Memorable UVA Bowl Games

In honor of our return to bowls after 6 years away, we take a look back at some of our most memorable.

1984 Peach Bowl in Atlanta: Playing in its first-ever bowl game, Virginia—with Coach George Welsh at the helm—trailed Purdue by 10 points at halftime before rallying to win, 27-24, as Don Majkowski outdueled Jim Everett in a battle of future NFL quarterbacks.

1991 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans: After starting the 1990 season with seven straight wins and being ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history, UVA—behind running back Terry Kirby—stormed out to a 16-0 halftime lead in the New Year’s Day game before losing 23-22 to No. 10 Tennessee.

 1995 Peach Bowl in Atlanta: After Georgia had rallied from 18 points down to tie the game, Demetrius Allen returned a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown to give Virginia a dramatic 34-27 win.

2002 Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte: Behind strong performances from Wali Lundy, Matt Schaub and Marques Hagans, UVA—led by Coach Al Groh—snapped a four-game bowl losing streak with a 48-22 win over 15th-ranked West Virginia in front of a crowd of 73,535.

 2003 Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte: Lundy, Schaub, Heath Miller and a stout defense—which didn’t surrender any touchdowns to Pittsburgh star Larry Fitzgerald—propelled Virginia to a 23-16 win over the Panthers.

2005 Music City Bowl in Nashville: UVA rallied in the fourth quarter to tie with Minnesota on a Lundy touchdown, then won the game on a Connor Hughes field goal with just over a minute to play.

 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta: Playing on New Year’s Eve and wearing orange helmets for the first time since 1978, Virginia—behind quarterback Michael Rocco—led Auburn in the first half before losing 43-24 in Coach Mike London’s only bowl appearance.

What are your most memorable moments from UVA bowl games? Let us know in the comments!