1976 Peach Bowl
Encyclopedia
1976 Peach Bowl was a postseason college football match between the Kentucky Wildcats
and the North Carolina Tar Heels
at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
in Atlanta, Georgia
. The University of Kentucky represented the Southeastern Conference
(SEC) and North Carolina represented the Atlantic Coast Conference
(ACC) in the competition. The game was the final competition of the 1976 football season for each team and resulted in a 21–0 Kentucky victory. The Vegas line on the game favored Kentucky by 6 points.
North Carolina entered the game with a 9-2 record and a ranking of #18 in the Associated Press poll after having been ranked as high as #14 during the season; Kentucky entered with a record of 7-4 and unranked.
Neither team scored during the first half. Two Kentucky drives ended deep in North Carolina territory with no score.
In the third quarter North Carolina quarterback Matt Kupec fumbled at the North Carolina 21; Kentucky's James Ramey recovered. Seven plays later Kentucky running back Rod Stewart took it in for a one yard touchdown. John Pierce's PAT gave Kentucky a 7-0 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter Kentucky drove 57 yards in 9 plays and Stewart scored on a 13 yard TD run. Pierce's PAT made it 14-0 with 13:01 left.
Kentucky's last scoring drive of 47 yards saw a fourth and one on the North Carolina 3 with just under 3 minutes on the clock for a third Stewart TD. The PAT made it Kentucky 21, North Carolina 0.
Stewart's 3 TDs tied a Peach Bowl record and his 104 yards rushing won him the game's MVP award. Kentucky linebacker Mike Martin was the defensive MVP.
After the game, North Carolina fell out of the AP Top 20 and Kentucky finished the season ranked #18. The following season Kentucky went 10-1 and finished #6 in the final AP poll; North Carolina finished the season 8-3-1 after a loss in the Liberty Bowl.
Kentucky outgained North Carolina 334 yards to 109; the Wildcat defense held the Tar Heels to a total of five first downs and the Wildcats forced five turnovers.
Kentucky Wildcats football
The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era...
and the North Carolina Tar Heels
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, often shortened to "Fulton County Stadium," was a multi-purpose stadium that formerly stood in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.-History:...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. The University of Kentucky represented the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) and North Carolina represented the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
(ACC) in the competition. The game was the final competition of the 1976 football season for each team and resulted in a 21–0 Kentucky victory. The Vegas line on the game favored Kentucky by 6 points.
North Carolina entered the game with a 9-2 record and a ranking of #18 in the Associated Press poll after having been ranked as high as #14 during the season; Kentucky entered with a record of 7-4 and unranked.
Neither team scored during the first half. Two Kentucky drives ended deep in North Carolina territory with no score.
In the third quarter North Carolina quarterback Matt Kupec fumbled at the North Carolina 21; Kentucky's James Ramey recovered. Seven plays later Kentucky running back Rod Stewart took it in for a one yard touchdown. John Pierce's PAT gave Kentucky a 7-0 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter Kentucky drove 57 yards in 9 plays and Stewart scored on a 13 yard TD run. Pierce's PAT made it 14-0 with 13:01 left.
Kentucky's last scoring drive of 47 yards saw a fourth and one on the North Carolina 3 with just under 3 minutes on the clock for a third Stewart TD. The PAT made it Kentucky 21, North Carolina 0.
Stewart's 3 TDs tied a Peach Bowl record and his 104 yards rushing won him the game's MVP award. Kentucky linebacker Mike Martin was the defensive MVP.
After the game, North Carolina fell out of the AP Top 20 and Kentucky finished the season ranked #18. The following season Kentucky went 10-1 and finished #6 in the final AP poll; North Carolina finished the season 8-3-1 after a loss in the Liberty Bowl.
Kentucky outgained North Carolina 334 yards to 109; the Wildcat defense held the Tar Heels to a total of five first downs and the Wildcats forced five turnovers.
Sources
- 2001 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, '1976 Peach Bowl', p. 166
- 1976 Peach Bowl Highlights on YouTube