1990 Colorado Buffaloes football
AP Poll national champion
Big Eight champion
Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl, W 10–9 vs. Notre Dame
ConferenceBig Eight Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 1
Record11–1–1 (7–0 Big 8)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorGerry DiNardo (12 games)
Gary Barnett (bowl game)
Offensive schemeI-Bone option[1]
Defensive coordinatorMike Hankwitz (3rd season)
Home stadiumFolsom Field
Seasons
← 1989
1991 →
1990 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Colorado $ 7 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 1
No. 24 Nebraska 5 – 2 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
No. 17 Oklahoma 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
Iowa State 2 – 4 – 1 4 – 6 – 1
Kansas 2 – 4 – 1 3 – 7 – 1
Kansas State 2 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Missouri 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Oklahoma State 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1990 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado Boulder as a member of the Big Eight Conference during the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Buffaloes offense scored 338 points while the defense allowed 160 points. Led by head coach Bill McCartney, Colorado defeated Notre Dame 10–9 in the 1991 Orange Bowl to conclude the season.

Despite the infamous Fifth Down Game controversy against a 4-7 Missouri Tigers football team, Colorado was selected national champions by AP, Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, FB News, Football Research, FW, Matthews, NFF, Sporting News, and USA/CNN, and co-champion by both FACT and NCF -all NCAA-designated major selectors.[2] Georgia Tech took the UPI Coaches poll title,[3] with both Washington and Miami receiving national titles from other selectors.[2]

Georgia Tech finished the season undefeated (with its record only blemished by a tie), and subsequently split the national championship with Colorado.[4]

The victory in the Orange Bowl was Colorado's first bowl win in nineteen years.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
August 261:00 pmvs. No. 8 Tennessee*No. 5
NBCT 31–3133,485[5]
September 66:00 pmStanford*No. 6
ESPNW 21–1750,699
September 151:30 pmat No. 21 Illinois*No. 9
ABCL 22–2364,351
September 225:30 pmat No. 22 Texas*No. 20
ESPNW 29–2277,373
September 291:30 pmNo. 12 Washington*No. 20
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, CO
PSNW 20–1452,868
October 612:30 pmat MissouriNo. 12
KCNCW 33–3146,856
October 1311:30 amIowa StateNo. 14
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, CO
KCNCW 28–1251,861
October 2011:00 amat KansasNo. 14
KCNCW 41–1040,000
October 2712:30 pmNo. 22 OklahomaNo. 10
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, CO
CBSW 32–2351,967
November 32:00 pmat No. 3 NebraskaNo. 9
ESPNW 27–1276,464
November 101:00 pmOklahoma StatedaggerNo. 4
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, CO
KCNCW 41–2251,873
November 1712:10 pmKansas StateNo. 2
KCNCW 64–351,136
January 1, 19916:00 pmNo. 5 Notre Dame*No. 1
NBCW 10–977,062
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Mountain time

Personnel

1990 Colorado Buffaloes football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
C 55 Jim Adams Jr
TB 44 David Arterberry So
TB 31 Matt Bell So
TB 1 Eric Bieniemy Sr
TE 84 Jason Blatt Fr
TE 81 Jon Boman Jr
TB 34 Darnell Brooks Fr
TE 32 David Brown Sr
TE 87 Sean Brown Jr
OT 78 Bryan Campbell So
TB 6 Dennis Collier So
FB 25 Robert Dobbins Fr
TE 85 Sean Embree So
TE 88 Christian Fauria Fr
QB 18 Roman Foster So
QB 10 Mike Freeman So
G 62 Joe Garten Sr
C 71 Erez Gottlieb So
QB 3 Darian Hagan Jr
WR 46 Chris Hall Fr
OT 77 Jim Hansen So
WR 26 Julian Hayward So
G 79 Russ Heasley Jr
FB 22 George Hemingway Sr
WR 25 Mark Henry Jr
WB Dan Hestra Fr
FB 33 James Hill Fr
G 73 Roger Ivey Fr
G 74 Dolyn Jackson Fr
WR 84 James Jackson Fr
WR 80 Robbie James Jr
WR 88 Charles E. Johnson Fr
QB 4 Charles S. Johnson Jr
QB 1 Vance Joseph Fr
TB 7 Kent Kahl Fr
WR 89 Jack Keys So
FB 38 Charles Lee Fr
C 52 Jay Leeuwenburg Jr
WB 23 Greg Lindsey Fr
OT 65 Greg Loest Fr
WB 28 Erik Mitchell Fr
OT 70 Thomas Mixon Fr
OT 60 Clint Moles So
WB 5 O.C. Oliver Sr
WB 36 J.C. Orvis Sr
FB 49 Scott Phillips Fr
FB 20 Kelly Phipps Fr
WB 26 Jason Allegri Fr
WR 9 Mike Pritchard Sr
FB 30 Tony Senna Jr
WB 42 Michael Simmons Sr
WR 86 Rico Smith Jr
TB 35 Chuck Snowden Fr
OT 76 Ariel Solomon Sr
C 51 Rudy Stearnes Fr
OT 61 Chris Stortz Fr
G 66 Dan Todd Fr
TE 82 Doug Van Horn Fr
OT 72 Mark Vander Poel Sr
OT 63 Derek West Fr
WB 12 Michael Westbrook Fr
TB 41 Roger Yago Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 29 Derek Agnew Fr
S 5 Blake Anderson Fr
LB 90 Norm Barnett Fr
LB 50 Tony Berti Fr
S 30 Matthew Bickel Fr
LB 19 Greg Biekert So
CB 13 Ronnie Bradford So
LB 34 Chad Brown So
DT 59 Kenny Browne Fr
NT 39 Jeff Brunner Fr
LB 55 DeShannon Campbell Fr
S 31 Spencer Colter Jr
S 21 Dwayne Davis So
LB 40 Scott DeGoler Sr
DT 89 Brian Dyet Fr
DT 97 Marcellous Elder So
CB 2 Deon Figures So
LB 88 Richard Fisher Fr
CB 15 David Gibbs Sr
LB 91 Lamarr Gray Sr
LB 92 Rodell Guest Jr
S 6 Eric Hamilton So
DT 95 Garry Howe Sr
CB 47 Chris Hudson Fr
LB 51 Alfred Hull Fr
LB 43 Rob Hutchins Sr
S 17 Tim James Sr
LB 48 Terry Johnson Sr
LB 58 Noah Kaiser Fr
LB 41 John Katovisch Fr
CB 12 Dave McCloughan Sr
LB 96 Kanavis McGhee Sr
LB 98 Mike Motley Sr
S 37 Tate Nelson So
S 45 Chris O'Donnell Jr
DT 75 Jason Perkins So
LB 57 William Polk So
DT 99 Leonard Renfro Fr
LB 53 Jason Robinson Fr
LB 46 Paul Rose Sr
S 49 Jim Schrant Fr
S 4 Aaron Shaw Fr
DT 76 Corey Smith Fr
CB 38 Scott Starr So
NG 93 Joel Steed Jr
LB 64 Colton Sudberry Fr
S 27 Greg Thomas Jr
CB 19 Ryan Thomas Fr
CB 14 Jeff Walden Fr
LB 94 Alfred Williams Sr
LB 81 Dennis Williams Fr
LB 56 Ron Woolfork Fr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
PK 20 Jim Archibald Fr
PK 9 Daniel Beck Fr
PK 23 Justin Blake Fr
PK 14 Pat Blottiaux So
PK 16 Jim Harper Jr
PK 1 Branon Johnson Fr
P 17 Jeff Kochevar Jr
P 21 Ron Mayer Fr
PK 85 Jason Miller Fr
P 10 Tom Rouen Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2016-Jan-17

Rankings

Main article: 1990 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP5 (4)6920201214141094 (5)2 (5)1 (45)1 (41)1 (42)1 (39)
Coaches5 (2)79181691114873 (2)2 (3)1 (45)1 (39)1 (38)2 (27)

Game summaries

Vs. Tennessee

#5 Colorado vs. #8 Tennessee
1 234Total
Buffaloes 0 10714 31
Volunteers 7 3021 31
  • Date: August 26
  • Location: Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA
  • Game start: 12:05 PM
  • Elapsed time: 3:43
  • Game attendance: 33,458
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), clear, Wind SW 8–10 mph (13–16 km/h)
  • Referee: James Sprenger
  • TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bill Walsh
      
Scoring summary
Q17:52TENNChuck Webb 4-yard run (Burke kick)TENN 7–0
Q29:55COLGeorge Hemmingway 1-yard run (Harper kick)Tied 7–7
8:09COLJim Harper 35-yard field goalCOL 10–7
2:54TENNGreg Burke 47-yard field goalTied 10–10
Q310:49COLMike Pritchard 55-yard run (Harper kick)Tied 17–10
Q49:34COLDave McCloughan 55-yard punt return (Harper kick)COL 24–10
8:53TENNAlvin Harper 24-yard pass from Andy Kelly (Burke kick)COL 24–17
7:11COLMike Pritchard 78-yard run (Harper kick)COL 31–17
5:36TENNCarl Pickens 14-yard pass from Andy Kelly (Burke kick)COL 31–24
2:25TENNChuck Webb 4-yard run (Burke kick)Tied 31-31

See also: 1990 Tennessee Volunteers football team and Pigskin Classic

Each team dominated with its offensive strength. Mike Pritchard ran for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns as Colorado outgained Tennessee 368-135 on the ground even with Eric Bieniemy sitting out due to a suspension. The Volunteers passed for 368 yards (to Colorado's 68 passing yards), and future NFL wide receivers Carl Pickens and Alvin Harper each had over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown.[6]

Stanford

Stanford at #5 Colorado
1 234Total
Cardinal 14 003 17
• Buffaloes 0 0147 21
  • Date: September 6
  • Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, CO
  • Game start: 6:08 PM
  • Elapsed time: 3:14
  • Game attendance: 50,699
  • Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C), partly cloudy, Wind NW 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
  • Referee: Dean Cramer
   
Scoring summary
Q15:47STANPalumbis 1-yard run (Hopkins kick)STAN 7–0
4:09STANVardell 1-yard run (Hopkins kick)STAN 14–0
Q38:04COLEric Bieniemy 18-yard run (Harper kick)STAN 14–7
5:09COLEric Bieniemy 36-yard run (Harper kick)Tied 14–14
Q44:17STANHopkins 27-yard field goalSTAN 17–14
0:12COLEric Bieniemy 1-yard run (Harper kick)COL 21-17

See also: 1990 Stanford Cardinal football team

[7]

At Illinois

#9 Colorado at #21 Illinois
1 234Total
Buffaloes 7 1023 22
• Fighting Illini 3 776 23
  • Date: September 15
  • Location: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
  • Game attendance: 64,351
  • Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C), clear, Wind NW 10 mph (16 km/h)
  • Referee: Tom Quinn
  • Television network: ABC
     
Scoring summary
Q19:14ILLDoug Higgins 29-yard field goalILL 3–0
5:38COLGeorge Hemingway 2-yard run (Harper kick)COL 7–3
Q214:55COLHarper 54-yard field goalCOL 10–3
13:02COLMichael Simmons 32-yard pass from Darian Hagan (Harper kick)COL 17–3
0:28ILLElbert Turner 8-yard pass from Jason Verduzco (Higgins kick)COL 17–10
Q32:28ILLShawn Wax 4-yard pass from Jason Verduzco (Higgins kick)Tied 17–17
0:24COLSafety, Greg Biekert tackled Griffith in end zoneCOL 19–17
Q412:44COLHarper 26-yard field goalCOL 22–17
1:18ILLHoward Griffith 1-yard run (conversion failed)ILL 23–22

See also: 1990 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

[8]

At Texas

#20 Colorado at #22 Texas
1 234Total
• Buffaloes 7 7015 29
Longhorns 10 363 22
  • Date: September 22
  • Location: Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, TX
  • Game start: 6:39 PM
  • Elapsed time: 3:20
  • Game attendance: 77,273
  • Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C), Cloudy/Low Overcast, Wind NE 15–20 mph (24–32 km/h)
  • Referee: Larry Fisher
  • Television network: ESPN
      
Scoring summary
Q18:46TEXKerry Cash 6-yard pass from Gardere (Pollak kick)TEX 7–0
3:30COLGeorge Hemingway 38-yard pass from Hagan (Harper kick)Tied 7–7
0:16TEXPollak 47-yard field goalTEX 10–7
Q26:51COLEric Bieniemy 2-yard run (Harper kick)COL 14–10
1:26TEXPollak 25-yard field goalCOL 14–13
Q34:44TEXBrown 2-yard run (Pass failed)TEX 19–14
Q414:22TEXPollak 22-yard field goalTEX 22–14
10:10COLEric Bieniemy 4-yard run (Pass failed)TEX 22–20
5:47COLEric Bieniemy 2-yard run (Harper kick)COL 27–22
0:29COLSafety, Williams tackled Garder in End ZoneCOL 29–22

See also: 1990 Texas Longhorns football team

Washington

#12 Washington at #20 Colorado
1 234Total
Huskies 7 070 14
• Buffaloes 0 3143 20
  • Date: September 29
  • Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, CO
  • Game start: 1:31 PM
  • Elapsed time: 2:46
  • Game attendance: 52,868
  • Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C), cloudy, Wind E 3 mph (4.8 km/h)
  • Referee: Dean Cramer
  
Scoring summary
Q16:25WASHMark Brunell 1-yard run (Dodd kick)WASH 7–0
Q20:00COLHarper 47-yard field goalWASH 7–3
Q312:47COLDarian Hagan 15-yard run (Harper kick)COL 10–7
7:22WASHPierce 3-yard pass from Brunell (Dodd kick)WASH 14–10
4:52COLDarian Hagan 3-yard run (Harper kick)COL 17–14
Q413:05COLHarper 32-yard field goalCOL 20-14

See also: 1990 Washington Huskies football team

At Missouri

#12 Colorado at Missouri
1 234Total
• Buffaloes 7 7316 33
Tigers 14 0710 31
  • Date: October 6
  • Location: Faurot Field, Columbia, MO
  • Game start: 1:33 PM
  • Elapsed time: 2:58
  • Game attendance: 46,856
  • Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), partly cloudy, Wind S 15–25 mph (24–40 km/h)
  • Referee: J. C. Louderback
  • Television network: KCNC
       
Scoring summary
Q111:10MIZBailey 19-yard pass from Kiefer (Jacke kick)MIZ 7–0
3:19COLBieniemy 29-yard run (Harper kick)Tied 7–7
1:55MIZMays 49-yard pass from Kiefer (Jacke kick)MIZ 14–7
Q21:45COLPritchard 68-yard run (Harper kick)Tied 14–14
Q310:51COLHarper 35-yard FGCOL 17–14
7:30MIZJones 13-yard run (Jacke Kick)MIZ 21–17
Q413:56COLPritchard 70-yard pass from Johnson (Harper kick)COL 24–21
11:11MIZJacke 45-yard FGTied 24–24
3:41COLHarper 39-yard FGCOL 27–24
2:32MIZMays 38-yard pass from Kiefer (Jacke kick)MIZ 31–27
0:00COLJohnson 1-yard run (conversion failed)COL 33–31

Main article: Fifth Down Game (1990)

See also: 1990 Missouri Tigers football team

Iowa State

Iowa State at #14 Colorado
1 234Total
Cyclones 9 300 12
• Buffaloes 7 7140 28
  • Date: October 13
  • Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, CO
  • Game start: 1:32 PM
  • Elapsed time: 2:46
  • Game attendance: 51,861
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), partly cloudy, Wind S 25–40 mph (40–64 km/h)
  • Referee: John Laurie
    
Scoring summary
Q111:34ISUPatterson 6-yard pass from Pedersen (kick failed)ISU 6–0
9:14ISUShudak 36-yard field goalISU 9–0
4:55COLSimmons 29-yard pass from Johnson (Harper kick)ISU 9–7
Q22:19ISUShudak 46-yard field goalISU 12–7
0:06COLBrown 29-yard pass from Hagan (Harper kick)COL 14–12
Q310:45COLEric Bieniemy 1-yard run (Harper kick)COL 21–12
0:28COLPritchard 30-yard run (Harper kick)COL 28-12

See also: 1990 Iowa State Cyclones football team

At Kansas

#14 Colorado at Kansas
1 234Total
• Buffaloes 17 3210 41
Jayhawks 0 1000 10
  • Date: October 20
  • Location: Memorial Stadium
  • Game start: 12:10 PM
  • Elapsed time: 2:48
  • Game attendance: 40,000
  • Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C), partly cloudy, Wind S 15–20 mph (24–32 km/h)
  • Referee: Larry Fisher
      
Scoring summary
Q19:25COLHarper 36-yard field goalCOL 3–0
6:46COLEric Bieniemy 31-yard run (Harper kick)COL 10–0
0:58COLMike Pritchard 44-yard pass from Darian Hagan (Harper kick)COL 17–0
Q214:08KUDrayton 11-yard pass from Hilleary (Eichloff kick)COL 17–7
2:47KUEichloff 26-yard field goalCOL 17–10
0:01COLHarper 42-yard field goalCOL 20–10
Q310:06COLEric Bieniemy 41-yard run (Harper kick)COL 27–10
2:51COLEric Bieniemy 10-yard run (Harper kick)COL 34–10
0:18COLMcCloughan 90-yard punt return (Harper kick)COL 41–10

See also: 1990 Kansas Jayhawks football team

Oklahoma

#22 Oklahoma at #10 Colorado
1 234Total
Sooners 7 736 23
• Buffaloes 3 9614 32
  • Date: October 27
  • Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, CO
  • Game start: 12:31 PM
  • Elapsed time: 3:23
  • Game attendance: 51,967
  • Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C), sunny, Wind E 8 mph (13 km/h)
  • Referee: Dean Cramer
      
Scoring summary
Q19:00OUCale Gundy 5-yard run (Lasher kick)OU 7–0
3:01COLHarper 48-yard field goalOU 7–3
Q26:58COLHarper 28-yard field goalOU 7–6
6:46OULong 80-yard pass from Gundy (Lashar kick)OU 14–6
0:24COLPritchard 12-yard pass from Hagan (run failed)OU 14–12
Q310:19COLEric Bieniemy 69-yard run (pass failed)COL 18–14
5:06OULasher 43-yard field goalCOL 18–17
Q413:54COLSmith 85-yard pass from Hagan (Harper kick)COL 25–17
11:24COLHagan 3-yard run (Harper kick)COL 32–17
5:51OUBrewer 6-yard run (run failed)COL 32-23

See also: 1990 Oklahoma Sooners football team

[9]

At Nebraska

#9 Colorado at #3 Nebraska
1 234Total
• Buffaloes 0 0027 27
Cornhuskers 0 660 12
  • Date: November 3
  • Location: Memorial Stadium
  • Game start: 3:07 PM
  • Elapsed time: 3:00
  • Game attendance: 76,464
  • Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C), Light rain, Wind N 20–22 mph (32–35 km/h)
  • Referee: John Laurie
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough and Mike Gottfried
    
Scoring summary
Q213:14NEBBarrios 26-yard field goalNEB 3–0
11:25NEBBarrios 44-yard field goalNEB 6–0
Q32:39NEBMitchell 48-yard pass from Joseph (pass failed)NEB 12–0
Q414:43COLBieniemy 1-yard run (Harper kick)NEB 12–7
8:37COLBieniemy 2-yard run (pass failed)COL 13–12
4:35COLBieniemy 3-yard run (Harper kick)COL 20–12
1:31COLBieniemy 5-yard run (Harper kick)COL 27–12

See also: 1990 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team and Colorado–Nebraska football rivalry

[10][11][12][13]

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State at #4 Colorado
1 234Total
Cowboys 7 0015 22
• Buffaloes 7 10213 41
  • Date: November 10
  • Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, CO
  • Game start: 1:02 PM
  • Elapsed time: 3:09
  • Game attendance: 51,873
  • Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C), sunny, Wind NE 7 mph (11 km/h)
  • Referee: John Laurie
      
Scoring summary
Q19:36COLHemingway 9-yard pass from Hagan (Harper Kick)COL 7–0
0:09OSUMayfield 43 pass from Ford (Blanchard Kick)Tied 7–7
Q211:28COLPritchard 28-yard pass from Hagan (Harper Kick)COL 14–7
0:03COLHarper 40-yard field goalCOL 17–7
Q310:24COLS.Brown 8-yard pass from Hagan (Harper Kick)COL 24–7
7:48COLPritchard 34-yard pass from Hagan (Harper Kick)COL 31–7
0:06COLBieniemy 21-yard run (Harper Kick)COL 38–7
Q414:24OSUHudson 1-yard run (Kirksey pass from Ford)COL 38–15
7:36COLHarper 50-yard field goalCOL 41–15
3:23OSUKirksey 19-yard pass from Ford (Blanchard Kick)COL 41-22

See also: 1990 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team

Kansas State

Kansas State at #4 Colorado
1 234Total
Wildcats 0 300 3
• Buffaloes 17 23321 64
  • Date: November 17
  • Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, CO
  • Game start: 12:12 PM
  • Elapsed time: 3:19
  • Game attendance: 51,136
  • Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C), partly cloudy, Wind NE 8 mph (13 km/h)
  • Referee: Larry Fisher
        
Scoring summary
Q112:02COLHagan 23-yard run (Harper kick)COL 7–0
6:28COLHagan 9-yard run (Harper Kick)COL 14–0
2:53COLHarper 28-yard field goalCOL 17–0
Q212:38KSUWright 28-yard field goalCOL 17–3
9:35COLC.S. Johnson 5-yard run (Harper kick)COL 24–3
5:29COLPritchard 48-yard pass from Hagan (Harper kick)COL 31–3
5:11COLSafety, Straw sacked by Howe in endzone, KSU covered fumbleCOL 33–3
0:06COLPritchard 70-yard run (Harper kick)COL 40–3
Q310:56COLBlottiaux 47-yard field goalCOL 43–3
Q46:54COLHenry 39-yard pass from Joseph (Blottiaux kick)COL 50–3
4:35COLC.E. Johnson 26-yard run (Blottiaux kick)COL 57–3
0:04COLOliver 8-yard run (Blottiaux kick)COL 64-3

See also: 1990 Kansas State Wildcats football team

The Buffs scored early and often while totaling 634 yards of total offense (360 rushing).[14][15]

Notre Dame (Orange Bowl)

#5 Notre Dame vs. #1 Colorado
1 234Total
Fighting Irish 0 630 9
• Buffaloes 0 370 10
  • Date: January 1
  • Location: Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, FL
  • Game start: 8:30 PM
  • Elapsed time: 3:26
  • Game attendance: 77,062
  • Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C), Fair skies, Wind E 9 mph (14 km/h)
  • Referee: Frank Shepard
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh
  
Scoring summary
Q212:04CUJim Harper 22-yard field goalCOL 3–0
7:32NDRicky Watters 2-yard run (PAT blocked)ND 6–3
Q310:10NDCraig Hentrich 24-yard field goalND 9–3
4:26CUEric Bieniemy 1-yard run (Harper kick)COL 10–9

Main article: 1991 Orange Bowl

See also: 1990 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

[16][17]

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player Position Round Pick NFL club
Mike Pritchard Wide receiver 1 13 Atlanta Falcons
Alfred Williams Linebacker 1 18 Cincinnati Bengals
Eric Bieniemy Running back 2 39 San Diego Chargers
Kanavis McGhee Linebacker 2 55 New York Giants
Dave McCloughan Defensive back 3 69 Indianapolis Colts
Mark Vander Poel Tackle 4 96 Indianapolis Colts
Joe Garten Center 6 164 Green Bay Packers
Tim James Defensive back 8 202 New York Jets

[18]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2017.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ a b 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. p. 114. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  3. ^ Stone, Gene (January 3, 1991). "Tech Scores Split Decision, is Voted No. 1 by Coaches". Gadsden Times. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  4. ^ "1990 NCAA Division IA Football Power Ratings". Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  5. ^ "Vols tie up Buffs". News Chronicle. August 27, 1990. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "COLORADO, TENNESSEE PLAY 31-31 TIE". The Washington Post. August 27, 1990. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  7. ^ "Colorado 21, Stanford 17". UPI. September 6, 1990. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  8. ^ "Illinois 23, Colorado 22". United Press International. September 15, 1990. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  9. ^ "Colorado Takes Option Away From Oklahoma". Los Angeles Times. October 28, 1990. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  10. ^ "Colorado 27, Nebraska 12". UPI. November 3, 1990. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  11. ^ "Home is No Protection for Perfection: No. 3 Cornhuskers suffer first loss as Colorado takes inside track for trip to Orange Bowl, 27-12". Los Angeles Times. November 4, 1990. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  12. ^ Jenkins, Sally (November 12, 1990). "Better Late Than Never". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  13. ^ Gainesville Sun. 1990 Nov 4. Retrieved 2015-Nov-05.
  14. ^ "Buffaloes Stampede Their Way to Top". Los Angeles Times. November 18, 1990. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  15. ^ "Colorado ascends to No. 1". UPI. November 18, 1990. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  16. ^ "Top-Ranked Colorado Holds Off Notre Dame". The New York Times. January 2, 1991. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  17. ^ Murphy, Austin (January 14, 1991). "Clip Off the Old Block". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  18. ^ "1991 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007.
  19. ^ "College Football Awards - Butkus Award". Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
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