September 9th – Boulder          Colorado 37, Texas State 3

Steven Montez threw for 299 yards and a touchdown, and the Buff defense held a second straight opponent out of the end zone as Colorado overcame a lethargic first half to put away Texas State, 37-3.

It took a 55-yard fumble return by Laviska Shenault to get the Buffs on the board in the first quarter, with the Buffs nursing a 14-0 lead at halftime. Three James Stefanou field goals in the second half, together with Phillip Lindsay seven-yard touchdown run and an 11-yard scoring connection between Montez and Bryce Bobo allowed Colorado to get close to living up to their 36 1/2-point status as a favorite.

“I still think we’re going to be really good”, said CU head coach Mike MacIntyre. “We’ve shown really good glimpses of it. We’ll put that together for the whole game and do some really good things. We’ll make some plays; we’ve got some really good players across the board”.

Colorado finished with 430 yards of total offense, holding Texas State to 283 yards. Shay Fields led the Buff receivers with five catches for 110 yards, while Phillip Lindsay had 26 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Paired with the 17-3 win over Colorado State in the 2017 opener, the 37-3 victory marked the first time since 1958 that the Buffs held their first two opponents without a touchdown.

The Buff/Bobcat game started off about the way most fans figured it would, with a 55-yard run against an out-witted defense …

… except that it was Texas State that was on offense, with Anthony D. Miller out-running the Buff defense down to the Colorado 20-yard line.

There, however, the Buff defense stiffened, forcing a 32-yard field goal attempt from James Sherman, which was missed.

The Colorado offense, which was expected to roll against the Texas State defense, did look good in its opening drive of the game. A 15-yard completion from Steven Montez to Devin Ross was quickly followed by a 16-yard completion to Shay Fields. Thereafter, however, the drive stalled. The Buffs made it as far as the Bobcat 31-yard line before a sack of Montez ended the threat, forcing a punt.

The teams then traded three-and-outs and six-and-outs as both offenses struggled. On the Bobcats’ fourth possession of the game, the Buff defense forced its second three-and-out of the game. The Marcus Ripley punt was collected by Isaiah Oliver, who returned the ball near midfield … and fumbled.

The fumble could have been a momentum changer for the Bobcats. Instead, it turned into a touchdown for the Buffs, as wide receiver Laviska Shenault was Johnny-on-the-spot. The freshman turned his first touch of the ball in a Colorado uniform into a 55-yard fumble return for a score, giving CU a 7-0 lead in the final minute of the first quarter.

The Buffs seemed to be taking control early in the second quarter. After forcing another Bobcat punt, the Buff offense pieced together nine-play, 96-yard scoring drive. A 44-yard completion from Montez to Shay Fields flipped the field, with a 28-yard hookup between Montez and Bryce Bobo giving CU a first-and-goal at the Texas State seven yard line. Two plays later, Montez took it in himself from two yards out. 14-0, Colorado, with 9:33 to play in the first half.

What could have – should have – been a rout in the making, however, did not unfold.

The remainder of the first half was a series of punts, with the Bobcats not able to generate much offense, and the Buffs not able to put together a drive which would turn the game into the game everyone expected.

Halftime score: Colorado 14, Texas State 0

The first offensive play of the second half was a 36-yard completion from Steven Montez to Shay Fields. The next play was a 15-yard pass from Montez to Bryce Bobo.

Just as it appeared that the Buffs had restored order, the offense again stalled. Three plays netted five yards, with kicker James Stefanou called upon to give the Buffs a three-score lead. Stefanou connected from 34 yards out, making it a 17-0 game two minutes into the second half.

Before Buff fans could relax, however, it was once again a two-score game. Texas State marched smartly down the field on its first possession of the second half. A 45-yard completion from Damien Williams to Thurman Morbley was quickly followed by another Williams-to-Morbley 17-yard connection. Just like that, the Bobcats has a first-and-ten at the Buff 13-yard line.

There, however, the Buff defense held. Kicker James Sherman got his second opportunity of the game, once again from 32-yards out. This time Sherman was true, making it a 17-3 game with 9:39 still to play in the third quarter.

The score was now the same as the final against Colorado State the week before, with a similar feeling of uneasiness running through the Folsom Field crowd of 43,822.

That discomfort was not aided on CU’s next possession, which was three long passes, all incomplete, with the Buffs turning the ball back over to the Bobcats after a possession lasting all of 23 seconds.

The Buff defense, though, once again came to the rescue. An interception by Isaiah Oliver (which was immediately added to his highlight tape for NFL scouts) to the Texas State 35-yard line.

In took the Colorado offense seven plays, but the Buffs finally pushed their lead to three touchdowns. Phillip Lindsay was called upon to keep the drive alive, going for two yards on a fourth-and-one at the Texas State 26-yard line. Two plays later, Steven Montez hit Devin Ross for a 22-yard gain. On the next play, Phillip Lindsay ran it in from seven yards out, giving Colorado a 24-3 lead with 5:26 remaining in the third quarter.

After forcing another Bobcat punt, the Buff offense finally – finally! – posted a drive the Buff Nation had been waiting for all afternoon. Colorado went 86 yards in seven plays, and didn’t face a third down on the drive. Completions to Lindsay (16 yards), Bobo (ten yards), and Devin Ross (31 yards) helped set up the Buffs in the red zone. An 11-yard scoring pass from Montez to Bobo completed the drive.

With less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, the scoreboard at long last registered a runaway, with the Buffs up 31-0.

The Buffs’ next possession went 47 yards in nine plays, and resulted in a field goal. Montez had a pair of completions going for 15 yards – the first to Jay MacIntyre; the second to Juwann Winfree – to highlight the drive, which resulted in a 40-yard field goal by Stefanou.

When the Bobcats fumbled on the second play of their ensuing drive, the Buffs had a chance to make it a real blowout. Red-shirt freshman Sam Noyer made his debut at quarterback, but did not generate a first down. James Stefanou made it a three-for-three day a few moments later, with his 35-yard field posting the final points with 8:46 remaining.

Final score: Colorado 37, Texas State 0

“I thought our guys started out a little slow, but Texas State, their linebackers are really good,” said Mike MacIntyre. “They made a lot of stops on us on the run. We couldn’t really have a break away in there. I thought in the third quarter we were really hitting at all cylinders offensively and defensively”.

When asked about the Buff offense being sluggish for the second week in a row, MacIntyre had an answer. “It’s being consistent,” said MacIntyre. “We had 430 total yards and 37 points. If we would have hit a couple throws here and there we would have had 50 points and 600 yards. It’s just off by a foot. A misread here and a missed block there. We’ll get it and you’re seeing glimpses of it.”

“I think we all just need to play with confidence,” said wide receiver Devin Ross, “and keep up the tempo that we’ve had and always played with and we just have to be more comfortable up front and the quarterback (Steven Montez) needs to be more poised because he knows he has the ability to be great so we just have to be comfortable with him. We have to let us make plays and we’ll be fine.”

Game Notes … 

—  The Buffs held Texas State to a field goal, marking the first time since 1958 that Colorado did not allowed a touchdown in its first two games of the year (offensive or otherwise).  In 1958, CU opened with a 13-3 win over Kansas State at home and then shut out Kansas on the road, 31-0;

— Texas State did most of its offensive damage on four plays, as two rushes and two passes totaled 145 yards; it had 138 yards on its other 61 plays (2.3 per);

— Colorado upped its record to 2-0 for the second straight year (owning a 154-20 scoring edge). It marked the third time under Mike MacIntyre the Buffs opened 2-0, and for the 56th time in 128 seasons overall;

— Colorado recorded six quarterback sacks against Texas State, (for 27 yards in losses); it marked CU’s first six-sack game since Nov. 25, 2011 (six at Utah in the season finale); the last time the Buffs had more than six was in 2010 (nine at Iowa State). Linebacker Leo Jackson III was credited with three of those sacks:

— Freshman  wide receiver Laviska Shenault joined an exclusive club with just 14 other members when he scored (technically) on his first collegiate touch.  He recovered an Isaiah Oliver fumble on a punt return and raced 55 yards for the score; he joined Jeremy Bloom as the lone true freshmen to have done it;

— Devin Ross 15-yard reception on a third-and-7 on CU’s first drive of the game was the 100th catch of his career. He became the 15th Buffalo in school history to catch 100 passes in a career, finishing the game with 103 career receptions for 1,201 yards and seven touchdowns;

— Bryce Bobo had seven receptions in the game, also pushing him over 100 in his career, following up with Ross and becoming the 16th Buffalo in school history to catch 100 or more passes.  He also went over 1,000 yards receiving for his career, becoming the 28th Buff to have over 1,000 yards in his career.  Bobo finished the game with 103 career catches for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns;

— Punter Alex Kinney had a 70-yard punt in the first quarter, the longest of his career. Overall, Kinney enjoyed his finest day as a collegian, averaging 49.7 yards on six punts; he has placed six of his 11 punts this season inside-the-20, and on his eight punts in CU territory.

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21 Replies to “Colorado 37, Texas State 3”

  1. Jesus. Reading these comments makes it sound like CU lost their first two games. I mean, honestly it just gets old with the constant cut and paste posts about the coordinators. You’re of course entitled to your opinions, and I don’t begrudge you having them. But I guess after years of reading the same exact points over and over and over again, I’m starting to wonder if you’ve even sent your resumes to the AD yet?

    No coordinator is ever going to be perfect, I roll my eyes at some of their calls. But this team went from a decade of unprecedented lows to a 10-4 division championship season. Football is results-driven, and that result happened because of every player and coach on the team. So far, it’s working this year as well. Sure, that will come to an end, and it may even come to a spectacularly bad end. But sometimes, it would be nice to just enjoy the good times for a while instead of just rebooting the same stale drumbeat day after day after day. It’s like a Mobius Strip of borrowed trouble. We’re all fans here, step out of the hyperbolic chamber and smell the roses for a bit, flaws and all.

    1. <i<But I guess after years of reading the same exact points over and over and over again,……………

      Well I wonder why those points are made over and over? Maybe because that is how it is? Yup! Middle of the road or less Pac12 offense 4 years running.

      And yup the team (The defense) has gotten better. Defense went from last in the Pac to top 3 in almost all categories. Offense stayed the same………year after year……….same coordinator……..better players……….you can look that up if you like……….

      So watch the games………..

      Buffs

    2. cause and effect. Stale drumbeat offense….stale drumbeat posts. You would never make a football coach. You should always be trying to improve. The D carried the O last year. You seem not to care how much more this team could accomplish if the O was of the same caliber of the D.

  2. With less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, the scoreboard at long last registered a runaway, with the Buffs up 31-0.

    Final score: Colorado 37, Texas State 0

    I guess Texas State didn’t want that field goal after all.

  3. How imaginative does the play calling have to be against CSU, TX State and UNC? How much tape do they need to supply Chris Petersen?

  4. Oh the hand wringing. I would like to thank Mike Bohn for this year’s schedule. It sets up nicely to see The Rise Continue. Montez will continue to improve.

    When UW comes to town, we’ll have a pretty good barometer of what this team can do this season. Both teams should be hitting their stride about then.

    I still think they can beat the Huskies.

    USC’s got two ridiculous running backs, and possibly a handful of professional linemen, and that QB ain’t too bad either. Did I mention their defense? That will be a tough one, no doubt.

    UCLA? Could they be for real?

    Seems like the AZ schools are in for some soul-searching (and possible coach-searching). But? It’s early still.

    Utah is doing what Utah does.

    Oregon? Nice win. Must be all Leavitt, huh?

    Was hoping OSU would beat MN.

    The Cougs almost dropped one. Glad to see them hold on and pull off the win.

    Cal seems to be turning things around.

    I don’t think anyone can overlook Stanford, either. Seems like every year, they get written off early, only to win 9 or 10 games.

    SE-what? The Big who (twice)? ACC has two teams… Man, the Pac 12 looks pretty strong, to me. Does the South have the edge this year?

    Should be another fun season to watch our Buffs tally up some more wins. Sure won’t be easy though. I’m still saying they can find their way to the Pac 12 Championship again.

    The Rise Continues.

    Go Buffs.

  5. Am I a can short of a six pack but doesnt it make it easier on the other team’s D when they know they can ignore the tight end? Seems like another one of their LBs or safeties can focus on the run. I dont think having the TE as another blocker overcomes that advantage.
    I noticed we dont have a TE on the commit list yet. This will become a self full filling prophecy. We dont use the TE as a receiver and we will never get one to come to Boulder. Is it beyond Lindgren’s spacial thinking ability to include one in his play design?
    Then I get more frustrated watching Oregon use theirs effectively and the Sooner’s creative play design

  6. Watched a lot of football today, and all those games and teams sure makes one wonder about the Buffs running game. Just about every team I watched in the late games ran the ball better then the Buffs. At times it seemed that TXST’s Dline was putting on a whipping of our Oline. I don’t think they are bigger and more talented then CU but for many of the running plays there was just very little forward surge by CU knocking those other guys off the ball.

    It was almost like in the dark days before last year. I was looking forward to the Udub game but if this is the best our Online can do I don’t think it will be very pretty. Pretty unimaginative play calling for most of the first half also.

    1. Thought the play calling and the game play was symbolic of the last 4 years.

      Dang Nab it

      Buffs

      Note: And watching other games………….Your golf game for an OC. Wait that may already be the case

  7. I wasn’t overly impressed with Montez last year and unfortunately he has underwhelmed so far. I guess we have to wait until the conference games to see the real offense?

    GO BUFFS!!!!!

  8. The lads need to come out with fire from the opening kickoff. You’re running into the stadium behind Ralphie, the greatest mascot entrance in all of sports. Haven’t been impressed by the offensive execution or playcalling. Ten days ago, I would’ve told you that the Buffs would/should be 7-2 going into November. Now, I’m hoping this current team is at least 5-4 (Wash, UCLA, Wash St, and a fluke loss thrown in).

    With that said, you win and move on. Fix your mistakes. Execute. Get better every week. Buffalo up!

  9. Yo Stuart,

    I’m glad this game turned into a 34 point win. This D bends without breaking, and it doesn’t hurt to be just a tad lucky. Halfway through the first quarter, though, some of us were beginning to have 2012 flashbacks.

    I’m also glad that Montez shows more poise and class than what we’ve seen in awhile when it’s time to come out and give the backup some reps.

    Best of all, it seems we’ve turned the corner as a program. It wasn’t that long ago that any win was celebrated. Now, we are in the position of being worried about style points. Take the win. Learn. Move on.

    Go Buffs.

    Mark
    Boulderdevil

  10. Ok then……,
    Mighty Buffs are 2-0.
    Gonna be 3-0

    Then the real season starts

    3 wins in there somewhere
    Maybe 4 (have I have 4)
    Maybe more

    Buffs

    Note: Gotta get a bowl
    Note 2: certainly the CO-OC’s are saving the best stuff
    for the conference games. Certainly? Right?

    Yo;

    1. VK, I’m glad someone notices the same old stale play calling at the most inappropriate times. I mean, come on. continuing to run the ball into the middle to try and make a point? Why not do what we do best? Throw slants over the middle, halfback pitches etc. Isn’t the point just win the game? What were the oc’s thinking. I’m tired of watching that crap. Get Lindsey into the open field.
      By the way, the kicking has vastly inproved.

      1. Hey Billy,

        We just don’t know. Maybe what have seen is the best they got

        Peter principle in force? Was hoping the addition of Chev
        would change the offensive dynamics of the O but
        apparently it has not. Starts at the top no doubt.

        Can the defense once again get the wins for the buffs?
        Not sure the offense can

        That oline has me zero expecrations put forth by Mac.

        Clearly as stated elsewhere. “The personnel on the field
        clearly are more talented than the play callers.”

        Buffs

        Note: AZ IS CORRECT

        1. Yeah, all you coaching geniuses are 100% right! Let’s show UW everything we got including tendencies, against teams that mean nothing but Ws and them just challenge ’em to stop it! Makes purfeck sense to me.

          I guess nobody here bothers to read the opposing coach’s post-game comments, to paraphrase: “They [the Buffs] didn’t do anything we didn’t see and scheme against”.

          Duh, really? Might that give all you ACQBs a clue? Or am I gonna have to buy you all dogs, name them all “Clue”, so’s you’ll have one?

          1. being old must have affected your memory. We were all waiting last year for lingering to surprise us one day with that secret part of the play book that would surprise and confound…..or geeez……just mix things up a smidgeon We didnt even see it in the blown bowl game at the end of the year. You have some kind of clue he is going to do something different this year? or was Einstein thinking of you and lingering when he created his theory if insanity?

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