The 1991 Mobil Cotton Bowl Classic was a post-season college football game played on January 1, 1991. It pitted the #3 Texas Longhorns, champions of the SWC conference, against the independent #5 Miami Hurricanes. A highly-anticipated matchup, however, soon turned into a blowout as Miami crushed Texas, 46–3. The game was filled with record numbers of penalties, as Miami was flagged 16 times for 202 yards, compared to 68 total penalty yards for Texas. Miami's 43-point margin of victory also set record, as did Craig Erickson's four touchdown passes.
The Miami Hurricanes opened the season as defending national champions. However, they endured a shocking road loss to Brigham Young, 28–21. The Hurricanes would win their next 4 games, before another loss to Notre Dame (29-20) knocked them out of contention for the national championship. The Hurricanes ended with a 9-2 record to receive an invitation to the Cotton Bowl Classic.
The Texas Longhorns had a 5-6 record in their previous season, and had not made a bowl game since 1987. They began the season ranked #23. After a 29-22 loss to Colorado dropped them out of the rankings, the Longhorns would go on to the famed "Shock the Nation" tour, winning their next 9 games - including wins against #4 Oklahoma (14–13) and #3 Houston (45–24) - to capture the SWC Championship and a pregame #3 ranking.
The win was a continuation of Miami's rise to dominance. After finishing the season #3, they would go on to be named AP National Champions the following year. Meanwhile, Texas would not reach another bowl game under David McWilliams.
Scoring summary[]
First Quarter
8:53 UM - Carlos Huerta 28-yd field goal; Drive: 8 plays, 4 yards
5:26 UM - Huerta 50-yd field goal; Drive: 5 plays, 16 yards
0:11 UM - Wesley Carroll 12-yd pass from Craig Erickson (Erickson pass failed); Drive: 2 plays, 9 yards
Second Quarter
7:43 UT - Michael Pollak 29-yd field goal; Drive: 9 plays, 46 yards
4:17 UM - Carroll 24-yd pass from Erickson (Huerta kick); Drive: 2 plays, 21 yards
Third Quarter
11:46 UM - Darrin Smith 34-yd interception return (Huerta kick)
6:09 UM - Randal Hill 48-yd pass from Erickson (Huerta kick); Drive: 3 plays, 63 yards
Fourth Quarter
10:56 UM - Randy Bethel 4-yd pass from Erickson (Huerta kick blocked); Drive: 12 plays, 77 yards
9:23 UM - Leonard Conley 26-yd run (Huerta kick); Drive: 3 plays, 26 yards
