Best bowl performances by North Carolina Tar Heels players

By Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer

North Carolina will play in its 38th bowl game on Dec. 27 against West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

North Carolina has a 15-22 record in bowl games. WRAL Sports took a look at the best bowl game performances by North Carolina players.

RB Ken Willard shines in 35-0 Gator Bowl win against Air Force

North Carolina running back Ken Willard ran for 94 yards on 18 carries and scored the opening touchdown in a runaway Gator Bowl victory in 1963.

Joe Robinson scored on a five-yard pass and also caught a two-yard conversion to give the Tar Heels a 20-0 lead at halftime.

Coach Jim Hickey’s Tar Heels had 23 first downs to the Academy’s 14, and piled up 370 yards in total offense compared to 260 for the Falcons.

1971 Gator Bowl features Dooley brothers

The 1971 Gator Bowl between North Carolina and Georgia was the first time brothers coached against each other in a bowl game.

Bill Dooley led the Tar Heels and older brother Vince coached the Dawgs.

In the opening half, Carolina had the best chance as linebacker Jimmy Webster, voted the Tar Heels’ MVP on this day, blocked a punt out of bounds at the Georgia 24.

A fumble, though, denied Carolina any points.

A pair of long runs by Lewis Jolley brought the Tar Heels down to the Georgia 16 on UNC’s first possession of the second half. However, a procedure penalty forced the Heels to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Ken Craven.

A 31-yard pass play from Andy Johnson to Roy Hunnicutt set up the Georgia touchdown. Jimmy Poulos, on the very next play following Hunnicutt’s catch, took it in for a score from 25 yards. Poulos rushed for 161 yards on the afternoon

Georgia won 7-3.

QB Nick Vidnovic propels UNC to 32-28 win over Texas Tech in 1972 Sun Bowl

North Carolina quarterback Nick Vidnovic completed 14 of 16 passes for 216 yards. It was his 62-yard touchdown pass to Ted Leverenz that gave the Tar Heels a 24-21 lead.

Texas Tech came back to go ahead 28-24, but Vidnovic hit Leverenz with a 13-yard touchdown pass with a minute left to play to bring the Tar Heels back.

The Tar Heels sealed the win when tackle Ronnie Robinson dropped Texas Tech quarterback Joe Barnes for a safety.

It capped an 11-1 season for the Tar Heels.

North Carolina falls short in 21-17 loss to Nebraska in 1977 Liberty Bowl

Carolina led the nation in scoring defense in 1977, allowing just 7.4 points per game through the regular season.

Nebraska was the only team to score more than 14 points against UNC all season.

Bill Dooley resigned in January 1978 to accept the dual position of head football coach and athletic director at Virginia Tech.

1979 Gator Bowl win over Michigan

Quarterback Matt Kupec completed 18 of 28 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown, and running back Amos Lawrence ran for 118 yards to lead North Carolina to a 17-15 win over Michigan.

The two were named co-MVPs of the game in the 17-15 win over Michigan.

North Carolina overcame a 9-0 deficit.

Michigan wide receiver Anthony Carter had a 53-yard touchdown.

Michigan, thwarted once already in the fourth when Lawrence Taylor scooped up a loose ball, did manage another Carter touchdown with 1:28 left, but the two-point conversion pass to Carter fell short.

North Carolina beats Texas 16-7 in 1980 Bluebonnet Bowl

Amos Lawrence rushed for 104 yards and one touchdown, and the Tar Heel defense allowed

just two first downs and 36 total yards in the second half as Carolina played error-free football to defeat Texas, 16-7, in the Bluebonnet Bowl.

North Carolina safety Steve Streater was named the defensive MVP. He had an interception, recovered a fumble and also boomed a 63-yard punt, the longest in Bluebonnet Bowl history.

North Carolina’s 11-1 record in the 1980 season matched the best in program history.

North Carolina beats Arkansas 31-27 in 1981 Gator Bowl

North Carolina running back Kelvin Bryant rushed for 148 yards and Ethan Horton added 144 to lead the Tar Heels to a 31-27 victory over Arkansas in the Gator Bowl.

Bryant and Horton shared Most Valuable Player honors, but it was a key defensive stop by seldom-used freshman Ronnie Snipes that saved the night for Carolina.

After building a 31-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Carolina watched as Arkansas rallied for two touchdowns and had the ball again inside Tar Heel territory with less than a minute to play.

But on third down, Snipes, who had played just two previous downs in the contest, sacked quarterback Brad Taylor for a 17-yard loss.

Tar Heels beat Longhorns 26-10 in 1982 Sun Bowl

North Carolina scored the final 23 points of the game in the final quarter and held seventh-ranked Texas to 48 total yards in the second half as the Tar Heels became the first ACC team to win four consecutive bowl games.

Ethan Horton ran for 119 yards in the second half as Carolina won 26-10. He replaced injured starter Kelvin Bryant, who totaled 45 yards before leaving the game with an injured ankle.

Bracy Walker blocks two punts in 1993 Peach Bowl win over Mississippi State

Before a 12-year NFL career, safety Bracy Walker blocked two consecutive punts in the third quarter of the 1993 Peach Bowl. Walker picked up his second blocked punt and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 14.

Defensive back Cliff Baskerville returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Tar Heels the thrilling victory. Walker forced the interception with a hit on a Mississippi State receiver.

Leon Johnson runs for UNC bowl record in 20-10 win over Arkansas in 1995 Carquest Bowl

Leon Johnson rushed for a Carolina bowl-record 195 yards, and Mike Thomas threw for two scores as the Tar Heels knocked off Arkansas, 20-10, in the Carquest Bowl.

Johnson topped the previous high of 148 yards by Kelvin Bryant, also against Arkansas, in the 1981 Gator Bowl.

North Carolina star receiver Octavus Barnes suffered a knee injury in the game after being touted as one of college football’s most talented pro prospects.

“The TV reporter came over and interviewed him on the sideline and he was crying,”said then and now head coach Mack Brown. “He or the doctor [or] somebody said, ‘He’s through. He’s ruined his knee.’ And, it really upset his family because they weren’t there and they couldn’t take care of him.

“And, at that point, I said, ‘We will never ever talk about an injury again until we have all family members caught up to date on exactly what happened before we tell you guys.’”

Dré Bly caps 13-interception freshman season with two picks in 1997 Gator Bowl

Tar Heels cornerback Dré Bly was the fifth freshman to be named unanimous All-America. Bly had 11 interceptions in the regular season and two more in the 20-13 win against West Virginia.

Carolina’s defense forced four West Virginia turnovers.

North Carolina quarterback Oscar Davenport started in place of injured first-team all-conference quarterback Chris Keldorf. Davenport completed 14 of 26 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown.

Davenport, who also rushed for one touchdown, was named the game’s MVP.

Tar Heels dominate Virginia Tech in 1998 Gator Bowl

Chris Keldorf threw for 290 yards and three scores, and Carolina’s defense and special teams added touchdowns as the Tar Heels pounded Virginia Tech, 42-3, in the Gator Bowl.

The victory, UNC’s most lopsided in a bowl game, secured a No. 4 final ranking in the coaches’ poll for the 11-1 Tar Heels.

The game was Carl Torbush’s first as Carolina’s head coach.

Torbush, who had been UNC’s defensive coordinator 10 years at that point, was elevated to head coach on Dec. 8, 1998, after Mack Brown left to coach at the University of Texas.

North Carolina beats San Diego State 20-13 in 1998 Las Vegas Bowl despite windy conditions

Ronald Curry rushed for a season-high 93 yards and a touchdown, punter Brian Schmitz was outstanding despite windy conditions, and the Tar Heel defense did not allow a TD in the last 59 minutes as Carolina defeated San Diego State, 20-13.

The game was played with winds gusting to 47 miles per hour. Passing was nearly impossible. In fact, Carolina won the game despite completing just four passes for 33 yards.

Willie Parker leads Tar Heels to 16-10 win over Auburn in 2001 Peach Bowl

Willie Parker rushed for 131 yards, and Ryan Sims led a spirited defensive effort as North Carolina won its fifth consecutive postseason bowl appearance with a 16-10 victory over Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

North Carolina hangs on against Tennessee for Music City Bowl win

Kicker Casey Barth kicked a 23-yard field goal in the second overtime to send North Carolina past Tennessee 30-27 in the 2010 Music City Bowl that will be remembered much more for the crazy finish of regulation than how it ended.

Barth kicked a 39-yard field goal after officials reviewed what had been the final play of the game and decided to penalize the Tar Heels (8-5) for having “more than 11 men” on the field. The Big Ten officiating crew also announced quarterback T.J. Yates had spiked the ball with 1 second left. That allowed Barth to run out and kick the field goal that tied it at 20.

Ryan Switzer caps off freshman season with punt return touchdown in 2013 Belk Bowl win over Cincinnati

Freshman Ryan Switzer capped a memorable season by returning a punt 86 yards for a touchdown to help North Carolina beat Cincinnati 39-17 for its first Belk Bowl title in four tries. It was Switzer’s fifth punt return of the season for a TD, tying an NCAA record.

T.J. Logan returned a kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown, Marquise Williams threw for 171 yards and a score, and Romar Morris had two short TD runs as the Tar Heels (7-6) won a bowl game for the first time since 2010.

The victory also capped a huge turnaround for the Tar Heels, who started the season 1-5.

North Carolina dominates Temple in 2019 Military Bowl

Freshman quarterback Sam Howell threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns in addition to catching a TD pass.

North Carolina blew out Temple 55-13 in the Military Bowl to cap a satisfying return season for coach Mack Brown.