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November 12th – @ Kansas #7 Colorado 51, Kansas 26
Kordell Stewart, who had the previous week become the first player in Big Eight history to pass for 6,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career, piled up 249 yards of total offense against the Jayhawks as the Buffs rolled to an easy 51-26 win. Stewart’s 51-yard pass to Michael Westbrook in the game’s opening drive paved the way for a 17-yard touchdown run by Rashaan Salaam as the Buffs sprinted to an early 7-0 lead on their way to a 24-7 halftime cushion.
On the day, Colorado posted 639 yards on offense, the seventh highest total in team history. Rashaan Salaam rushed for 232 yards and three scores in becoming the Buffs’ single-season record holder for rushing yards (passing Eric Bieniemy’s 1,628 yards in 1990), touchdowns (Bobby Anderson – 18 in 1969), and points (Byron “Whizzer” White – 122 in 1937). Not to be outdone, two Buff receivers placed their names in the record books as well. Michael Westbrook, who had six catches for 117 yards against Kansas, passed Charles Johnson (1991-93) to become the Buffs’ all-time leading receiver, while tight end Christian Fauria passed Dave Hestera (1981-83) to become the career reception leader for tight ends.“ Offensively we were extremely sharp and I think that was the difference in the game,” understated McCartney. “Kordell was sharp. Salaam ran great and I thought our offensive line really dominated.” With the win, the 9-1 Buffs were on course to only the third ten-win season in school history. Only a home game against winless Iowa State stood in the way. All was well in Buff-land.It was the calm before the storm.
Heisman-hype
With his third 200+ yard game of the season, Salaam now had 1,796 rushing yards for the year. The 2,000-yard barrier had only been eclipsed three times previous in NCAA history (by Barry Sanders at Oklahoma State, Marcus Allen at USC, and Mike Rozier of Nebraska), and each time the effort had been rewarded with the Heisman trophy. A home game against 0-9-1 Iowa State for the season finale seemed to be the perfect set-up for Salaam to rush for 204 yards and the magical mark of 2000.
Not if it didn’t fit into the game plan, according to head coach Bill McCartney. McCartney, who held Salaam out of the fourth quarter rout of Kansas, had his reasons. ” ‘Why didn’t you play Salaam in the fourth quarter?’ “, McCartney asked rhetorically in the post-game press conference. “Because if he wins the Heisman, he’s going to win it on his own merit. We don’t need to pad what he’s doing. Everything he had done he has earned in the heat of the game.”
Prescience
Most stories leading up to the season-ending game focused on Salaam and his attempt at becoming the first Colorado player to ever win the Heisman trophy. One story, though, looked ominously to the near-future. In the Buffalo Sports News in the week before the Iowa State game, there was an article entitled: “Young Neuheisel atop MSU’s short list”. The article focused on the interest of Michigan State on the Buffs’ young quarterback/receiver coach. While Buffalo Sports News editor John vonSchrader had high praise for Neuheisel’s efforts and noted “he has an extremely bright future in coaching”, von Schrader found “it hard to comprehend how a program such as Michigan State could be interested in Neuheisel at this point in his career.” Neuheisel had never so much as held the post of coordinator, much less that of head coach.
vonSchrader’s conclusion: “Neuheisel’s future is so bright it’s blinding, but in this case I don’t think the future is now.” An interesting article, leading the reader to believe the Buffs would likely be able to hold onto the hot coaching prospect for at least a few more years. True, but not in the sense vonSchrader intended. No one foresaw what was to happen next.
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