UNC vs Texas A&M Orange Bowl game-day guide: How to watch, betting line, game notes
North Carolina coach Mack Brown attempted to frame the historical perspective of making the Orange Bowl in a way that would get the team’s attention. So he used his birth date.
Brown was born in 1951, and the No. 14 Tar Heels’ last major bowl appearance was in the 1950 Cotton Bowl.
“I was not alive so that got their attention,” Brown told reporters. “They can’t put history in perspective very often, but they said, ‘Oh my God, that is a long time.’ They get that and that was kind of fun for them.”
What is not as much fun is how the pandemic has put a damper on the lead up to the Orange Bowl week and the game against No. 5 Texas A&M at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Ordinarily they would have practiced in Miami for a week leading up to the game, with events sprinkled in-between. Because of COVID-19, the bowl is more of a glorified road trip.
“To be honest with you, I hate it,” UNC quarterback Sam Howell said. “I love bowl week. I loved our time in (Washington) D.C. last year for the Military Bowl. That was one of the funnest weeks I’ve had in my entire life just being there with the team. So I’m definitely a little bit disappointed that we don’t get to be down there for a week and spend time with my guys. But it is what it is. Our main mentality right now is to go win the game, so that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
How to watch UNC football vs. Texas A&M
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. Saturday and will be televised on ESPN.
Betting odds: Heels are touchdown underdogs
Texas A&M was favored by 7.5 points as of Friday evening. The over/under is 65.5.
Game notes: Impact of opt outs
▪ Opt outs Part I: Carolina hasn’t played since putting up 778 yards total offense in its win at Miami. As the Heels make a return trip to Hard Rock Stadium with Michael Carter, Javonte Williams and Dyami Brown all opting out, remaining players accounted for only 58 of those yards.
▪ UNC quarterback Sam Howell is the active Football Bowl Division leader in consecutive games with a touchdown pass at 24.
▪ Brown and Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher are two of the six active head coaches who have won a national championship. Brown won the 2005 BCS title at Texas, Fisher at Florida State in 2013. (The remaining four: Alabama’s Nick Saban, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, LSU’s Ed Orgeron and Kansas’ Les Miles.)
▪ Brown is 10-4 against Texas A&M, with all of those games coming while he was at Texas. Fisher is 0-2 against UNC, with both losses coming at FSU.
▪ Opt outs Part II: With Carter (1,245 yards) and Williams (1,140 yards) no longer touting the ball for the Heels, Josh Henderson (46 yards), British Brooks (46 yards) and Elijah Green (55 yards) will try to fill the void.
▪ Fans of the Carolina Panthers may see a familiar name for the Aggies. Former Panthers receiver Muhsin Muhammad’s son, who goes by Moose, is a freshman receiver.
▪ Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond joined Florida’s Tim Tebow and Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott as the only players in SEC history to throw for more than 9,000 yards and rush for more than 1,500.
▪ The Aggies led the SEC in time of possession and ranked third nationally, averaging 35 minutes per game.
This story was originally published January 1, 2021 at 3:05 PM with the headline "UNC vs Texas A&M Orange Bowl game-day guide: How to watch, betting line, game notes."