The Fanatic Magazine - A student-run sports magazine for the UVA fanatic - September 28, 1996-It was a moment they remembered all too well.

September 28, 1996-It was a moment they remembered all too well.

Written by Ben Gibson

Friday, 28 September 2007

September 28, 1996-It was a moment they remembered all too well.

Virginia football was beginning to play like one of the top programs of the country and in 1995 they intended to prove it. The Cavaliers not only played at the Big House in Michigan but traveled south to take on the Texas Longhorns. Against the Wolverines, the Cavaliers experienced heartbreak as Michigan scored a touchdown on the final play of the game to escape with a victory. Texas was an even more daunting task. Virginia may have had the Barber brothers, but the Longhorns had a running combination of Priest Holmes and Ricky Williams. Nevertheless, Virginia led 16-14 in the final minutes. Yet a similar frustration seared in the minds of Cavalier fans as Texas marched down the field to score a game-winning field goal with three seconds left. Many will point out that the clock during that drive seemed to be particularly slow in starting. The conspiracy theorists were livid but the Virginia football team said all the right things. After all, the wind that day was howling. Virginia’s kicker, an all-time great in Rafael Garcia hit a school-record 56-yarder. This Texas kick was 51 yards into the wind! Virginia had to give the Longhorns credit, but they knew they would get their chance at revenge next year. Just the arrival of the Texas Longhorns, one of the premiere college football programs of all-time, is enough to merit this moment among one of the top in Cavalier sports history. Virginia coach George Welsh admitted to the papers earlier that week that Texas would never have come to Scott Stadium ten years ago. In fact, Welsh pointed out, Virginia probably would not want them to show up as the massacre might have been so bad a trauma crew would have to show up to console the fans. However, Virginia football helped make this moment one for the ages. They not only defeated Texas, they pummeled them into submission for probably one of the biggest wins in the history of the program, defeating Texas 37-13.
The weather was not set up for such a heavenly performance. The rain pummeled the fans and players alike and the cold wind made conditions nearly unbearable. Yet Scott Stadium was filled to capacity and those who braved the conditions were witness to a treat.
With the terrible conditions, rushing was going to be the deciding factor in this contest. The Cavaliers won this game on the ground. To many, that would be a decided advantage for the 13th ranked Longhorns, who were getting all the attention before the game with a dual threat of Holmes and Williams. They were faced off against a back, however, who always seems to play his best on the biggest of stages. Tiki Barber may have began his career at Virginia on the bench but as a senior he had proven to be one of the greatest rushers not just at Virginia but in the country. It was his dazzling performance in 1995 which led the Cavaliers to victory against FSU. It also handed the Seminoles their first conference loss in the ACC ever. As a senior, Barber was not going to let his team lose a big game at home. That is why he made a statement early, rushing for 121 yards and a mind-boggling three first quarter touchdowns. Yes, Barber scored 21 points by himself in less than fifteen minutes. Virginia would take a 24-0 lead and never look back.
Tiki’s brother, Ronde, however, was not to be outdone. He, along with star defensive back Anthony Poindexter, shut down one of the country’s top offenses. They humiliated many prognosticators who saw Texas as a legitimate national championship contender. Texas turned the ball over on their first four possessions and never got back on track. Williams and Holmes were held in check and Virginia was left with a program-defining victory.

Though Tiki Barber would go on to win ACC Player of the Year, 1996 was a bit of a disappointment for the Cavaliers. After that win, No. 14 Virginia lost to Georgia Tech and three out of their last four to finish the season 7-5. While it was a solid season, Cavalier fans had hoped for a bit more after capturing the ACC championship in 1995. Nevertheless, that game against Texas remains one of those moments Virginia can say it went toe-to-toe with the elite and stood victorious. With a similar moment approaching in 2008 against the USC Trojans, time will tell if lightning really can strike twice.

More importantly, 1996 was about the Barber twins. Two amazing players and two men that have represented the University of Virginia well their entire careers. At the time, people really couldn’t appreciate what these two players would mean for Virginia. Today, let’s take the time to celebrate their accomplishments and reflect on a time when Virginia football had considerable national relevance.