1983 Season Archive

Kansas State – Victor Scott and the “Survivors” go out winners

//posted 11.19.1983

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November 19th – Boulder Colorado 38, Kansas State 21

Only 27,649 Buff faithful bothered to come out for the 1983 finale against the Kansas State Wildcats. It would be the smallest crowd to ever watch a Bill McCartney coached Colorado team in Folsom Field. Though it was mid-November, the skies were sunny, and the game time temperature was a tolerable 39 degrees. It was not the weather, then, that kept the fans away.

It was the matchup.

While the Buffs were playing for a sixth place finish in the Big Eight, and while a fourth victory would represent the most wins for Colorado since Bill Mallory’s final squad had finished 6-5 in 1978, it could hardly be called a glamour contest. It was easy to find a good seat in the half-filled stadium as kickoff neared.

The Buffs started the game with about as much enthusiasm for the contest as their fans. At half-time, the score was 21-7 in favor of the Wildcats. Between the two of them, quarterbacks Derek Marshall and Steve Vogel threw four first half interceptions. The score could have been even worse than 21-7, as Kansas State lost four fumbles in the opening half (and all…

Oklahoma – Buffs 28-7 rally not enough

//posted 11.12.1983

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November 12 – @ Oklahoma Oklahoma 41, Colorado 28

The final scores of the Nebraska games in the two years of the McCartney era had been somewhat misleading. The Buffs were at least in the game in the first half of each contest.

Conversely, the final score against Oklahoma in 1983, 41-28, would lead one to believe the Buffs made a respectable showing against the Sooners. After all, the Sooners had won the previous six contests against Colorado by an average score of 51-16. Yes, it was the Buffs out there on Owen field, before 75,008 Sooner faithful, with quarterback Steve Vogel, subbing for an injured Derek Marshall, overthrowing tight end Dave Hestera in the end zone with the Buffs having the chance to pull within seven points late in the fourth quarter. And yes, it was a pass from Vogel to Chris McLemore which came up an inch short on fourth down at the Sooner three-yard line with just over two minutes to play.

And yes, the headline in the Boulder Daily Camera the next morning did proclaim “Buffs make it close at OU, 41-28″.

Actually, though, it was never really that close. Oklahoma raced out to a 34-0 lead in the first half. If not for…

Kansas – Marshall and McLemore lead Buffs to victory

//posted 11.5.1983

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November 5 – @ Kansas Colorado 34, Kansas 23

Against the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence, sophomore quarterback Derek Marshall received his first starting assignment. In the second half, Marshall failed to complete a pass. His counterpart, Kansas quarterback Frank Seurer, passed for a career-high 394 yards.

Still, the Buffs, managed to hold on for a 34-23 win, the Buffs first conference win of 1983, and only the second conference win in two years for Bill McCartney.

Fullback Chris McLemore, converted from halfback, had his best rushing game ever, 160 yards on 23 carries. McLemore’s 75-yard run early in the fourth quarter lifted the Buffs to a seemingly comfortable 31-12 lead. Just over three minutes later, however, and with 9:15 still left to play, the score was 31-23.

Placed in a position of protecting a rare advantage on the scoreboard, the Colorado offense failed to produce. Kansas marched down the field with an opportunity to tie the score. Cornerback Cylde Riggins, though, saved the day, intercepting a Seurer pass in the end zone. It was Riggins’ second pick of the day, and one of five for the Buff secondary on the afternoon. “I think one of the reasons we won,” understated…

Oklahoma State – Vogel: 0-for-7; three interceptions

//posted 10.29.1983

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October 29th – Boulder Oklahoma State 40, Colorado 14

The Buffs and Cowboys had provided two of the most entering Big Eight contests in the previous two years, with the Buffs coming from behind to win 11-10 in 1981, and the two teams battling to a 25-25 tie in 1982. The Buffs, 2-5 in 1983, and sporting a four-game losing streak, could only hope to repeat the magic against Jimmy Johnson’s Cowboys.

It was not meant to be.

Oklahoma State came into the contest with a 5-2 record, but the Cowboys two losses had been to the big boys, Nebraska and Oklahoma, and had been by a total of only five points. Looking for national respect, the Cowboys were out to make a point against the now pitiful Buffs.

After a scoreless first quarter, Oklahoma State posted a 30-spot on the Buffs in the second quarter. By the time Colorado put points on the board, it was the fourth quarter, and many of the 36,889 who came for Homecoming had left. The final of 40-14 was a fair summation of the game. The Buffs’ two scores – a 56-yard pass from Derek Marshall to Loy Alexander, and a 22-yard run by Derek…

#1 Nebraska – A record quarter dooms Buffs’ upset bid

//posted 10.22.1983

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October 22nd – @ Nebraska #1 Nebraska 69, Colorado 19

Colorado, 2-4 and on a three game losing streak, next faced the undefeated and #1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln. History did not favor the Buffs, as Colorado entered the contest 0-7 all-time vs. #1 ranked teams, including two previous attempts against Nebraska. Nothing changed in 1983, as Colorado fell to Nebraska, 69-19.

The Cornhuskers in 1983 were loaded. Quarterback Turner Gill, I-Back Mike Rozier, Wingback Irving Fryar, and fullback Mark Schellen were being compared, at least by the Sports Information Department in Lincoln, to the “Four Horsemen of Notre Dame”, the legendary 1925 Irish backfield immortalized by Grantland Rice. The comparison was not without merit. The Huskers were 7-0 on the 1983 campaign, boasting a nation’s best 17-game winning streak overall. The Buffs were struggling, and all indices pointed toward a 16th-consecutive win against Colorado. The Nebraska faithful showing up for Homecoming were not expecting to leave disappointed.

They didn’t.

To be fair to Coach McCartney and the Buffs, the Husker crowd had to be somewhat restless during the half-time festivities. While the Homecoming King and Queen were being paraded around Memorial Stadium, a quick glance at the scoreboard…

Iowa State – Third straight loss to the Cyclones

//posted 10.15.1983

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October 15th – @ Iowa State Iowa State 22, Colorado 10

Playing in a gusty wind, the Iowa State Cyclones blew away the bumbling Buffs, 22-10. The Iowa State homecoming crowd was sent home happy, as for the third straight game the Colorado offense had great difficulty in finding the opposition’s goal. Lee Rouson was switched from fullback to halfback for the game to add a spark. Rouson responded with 93 yards, but it took 29 carries to produce those yards. Steve Vogel was so ineffective at quarterback that Derek Marshall subbed in after Vogel went 3-for-16 passing in the second half.

Unlike the Notre Dame and Missouri games, the Buffs were in the game against the Cyclones throughout. The score was 13-10 late in the first half, with a 26-yard Tom Field field goal, and a 14-yard touchdown pass from Steve Vogel to Loy Alexander keeping the Buffs close. Cyclone quarterback David Archer, though, hit David Gantt for a 14-yard score and a 19-10 halftime lead for Iowa State (the PAT attempt was blocked).

After a scoreless third quarter, Colorado had a first-and-goal at the Iowa State nine yard line on the first series of the fourth quarter. The snap on a 25-yard field…

Missouri – “I thought we’d bounce back …”

//posted 10.8.1983

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October 8th – Boulder Missouri 59, Colorado 20

The excitement surrounding the Buffs’ two game winning streak in September seemed like ancient history only eight days into October.

As Notre Dame had done the week before, Missouri took the opening kickoff and marched down the field for a touchdown. It was just the beginning of a rout that, if possible, was even worse than the 59-20 score indicates. In Coach McCartney’s words: “We got beat every way you can get beat … soundly, thoroughly, in every way”. To underscore the domination, it should be noted that the score was 59-6 with only a few minutes left in the game. Colorado did score two gimme touchdowns in the last 2:18 of the game, narrowly avoiding a 50-point loss.

Colorado’s first points, a four-yard touchdown pass from Steve Vogel to tight end Jon Embree, didn’t come until Missouri had built a 31-0 second quarter lead. The final two touchdowns, after the game was well out of hand, came with Derek Marshall at quarterback. The first came on a four-yard run by Guy Egging; the second on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Marshall to sophomore tight end Hugo Nevarez.

“I knew emotionally we…

Notre Dame – Taking the LSAT

//posted 10.1.1983

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Taking the LSAT

The University of Colorado had never played the University of Notre Dame in football.

This simple statement, in and of itself, was enough to raise anticipation level for the matchup between the Buffs and the Irish.

Then there was this: heading into the October 1, 1983, Colorado/Notre Dame game in Boulder, Colorado was 2-1; Notre Dame 1-2. Now, throughout campus, there was excitement not only about the possibility of playing Notre Dame, but about the possibility of actually beating the Irish.

It would be safe to assume that I, as a fan of college football, and especially a fan of the (apparently) resurgent Colorado Buffaloes, would have done little else the week leading up to the game other than prepare for the historic encounter. Unfortunately, I had a large distraction keeping from focusing on the game – the Law School Admission Test.

The LSAT is a test taken in preparation for applying to the law school of your choice. Like the SAT, ACT, GRE, and MCAT, the LSAT brings with it a great deal of self-inflicted pressure. I had grown up wanting to be an attorney, and my double major of history and political science was not going to open many…

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1983 Season Archive

Kansas State – Victor Scott and the “Survivors” go out winners

Oklahoma – Buffs 28-7 rally not enough

Kansas – Marshall and McLemore lead Buffs to victory

Oklahoma State – Vogel: 0-for-7; three interceptions

#1 Nebraska – A record quarter dooms Buffs’ upset bid

Iowa State – Third straight loss to the Cyclones

Missouri – “I thought we’d bounce back …”

Notre Dame – Taking the LSAT

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