West Virginia to play North Carolina in Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Members of the West Virginia football team will spend some of the holiday season in Charlotte.

The Mountaineers on Sunday night were selected to play North Carolina in the 22nd annual Dukes Mayo Bowl.

The game will be held at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 27, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., and will be televised on ESPN.

“These two teams have amazing fan bases, and we are confident this matchup will provide a compelling game and memorable experiences for fans and players alike,” said Danny Morrison, executive director of CSF, in a statement.

West Virginia will play in a bowl game for the 19th time in the past 22 years and the 40th time overall.

It will be the third meeting between the Mountaineers and Tar Heels, all in bowl games.

WVU beat UNC, 31-30, in the 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl (now the Duke’s Mayo Bowl) in Charlotte, and lost to the Tar Heels, 20-13, in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville at the end of the 1996 season.

“We love bringing fans together through one of our favorite southern traditions — college football,” said Joe Tuza, president of Duke’s Mayo. “In addition to what we know will be some great football, we’ll be creating memorable experiences for the teams, devoted fans and the city of Charlotte at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the only bowl with ‘Twang’.”

Despite being picked to finish last in the Big 12 in a preseason poll, the Mountaineers posted an 8-4 overall record and 6-3 mark in conference play.

Center Zach Frazier and defensive back Beanie Bishop Jr. were Big 12 first-team selections. WVU ranked third in the nation in rushing average (234.3 yards per game) behind running backs CJ Donaldson (798 yards, 11 TDs) and Jahiem White (792 yards, 3 TDs) and QB Garrett Greene (708 yards, 13 TDs).

Greene also threw for 2,178 yards and 15 TDs with four interceptions.

North Carolina (8-4) started 6-0 this season and was ranked 10th in the Associated Press poll, but lost four of its final six games.

Quarterback Drake Maye, a likely top-five overall pick in the NFL Draft, threw for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns. It’s unknown if he will play in the bowl game.