Opt-outs took their toll on the 2021 Orange Bowl, but the fourth quarter delivered anyway

The North Carolina Tar Heels had one of college football’s most exciting offenses in the regular season. The Texas A&M Aggies offense was one of the Southeastern Conference’s best.

Those offenses — particularly North Carolina’s — looked far different in the 2021 Orange Bowl and a rash of opt-outs for the Tar Heels were a major part of the problem.

In the end, the Orange Bowl delivered a thrilling conclusion with 31 points, multiple lead changes and multiple touchdowns of 75 yards or longer in the fourth quarter before Texas A&M pulled out a 41-27 win in Miami Gardens.

North Carolina played Saturday without running backs Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, and wide receiver Dyami Brown — all of whom produced more than 1,000 yards of offense this year — and the offense, understandably, suffered.

In the first quarter, the two offenses combined for just 92 total yards. Midway through the second quarter, the Aggies and Tar Heels had combined for more penalty yards than passing yards.

North Carolina, which averaged 556.6 yards per game in the regular season, managed just 324, although star quarterback Sam Howell settled in without his usual assortment of weapons to start a comeback late in the first half.

Howell connected with wide receiver Dazz Newsome for a 28-yard touchdown with 4:56 left in the half to give the Tar Heels their first lead at 13-10, then he hooked up with wide receiver Josh Downs twice in the second half, including for a 75-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. While Newsome was the Tar Heels’ No. 2 receiver this season, Downs caught just three passes in the regular season as a freshman and former top-100 recruit in the 247Sports.com composite rankings.

Texas A&M’s top-40 offense is built on consistent movement rather than chunk plays, but the Aggies got their winning score by one-upping Howell’s pass to Downs. With 3:44 left, Texas A&M running back Devon Achane ripped off a 76-yard touchdown to put the Aggies ahead for good.

The final period began with a Texas A&M field goal to tie the score at 20-20 and Howell immediately answered with his 75-yard heave to put North Carolina back ahead on the first play of its next drive. Kellen Mond quickly answered, too — the Aggies’ star quarterback threw a 54-yard pass to wide receiver Ainias Smith on the fourth play of their next drive, then capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run.

After forcing a punt, Texas A&M got one final explosive play from Achane, whose 76-yard run gave the Aggies a three-play, 87-yard touchdown drive to win the Orange Bowl for the first time.

Ticket prices for National Championship

The Orange Bowl starting ticket prices were very affordable about 90 minutes before kickoff — on Stubhub from about $45 for upper sideline seats. Prices rose to $565 for Club Living Room Box seats.

But ticket prices for the College Football Playoff National Championship, also at Hard Rock Stadium a week from Monday, were a different story. Prices began rising immediately after the teams in the title game became official late Friday: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 3 Ohio State.

According to gametime.co, the “get in” price as of Saturday for the title game, to be played Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium, was $1,256 per ticket. The most expensive tickets, according to the website, were $5,454 each at the 50-yard line, row 17.

Stubhub had title game tickets ranging from about $950 for upper corner seats to about $5,500 for club seats.

This and that

▪ Only two players on either team has South Florida ties, both on Texas A&M: freshman defensive lineman Donell Harris, a Liberty City native and graduate of Gulliver Prep, and junior defensive back Brian George, who played at Belle Glade’s Glades Central. Aggies tight ends coach James Coley is also a Miami native and spent his share of time coaching in South Florida, including two years as a Miami Dolphins assistant (2005-2006) and three as the Miami Hurricanes’ offensive coordinator (2013-2015).

▪ With his fourth carry of the game, a 3-yard run up the middle in the first quarter, Texas A&M running back Isaiah Spiller became the third Southeastern Conference running back to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark this season. The others: Alabama’s Najee Harris (1,262) and South Carolina’s Kevin Harris (1,138).