West Virginia is set to take on North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl next Wednesday in Charlotte.
How has North Carolina graded out this season? This article will take a look at all the different Pro Football Focus data of North Carolina and compare some of it to West Virginia.
North Carolina has an overall team grade of an 86.0, which ranks 26th in the Power Five. That is eight spots ahead of West Virginia, who is at 34th at 83.1.
Their best individual game grade predictably came in their 59-7 win against their FCS opponent Campbell, where the team graded out at 90.5. Their best against FBS competition came in a 40-7 early October win against Syracuse, where they graded out at 82.8.
Their lowest individual game grade came most recently in their regular season finale, where they lost to their rival North Carolina State 39-20 and graded out at 60.6 as a team.
North Carolina has an overall offense grade of an 80.8. That ranks them 24th in the Power Five and two spots below West Virginia, who has an offense grade of an 81.8.
They have a passing grade of an 89.5, which is top seven in the entire FBS yet alone the Power Five. West Virginia has a passing grade of a 79.2, which is 22nd in the Power Five.
A lot of that success in the passing game can be attributed to quarterback Drake Maye, who was the team’s highest graded offensive player in the regular season at 90.6. He has since announced his decision to skip this bowl game to prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft, where he is widely regarded among the top quarterback prospects.
Maye’s backup and the starter for the bowl game against West Virginia, Conner Harrell, graded out just 0.1 point lower at 90.5 on just 21 snaps played in the regular season. He stood out in their game against Campbell, where he had a 61-yard touchdown run and a 41-yard touchdown pass.
North Carolina has a receiving grade of a 72.3, which ranks 31st in the Power Five. West Virginia has one of the lower marks in the Power Five at 65.4, which ranks 55th.
Their best receiver during the regular season was Tez Walker, who notably had to fight to become eligible to play this season. Much like Drake Maye, he is skipping the bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft.
Their projected starting wide receivers for the bowl game, Gavin Blackwell, Nate McCollum, and J.J. Jones, have graded out this season at 52.0, 64.2, and 64.4 respectively.
Tight end Bryson Nesbit was the highest graded receiver among regulars in the lineup at 75.6 to go along with a 72.3 overall grade but is out for the bowl game with an injury.
In the rushing game, North Carolina has graded out at 90.5, which ranks 16th in the Power Five. West Virginia is higher at third with a grade of a 93.6.
Omarion Hampton is their best runner, and he has graded out at 88.2 on the season, with a 90.4 mark in rushing. The second back on the depth chart, British Brooks, has graded out at 70.8 on the season.
North Carolina has graded out at 71.8 in pass blocking and 57.3 in run blocking, ranking 27th and 53rd respectively in the Power Five. West Virginia has graded out at 81.2 in pass blocking and 62.5 in run blocking, ranking 10th and 28th respectively.
Their best offensive lineman is interior offensive lineman Willie Lampkin, who has graded out at 76.9 this season, which is pretty good given that he is quite undersized for an offensive lineman.
The rest of their offensive line features tackle Diego Pounds, guard Ed Montilus, guard William Barnes, and tackle Spencer Rolland. Those guys have graded out at 61.7, 59.3, 51.7, and 64.5 respectively.
Defensively, North Carolina has a team defense grade of an 83.0, which ranks 31st in the Power Five. West Virginia has graded out lower at 74.5 on defense, which ranks 55th in the Power Five.
In run defense, North Carolina has a team grade of a 74.9, which ranks 42nd in the Power Five. West Virginia has graded out lower at 73.2, which ranks 48th in the Power Five.
Their best player against the run among the starters is safety Antavious “Stick” Lane. He has an 82.6 grade against the run to go along with a 75.0 overall grade.
In tackling, North Carolina has a team grade of a 72.6, which ranks 36th in the Power Five. West Virginia has graded out just below them at 71.4, which ranks 38th.
North Carolina’s highest graded tackler is edge rusher Beau Atkinson, who has a grade of an 82.9 while serving as a rotational piece on their defensive line. He has made 13 tackles without missing any and also has a 74.2 overall grade.
In pass rush, North Carolina has a team grade of a 78.1, which ranks 18th in the Power Five. West Virginia has graded out a lot lower at 69.3, which ranks 50th.
Kaimon Rucker, who is listed as a Jack on North Carolina’s depth chart, has been their highest graded pass rusher as well as their highest overall graded starter. Rucker has an overall grade of a 79.8 and a pass rushing grade of an 88.4, where he leads the team with 58 pressures and eight sacks.
In coverage, North Carolina has a team grade of an 86.9, which ranks 20th in the Power Five. West Virginia has graded out a lot lower at 70.7, which ranks 57th.
North Carolina’s best coverage guy, linebacker Cedric Gray, has opted out of the bowl to prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft. He finished the season with a 78.3 coverage grade and a 73.9 overall grade.
Their team leader in interceptions and co-leader in pass breakups, cornerback Alijah Huzzie, is also not playing in the bowl due to an injury. He was the second-highest graded coverage guy at 78.2, led the team in interceptions with three, and tied for the team lead in pass breakups with seven.
And finally in special teams, North Carolina has a team grade of a 62.5, which ranks dead last in the Power Five. West Virginia is only slightly higher at 64.2, which ranks 66th.
Their kicker Noah Burdette has been a bright spot, making all but one kick on the season and grading out at 89.2 on field goals. Liam Boyd handles the kickoffs and has graded out at 88.5 in that facet of special teams.
Punting hasn’t been too bad either, as North Carolina’s punter Tom Maginness has a punting grade of a 71.7.
The reason why North Carolina is the lowest graded special teams unit is likely because of the players overall grading out lower than some of the other teams out there.
