1990 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
Coaches' Poll national champion
ACC champion
Florida Citrus Bowl champion
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 2
Record11–0–1 (6–0–1 ACC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorRalph Friedgen (4th season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorGeorge O'Leary (4th season)
Base defense3–4
Home stadiumBobby Dodd Stadium
Seasons
← 1989
1991 →
1990 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Georgia Tech $ 6 – 0 – 1 11 – 0 – 1
No. 9 Clemson 5 – 2 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 23 Virginia 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Maryland 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 1
North Carolina 3 – 3 – 1 6 – 4 – 1
NC State 3 – 4 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
Duke 1 – 6 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Wake Forest 0 – 7 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1990 AFCA National Championship Trophy awarded to Georgia Tech

The 1990 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Jackets posted an undefeated 11–0–1 record. For the season the Yellow Jackets offense scored 379 points while the defense allowed 186 points. Highlights from the season included a nationally televised win over #1 Virginia on the road and a defeat of archrival Georgia for the second consecutive year. Georgia Tech capped off the season by defeating Nebraska, 45–21, in the Florida Citrus Bowl. Head coach Bobby Ross and the Yellow Jackets were awarded a share of the national championship, winning the UPI Poll title by one vote[1] over Colorado, who won the AP Poll title.[2] The team was selected national champion by the UPI coaches poll, Dunkel, and Sagarin (ELO-Chess), while co-national champion by both FACT and NCF.[3]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 812:00 pmNC State
JPSW 21–1340,021
September 221:00 pmChattanooga*
  • Bobby Dodd Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
W 44–932,911
September 294:00 pmNo. 25 South Carolina*
  • Bobby Dodd Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
ESPNW 27–646,011
October 612:00 pmat MarylandNo. 23
JPSW 31–331,941
October 1312:00 pmNo. 15 ClemsonNo. 18
  • Bobby Dodd Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
JPSW 21–1946,066
October 201:30 pmat North CarolinaNo. 11
T 13–1348,000
October 2712:00 pmDukeNo. 16
  • Bobby Dodd Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
JPSW 48–3144,061
November 32:00 pmat No. 1 VirginiaNo. 16
CBSW 41–3849,700
November 101:00 pmVirginia Tech*No. 7
  • Bobby Dodd Stadium
  • Atlanta, GA
W 6–343,011
November 171:00 pmat Wake ForestNo. 4
W 42–713,493
December 112:30 pmat Georgia*No. 2
TBSW 40–2382,122[4]
January 11:30 pmvs. No. 19 Nebraska*No. 2
ABCW 45–2172,328
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

[5][6]

Roster

1990 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
RB 36 William Bell So
C 59 Billy Chubbs Jr
TE 17 Tom Covington Jr
WR 8 Jerry Gilchrist Sr
OT 66 Darryl Jenkins Sr
QB 10 Shawn Jones So
G 65 Jim Lavin Sr
WR 25 Greg Lester Jr
WR 12 Emmett Merchant Jr
C 60 Veryl Miller Sr
OT 70 Mike Mooney Jr
WR 3 Bobby Rodriguez So
FB 40 Stefen Scotton Sr
G 62 Joe Siffri Sr
RB 21 Kevin Tisdel So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
SS 43 Thomas Balkcom Sr
NG 98 Kevin Battle So
DB 4 Willie Clay Jr
LB 95 Marco Coleman So
LB 93 Orion Cox Sr
CB 30 Keith Holmes Sr
SS 80 Jay Martin Sr
DT 96 Jerimiah McClary Sr
DT 92 Coleman Rudolph So
LB 99 Chris Simmons Sr
LB 86 Rich Strohmeier So
FS 1 Ken Swilling Jr
LB 58 Calvin Tiggle Sr
LB 45 Jerrelle Williams Jr
LB 56 Marlon Williams  Fr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P 5 Scott Aldredge Sr
K 9 Scott Sisson So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster

Rankings

Main article: 1990 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP—————2318111616743 (8)2 (10)2 (16)2 (20)
Coaches—————1815111214753 (4)3 (3)2 (7)1 (30)

Game summaries

NC State

See also: 1990 NC State Wolfpack football team


Chattanooga

See also: Chattanooga Mocs football


South Carolina

See also: 1990 South Carolina Gamecocks football team


At Maryland

See also: 1990 Maryland Terrapins football team


Clemson

See also: 1990 Clemson Tigers football team


[7]

At North Carolina

See also: 1990 North Carolina Tar Heels football team


Duke

See also: 1990 Duke Blue Devils football team


At Virginia

#16 Georgia Tech at #1 Virginia
1 234Total
• Yellow Jackets 0 14216 41
Cavaliers 10 1873 38
          
Scoring summary
Q18:09UVAShawn Moore 1-yard run (McInerney kick)UVA 7–0
3:58UVAJake McInerney 27-yard field goalUVA 10–0
Q214:50UVAJake McInerney 51-yard field goalUVA 13–0
9:43GTShawn Jones 23-yard run (Sisson kick)UVA 13–7
6:42UVAShawn Moore 1-yard run (Herman Moore pass from Shawn Moore)UVA 21–7
5:22GTJerry Gilchrist 43-yard pass from Shawn Jones (Sisson kick)UVA 21–14
0:36UVAShawn Moore 6-yard run (McInerney kick)UVA 28–14
Q312:47GTJerry Gilchrist 12-yard run (Sisson kick)UVA 28–21
4:34GTEmmett Merchant 26-yard pass from Shawn Jones (Sisson kick)Tied 28–28
3:08UVAHerman Moore 63-yard pass from Shawn Moore (McInerney kick)UVA 35–28
0:02GTWilliam Bell 8-yard run (Sisson kick)Tied 35–35
Q47:17GTScott Sisson 33-yard field goalGT 38–35
2:34UVAJake McInerney 22-yard field goalTied 38–38
0:07GTScott Sisson 37-yard field goalGT 41–38

Main article: 1990 Georgia Tech vs. Virginia football game

See also: 1990 Virginia Cavaliers football team


The most notable victory for the Yellow Jackets came on November 3 against #1 ranked Virginia at Scott Stadium. The game was televised nationally by CBS with Jim Nantz handling play-by-play duties. Georgia Tech won 41–38 thanks to a 37-yard field goal by Scott Sisson with seven seconds remaining.[8][9] The win vaulted Georgia Tech to the #7 ranking in both major polls.

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech at #7 Georgia Tech
1 234Total
Hokies 0 003 3
• Yellow Jackets 0 006 6
  • Date: November 10
  • Location: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Game start: 1:00 PM EST
  • Elapsed time: 2:40
  • Game attendance: 43,011
  • Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C), Cold, overcast, damp, Wind NW 15–25 mph (24–40 km/h) mph
  • Referee: Courtney Mauzy
  
Scoring summary
Q48:16VTM. Thomas 22-yard field goalVT 3–0
5:09GTScott Sisson 33-yard field goalTied 3–3
0:08GTSisson 38-yard field goalGT 6–3

See also: 1990 Virginia Tech Hokies football team and Georgia Tech–Virginia Tech football rivalry


At Wake Forest

See also: 1990 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team


[10]

At Georgia

See also: 1990 Georgia Bulldogs football team and Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate


Vs. Nebraska (Citrus Bowl)

#19 Nebraska vs #2 Georgia Tech
1 234Total
Cornhuskers 0 1470 21
• Yellow Jackets 7 17714 45
      
Scoring summary
Q111:45GTStefen Scotton 2-yard run (Scott Sisson kick)GT 7–0
Q212:23GTEmmett Merchant 22-yard pass from Shawn Jones (Sisson kick)GT 14–0
7:50GTWilliam Bell 2-yard pass from Jones (Sisson kick)GT 21–0
6:21NEBJohnny Mitchell 30-yard pass from Tom Haase (Gregg Barrios kick)GT 21–7
5:07NEBDerek Brown 50-yard run (Barrios kick)GT 21–14
1:50GTSisson 37-yard field goalGT 24–14
Q35:33GTJones 1-yard run (Sisson kick)GT 31–14
0:30NEBWilliam Washington 21-yard pass from Haase (Barrios kick)GT 31–21
Q49:43GTBell 6-yard run (Sisson kick)GT 38–21
7:43GTBell 57-yard run (Sisson kick)GT 45–21


Main article: 1991 Citrus Bowl

See also: 1990 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

[11][12][13][14]

Plaque at Georgia Tech honoring their National Championship season

Awards and honors

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player Position Round Pick NFL club
Calvin Tiggle Linebacker 7 174 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jim Lavin Guard 10 268 Cincinnati Bengals
Willie "Big Play" Clay Cornerback 8 221 Detroit Lions

Source.[15]

References

  1. ^ Stone, Gene (January 3, 1991). "Tech Scores Split Decision, is Voted No. 1 by Coaches". Gadsden Times. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  2. ^ Clarke, Michael (September 16, 2005) Football Program Builds on Strong History. The Technique. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  3. ^ 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). The National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 114. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  4. ^ "Yellow Jackets shake Georgia, stay unbeaten heading into Citrus". The State. December 2, 1990. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ 1990 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Schedule and Results. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  6. ^ 1990 Final Stats Archived November 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Georgia Tech Official Athletic Site. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  7. ^ "College Football; Ga. Tech Outlasts Clemson". The New York Times. October 14, 1990. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  8. ^ "The Brawl For It All". Georgia Tech Athletic Association. September 21, 2007. Archived from the original on November 28, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  9. ^ "NO. 1: GA. TECH ENDS VIRGINIA'S DREAM". Sun-Sentinel. November 4, 1990. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  10. ^ "Unbeaten Georgia Tech Rips Wake Forest, 42-7". Los Angeles Times. November 18, 1990. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  11. ^ "Georgia Tech 45, Nebraska 21". UPI. January 1, 1991. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  12. ^ "GEORGIA TECH, JONES RIP NEBRASKA". Chicago Tribune. January 2, 1991. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  13. ^ "CITRUS ROUT HAS GA. TECH STILL UNBEATEN". The Washington Post. January 2, 1991. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  14. ^ "Georgia Tech Coasts to Finish Without a Loss". The New York Times. January 2, 1991. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  15. ^ 1991 NFL Draft Archived December 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
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