University of North Carolina Athletics
Las Vegas Bowl Thumbnail
June 21, 1999 | Football
December 18, 1998
By The Associated Press
Saturday, Dec. 19
San Diego State (7-4) vs.
North Carolina (6-5), 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
Series Record
First meeting.
Career Bowl Records
San Diego State 1-3; North Carolina 10-12.
Common Opponents This Season
None.
Coaches
Ted Tollner, fifth season at San Diego State (32-25, 58-45 overall); Carl Torbush, first season at North Carolina (10-13 overall).
Last Bowl Appearance
San Diego State lost to Tulsa 28-17 in the 1991 Freedom Bowl; North Carolina
beat Virginia Tech 42-3 in the 1998 Gator Bowl.
Outlook
North Carolina-The Tar Heels won six of their last eight games after an 0-3 start, including a 37-34 overtime victory over rival N.C. State in the season finale, to become bowl eligible. Senior QB Oscar Davenport finally got healthy down the stretch and passed well. Freshman Ronald Curry, a dangerous runner, also sees time at QB. Na Brown and L.C. Stevens are a fine pair of WRs. The ground game was inconsistent all year. Second team All-America CB Dre Bly has 20 career INTs, an ACC record. The rest of the defense is athletic and talented but hasn't played up to expectations.
San Diego State-The Aztecs went 7-1 in the WAC and were co-champions of its Pacific Division. The offense boasts a strong two-headed rushing attack with RBs Jonas Lewis (99.7 ypg) and Larry Ned (84.7 ypg). All-WAC WR/KR Damon Gourdine is an exciting all-purpose performer. He has 55 catches for 649 yards. Sophomore QB Brian Russell improved against league foes as the season wore on. The Aztecs rank 35th in the nation in total defense (336.5 ypg) and allowed just 12 ppg over their last four contests. SDSU began the season 0-3 with lopsided losses to strong teams - Wisconsin, USC and Arizona.
Streaks, Stats and Notes
It is the seventh Las Vegas Bowl. ... SDSU has never played an ACC team. ... Under Tollner, SDSU is 25-3 when outrushing its opponent. ... The Aztecs have dropped five straight non-conference games. ... Gourdine ranks second in the nation in punt returns (18.4 ypr). ... UNC has tied a school record with nine straight winning seasons. ... The Tar Heels are playing in their seventh straight bowl game and have won their last three. ... Torbush is the first UNC coach since 1943 to post a winning record in his first season. ... Freshman RB Rufus Brown had the team's only 100-yard rushing game. ... Na Brown has 55 catches for 897 yards. ... The ACC went 19-9 against non-conference foes this year. ... The ACC is 20-15-1 in bowl games this decade, the second-best mark of any Division I-A conference.
Las Vegas Bowl Matchup
14 Wisconsin 26 6 at Southern Cal 35 16 Arizona 35 24 at Tulsa 14 35 Hawaii 13 36 at New Mexico 33 21 Utah, OT 20 0 at BYU 13 10 Fresno St. 0 34 at San Jose St. 6 34 Texas-El Paso 29
10 Miami, Ohio 13 34 at Stanford 37 21 Georgia Tech 43 21 Clemson 14 29 Pittsburgh 10 38 at Wake Forest 31 13 at Florida St. 39 24 Maryland 13 13 at Virginia 30 28 at Duke 6 37 N.Carolina St., OT 34
Rushing Offense Car Yds Yds Pg San Diego St. 472 2052 186.5 North Carolina 414 1431 130.1 ---
Passing Offense Att Cp Yds Yds Pg San Diego St. 270 144 1616 146.9 North Carolina 333 168 2185 198.6 ---
Total Offense Plays Yds Yds Pg San Diego St. 742 3668 333.4 North Carolina 747 3616 328.7 ---
Rushing Defense Car Yds Yds Pg San Diego St. 421 1477 134.3 North Carolina 472 1404 127.6 ---
Pass Efficiency Defense Att Cp Yds Tds Pts San Diego St. 345 198 2224 16 121.05 North Carolina 315 151 2409 11 116.08 ---
Total Defense Plays Yds Yds Pg San Diego St. 766 3701 336.5 North Carolina 787 3813 346.6 ---
Net Punting No. Yds Net Punts Avg Ret Ret Avg San Diego St. 63 40.0 28 306 35.2 North Carolina 77 43.7 44 546 36.6 ---
Punt Returns No Yds Avg San Diego St. 18 339 18.8 North Carolina 30 315 10.5 ---
Kickoff Returns No Yds Avg San Diego St. 37 766 20.7 North Carolina 41 937 22.9 ---
Turnover Margin Gained Lost Fum Int Tot Fum Int Tot Mar/Gm San Diego St. 10 10 20 9 11 20 .00 North Carolina 13 12 25 14 10 24 .09 ---
Scoring Offense G Pts Avg San Diego St. 11 230 20.9 North Carolina 11 268 24.4 ---
Scoring Defense G Pts Avg San Diego St. 11 224 20.4 North Carolina 11 270 24.5
