UNC SUN BOWL HISTORY
Carolina has played in the Sun Bowl on four previous occasions with a 2-2 record.
• 1972 – Carolina 32, Texas Tech 28
• 1974 – Mississippi State 26, Carolina 24
• 1982 – Carolina 26, Texas 10
• 1994 – Texas 35, Carolina 31
CAROLINA-STANFORD SERIES NOTES
• North Carolina and Stanford will be meeting for just the third time on the gridiron with the series tied 1-1. The two programs played a home-and-home series in the late 1990s with the Tar Heels earning a 28-17 win in Chapel Hill in 1997, and the Cardinal winning 37-34 in Palo Alto in 1998.
• A brief look at the 1998 game: Kevin Miller kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired to give Stanford a 37-34 win. Carolina tied the game at 34 on a 19-yard touchdown pass from true freshman quarterback Ronald Curry to Kory Bailey on fourth down with 3:20 to play. Curry finished with 304 passing yards and 370 total yards of offense. UNC's Tyrell Godwin had a 100-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.
• A brief look at the 1997 game: UNC defensive back Quinton Savage blocked a fourth quarter punt and Antwon Black recovered the ball for a touchdown as the No. 7 Tar Heels earned a 28-17 win over No. 17 Stanford in Kenan Stadium. Tailback Jonathan Linton rushed for 96 yards and a score, while quarterback Oscar Davenport passed for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
• Carolina will be playing its fifth ranked team of the season when the Tar Heels face No. 16 Stanford in the Sun Bowl. U
• NC is 2-2 this season against teams ranked in the AP poll with wins over No. 12 Florida State on Oct. 1 and No. 16 Miami on Oct. 15. UNC lost to No. 18 Georgia in the season opener on Sept. 3 and No. 25 Virginia Tech on Oct. 8.
• Although unranked at the time, Carolina also beat Pittsburgh, who is No. 22 heading into postseason play.
• This is the first time Carolina has played five ranked teams in a season since 2006.
TRUBISKY IN THE RANKINGS
• Carolina junior quarterback Mitch Trubisky is fifth in the nation in completion percentage (68.9), eighth in total completions (281), 10th in total yards (3,468), 11th in pass efficiency rating (160.96), 12th in TD passes (28) and 15th in passing yards per game (289.0).
• He is fifth in the ACC and 18th in the country with 311.5 total yards of offense per game. Trubisky was a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Gold Arm Award and a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award.
Photo Courtesy: Mitch Trubisky, UNC Athletics