MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Carolina was paid respect afterward.

The ACC, however, collectively earned little this postseason.

The No. 14 Tar Heels lost 41-27 to No. 5 Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl on Saturday night, capping an 0-6 postseason for the league that included two blowout losses in the College Football Playoff on Friday. The ACC had not gone winless in the postseason since 1983, and had multiple wins each year since 2001.

“North Carolina had one heck of a team, man,” A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “That was one of the great Orange Bowls. … But I also say, there’s a heck of a football team standing in front of me.”

In 1983, there were only 16 bowl games. Carolina lost to future ACC member Florida State in the Peach Bowl and Maryland lost to Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl.

This year in addition to the Tar Heels in the Orange, Miami lost to Oklahoma State in the Cheez-It, Wake Forest lost to Wisconsin in the Duke’s Mayo, Notre Dame was beaten by Alabama in the Rose, Clemson was shredded by Ohio State in the Sugar, and N.C. State lost to Kentucky in the Gator. Four of those losses were by two touchdowns or more.

Devon Achane had two touchdowns in the final 3:44, including a 76-yarder that put Texas A&M ahead to stay. Kellen Mond passed for 232 yards and ran for a score for the Aggies (9-1), who were in the Orange Bowl for the first time since 1944 and were one spot away from making the College Football Playoff field. Fisher improved to 3-0 in Orange Bowls, winning two previous ones at Florida State.

Achane’s go-ahead score came on a play where he nearly tripped over one of his own blockers, broke a tackle and then got loose down the left sideline.

Sam Howell passed for 234 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Josh Downs, for the Tar Heels (8-4). North Carolina was without leading rushers Javonte Williams and Michael Carter, leading receiver Dyami Brown and top tackler Chazz Surratt — all of whom opted out of the bowl game.

“We were so close,” Howell said. “We played a heck of a game out there tonight and just came up short. We were right there.”

Howell — a likely Heisman Trophy candidate in 2021 — tied the Tar Heels’ career TD passing record of 68 with his three scoring throws, all of which gave North Carolina leads.

“We lost 4,000 yards coming into the game and still had a chance against the No. 5 team to win,” UNC coach Mack Brown said.

The first go-ahead throw from Howell saw Dazz Newsome make a diving 28-yard grab with 4:56 left in the half to put the Tar Heels ahead 13-10. The next was a 10-yarder to Downs with 8:01 left in the third for a 20-17 lead, a drive extended when Texas A&M had an interception in the end zone waved off by penalty. And the third was a 75-yarder to Downs early in the fourth, when Howell saw him break free, pointed to him and let the ball fly.

“We’re able to compete with anybody,” Tar Heels linebacker Tomon Fox said.

But every time UNC went up, Texas A&M answered.

The Aggies got a fourth-down stop on the ensuing possession after taking a 34-27 lead, and Achane — the game’s MVP after a 140-yard effort, taking over for Isaiah Spiller after he got “a little banged-up,” Fisher said — sealed the win on a 1-yard run with 1:34 left.

A 3-yard run by Spiller late in the half put the Aggies up 17-13, a chip-shot field goal by Seth Small tied the game at 20 with 14:02 remaining, and Mond had a 4-yard TD run with 10:11 left to tie the game at 27.

The Tar Heels gave up 24 points in the fourth quarter, after allowing just 17 points in the first 45 minutes. It was a difficult end for a defense that forced five three-and-outs.

At worst, Texas A&M should remain No. 5 and match its best AP poll finish since finishing No. 1 in 1939 (joining No. 5 rankings to end the 1956 and 2012 seasons). North Carolina still could finish ranked for only the fourth time in the last 27 seasons.