1991 Aloha Bowl
| 1991 Jeep Eagle Aloha Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 25, 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | Network ABC | | |||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Keith Jackson, Bob Griese, and Jack Arute | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1991 Aloha Bowl (December) was a post-season
After trailing for most of the game, with just over a minute to play, Georgia Tech's
Teams
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
After being named
Stanford Cardinal
Stanford started the season 1–3 before recovering to win the last seven games of the season, including a Big Game win over rival and #6 ranked California. The Cardinal offense was led by "Touchdown" Tommy Vardell, who had rushed for 1,084 yards and 20 touchdowns during the season, and quarterback Steve Stenstrom, who led the Pac-10 in passing.[1]
Game summary
Stanford took the opening kickoff and drove 48 yards on six plays, with Vardell scoring from six yards out. The Yellow Jackets answered with a touchdown drive of their own, 60 yards in 10 plays, tying the game on a two-yard pass from quarterback
In the second quarter, the Cardinal tied the game on a 38-yard Aaron Mills field goal, and then took the lead on another Vardell run, this one for two yards. In addition to the two touchdowns, Vardell rushed for 104 yards on the day and was named Stanford's MVP of the game.[2][3]
Stanford held the lead through the third quarter, but the Yellow Jackets had a huge scoring opportunity when Cardinal punter Paul Stonehouse fumbled a low snap at the Stanford 18 yard line. Georgia Tech drove to the Stanford one-yard line, but Rodney Williams fumbled, and Stanford linebacker Tom Williams recovered the ball to keep Stanford's lead into the final quarter.[2]
As time ran down in the fourth quarter, Stanford still had a 7-point lead but was forced to punt with 1:41 left. Georgia Tech's Clay fielded the punt at his own six-yard line and made the play of the game: he returned the punt 63 yards to the Stanford 31. From there, the Yellow Jackets drove to the Stanford goal line and scored on a one-yard rush from Jones (who was named Georgia Tech's game MVP) to make the score 17–16 with 14 seconds left in the game. Instead of opting for a tie, Tech head coach Bobby Ross called for the two-point conversion and sent Jimy Lincoln over the right end to give Georgia Tech the victory.[4][2][3]
Scoring
First quarter
- Stanford - Tommy Vardell 6-yard run (Aaron Mills kick)
- Georgia Tech - Michael Smith 2-yard pass from Shawn Jones (Scott Sissonkick)
- Georgia Tech - Sisson 24-yard field goal
Second quarter
- Stanford - Mills 38-yard field goal
- Stanford - Vardell 2-yard run (Mills kick)
Third quarter
- No scoring.
Fourth quarter
- Georgia Tech - Jones 1-yard run (Jimy Lincoln run)
- Georgia Tech - Griggs 28-yard punt return (Michael Bennet)
Aftermath
Following this game, both head coaches left for head coaching jobs in the
Stanford hired
Georgia Tech hired Bill Lewis as its next coach; he was fired in his third season after failing to have a winning record in all three seasons. Quarterback Jones had a short NFL career; linebacker Coleman had a fourteen-year career in the NFL.
References
- ^ a b "Stanford, Georgia Tech have incentive in Aloha". Sarasota Herald Tribune. December 25, 1991. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Georgia Tech's Return Unfair to Stanford : Aloha Bowl: Clay makes the big play as Yellow Jackets come from behind in last minute to defeat Cardinal, 18-17". Los Angeles Times. December 26, 1991. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ a b c "1991 Aloha Bowl" (PDF). Stanford Football Media Guide. Stanford Athletics. p. 162. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Arnett, Paul (December 18, 2000). "For some coaches, Aloha is good-bye". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved August 20, 2014.