1994 Season Archive

Fiesta Bowl – Notre Dame – McCartney, Stewart, Salaam go out winners

//posted 1.2.1995

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Notre Dame – An Afterthought, but still fitting

It would have been appropriate for Bill McCartney to go out playing for the National Championship. The 24-7 loss to Nebraska, however, eliminated the possibility, as Nebraska ran out the string and headed off to the Orange Bowl undefeated and ranked #1 in the country. By the time the bowl matchups were announced, CU was ranked 4th, trailing only Nebraska, Penn State, and Miami. Such high standing would normally afford the Buffs a worthy New Year’s Day opponent. The bowls, however, are run by money, not rankings.

Enter Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish carried with them to the January 2nd Fiesta Bowl the tradition of multiple National Championships and multiple Heisman Trophy winners. In 1994, they also carried with them to Tempe a 6-4-1 record. Notre Dame had been beaten by 7th-ranked Florida State, 20th-ranked Michigan, 22nd-ranked BYU, and unranked Boston College. None of the six wins by the Irish had been over teams ranked at the end of the season. Yet due to the large fan following possessed by Notre Dame, Fiesta Bowl representatives invited the Irish to be CU’s Fiesta Bowl opponent.

The matchup was still meaningful to the Buffs. …

McCartney’s announcement – Neuheisel hired / Salaam; Hudson honored

//posted 12.31.1994

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Back from the store

In Bozeman, I received updates from ABC and ESPN throughout the afternoon [concerning the 41-20 romp by 7th-ranked Colorado over Iowa State]. Frustration with the Buffs’ inability to put away ISU was quickly forgotten when the highlight of Rashaan Salaam’s touchdown run flashed across the screen. The play made for perfect theater. Salaam reached the 2,000 mark at home, running right in front of the CU bench, on a 67-yard touchdown run to clinch the win. If Salaam had not already clinched the Heisman, that highlight alone may have sealed the deal. It would be replayed numerous times in subsequent weeks as college football analysts debated the issue.

Content with the afternoon’s events, I went to the store with my wife, Lee. Some time later, we returned to find the answering machine blinking. It was Charlie B., my college roommate, calling from Nashville, Tennessee. “What is McCartney thinking?”, Charlie asked me by way of tape. “What is going on?”

Not understanding the message, and assuming Charlie was merely upset about Bill McCartney’s play-calling on the day, I returned the call. It was then that I learned the reason for the tone in Charlie’s voice. I …

Iowa State – Salaam’s 2,055 overshadowed by Coach Mac

//posted 11.19.1994

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November 19th – Boulder #7 Colorado 41, Iowa State 20

A game between a 9-1 team and an 0-9-1 to finish off the regular season would normally not bear much attention. The 41-20 final score, after the Buffs nursed a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter, would not have merited much notice nationally. For local writers, though, the game presented a year’s worth of headlines. “Christian Fauria snares six catches; becomes Big Eight all-time tight end reception leader” would have been apropos. As would have been “CU posts 576 yards of offense, sets team record for season average -495.3?, or “Kordell Stewart becomes Big Eight all-time leader for total offense”.

All worthy events, but they were all overshadowed. First by Rashaan Salaam, then by the team’s thirteen-year head coach.

Salaam was effective against Iowa State, rushing for almost 200 yards and a touchdown in the game’s first three quarters. The Buffs, though, could not put away the winless Cyclones, leading only 20-13 at the start of the fourth quarter. Salaam was still 13 yards shy of the 2000-yard mark as the Buffs, leading 27-13 after a 23-yard run by Kordell Stewart to open the quarter, faced a first-and-ten at the …

Kansas

//posted 11.12.1994

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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 …

Oklahoma State

//posted 11.5.1994

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November 5th – Boulder #7 Colorado 17, Oklahoma State 3

The main distraction for the Colorado Buffaloes for Homecoming, 1994, was not the Homecoming festivities, nor was it the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Rather, the Buffs greatest concern was lethargy. OSU was 3-4-1 on the year, with its only wins coming in non-conference contests against the likes of Northern Illinois, Tulsa, and North Texas. The glow of the national spotlight was gone, as for the first time in a month, CU’s game would not be shown by a national network.

After opening the game as if the game was of no consequence, the Buffs played just well enough to secure a 17-3 win. Oklahoma State took the opening kickoff and marched 73 yards down the field, taking up almost half of the first quarter before settling for a 24-yard field goal. On OSU’s second series, sophomore safety Steve Rosga intercepted a Tone Jones pass and returned it 25 yards to the Cowboy 30-yard line. Three plays later, Kordell Stewart ran the ball in from 27 yards out to give the Buffs a 7-3 lead. A one-yard touchdown pass from Stewart to freshman receiver Phil Savoy just before half gave the Buffs …

#3 Nebraska

//posted 10.29.1994

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October 29th – @ Nebraska #3 Nebraska 24, #2 Colorado 7

Like many over-hyped Super Bowls, the Game of the Year failed to live up to advance billing, as Nebraska methodically took care of business, defeating Colorado 24-7 to take the inside track to the Big Eight and National Championships. Led by quarterback Brook Berringer, subbing for injured starter Tommy Frazier, the Cornhuskers built a 17-0 halftime lead. The Nebraska offense was not flashy, but it was effective, keeping the ball for 21:27 of the first half clock.

The Buffs did have their chances. In the third quarter, Nebraska’s defense stopped two Colorad drives on fourth down, first at the Cornhusker 35-yard line, the second at the Nebraska 21. The fourth quarter was a repeat of the third, as Nebraska stopped the Buffs on two more fourth down attempts.

Colorado’s offense, so dominant in recent weeks, was kept in check. Rashaan Salaam did pick up 134 yards and a score, but the Buffs could manage only 155 yards total on the ground. “Other than Nebraska’s fine play, I really don’t have any explanation for why we didn’t play well,” said Colorado head coach Bill McCartney. “They just outplayed us.”

Buff …

#19 Kansas State

//posted 10.22.1994

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October 22nd – Boulder #2 Colorado 35, #19 Kansas State 21

The Kansas State Wildcats were the real deal in 1994. Coming off of a 9-2-1 season in 1993, KSU had re-established itself as the #3 team in the Big Eight in 1994. The Wildcats only blemish coming into Boulder was a 17-6 loss to Nebraska, and K-State wanted nothing more than to knock off the 2nd-rated Buffs to make its own national statement. They almost did.

The 5:30 p.m. kickoff represented CU’s third nationally televised night home game of the season. Not wanting to disappoint the ESPN audience, the Buffs took a 14-7 halftime lead behind a 53-yard touchdown scamper by Rashaan Salaam and an eight-yard run by Kordell Stewart. But the Wildcats, led by quarterback Chad May, were not to go quietly into the night.

Twice in the third quarter, KSU rallied to tie the Buffs, the second time on running back J.J. Smith’s three-yard run with 11 seconds remaining in the quarter. Smith’s score, his third of the game, tied the score at 21. Entering the fourth quarter, CU knew that its season’s hopes rested on the final 15 minutes.

CU’s offense, which would account for 339 …

#22 Oklahoma – An Evening in Paradise

//posted 10.15.1994

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October 15th – Boulder #4 Colorado 45, #22 Oklahoma 7

It was now official. What had been dreamed of since the “Miracle in Michigan” could now be spoken of openly. The Rocky Mountain News banner headline after Colorado dismantled Oklahoma 45-7 before a national ESPN audience said it all: “Buffs make a run for No. 1?. Not to be outdone, the Denver Post headline proclaimed: “Taking aim at No. 1?.

Before the Buffs took the field to set about defeating the Sooners by the largest margin in the history of the series, the players and fans all knew that the #1 team in the nation, Florida, had been defeated 36-33 by Auburn. The 45-7 thrashing of the Sooners before a night game crowd of 53,199 proved to the nation that the undefeated Colorado Buffaloes had to be reckoned with on the national stage. CU dominated the game from the outset, and the line score for the first half look like a series of misprints. The Buffs’ first three scores:

Salaam 7 yard run (Voskeritchian kick);

Salaam 7 yard run (Voskeritchian kick); and

Salaam 7 yard run (Voskeritchian kick).

For Colorado’s final score of the first half, the Buffs threw the …

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1994 Season Archive

Fiesta Bowl – Notre Dame – McCartney, Stewart, Salaam go out winners

McCartney’s announcement – Neuheisel hired / Salaam; Hudson honored

Iowa State – Salaam’s 2,055 overshadowed by Coach Mac

Kansas

Oklahoma State

#3 Nebraska

#19 Kansas State

#22 Oklahoma – An Evening in Paradise

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