Series history: Virginia leads, 16-15-1. They've won five of the past seven meetings. Until last year, Tech hadn't won in Charlottesville since 1990. Speaking of 1990...
No. 16 Georgia Tech (7-0-1) traveled to face No. 1 Virginia (7-0), led by eventual College Football Hall of Fame coach George Welsh; nimble artillery piece QB Shawn Moore, the nation's top-rated quarterback; and six-foot-five, future three-time NFL All-Pro WR Herman Moore. They had a defense that had allowed two or fewer scores in all but one game, and an offense that led the country in both points and yards.
They had won the ACC the previous year and had returned nearly every starter, and by the time Tech came to town the Cavs hadn't lost since a August, 1989 game against No. 2 Notre Dame.
The Jackets were going to get flattened. After an act of vandalism required turf from Virginia's baseball field to be imported into Scott Stadium, Virginia led 13-0 in the second quarter and 28-14 at halftime.
Back-to-back turnovers by LB Calvin Tiggle set Tech up to tie. They soon led, 38-35, and a goal line stand featuring a tipped pass by Tiggle led to another tie with two minutes to go.
Tech QB Shawn Jones put together a drive from his own 24, setting up a 37-yard attempt by K Scott Sisson. The final drive, the kick, and a teary Bobby Ross:
Fox 5's live postgame report:
The win vaulted Tech into the top ten for the first time since Bobby Dodd retired in 1966, and the Jackets went on to win their first national title in 38 years, requiring nary a fifth down. The program had spent at least a decade in total irrelevance, and would return shortly after until George O'Leary took over, but for one year Dodd's program was back on top.
I was almost nine years old. 41-38 remains the greatest Georgia Tech win of my lifetime, and it occurred about two months into my fanhood. I sort of assumed this kind of thing would happen all the time.
Last meeting: Tech won, 34-9, the biggest margin of victory since 2000, when O'Leary's boys beat the Cavs 35-0. By comparison, I have almost nothing to say about this game.