| 2021 Capital One Orange Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 87th Orange Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 2, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Hard Rock Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Miami Gardens, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | De’Von Achane (RB, Texas A&M)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Texas A&M by 6[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Reina Obzay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Larry Smith (Big Ten)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 13,737 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN and ESPN Radio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | ESPN: Bob Wischusen (play-by-play) Dan Orlovsky (analyst) Katie George (sideline) ESPN Radio: Sean Kelley and Barrett Jones | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2021 Orange Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 2021, with kickoff scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.[4] It was the 87th edition of the Orange Bowl, and was one of the 2020–21 bowl games concluding the 2020 FBS football season. Sponsored by bank holding company Capital One, the game was officially known as the Capital One Orange Bowl.
As one of the New Year's Six bowl games, the participants of the game were determined by the College Football Playoff selection committee. The committee matched No. 5[a] Texas A&M of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) against No. 13[a] North Carolina of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[5] The programs had not previously met.[6]
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Main article: 2020 Texas A&M Aggies football team |
Texas A&M entered the bowl with an 8–1 record, all in SEC games. Their only loss of the season was to Alabama, a 52–24 defeat. The Aggies defeated one ranked team during the season, Florida, by a score of 41–38. Texas A&M had appeared in one previous Orange Bowl, the 1944 edition.
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Main article: 2020 North Carolina Tar Heels football team |
North Carolina entered the bowl with an 8–3 record, 7–3 in ACC play. The Tar Heels' losses were to Florida State, Virginia, and ranked Notre Dame. North Carolina defeated three ranked teams during the season: Virginia Tech, NC State, and Miami (FL). This was the first appearance by the Tar Heels in an Orange Bowl.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| No. 5 Aggies | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 | 41 |
| No. 13 Tar Heels | 3 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
at Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida
| Game information |
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| Statistics | TAMU | UNC |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 19 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 61–457 | 65–324 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–225 | 34–90 |
| Passing yards | 232 | 234 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 16–26–0 | 18–31–1 |
| Time of possession | 32:13 | 27:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | Passing | Kellen Mond | 16-for-26, 232 yards |
| Rushing | De’Von Achane | 140 yards on 12 carries, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Ainias Smith | 125 yards on 6 receptions | |
| North Carolina | Passing | Sam Howell | 18-for-31, 234 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | British Brooks | 53 yards on 15 carries | |
| Receiving | Josh Downs | 91 yards on 4 receptions, 2 TD |