Aztecs, Heels set to hit the field

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Dec. 18, 1998 | 9:06 a.m.

UNC quarterback duo aims to solve San Diego State's tough 'D'

They've sung Christmas songs with an Elvis impersonator.

They've battled head-to-head in pie-eating contests.

They've seen the sights and sounds of the Strip.

Now it's time for San Diego State and North Carolina to finally play football.

The two teams, both of which rebounded from 0-3 starts, will meet in Las Vegas Bowl VII on Saturday afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium.

"We're coming around and playing our best football now," first-year Tar Heels coach Carl Torbush said. "Our kids are excited about the chance to play in this bowl game."

"Any time you can overcome adversity, it makes things even more rewarding," San Diego State head coach Ted Tollner said. "For the seniors who came here five years ago, this is a great way to go out."

This will be the first meeting between the two schools and it marks the first time in 76 seasons of football that San Diego State has played an Atlantic Coast Conference squad.

North Carolina (6-5), which had to knock off in-state rival North Carolina State, 37-34, in overtime in its season finale just to get the necessary six wins needed to be bowl eligible, features one of the nation's top one-two punches at quarterback in senior Oscar Davenport, the MVP of Carolina's 20-13 Gator Bowl win over West Virginia last year, and freshman phenom Ronald Curry.

Torbush, who took over for Mack Brown a year ago, said Davenport will start but that Curry will also play.

The Tar Heels have a trio of standout wide receivers led by senior Na Brown, who tied his own school record with 55 receptions this season and holds the school career reception record with 165. Senior L.C. Stevens has 120 career receptions and has started 37 games in his career while freshman Kory Bailey set a Carolina freshman record for receptions in a season (38).

Defensively, Carolina is led by three-time All-American cornerback Dre Bly, the all-time interception leader in ACC history with 20, and first team all-ACC defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban, who broke the school record for most tackles for losses in a season (23) previously held by the great Lawrence Taylor as well as longtime NFL line star William Fuller.

San Diego State (7-4), which tied BYU for a share of the WAC's Pacific Division title, will be making it first post-season appearance since the 1991 Freedom Bowl.

The Aztecs, once known for their wide-open passing attack and high-scoring games, took a different route to Las Vegas.

Offensively, the running back duo of Jonas Lewis and Larry Ned split time and combined to average over 180 yards rushing per game. Each had four 100-yard rushing games, including twice in the same contest. This is the first time since 1976 that the Aztecs gained more yards on the ground than via the pass in a season.

Defensively, San Diego State was led by first team all-WAC defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, who had seven sacks and 15 tackles for losses, junior free safety Rico Curtis, who had 90 tackles and three interceptions, and a trio of standout linebackers --- Joe Jackson, Joe Mayo and Joe Tuipala --- who combined for 242 tackles and 19 tackles-for-loss.

The Aztecs finished 35th in the nation in total defense, their highest ranking since 1970. The average of 20.4 points a game by opponents was the lowest since 1977.