North Carolina jumped out to a 16-point lead on Auburn before holding on for a 16-10 win against Auburn in the 2001 Peach Bowl behind the passing of Ronald Curry and the running of Willie Parker.
Nineteen years later, the schools will return to Atlanta for a rematch.
The Tar Heels and Tigers announced Friday that they have agreed to play one another in the 2020 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff at Mercedes Benz Stadium. The game will be played on Saturday, Sept. 12 and is part of a three-game season-opening celebration of college football involving ACC schools in Atlanta.
Florida State and West Virginia will kick off the event on Saturday Sept. 5 while Virginia will take on Georgia on Monday night Sept. 7.
“The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an exciting opportunity for our team to take on an outstanding Auburn program in what is always one of the top events of the college football season,” UNC coach Larry Fedora said in a statement announcing the game “The chance to play on a national stage in a world-class facility like Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta will be a tremendous experience for our fans and everyone associated with our program.”
This will be the Tar Heels’ third appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff. They suffered close losses in both of their previous games, falling 30-24 to LSU in 2010 and 33-24 to Georgia two seasons ago.
It will also be their seventh all-time meeting with Auburn. UNC leads the series 4-2, with the most recent game coming in that Peach Bowl matchup in 2001.
Duke will play Alabama in the 2019 season opening Chick-fil-A Kickoff.
