
14:14 UCF would probably-- I think UCF is probably the best
14:17 comparison because they had the mobile quarterback,
14:20 and John Rice Plumlee.
14:21 But it's going to be a challenge for West Virginia defensively.
14:25 But offensively, you don't have CJ Donaldson in this bowl game.
14:29 He's sitting out.
14:30 He's recovering from his injury.
14:31 That's a big loss.
14:32 But Jaheim White emerged into a star
14:35 over the last few weeks of the season,
14:37 as you kind of projected.
14:39 And now he's going to get his chance
14:41 to be the starter in the bowl game.
14:42 So what do you expect the amount of your offense
14:45 to look like now that they've had a full month to prepare
14:48 and put a game plan together?
14:50 I'm going to be honest with you.
14:51 We're going to be able to open up our offense through the run.
14:54 I fully expect them to exploit the running game
14:58 and make sure that we can throw the ball, like I said,
15:02 off of run.
15:03 And if you can do that now, now obviously the play action
15:07 becomes really good for you.
15:09 Because White is such--
15:11 he is just so skilled with the ball in his hands, man.
15:14 He's a threat.
15:15 I don't care where you are on the field.
15:17 The kid's a threat to score.
15:18 So if we can develop the run game, which
15:21 I think that we can, I think they'll
15:23 rely on the run game to open up the pass game.
15:26 And you know what?
15:27 I really think-- don't be surprised if the game
15:32 plan will be balanced, more balanced than we've seen it,
15:35 the run pass ratio.
15:37 I think that will be the sweet spot for WVU, honestly.
15:40 If you can get a balanced attack,
15:42 I think that's going to be the sweet spot.
15:44 In Carolina's defense, they've struggled all year long.
15:46 That's a big reason as to why they went from 6-0 to 8-4.
15:51 It's the defense.
15:52 So they've struggled against the run.
15:54 They've struggled against the pass.
15:55 They struggle against everything you do.
15:57 So I do think you're going to see
15:59 Garrett Green take advantage of that big arm that he has
16:02 and take those vertical shots.
16:04 I was going to say that.
16:05 I think we will probably throw the ball probably more so
16:11 down the field than we've seen in the last few weeks.
16:15 Because you're right.
16:17 I've watched a lot of North Carolina throughout the season.
16:19 And you're 100% right, Scarlett.
16:21 They struggled in every aspect.
16:23 And a matter of fact, in all three phases of the game.
16:28 I've seen them give up huge plays in the special teams.
16:31 Offensively, they didn't look as good as they should have.
16:34 Defensively, they didn't play it.
16:36 And that's been consistent with them.
16:37 They've had a peaks and valleys season in all three phases.
16:40 So I really believe that West Virginia has the ability
16:45 to come in and take advantage of all of that.
16:47 And I really believe that we will.
16:49 Yeah, I mean, both teams are 8-4.
16:51 But they certainly got there in different ways, right?
16:54 I mean, again, we just talked about they were 6-0,
16:56 lose 4 their last 6, West Virginia.
16:59 They started out 4-1.
17:01 But they weathered the storm.
17:02 They lost a couple of games.
17:03 And then they finished the season strong.
17:05 So I think, again, you go back to that interest level.
17:08 Carolina, did they want to be there?
17:10 Did they not?
17:10 Regardless, West Virginia, we do know that they want to be there.
17:14 They weren't expected to have this type of a season.
17:17 And for them to go out and have an opportunity
17:18 to pick up win number nine, man, that
17:21 can really catapult you into that offseason
17:24 with a lot of momentum.
17:25 So let's go ahead and break down some of these games
17:29 here in the bowl season.
17:31 Gene, it's time for our weekly pick-em.
17:33 You are two games ahead.
17:34 It's our final one.
17:36 I want to try and take the throne away from you.
17:38 You've held on to it for the last couple of years.
17:40 It's time for me to reclaim it.
17:42 So let's go to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
17:46 It's Missouri and Ohio State.
17:48 And again, a lot of these guys are sitting out
17:50 if they're not in the playoffs.
17:52 So keep that in mind.
17:53 Missouri, Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
17:56 I'm going with Mizzou.
17:57 They want to be here.
17:58 Ohio State thought that they could potentially
18:00 get to the playoff.
18:01 They're without their starting quarterback, Kyle McCord,
18:03 who's now at Syracuse.
18:04 So give me Mizzou, baby.
18:08 Listen, and I am not going to disagree with you.
18:10 I'm not going to go against you for the same very reasons.
18:13 Bowls season comes down to who wants to be there,
18:16 who don't want to be there.
18:17 And I could assure you, Ohio State does not want to be here.
18:21 So I'm going with Mizzou as well.
18:23 I'm with you.
18:24 Ole Miss and Penn State, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
18:27 That is on the 30th at 12 o'clock on ESPN and ESPN+.
18:32 This is an interesting game because there
18:34 is a lot of very good NFL talent in this game.
18:38 Some of them are going to be sitting out because they're
18:40 going to prepare for the draft.
18:41 But there's a lot of guys that are going to be coming back.
18:44 So I do think this is a very interesting game, one
18:47 that both want to be there for.
18:49 I'm really back and forth on this one.
18:52 But I'm going to go Penn State.
18:53 I think it's close.
18:54 I think Duraler makes more throws than Jackson-Dart.
18:57 I just think Penn State finds a way.
19:00 And it's so funny.
19:00 So you just going to just copy me all the way down.
19:04 Absolutely.
19:04 I can't.
19:05 I've got to switch it up at some point
19:06 because I've got to have a chance here.
19:08 Penn State all the way.
19:09 No, I agree with you 100%.
19:10 No.
19:10 And Ole Miss is a good ball club.
19:12 Don't get me wrong.
19:12 I just think Penn State shows--
19:16 they show up in games like this.
19:17 And they need to show up.
19:18 And I think they will.
19:20 Capital One, Orange Bowl, the game
19:23 that both these teams were heavily
19:26 talked about a few weeks ago when it came to the final
19:29 playoff reveal, Georgia, Florida State, both getting left out.
19:34 Both felt like they should be there.
19:36 I think they both have a case.
19:38 I don't really think it's close, unfortunately.
19:41 I feel bad for Florida State.
19:42 They don't have Jordan Trafford as a starting quarterback.
19:45 I would assume they have Tate Rodham Acreback, but we'll see.
19:49 But Georgia is just way too talented.
19:52 And if they were healthy, if this was a healthy Florida
19:54 State team, I think you've got a hell of a ball game here.
19:56 But unfortunately, that's not the case.
19:58 So I'm going with the Dawgs.
19:59 So both all the way.
20:01 And for obvious reasons, they really
20:03 feel as though they have a point to prove.
20:05 And don't be shocked if it's a freaking boat race.
20:08 Yeah.
20:09 Don't be shocked.
20:11 Georgia really wants to prove a point.
20:14 Georgia all the way.
20:15 The Vrbo, Fiestavolt, Liberty, Oregon.
20:20 And since I have a feeling where you're going on this one,
20:24 I've got to go a different way.
20:26 So I'm going Liberty.
20:28 Now, you may go Liberty, but I'm going to go with Liberty here,
20:30 because I don't know about Bo Nix's situation.
20:33 I haven't really looked to see if he's going to play in this
20:35 game or not, even if he does.
20:38 Again, this is a team that wanted to get into the playoff.
20:40 Liberty's thrilled to be here.
20:41 This is their chance.
20:42 This is a national stage for them and their program.
20:46 I'm going way out on a limb here.
20:47 They're 17-point underdogs, but give me the Liberty flames.
20:52 Listen, man, I'm not going to spend too much time on this.
20:55 Give me the Dawgs, please.
20:56 Stop playing.
20:56 I got to take shots at this point, right?
20:58 Absolutely.
20:59 Listen, it wouldn't matter if I was playing quarterback.
21:03 Give me Oregon.
21:05 So let's go to--
21:07 we'll throw in the citrus bowl here.
21:08 Iowa and Tennessee.
21:11 I'm going to go with Tennessee.
21:14 I was going to go Iowa, but I'll go with Tennessee.
21:17 That's a high-powered offense.
21:19 I mean, hell, if Tennessee scores 10 points,
21:22 that may be 10 too many for Iowa.
21:24 So I'm going with Tennessee.
21:26 So let me give you--
21:27 OK, I'm going to give you an opportunity here.
21:29 Oh, yes.
21:30 Let's go.
21:31 I got you.
21:31 I got you.
21:32 I'm going with Iowa.
21:33 The Hawkeyes, I feel like they have something to prove as
21:36 well, because I think people don't think they're
21:38 as good as they are.
21:40 And it's a good ball club.
21:41 So I'm going to go with Iowa.
21:43 All right, so let's go and hop into the college football
21:46 playoff.
21:46 We're just going to pick the semifinals here,
21:48 because we obviously won't know the championship matchup.
21:51 So Michigan and Alabama.
21:54 This one, you know what?
21:58 This has the feelings of Alabama just finding a way,
22:03 and they end up becoming national champions.
22:05 I don't know that they do, but there's
22:07 all this debate about whether or not
22:08 they should be in the thing.
22:09 And then I think they're going to go in,
22:11 and they're going to make a statement.
22:12 A lot of drama surrounding Michigan,
22:14 and the sign-stealing scandal, and then
22:16 Jim Harbaugh and the NFL rumors.
22:19 That's a lot.
22:20 I don't think they're expecting to get Alabama
22:22 in that semifinal game.
22:23 So I'm going to go with roll tide.
22:25 And as much as I hate to do it, as much as I hate to do it,
22:29 I'm going to agree with you.
22:31 I think Alabama wants to prove a point,
22:34 and they're going to be foaming at the mouth to play this game,
22:39 to show people that-- and it's kind of weird.
22:41 Alabama got to show people that they deserve to be there.
22:43 But that's what it is at this point.
22:45 And I really think they want to make a resounding
22:49 statement in this game.
22:50 So I'm going with Alabama as well.
22:51 Last one before the West Virginia game,
22:53 Texas and Washington.
22:56 This is going to be a doozy.
22:58 I really think this could go either way.
23:01 I think it'll be a high-scoring game.
23:03 I really hate to do it, especially since they're
23:07 about to leave the Big 12.
23:08 But hook 'em all.
23:11 Yes.
23:13 I got you.
23:14 I got you.
23:15 I feel that way.
23:16 I feel that way.
23:17 But I'm going to give you another opportunity here.
23:19 Let's go.
23:20 Let's go.
23:22 You're such a generous man.
23:23 I got to--
23:24 That's right.
23:25 You're my guy.
23:26 But Washington has something to prove as well.
23:30 And I cannot go against Pinnocks.
23:32 He is something different.
23:35 I watched the show, man, from Indiana
23:37 to where he is at Washington.
23:39 There's something about him, Skyler, that's just different.
23:42 He's made of something different, dude.
23:44 So I really think he wants to prove
23:48 that they belong in this game and they
23:50 belong playing for a title.
23:52 And maybe he should have been the Heisman.
23:55 Listen, man.
23:55 Come on, man.
23:56 I told you.
23:58 Just look at his story, right?
24:00 And it's not just a story.
24:02 Look at his ability to make every freaking throw
24:04 on the field.
24:05 A guy can throw in the dark in complete passes.
24:09 Come on.
24:10 I was watching some of his throws.
24:13 Skyler, I've never seen--
24:14 I haven't seen anything like him in a long time
24:16 with that type of arm talent.
24:17 This is going to be a good game.
24:19 Texas, I like Texas.
24:20 Don't get me wrong.
24:21 But there's something about Pinnocks and that Washington
24:23 team that I think they'll prevail on this game.
24:26 So I'm going Washington.
24:28 All right, that brings us to the game
24:30 that you're all really here for.
24:31 And that is the Dukes-Mayo Ball.
24:33 North Carolina, West Virginia, 8-4, December 27.
24:37 That'll kick off at 5:30 at Bank of America Stadium
24:40 right here in my backyard in Charlotte.
24:42 And this is a huge opportunity for Neil Brown
24:45 to make a statement, get to nine wins.
24:48 Let's hear what the head coach had to say.
24:50 Here's what I see.
24:51 I see a group that's talented.
24:52 And I think they're dangerous because they're
24:54 going to have some new people playing.
24:56 And I think sometimes that's underestimated, especially
24:59 in the bowl season.
25:00 Everybody pays attention to who's not playing.
25:02 But all these other guys got new opportunities.
25:05 And they've been recruiting at a pretty good level.
25:07 And so we're going to see some pretty good players.
25:11 Scary, that running back is a really, really good player.
25:14 And we've played a bunch of good running backs this year.
25:17 But he's as good as anybody we've played.
25:19 And then defensively, they've got the ability to rush.
25:25 They've got a couple of pass rushers.
25:27 And we haven't seen a lot of elite pass rushers this year.
25:33 And they've got a couple of guys that can really--
25:35 they have great speed off the edge.
25:37 And so something we're really working on.
25:40 All right, Gene.
25:41 West Virginia to North Carolina.
25:43 I feel like if Drake May was playing in this game,
25:48 I'd probably have to lean toward Carolina.
25:52 Probably.
25:53 Not saying I would.
25:55 But with all of those guys being out,
25:58 and this being an opportunity to get the nine wins for this team
26:03 and to also see Neil Brown get the Mayo bat,
26:07 how could you not want to see Neil Brown doused in Mayo?
26:10 I'm going with Neil Brown.
26:11 I'm going with the West Virginia Mountaineers.
26:14 Getting the win in Carolina's backyard.
26:17 Give me the Mountaineers.
26:19 I love it.
26:20 So let me tell you this.
26:21 I don't care if Drake May was playing.
26:24 If they all were playing, it doesn't matter to me.
26:27 I would still go with the Mountaineers
26:28 because they belong here.
26:30 They will also want to prove a point.
26:31 They want to get that ninth win.
26:33 And you know what's so funny?
26:34 You're 100% right.
26:35 Boy, you can't pass up an opportunity
26:38 to douse coach in Mayo.
26:42 Give the man the Mayo bat.
26:44 You can't pass that up.
26:46 So let me give you a score if you want it.
26:49 Oh, let's do it.
26:52 35-14, my guy.
26:54 Woo!
26:55 35-14.
26:56 He's saying not only are they going to win,
26:57 they're going to put a spanking on the Tar Heels.
26:59 A serious spanking.
27:02 Awesome.
27:02 So 35-14 is the score.
27:06 Writing that down right now.
27:07 35-14, my guy.
27:08 Go ahead.
27:09 And if you're in the state of West Virginia
27:11 and you have a betting app on your phone,
27:13 go and put that exact score in for your odds.
27:15 And I'm sure that the payback will be incredible.
27:18 And you can chip $5 of those winnings
27:20 back to Eugene for giving you the picks.
27:22 So we thank you guys so much for tuning in,
27:26 not only for this episode, but for all of our episodes
27:29 throughout the season here on the Walkthrough Game Day show.
27:32 It's been a lot of fun, brother.
27:33 Anything you want to say to the fans
27:35 here as we wrap this season up?
27:37 We fans, listen, you already know.
27:38 I am so pro-WVU, obviously, for obvious reasons.
27:43 Skylar really is too, but he's--
27:44 we have to play good cop, bad cop at times.
27:47 I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart
27:49 for tuning in and coming with us and coming down this journey
27:52 during the season.
27:53 It's awesome.
27:54 I love college football.
27:55 And I would not do this with anybody else
27:58 than my guy Skylar.
27:59 So this has been awesome.
28:01 This has been awesome.
28:02 And I look forward to-- already I'm looking forward
28:04 to a good 2024 season.
28:06 But thank you again from the bottom of my heart.
28:08 I appreciate you.
28:09 Yeah, you guys make it a lot of fun.
28:11 We always look at the comments each week
28:13 and see what some of the funny things are said
28:15 and those that make fun of our picks and whatnot.
28:19 You guys always go to Gene.
28:20 You always pick Gene's side.
28:22 Whenever we do these, who's got the better team or the better
28:25 list or whatever?
28:26 But that's OK.
28:26 One of these days, I'll have my shine.
28:28 But that's all right.
28:29 But we do thank you guys for tuning in and subscribing.
28:33 And if you haven't subscribed yet, please do so on YouTube.
28:35 Give us a like as well at Mountain Ears.
28:37 Now, for you, Gene Napoleon, I'm Skylar Callahan.
28:40 For one final time here this season
28:42 on the Walkthrough Game Day Show presented by Country Roads,
28:44 AirDuck Cleaning.
28:45 Take me home with comfort.