White, Nicks put on an entertaining show

CHARLOTTE -- It's easy to be critical of bowl games because there are far too many of them and far too much is made of them.

Really, how special can it be if seemingly everybody with half a dozen wins is doing it?

But then you get a game like the one North Carolina and West Virginia played Saturday in the Meineke Bowl and you don't want it to end.

Played against a classic gloomy, gray backdrop that hid the Charlotte skyline, the game delivered what bowl games should deliver -- a good time.

Sure, if you were among the 40,000-plus Tar Heels fans in Bank of America Stadium, you'd have preferred a different outcome than the 31-30 loss, but after the initial sting, it reaffirmed the fast-forward progress the program is making under second-year coach Butch Davis.

But this one meant the world to West Virginia because it was quarterback Pat White's farewell, and he said goodbye with a performance that won't soon be forgotten, capping a career they'll be talking about from Bluefield to Morgantown for years.

"It's a wonderful win. That's all I know," said White, as reticent as he is elusive.

If it didn't have everything, it didn't lack much. It had a season's worth of big plays, a safety, a goal-line stand, a noisy crowd and two good teams.

The first quarter was a thing of beauty, unless you were a defensive coordinator. It produced 35 points and 389 total yards.

It felt like a video game with touchdown passes of 73, 44, 66 and 35 yards. By comparison, New Year's Eve seems subdued.

"I said, 'What is going on?' " West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said. "I told all the guys this would be a defensive game. That's why I don't bet."

In the process, White gave NFL scouts who doubt his quarterback skills something to think about, rifling passes through the North Carolina defense, demonstrating he can do more than dodge defenses with his feet.

At the same time, hometown star Hakeem Nicks was convincing nearly everyone that he'll be in the NFL next year, using the damp afternoon to rewrite the North Carolina record book.

Two particular memories of Nicks will linger: The image of him catching a deflected pass, then dragging West Virginia defensive back Keith Tandy to the goal line on a 73-yard scoring pass and, later, Nicks making a behind-the-back reception for an 8-yard gain.

Stats can often be mind-numbing, but the numbers put up by Nicks and White come with their own yellow highlighter.

White completed 26 of 32 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns. Toss in his 55 rushing yards and he was responsible for 387 yards.

Nicks, meanwhile, had eight catches for 217 yards and three touchdowns, the bulk of his yardage accumulated before halftime, when the Mountaineers decided to rethink their strategy and take away his deep routes.

Both teams arrived in Charlotte with 8-4 records and trying not to think about what might have been. West Virginia's last three losses came by a total of 10 points.

North Carolina was in position to reach the ACC championship game until November turned cold.

For the Tar Heels, who hadn't been to a bowl in four seasons, there is reason to look ahead.

Davis called it a "dress rehearsal" for things to come, and he's usually right (except about the navy uniforms).

For the Mountaineers, it was a moment to celebrate the end of White's remarkable career.

"I hope my son, Blaine, who's 14, grows up to be just like him. Not the quarterback, the man," Stewart said with his arm around White.

It was a sweet moment in a day filled with them.