1990 Colorado Buffaloes football team

American college football season

1990 Colorado Buffaloes football
AP Poll national champion FWAA national champion NFF national champion Big Eight champion Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl, W 10–9 vs. Notre Dame
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 2
AP	No. 1
Record	11–1–1 (7–0 Big 8)
Head coach	Bill McCartney (9th season)
Offensive coordinator	Gerry DiNardo (12 games) Gary Barnett (bowl game)
Offensive scheme	I-Bone option^[1]
Defensive coordinator	Mike Hankwitz (3rd season)
Home stadium	Folsom Field
Seasons ← 1989 1991 →

1990 Big Eight Conference football standings
v t e	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

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 26	1:00 pm	vs. No. 8 Tennessee*	No. 5	Anaheim Stadium Anaheim, CA (Pigskin Classic)	NBC	T 31–31	33,485	^[5]
September 6	6:00 pm	Stanford*	No. 6	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	ESPN	W 21–17	50,699
September 15	1:30 pm	at No. 21 Illinois*	No. 9	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	ABC	L 22–23	64,351
September 22	5:30 pm	at No. 22 Texas*	No. 20	Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX	ESPN	W 29–22	77,373
September 29	1:30 pm	No. 12 Washington*	No. 20	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	PSN	W 20–14	52,868
October 6	12:30 pm	at Missouri	No. 12	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	KCNC	W 33–31	46,856
October 13	11:30 am	Iowa State	No. 14	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	KCNC	W 28–12	51,861
October 20	11:00 am	at Kansas	No. 14	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	KCNC	W 41–10	40,000
October 27	12:30 pm	No. 22 Oklahoma	No. 10	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	CBS	W 32–23	51,967
November 3	2:00 pm	at No. 3 Nebraska	No. 9	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (rivalry)	ESPN	W 27–12	76,464
November 10	1:00 pm	Oklahoma State	No. 4	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	KCNC	W 41–22	51,873
November 17	12:10 pm	Kansas State	No. 2	Folsom Field Boulder, CO (rivalry)	KCNC	W 64–3	51,136
January 1, 1991	6:00 pm	No. 5 Notre Dame*	No. 1	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Bowl)	NBC	W 10–9	77,062
*Non-conference game Homecoming 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

Bill McCartney

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Gary Barnett
Mike Barry
Brian Cabral
Gerry DiNardo
Don Frease
Mike Hankwitz
Oliver Lucas
Bob Simmons
Ron Vanderlinden
Jeff Madden

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2016-Jan-17

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	5 (4)	6	9	20	20	12	14	14	10	9	4 (5)	2 (5)	1 (45)	1 (41)	1 (42)	1 (39)
Coaches	5 (2)	7	9	18	16	9	11	14	8	7	3 (2)	2 (3)	1 (45)	1 (39)	1 (38)	2 (27)

Game summaries

Vs. Tennessee

#5 Colorado vs. #8 Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
Buffaloes	0	10	7	14	31
Volunteers	7	3	0	21	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

Source: Box score

Scoring summary

Q1	7:52	TENN	Chuck Webb 4-yard run (Burke kick)	TENN 7–0

Q2	9:55	COL	George Hemmingway 1-yard run (Harper kick)	Tied 7–7
	8:09	COL	Jim Harper 35-yard field goal	COL 10–7
	2:54	TENN	Greg Burke 47-yard field goal	Tied 10–10

Q3	10:49	COL	Mike Pritchard 55-yard run (Harper kick)	Tied 17–10

Q4	9:34	COL	Dave McCloughan 55-yard punt return (Harper kick)	COL 24–10
	8:53	TENN	Alvin Harper 24-yard pass from Andy Kelly (Burke kick)	COL 24–17
	7:11	COL	Mike Pritchard 78-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 31–17
	5:36	TENN	Carl Pickens 14-yard pass from Andy Kelly (Burke kick)	COL 31–24
	2:25	TENN	Chuck Webb 4-yard run (Burke kick)	Tied 31-31

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	2	3	4	Total
Cardinal	14	0	0	3	17
• Buffaloes	0	0	14	7	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

Source: Box score

Scoring summary

Q1	5:47	STAN	Palumbis 1-yard run (Hopkins kick)	STAN 7–0
Q1	4:09	STAN	Vardell 1-yard run (Hopkins kick)	STAN 14–0

Q3	8:04	COL	Eric Bieniemy 18-yard run (Harper kick)	STAN 14–7
Q3	5:09	COL	Eric Bieniemy 36-yard run (Harper kick)	Tied 14–14

Q4	4:17	STAN	Hopkins 27-yard field goal	STAN 17–14
Q4	0:12	COL	Eric Bieniemy 1-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 21-17

^[7]

At Illinois

#9 Colorado at #21 Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Buffaloes	7	10	2	3	22
• Fighting Illini	3	7	7	6	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

Source: Box score

Scoring summary

Q1	9:14	ILL	Doug Higgins 29-yard field goal	ILL 3–0
	5:38	COL	George Hemingway 2-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 7–3

Q2	14:55	COL	Harper 54-yard field goal	COL 10–3
	13:02	COL	Michael Simmons 32-yard pass from Darian Hagan (Harper kick)	COL 17–3
	0:28	ILL	Elbert Turner 8-yard pass from Jason Verduzco (Higgins kick)	COL 17–10

Q3	2:28	ILL	Shawn Wax 4-yard pass from Jason Verduzco (Higgins kick)	Tied 17–17
Q3	0:24	COL	Safety, Greg Biekert tackled Griffith in end zone	COL 19–17

Q4	12:44	COL	Harper 26-yard field goal	COL 22–17
Q4	1:18	ILL	Howard Griffith 1-yard run (conversion failed)	ILL 23–22

^[8]

At Texas

#20 Colorado at #22 Texas

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Buffaloes	7	7	0	15	29
Longhorns	10	3	6	3	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

Q1	8:46	TEX	Kerry Cash 6-yard pass from Gardere (Pollak kick)	TEX 7–0
	3:30	COL	George Hemingway 38-yard pass from Hagan (Harper kick)	Tied 7–7
	0:16	TEX	Pollak 47-yard field goal	TEX 10–7

Q2	6:51	COL	Eric Bieniemy 2-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 14–10
Q2	1:26	TEX	Pollak 25-yard field goal	COL 14–13

Q3	4:44	TEX	Brown 2-yard run (Pass failed)	TEX 19–14

Q4	14:22	TEX	Pollak 22-yard field goal	TEX 22–14
	10:10	COL	Eric Bieniemy 4-yard run (Pass failed)	TEX 22–20
	5:47	COL	Eric Bieniemy 2-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 27–22
	0:29	COL	Safety, Williams tackled Garder in End Zone	COL 29–22

Washington

#12 Washington at #20 Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	7	0	7	0	14
• Buffaloes	0	3	14	3	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

Source: Box score

Scoring summary

Q1	6:25	WASH	Mark Brunell 1-yard run (Dodd kick)	WASH 7–0

Q2	0:00	COL	Harper 47-yard field goal	WASH 7–3

Q3	12:47	COL	Darian Hagan 15-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 10–7
	7:22	WASH	Pierce 3-yard pass from Brunell (Dodd kick)	WASH 14–10
	4:52	COL	Darian Hagan 3-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 17–14

Q4	13:05	COL	Harper 32-yard field goal	COL 20-14

At Missouri

#12 Colorado at Missouri

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Buffaloes	7	7	3	16	33
Tigers	14	0	7	10	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

Q1	11:10	MIZ	Bailey 19-yard pass from Kiefer (Jacke kick)	MIZ 7–0
	3:19	COL	Bieniemy 29-yard run (Harper kick)	Tied 7–7
	1:55	MIZ	Mays 49-yard pass from Kiefer (Jacke kick)	MIZ 14–7

Q2	1:45	COL	Pritchard 68-yard run (Harper kick)	Tied 14–14

Q3	10:51	COL	Harper 35-yard FG	COL 17–14
Q3	7:30	MIZ	Jones 13-yard run (Jacke Kick)	MIZ 21–17

Q4	13:56	COL	Pritchard 70-yard pass from Johnson (Harper kick)	COL 24–21
	11:11	MIZ	Jacke 45-yard FG	Tied 24–24
	3:41	COL	Harper 39-yard FG	COL 27–24
	2:32	MIZ	Mays 38-yard pass from Kiefer (Jacke kick)	MIZ 31–27
	0:00	COL	Johnson 1-yard run (conversion failed)	COL 33–31

Iowa State

Iowa State at #14 Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cyclones	9	3	0	0	12
• Buffaloes	7	7	14	0	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

Source: Box score

Scoring summary

Q1	11:34	ISU	Patterson 6-yard pass from Pedersen (kick failed)	ISU 6–0
	9:14	ISU	Shudak 36-yard field goal	ISU 9–0
	4:55	COL	Simmons 29-yard pass from Johnson (Harper kick)	ISU 9–7

Q2	2:19	ISU	Shudak 46-yard field goal	ISU 12–7
Q2	0:06	COL	Brown 29-yard pass from Hagan (Harper kick)	COL 14–12

Q3	10:45	COL	Eric Bieniemy 1-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 21–12
Q3	0:28	COL	Pritchard 30-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 28-12

At Kansas

#14 Colorado at Kansas

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Buffaloes	17	3	21	0	41
Jayhawks	0	10	0	0	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

Source: Box score

Scoring summary

Q1	9:25	COL	Harper 36-yard field goal	COL 3–0
	6:46	COL	Eric Bieniemy 31-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 10–0
	0:58	COL	Mike Pritchard 44-yard pass from Darian Hagan (Harper kick)	COL 17–0

Q2	14:08	KU	Drayton 11-yard pass from Hilleary (Eichloff kick)	COL 17–7
	2:47	KU	Eichloff 26-yard field goal	COL 17–10
	0:01	COL	Harper 42-yard field goal	COL 20–10

Q3	10:06	COL	Eric Bieniemy 41-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 27–10
	2:51	COL	Eric Bieniemy 10-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 34–10
	0:18	COL	McCloughan 90-yard punt return (Harper kick)	COL 41–10

Oklahoma

#22 Oklahoma at #10 Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
Sooners	7	7	3	6	23
• Buffaloes	3	9	6	14	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

Source: Box score

Scoring summary

Q1	9:00	OU	Cale Gundy 5-yard run (Lasher kick)	OU 7–0
Q1	3:01	COL	Harper 48-yard field goal	OU 7–3

Q2	6:58	COL	Harper 28-yard field goal	OU 7–6
	6:46	OU	Long 80-yard pass from Gundy (Lashar kick)	OU 14–6
	0:24	COL	Pritchard 12-yard pass from Hagan (run failed)	OU 14–12

Q3	10:19	COL	Eric Bieniemy 69-yard run (pass failed)	COL 18–14
Q3	5:06	OU	Lasher 43-yard field goal	COL 18–17

Q4	13:54	COL	Smith 85-yard pass from Hagan (Harper kick)	COL 25–17
	11:24	COL	Hagan 3-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 32–17
	5:51	OU	Brewer 6-yard run (run failed)	COL 32-23

^[9]

At Nebraska

#9 Colorado at #3 Nebraska

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Buffaloes	0	0	0	27	27
Cornhuskers	0	6	6	0	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

Q2	13:14	NEB	Barrios 26-yard field goal	NEB 3–0
Q2	11:25	NEB	Barrios 44-yard field goal	NEB 6–0

Q3	2:39	NEB	Mitchell 48-yard pass from Joseph (pass failed)	NEB 12–0

Q4	14:43	COL	Bieniemy 1-yard run (Harper kick)	NEB 12–7
	8:37	COL	Bieniemy 2-yard run (pass failed)	COL 13–12
	4:35	COL	Bieniemy 3-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 20–12
	1:31	COL	Bieniemy 5-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 27–12

Eric Bieniemy 38 Rush, 137 Yds, 4 TD

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

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State at #4 Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	0	0	15	22
• Buffaloes	7	10	21	3	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

Source: Box score

Scoring summary

Q1	9:36	COL	Hemingway 9-yard pass from Hagan (Harper Kick)	COL 7–0
Q1	0:09	OSU	Mayfield 43 pass from Ford (Blanchard Kick)	Tied 7–7

Q2	11:28	COL	Pritchard 28-yard pass from Hagan (Harper Kick)	COL 14–7
Q2	0:03	COL	Harper 40-yard field goal	COL 17–7

Q3	10:24	COL	S.Brown 8-yard pass from Hagan (Harper Kick)	COL 24–7
	7:48	COL	Pritchard 34-yard pass from Hagan (Harper Kick)	COL 31–7
	0:06	COL	Bieniemy 21-yard run (Harper Kick)	COL 38–7

Q4	14:24	OSU	Hudson 1-yard run (Kirksey pass from Ford)	COL 38–15
	7:36	COL	Harper 50-yard field goal	COL 41–15
	3:23	OSU	Kirksey 19-yard pass from Ford (Blanchard Kick)	COL 41-22

Kansas State

Kansas State at #4 Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	3	0	0	3
• Buffaloes	17	23	3	21	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

Source: Box score

Scoring summary

Q1	12:02	COL	Hagan 23-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 7–0
	6:28	COL	Hagan 9-yard run (Harper Kick)	COL 14–0
	2:53	COL	Harper 28-yard field goal	COL 17–0

Q2	12:38	KSU	Wright 28-yard field goal	COL 17–3
	9:35	COL	C.S. Johnson 5-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 24–3
	5:29	COL	Pritchard 48-yard pass from Hagan (Harper kick)	COL 31–3
	5:11	COL	Safety, Straw sacked by Howe in endzone, KSU covered fumble	COL 33–3
	0:06	COL	Pritchard 70-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 40–3

Q3	10:56	COL	Blottiaux 47-yard field goal	COL 43–3

Q4	6:54	COL	Henry 39-yard pass from Joseph (Blottiaux kick)	COL 50–3
	4:35	COL	C.E. Johnson 26-yard run (Blottiaux kick)	COL 57–3
	0:04	COL	Oliver 8-yard run (Blottiaux kick)	COL 64-3

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	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Irish	0	6	3	0	9
• Buffaloes	0	3	7	0	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

Source: Box score

Scoring summary

Q2	12:04	CU	Jim Harper 22-yard field goal	COL 3–0
Q2	7:32	ND	Ricky Watters 2-yard run (PAT blocked)	ND 6–3

Q3	10:10	ND	Craig Hentrich 24-yard field goal	ND 9–3
Q3	4:26	CU	Eric Bieniemy 1-yard run (Harper kick)	COL 10–9

^[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

Alfred Williams, Butkus Award^[19]

References

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

v t e 1990 Colorado Buffaloes football—AP & USA Today/CNN national champions
Greg Biekert Eric Bieniemy Ronnie Bradford Chad Brown Deon Figures Joe Garten David Gibbs Darian Hagan Garry Howe Chris Hudson Charles Johnson Vance Joseph Jay Leeuwenburg Dave McCloughan Kanavis McGhee Mike Pritchard Leonard Renfro Tom Rouen Rico Smith Ariel Solomon Joel Steed Mark Vander Poel Alfred Williams Head coach: Bill McCartney Assistant coaches: Gary Barnett Mike Barry Brian Cabral Gerry DiNardo Mike Hankwitz Bob Simmons Ron Vanderlinden

1990 Colorado Buffaloes football—AP & USA Today/CNN national champions

Head coach: Bill McCartney

Assistant coaches: Gary Barnett
Mike Barry
Brian Cabral
Gerry DiNardo
Mike Hankwitz
Bob Simmons
Ron Vanderlinden

v t e Colorado Buffaloes football
Venues	Campus fields (1890–1901) Gamble Field (1901–1924) Folsom Field (1924–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Colorado State: Rocky Mountain Showdown Kansas State Nebraska Utah: Rumble in the Rockies
Culture & lore	Ralphie the Buffalo "CU Fight Song" "Golden Buffalo" Marching band Fifth Down Game Miracle at Michigan
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees
Seasons	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 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e College football national champions (poll era)
1936–1949	1936: Minnesota (AP) 1937: Pittsburgh 1938: TCU 1939: Texas A&M 1940: Minnesota 1941: Minnesota 1942: Ohio State 1943: Notre Dame 1944: Army 1945: Army (AP) / Oklahoma A&M (Coaches) 1946: Notre Dame 1947: Notre Dame 1948: Michigan 1949: Notre Dame
1950s	1950: Oklahoma (AP, Coaches) 1951: Tennessee 1952: Michigan State 1953: Maryland 1954: Ohio State (AP) / UCLA (FWAA, Coaches) 1955: Oklahoma 1956: Oklahoma 1957: Auburn (AP) / Ohio State (Coaches, FWAA) 1958: LSU (AP, Coaches) / Iowa (FWAA) 1959: Syracuse (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF)
1960s	1960: Minnesota (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ole Miss (FWAA) 1961: Alabama (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ohio State (FWAA) 1962: USC 1963: Texas 1964: Alabama (AP, Coaches) / Arkansas (FWAA) / Notre Dame (NFF) 1965: Alabama (AP, FWAA) / Michigan State (Coaches, FWAA, NFF) 1966: Notre Dame (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF) / Michigan State (NFF) 1967: USC 1968: Ohio State 1969: Texas
1970s	1970: Nebraska (AP, FWAA) / Texas (NFF, Coaches) / Ohio State (NFF) 1971: Nebraska 1972: USC 1973: Notre Dame (AP, FWAA, NFF) / Alabama (Coaches) 1974: Oklahoma (AP) / USC (FWAA, NFF, Coaches) 1975: Oklahoma 1976: Pittsburgh 1977: Notre Dame 1978: Alabama (AP, FWAA, NFF) / USC (Coaches) 1979: Alabama
1980–1991	1980: Georgia 1981: Clemson 1982: Penn State 1983: Miami (FL) 1984: BYU 1985: Oklahoma 1986: Penn State 1987: Miami (FL) 1988: Notre Dame 1989: Miami (FL) 1990: Colorado (AP, FWAA, NFF, USAT/CNN) / Georgia Tech (Coaches) 1991: Miami (FL) (AP) / Washington (Coaches, FWAA, UPI/NFF)

v t e Big Eight Conference football champions
MVIAA	Iowa & Nebraska (1907) Kansas (1908) Missouri (1909) Nebraska (1910) Iowa State & Nebraska (1911) Iowa State & Nebraska (1912) Missouri & Nebraska (1913) Nebraska (1914) Nebraska (1915) Nebraska (1916) Nebraska (1917) Missouri (1919) Oklahoma (1920) Nebraska (1921) Drake & Nebraska (1922) Kansas & Nebraska (1923) Missouri (1924) Missouri (1925) Oklahoma A&M (1926) Missouri (1927)
Big Six	Nebraska (1928) Nebraska (1929) Kansas (1930) Nebraska (1931) Nebraska (1932) Nebraska (1933) Kansas State (1934) Nebraska (1935) Nebraska (1936) Nebraska (1937) Oklahoma (1938) Missouri (1939) Nebraska (1940) Missouri (1941) Missouri (1942) Oklahoma (1943) Oklahoma (1944) Missouri (1945) Kansas & Oklahoma (1946) Kansas & Oklahoma (1947)
Big Seven	Oklahoma (1948) Oklahoma (1949) Oklahoma (1950) Oklahoma (1951) Oklahoma (1952) Oklahoma (1953) Oklahoma (1954) Oklahoma (1955) Oklahoma (1956) Oklahoma (1957) Oklahoma (1958) Oklahoma (1959)
Big Eight	Missouri (1960) Colorado (1961) Oklahoma (1962) Nebraska (1963) Nebraska (1964) Nebraska (1965) Nebraska (1966) Oklahoma (1967) Kansas & Oklahoma (1968) Missouri & Nebraska (1969) Nebraska (1970) Nebraska (1971) Nebraska (1972) Oklahoma (1973) Oklahoma (1974) Nebraska & Oklahoma (1975) Colorado, Oklahoma, & Oklahoma State (1976) Oklahoma (1977) Nebraska & Oklahoma (1978) Oklahoma (1979) Oklahoma (1980) Nebraska (1981) Nebraska (1982) Nebraska (1983) Nebraska & Oklahoma (1984) Oklahoma (1985) Oklahoma (1986) Oklahoma (1987) Nebraska (1988) Colorado (1989) Colorado (1990) Colorado & Nebraska (1991) Nebraska (1992) Nebraska (1993) Nebraska (1994) Nebraska (1995)
National championships in bold