Stanford's defense was exhausted after carrying its team's weight for the entirety of the game, and North Carolina ripped off a furious 10-play, 95-yard touchdown in the final seconds drive to set up a dramatic ending in the Hyundai Sun Bowl.
But Solomon Thomas dug deep to make the decisive play. The Cardinal's star defensive lineman ripped through the line of scrimmage on the Tar Heels' two-point conversion attempt, spurring a sack to hold off North Carolina's charge.
Stanford won the Hyundai Sun Bowl 25-23, logging its third straight bowl victory for the first time in program history.