Toe meets leather

Toe Meets Leather refers to the American college football game played on November 3, 1990 between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Virginia Cavaliers. Georgia Tech won by a score of 41–38 over top-ranked Virginia. The game concluded with a 37-yard field goal by Scott Sisson with seven seconds remaining.^[1] Georgia Tech went on to claim the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship and a share of the national championship.

Background

Georgia Tech football and basketball radio play-by-play announcer Al Ciraldo coined the phrase "Toe meets leather", with which he led off every football game; current Tech radio play-by-play announcer Andy Demetra continues this tradition.

The conference matchup of two undefeated teams in midseason drew great national interest. The game was televised nationally by CBS with Jim Nantz handling play-by-play duties. The night before the game, vandals broke into Scott Stadium and set fire to the Astroturf surface, burning a large midfield patch. The morning of the game, school officials questioned holding the game that day. Field personnel took spare turf from Virginia's baseball field and, after cutting out the burned sections, stitched it into the field as patches, enabling the game to be played as scheduled.^[2]

Game recap

Virginia took 10–0 lead in firs tquarter and had 28–14 lead by halftime. However, Georgia Tech took advantage of two third quarter errors by Virginia to tie the game with score of 28–28. First, Tech scored four plays after recovering Virginia fumble on opening possession of third quarter. Then Georgia Tech linebacker Calvin Tiggle's interception at the Yellow Jackets 10-yard line stopped the ensuing Virginia drive. Georgia Tech gained field position for quarterback Shawn Jones' 26 yard scoring pass to wide receiver Emmett Merchant. Virginia's quarterback Shawn Moore then countered with long touchdown pass to Herman Moore, but GT running back William Bell tied the game again with score of 35–35 with 8-yard run late in third quarter. Tech took its first lead at 38–35 with Scott Sisson's 35-yard field goal kick with 7:17 minutes left. Virginia came back, obtaining first-and-goal achieved by 48 yard Moore-to-Moore pass. However, Virginia was penalized twice during next five plays, one nullifying tight end Aaron Mundy's touchdown catch. Virginia had to settle for Jake McInerney's tying field goal kick with 2:30 minutes left. The Yellow Jackets then went 56 yards in five plays to position Sisson for game-winning field goal with seven seconds left. Key plays in that drive included a Jones-to-Bell 23-yard pass, Bell's 13-yard run on which he fell on his own fumble, and Jones-to-wide receiver Greg Lester 15-yard pass completion. Georgia Tech quarterback Shawn Jones finished the game with 17 pass completions with 29 attempts for 257 yards and 2 touchdowns. Virginia quarterback Shawn Moore set a Virginia school record with 344 yards passing on 18 completions with 28 attempts.^[3]^[4]

Effects

Georgia Tech won its remaining games with Virginia Tech (also with a last second Sisson field goal), Wake Forest, and arch-rival Georgia to complete its fifth undefeated regular season in school history at 10–0–1.^[5] Virginia's season spiraled downhill from the game, with the Cavaliers going 1–3 to finish 8–4 and ranked #22 (AP) at the season's end. As ACC champion, Georgia Tech received the then-automatic bid to the 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando against Nebraska. Tech dominate the Cornhuskers and won the game, 45–21.

Georgia Tech finished the 1990 season with a record of 11–0–1 (eleven wins, no losses, and one tie), while the Colorado Buffaloes' record was 11–1–1, (eleven wins, one loss, and one tie). Georgia Tech tied North Carolina, 13–13, on October 20. Colorado tied Tennessee, 31–31 ,on August 26 and lost to Illinois, 23–22, on September 15 of that year. On October 6, Colorado controversially defeated Missouri, 33–31, on the game's last official play - a "fifth down". Referees in that game lost count of the downs at the end of the game and inadvertently awarded the Buffaloes a fifth down and goal that resulted in the game's deciding touchdown. Due to its result - and its effect on the 1990 national championship voting - the 1990 Fifth Down Game has subsequently been viewed as one of the most controversial game endings in college football history.^[6]^[7]

Plaque for Georgia Tech's national championship

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) governs American football as played by the teams representing the largest universities in the United States, termed Division I-A (Changed in 2006 to FBS — Football Bowl Subdivision). Although smaller schools participate in formal NCAA tournaments to determine the national college football championships in Divisions I-AA, II, and III, Division I-A lacks such a tournament.

During this time frame, before the College Football Playoff system was implemented, the "mythical national championship" of Division I-A was determined by polls of coaches and/or sportswriters. In the early 1990s, two such polls were regarded as authoritative: A poll of sportswriters conducted by the Associated Press (AP) called the AP Poll, and a poll of college football coaches conducted by the United Press International (UPI) called the Coaches Poll. These polls are conducted weekly during the football season, and the final polls (in January, after all bowl games) determine the championship.

Because 1990 was a year in which no single college football team was dominant, the Fifth Down controversy played a role in determining the Division I-A national champion for the 1990 season. The Missouri game caused Colorado's ranking to decline to 14th. However, most of the top teams lost in subsequent weeks, while the Buffaloes won their remaining games, including a 27-12 victory in Lincoln over highly rated Nebraska and a squeaker over Notre Dame. The Orange Bowl victory over Notre Dame was considered very controversial as well, due to a clipping call on Notre Dame on a punt return touchdown late in the game by Raghib Ismail when Colorado held a 10-9 lead, which would be the final score after Notre Dame was assessed the penalty. A blocked extra point by Colorado turned out to be the winning margin.

Colorado would be crowned 1990 national champion in the AP poll of sportswriters. By one vote, Georgia Tech would be crowned 1990 national champion in the UPI poll of college football coaches, its fourth national title in school history (after 1917, 1928, and 1952). Tom Osborne, then Nebraska head coach (the only school that played both schools that season), cast the deciding vote in favor of the Yellow Jackets.

References

↑ "Sisson Kick vs. UVA - 1990". YouTube. June 15, 2006. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
↑ "The Brawl For It All". Georgia Tech Athletic Association. September 21, 2007. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
↑ Bill C. (May 2, 2011). "What I Love: The 1990 Virginia-Georgia Tech Game". SBNation. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
↑ Detroit, Johnny (July 1, 2007). "Greatest Ending in College Football #36". pregame.com. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
↑ "Georgia Tech Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. October 7, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
↑ "College football's best of the last 20 years". USA Today. November 19, 2002. Retrieved November 21, 2006.
↑ Ted Mandell (September 25, 2005). "HEART STOPPERS AND HAIL MARYS" (Book/CD). Hardwood Press. Retrieved November 21, 2006.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football

Venues	Ponce de Leon Park (1907–1911) Bobby Dodd Stadium (1913–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Auburn Clemson Georgia: Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate Tennessee Tulane Virginia Tech

Culture & lore	Buzz Ramblin' Wreck "Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech" "Up with the White and Gold" Marching band Heisman shift 1916 Cumberland game Toe meets leather

People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks NFL draftees Statistical leaders

Seasons	1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Virginia Cavaliers football

Venues	Madison Hall Field (1888–1912) Lambeth Field (1913–30) Scott Stadium (1931–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Florida State (Jefferson–Eppes Trophy) Maryland North Carolina (South's Oldest Rivalry) Virginia Tech (Commonwealth Cup)

Culture & lore	CavMan "The Cavalier Song" "The Good Old Song" Cavalier Marching Band "Toe meets leather"

People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders W. A. Lambeth

Seasons	1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

College Football on CBS

Related articles	College football on television Southeastern Conference

Current commentators	Verne Lundquist Gary Danielson Allie LaForce Brad Nessler Adam Zucker Brian Jones Rick Neuheisel Carter Blackburn Aaron Taylor Jenny Dell

Past commentators	Gus Johnson Lindsey Nelson Jim Nantz Sean McDonough Brent Musburger Todd Blackledge Tim Brant Brad Nessler Ed Cunningham Terry Donahue Pat Haden Craig James Mike Mayock Jill Arrington John Dockery Greg Gumbel Andrea Joyce Pat O'Brien Ara Parseghian Lou Holtz Dean Blevins Don Criqui Dan Fouts Steve Beuerlein Sam Ryan Tracy Wolfson Tim Brando Spencer Tillman Archie Manning Craig Bolerjack

Lore televised by CBS	Tight-roping the sidelines in Happy Valley (1982) Hail Flutie (1984) Catholics vs. Convicts (1988) Toe meets leather (1990) Tebow's 4th Quarter comeback (2008) Game of the Century (2011) Hello, Johnny Football (2012) Prayer at Jordan–Hare (2013) Kick Six (2013)

Games televised annually	Army–Navy Game SEC Championship Game Sun Bowl

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