1974 Sun Bowl

Mississippi State tied for fourth in the Southeastern Conference while the Tar Heels tied for second in the Atlantic Coast Conference. This was the first Sun Bowl for the Bulldogs and the first bowl game since 1963. The Tar Heels had appeared in the Sun Bowl just two years earlier. A freak winter storm the night before the game left frost on the field. The morning warmth of the sun created a rising steam from the field during the first half, thus inspiring the game to be one of three football games to be nicknamed the "Fog Bowl".^[1]

Game summary

On the first play, Terry Vitrano ran for 55 yards, which set the tone for the rest of the game.

Mississippi State — Packer 1 yard touchdown run (Nickels kick)
North Carolina — Betterson 1 yard touchdown run (Alexander kick)
Mississippi State — Nickels 24 yard field goal
North Carolina — Betterson 6 yard touchdown run (Alexander kick)
Mississippi State — Packer 16 yard touchdown run (Nickels kick)
North Carolina — Jerome 29 yard touchdown pass from Kupec (Alexander kick)
Mississippi State — Nickels 32 yard field goal
North Carolina — Alexander 26 yard field goal
Mississippi State — Vitrano 2 yard touchdown run (kick failed)

Terry Vitrano rushed for 164 yards on 20 carries with one touchdown en route to being named MVP of the game. His teammate Walter Packer ran for 183 yards on 24 attempts, for two touchdowns. The 455 yards of rushing by the Bulldogs established a new Sun Bowl record. ^[2]^[3]^[4]

Aftermath

The Bulldogs returned to the Sun Bowl in 1980 while the Tar Heels reappeared in 1994.

Statistics

Statistics	Mississippi State	North Carolina
First Downs	25	22
Rushing Yards	455	277
Passing Yards	44	125
Total Yards	499	402
Passes (C-A-I)	3-8-0	5-15-1
Fumbles-Lost	1-1	3-0
Penalties-Yards	5-45	2-30

References

Sun Bowl

History & conference tie-ins	History Jones Stadium Kidd Field Sun Bowl Broadcasters Pac-12 Conference Atlantic Coast Conference

Games	1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1977 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Notes	There was a Sun Bowl in January and December in 1958 and 1977. There was no Sun Bowl in 1976.

Mississippi State Bulldogs bowl games

1912 Bacardi Bowl 1937 Orange Bowl 1941 Orange Bowl 1963 Liberty Bowl 1974 Sun Bowl 1980 Sun Bowl 1981 Hall of Fame Classic 1991 Liberty Bowl 1993 Peach Bowl 1995 Peach Bowl 1999 Cotton Bowl 1999 Peach Bowl 2000 Independence Bowl 2007 Liberty Bowl 2011 Gator Bowl 2011 Music City Bowl 2013 Gator Bowl 2013 Liberty Bowl 2014 Orange Bowl 2015 Belk Bowl 2016 St. Petersburg Bowl

North Carolina Tar Heels bowl games

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