West Virginia LB Lee Kpogba finished his career at West Virginia with a 30-10 win over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. This was the third time this season in which the West Virginia defense held their opponent to 10 or fewer points.
Lee Kpogba spoke after the game and discussed his thoughts on how the defense played in the bowl game and what it meant to go out with a win.
“It meant a lot to go out with a win,” Kpogba said. “Just seeing how hard the guys on defense working, just knowing what we’ve been through, through the offseason. Nobody really believed in us but us, so just proving not I’m wrong, it felt great.”
Kpogba was also asked about how he was able to stay so sharp as a tackler with there being a month-long gap between games. Kpogba ultimately finished with a team-leading 12 combined tackles.
“I’ve been playing football for a long time, so I feel like it’s just natural at this point.”
The West Virginia defense managed to keep guys like quarterback Conner Harrell and running back Omarion Hampton in check for North Carolina. As a unit, they graded out at 86.0 in run defense from Pro Football Focus, their best against FBS competition this season.
“[Harrell] was just faster than what I thought he was when I first tried to catch him from an angle,” Kpogba said when asked about adjusting to Harrell’s speed. “So, when I realized he was fast, I just went a little faster.”
Lee Kpogba ultimately finished his career at West Virginia with 189 combined tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks. He improved from 2022 to 2023, going from a PFF grade of 57.2 in 2022 to 73.7 in 2023.
