University of North Carolina Athletics
Teams Unfamiliar with Each Other Meet in the Las Vegas Bowl
June 21, 1999 | Football
December 17, 1998
There's a first time for everything.
In the 76-year history of the San Diego State Aztecs and the 108-year history of the North Carolina Tar Heels, the teams have never met. That all changes Saturday when they hook up in the seventh annual Las Vegas Bowl.
For the Tar Heels (6-5, 5-3 ACC), it will be their seventh-straight bowl appearance while the Aztecs (7-4, 7-1 WAC) make their first showing in a bowl game since 1991.
North Carolina had a strong finish to propel them into the bowl picture. After starting out the year 0-3, the Tar Heels won six of their final eight games, including a 37-34 overtime thriller with rival N.C. State to close out the season.
Senior quarterback Oscar Davenport threw three touchdown passes, including a 14-yarder to Na Brown that won the game, which was the Tar Heels first overtime game in its history.
Despite the fact that most people expected UNC to have better year (they started the season ranked 12th), the Tar Heels and their coach Carl Torbush are still happy to be playing in a bowl game.
"The one place the team wanted to go and something we fantasized about was Las Vegas," Torbush said. "I've never been here before, and most of our players haven't been here. We think it will be a great experience."
With a win over San Diego State, UNC can tie a school record by clinching its ninth consecutive winning season.
The Aztecs put together a solid record after a slow start as well. San Diego State opened up the year 0-2, but managed to put together a respectable record despite facing a tough schedule. All four of the teams San Diego State lost to are appearing in bowl games. Two of those teams (Arizona and Wisconsin) finished the year in the top 10.
In their final regular-season game, the Aztecs beat Texas El-Paso, 34-29. The win allowed San Diego State to claim a share of the Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division championship. That, combined with Wyoming's 35-0 loss at Tulsa earlier that day, led to the Aztecs' selection as the WAC representative in the Las Vegas Bowl.
"We would like to be 10-2," coach Ted Tollner said. "The fact is we're 7-4 and happy to be here."
One thing that helped San Diego State was a terrific running game. The Aztecs averaged 186 yards per game on the ground this year. The Tar Heels, on the other hand, do most of their damage in the air.
Both clubs are decent defensively, so the key to the game should be which team can stop the others' strength.
