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The SEC is widely considered the best conference in college football. Many fans see the opportunity to face an SEC opponent as a measuring stick to where their program sits.
The Tar Heels will get a chance to face an SEC foe when they face off with the South Carolina Gamecocks at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium on December 30 at 11:30.
With this being the first time the two programs have matched up in a bowl game, THI decided to take a look into how the Tar Heels have fared against SEC teams in bowl games in the past:
Georgia
North Carolina’s first bowl was played on January 1, 1947, against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. A packed Tulane Stadium crowd of 73,300 fans watched the much-anticipated matchup between the No. 3 Bulldogs and No. 9 Tar Heels. Carolina, led by Head Coach Carl Snavely and the program’s greatest all-time player, Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice, scored the first points in the second quarter and led 7-0 at halftime.
Unfortunately for the Heels, they were outscored 20-3 in the second half, and Georgia left New Orleans with a 20-10 victory over the Tar Heels.
The 1971 Gator Bowl saw UNC Coach Bill Dooley duel with his older brother Vince when the Tar Heels faced the Bulldogs in Jacksonville FL. The third quarter showed itself to be the most crucial stretch of a game that was dominated by defense.
The Tar Heels got the first score of the game when kicker Ken Craven connected on a 35-yard field goal. The Bulldogs answered with an 80-yard touchdown of their own to make it 7-3, and that went on to be the final score of the game.
Mississippi State
The 1974 Sun Bowl saw Bill Dooley lead a 7-4 Tar Heels team to El Paso TX, to face a Mississippi State team that finished fourth in the vaunted SEC. Carolina was gashed on the ground allowing a Sun Bowl-record of 455 yards rushing and 21 first downs on its way to losing 26-24. The Heels kept the game close with their ariel attack with some key passing strikes while Mississippi State only connected three passes for 44 yards.
In the 1992 season, UNC Coach Mack Brown’s program took a giant step forward in its resurgence when it defeated Mississippi State in the Peach Bowl. The game marked UNC’s first bowl appearance in five seasons, and it was also the first time the Peach Bowl was played in the Georgia Dome after being played in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium for the previous 20 years.
Brown led the Heels to a 21-17 victory behind 128 rushing yards and a score from offensive MVP Natrone Means, and two blocked punts, including one for a 24-yard scoring return that tied the game at 14 in the third quarter, from defensive MVP Bracey Walker.
Kentucky
North Carolina entered the 1976 Peach Bowl with a 9-2 record and ranked No. 18 in the AP poll. Kentucky entered the match up with a 7-4 record and was unranked. The Wildcats dominated the second half after both teams went scoreless in the first half. Kentucky running back Rod Stewart led the Wildcats to a 21-0 victory carrying the ball 19 times for 104 yards and setting a then Peach Bowl record with three touchdowns.
Arkansas
In Mack Brown’s eighth season with the Tar Heels, he led Carolina to a 6-5 record and an appearance in the Carquest Bowl in Miami. The game was played in front of 34,428 fans who saw Carolina walk away with a 20-10 victory over the Razorbacks. North Carolina running back Leon Johnson led the way for the Heels rushing for 195 yards on 29 carries.
Alabama
The 1993 Gator Bowl matched Carolina versus Alabama in a tough, physical game, though UNC came up short losing 24-10. It was the fifth time UNC had played in the Gator Bowl.
Going into halftime, the score was tied 10-10 with each team scoring a touchdown and converting a field goal. In the second half, Alabama scored 14 unanswered points on its way to victory
Auburn
In the 2001 Peach Bowl, the Tar Heels beat the Tigers of Auburn 16-10. Running back Willie Parker got the scoring started for the Tar Heels when he scored a 10-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter, the Tar Heels extended their lead to 10-0 with a 22-yard field goal from kicker Jeff Reed.
Ronald Curry, the game’s MVP, capped off the third quarter with a 62-yard touchdown run that gave Carolina a 16-0 lead going into the fourth. Auburn scored a field goal and a touchdown in the fourth quarter but its comeback efforts were cut short.
Tennessee
The 2010 Tar Heels were set to begin the season with a chance at making a splash nationally, but then the NCAA cloud arrived and deeply affected the team, as quite a few noteworthy players could not play.
So, the Heels found themselves with a 7-5 record and on their way to Nashville to face the Volunteers of Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. In Butch Davis’ final game as UNC’s coach, the Tar Heels squeaked out a close 30-27 victory. Trailing Tennessee 20-17, UNC had the ball at the Tennessee 25-yard line with 16 seconds left in the game, when running back Shaun Draughn ran the ball but failed to get out of bounds forcing UNC to rush its field goal unit onto the field.
With all of the confusion, North Carolina had 17 players on the field when quarterback TJ Yates snapped the ball and spiked it. While the head referee had declared the game over, the replay referee determined that the ball was spiked with one second remaining on the clock. The Tar Heels were penalized five yards for having too many players on the field, but they knocked in the field goal on the way to an overtime victory.
Texas A&M
Carolina’s most recent bowl game against an SEC opponent happened last season when it faced Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl. With four of its best players opting out of the game to prepare for the NFL draft, UNC was not expected to compete with a Texas A&M team that was ranked No. 5 in the nation and had no opt-outs.
However, UNC owned a 20-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Heels, fatigue set in during the fourth quarter and they were outscored 24-7 as the Aggies pulled away. The Heels went on to lose 41-27, but fans and coaches were encouraged by the effort.
That night also represented the coming-out game for now record-holding receiver Josh Downs. Downs flashed a glimpse of what Heels fans had to look forward to when he caught four passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
*UNC has a 4-6 record overall against SEC opponents
Note: UNC played Missouri in the 2011 Independence Bowl and faced Arkansas in the 1981 Gator Bowl, but neither team was a part of the SEC at the time.
