Post by cviller on Dec 27, 2008 8:45:27 GMT -5
By John Antonik for MSNsportsNET.com
CHARLOTTE – West Virginia will face North Carolina in a battle of two 8-4 teams on Saturday, Dec. 27, at Bank America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., in the 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl.
West Virginia is making its second trip to the Charlotte Bowl, last playing there in 2002 when the game was called the Continental Tire Bowl. This is also North Carolina’s second appearance in the game. The Tar Heels lost to Boston College, 37-24 in 2004.
The game will be televised nationally on ESPN (Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman and Rob Stone) with the kickoff set for 1 pm.
Here is Saturday’s Countdown to Kickoff:
10 – Three of West Virginia’s four losses in 2008 came by a total of TEN points with two of those games ending in overtime. The Mountaineers dropped a 17-14 overtime decision at Colorado, lost 26-23 in overtime to Cincinnati and fell 19-15 at Pitt.
9 – Brandon Hogan, Mortty Ivy and Ellis Lankster have combined to intercept NINE passes this year. Overall, the Mountaineer defense has picked off 16 passes so far this season.
8 – Sophomore tailback Noel Devine has EIGHT career 100-yard rushing games including a career-best 207 yards in West Virginia’s 34-17 win over Auburn earlier this year.
7 – West Virginia is making its school-record SEVENTH consecutive bowl appearance dating back to the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl. In succession the Mountaineers have played in the Continental Tire, Gator, Gator, Sugar, Gator, Fiesta and Meineke Car Care bowls.
6 – Today’s game will be the SIXTH time this season West Virginia plays a football game on a natural grass surface. The Mountaineers are 2-3 on grass this year and 16-14 on natural playing surfaces since 2001.
5 – West Virginia’s FIVE-year record of 49-13 is presently ninth best in college football.
4 – This will be the FOURTH time West Virginia has faced a North Carolina school in a bowl game. Twice the Mountaineers faced NC State in the 1972 and 1975 Peach bowls and played North Carolina in the 1997 Toyota Gator Bowl.
3 – Bill Stewart becomes the THIRD first-year coach in West Virginia history to lead his team to a bowl game. The other two were Marshall “Sleepy” Glenn, who guided the Mountaineers to the 1937 Sun Bowl, and Dudley DeGroot, who took West Virginia to the 1948 Sun Bowl. Ironically, both coaches led the Mountaineers to victories.
2 – Today’s game will be the SECOND meeting between West Virginia and North Carolina. The only other time the two schools hooked up was in the 1997 Toyota Gator Bowl when North Carolina held on for a 20-13 victory over the Mountaineers.
1 – Quarterback Pat White ranks FIRST in school history in total offense with 10,142 yards heading into today’s game.