For the third consecutive year under head coach Mack Brown, the UNC football team is going bowling.

The Tar Heels found out their postseason destination Sunday, and it’s very close to home. Carolina will play in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, where they will face South Carolina. Both the Tar Heels and Gamecocks finished the regular season 6-6.

“We’re thrilled that the great people with the Duke’s Mayo Bowl have invited us to participate in their game,” Brown said in a statement to Carolina Athletics. “It’s one of the best bowl games in the country in one of the nation’s finest cities… We can’t wait to get back to work next week and look forward to having a great time in Charlotte.”

South Carolina, under first-year head coach Shane Beamer, is appearing in its first bowl game since the 2018 season, when the program also appeared in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl (then known as the Belk Bowl). Like the Tar Heels, the Gamecocks have alternated wins and losses since the early part of the season, though they grabbed memorable wins over Florida and Auburn in the process.

The last meeting between UNC and South Carolina also took place in Charlotte, in the 2019 Belk Kickoff game. That game was the first for Carolina with Brown back as the head coach, and the first start in the collegiate career of quarterback Sam Howell. Despite trailing 20-9 in the second half, Howell led the Tar Heels to a thrilling comeback victory, their first against South Carolina since 1991. According to initial reports, Howell plans to play in the bowl game.

Even though the Gamecocks have had more recent success in the series between the two Carolinas, UNC holds a comfortable 35-19-4 advantage all-time, with the first game being played in 1903. As UNC head coach, Brown is 2-3 against South Carolina, having won the last two meetings.

The Duke’s Mayo Bowl is scheduled for December 30, to be played at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN.

 

Featured image via Associated PRess

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