Colorado University Athletics
Orange Bowl Was Microcosm Of Season For ?90 Buffs
To commemorate CU's national championship, secured that season in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame, CUBuffs.com will take a look back at each game of the '90 season. Game stories that appeared in the Rocky Mountain News and were written by B.G. Brooks, now Contributing Editor for CUBuffs.com, will be reprinted each Wednesday on the website.
All season long, the Buffs did it the hard way. Oh, and along the way, there were a few breaks.
Why should a balmy night in South Florida, with a national championship in the balance, be any different?
Forced to overcome the loss of their starting quarterback for the final half against Notre Dame, the Buffs withstood that. They also benefitted greatly from a clipping call that nullified a 91-yard punt return by Raghib "Rocket" Ismail.
In the end, a single point separated CU and Notre Dame, allowing the Buffs to claim their first national championship.
Rife with adversity, sprinkled with controversy and brimming with emotion from start to finish, it had been a season for the ages - and the championship game followed that script to the letter.
Buffs lay claim to No. 1
10-9 win sets CU up for title
By B.G.
Brooks
Rocky Mountain News
MIAMI - In a season when nothing came easy, Colorado didn't expect a different script in a game for the national championship.
CU held on to defeat Notre Dame 10-9 last night in the Federal Express Orange Bowl, overcoming the loss of its starting quarterback and getting a victory-saving clipping call in the final half-minute that wiped out a 91-yard punt return by Raghib "Rocket" Ismail.
The No. 1-ranked Buffs are expected to be voted 1990's national champions -- their first national title in 101 years of college football.
CU finished the season 11-1-1; No. 5 Notre Dame finished 9-3.
The Buffs played the second half without quarterback Darian Hagan, who suffered a ruptured tendon in his left knee with 50 seconds left in the first half.
Hagan was helped off the field, then helped to the locker room by team physician Wayne Gersoff and director of sports medicine Dave Burton.
The Buffs also played the final half without senior all-Big Eight outside linebacker Kanavis McGhee, who suffered a shoulder injury. He was replaced by senior Paul Rose.
Replacing Hagan was junior Charles S. Johnson, who started two regular-season games (Missouri, Iowa State).
Notre Dame held a 6-3 halftime lead, but could have been in front 13-3 had placement specialist Craig Hentrich had been more successful.
Hentrich, who made 16 of 20 field goal attempts during the 1990 regular season and had made a school-record 72 consecutive extra point attempts, missed a pair of long field goal tries and had his PAT streak broken.
During the regular season, Hentrich had been accurate on three of five field goal attempts from 40 to 49 yards, but had missed his only kick from beyond 50. On the Irish's third possession last night, he attempted a 50-yarder that had ample distance -- but it nicked the right upright and bounded away.
Following that miss, CU drove 63 yards and positioned Jim Harper for a 22-yard field goal attempt. Harper made it, and with 12:04 left in the first half, the Buffs took a 3-0 lead -- their first over the Irish in their back-to-back Orange Bowl games.
Harper's kick was his 15th in 23 attempts this season, and his fourth in five tries from inside 29 yards.
On the drive to Harper's kick, the Buffs ran freely through the Irish, moving 61 yards on seven rushing plays to the Notre Dame 5-yard line.
However, on second-and-goal from the 5, CU suddenly changed strategy and called for Eric Bieniemy to throw a halfback pass. The right-handed Bieniemy tried to pass while running left -- and the ball wobbled weakly out of bounds near the goal line.
Hagan threw an incompletion on third down, and Harper kicked his field goal on the next play.
But CU's lead held less than five minutes. With Mirer passing for 30 yards in a 62-yard, nine-play drive, the Irish went ahead 6-3 on Ricky Watters' 2-yard dive.
Hentrich's extra point attempt was blocked by sophomore Ronnie Bradford, who blew in untouched from the left side.
While CU wouldn't threaten again in the first half, Notre Dame again put Hentrich on the spot, summoning him for a 48-yard attempt with 1:20 left in the half.
This one, kicked into the wind, wasn't endangered by the uprights: It drifted wide left and gave the Buffs possession on their own 30.
Hagan left the game with four completions in 12 attempts for 29 yards. He also ran seven times for 36 yards as CU outrushed the Irish 105 to 69. But Rick Mirer found the Buffs defense susceptible to the short pass. He passed for 94 yards in the opening half.
On the Irish's opening possession of the second half, Hentrich atoned for his first-half misses. Mirer started a 63-yard drive with a 26-yard pass to tight end Derek Brown. His only other pass during the drive was incomplete, and on the drive's 10th play, Hentrich kicked a 24-yard field goal to send Notre Dame ahead 9-3 with 10:10 remaining in the third quarter.
CU failed to move on its first possession under Johnson. But after outside linebacker Paul Rose recovered Ricky Watters' fumble at the Irish 40-yard line, Johnson immediately got a second chance.
This time, he didn't falter.
In a 40-yard touchdown drive, Johnson completed three of three passes for 32 yards, including one for 9 yards to tight end Jon Boman on third-and-1. Three plays later -- on third-and-goal from the 1 -- Bieniemy bored in for the touchdown. Harper's extra-point kick gave CU a 10-9 lead with 4:26 left in the third quarter.
Less than a minute later, the Buffs failed to benefit from their second fumble recovery. This one came on Mirer's exchange with Tony Brooks. Strong safety Tim James recovered, but CU gave the ball back on downs.
Mirer then gave it back to the Buffs, throwing his second interception to free safety Greg Thomas at the CU 28. Thomas had intercepted Mirer's first pass of the game, but the Buffs couldn't capitalize.
Neither could they take advantage of Thomas's second theft. CU drove as far as the Notre Dame 18, where Harper's 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Buffs joined the fumbling act. Irish linebacker Michael Stonebreaker stripped the ball from Bieniemy and free safety Willie Clark recovered at the Notre Dame 46.
But CU's defense forced the Irish to punt, leaving Johnson and the offense with 6:28 separating the Buffs from a possible national championship.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU