Posts Tagged ‘Barry Helton’

Iowa State – 1-4 Buffs roll over 4-1 Cyclones

//posted 10.18.1986

October 18th – Boulder Colorado 31, Iowa State 3

For the second week in a row, Colorado put together an excellent effort on both sides of the ball. For the first time all season, though, the Buffs did not have to hope for a fourth quarter stop by the defense to win, routing Iowa State, 31-3. Led by quarterback Mark Hatcher’s 95 yards and O.C. Oliver’s 79 yards, the Buffs rolled up 303 yards on the ground. Behind Oliver’s two early scores, the Buffs were up 17-0 by the end of the first quarter, and led 24-3 at halftime.

The Cyclones, 4-1 entering the contest, played more like a team with Colorado’s record of 1-4. (In fact, Iowa State’s 4-1 record was somewhat misleading, with the Cyclones’ wins coming over powerhouses Indiana State, Wichita State, Wyoming, and Kansas. Colorado, despite its 1-4 record, was listed as a 10 1/2 point favorite coming into the contest).

The second half of the Iowa State game, for the first time since the Freedom Bowl-clinching win over Kansas State to end the 1985 season, was just a relaxing time for the Folsom Field crowd. The only score of the second half came when little used junior…

1986 – An Introduction – “Great Expectations”

//posted 6.15.1986

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1986 – An Introduction

National and Big Eight recap – 1986

In 1986, Penn State finished what its players considered to be the unfinished business from the 1985 season, going 12-0 to claim for Coach-of-the-Year Joe Paterno the school’s second national title in five years. In 1985, the Nittany Lions had gone unbeaten in the regular season, only to fall 25-10 to national champion Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. In 1986, Penn State again finished the regular season 11-0, but this time the bowl result was different, as the Nittany Lions from State College, Pennsylvania, defeated the Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl, 14-10. Penn State relied mainly upon its tough defense to carry the team, led by linebacker Shane Conlan. The running game did hold its own, though. D.J. Dozier led the team with 811 yards and 10 touchdowns, with sophomore Blair Thomas contributing 504 yards and six scores. The Heisman Trophy in 1986 was awarded to Vinny Testaverde, quarterback for national championship runner-up Miami.

As had been the case in 1985, the Oklahoma Sooners in 1986 went undefeated in Big Eight play. As was also the case in 1985, the Sooners capped off an 11-1 season with an…

Washington – Freedom Bowl – Fake punt!

//posted 12.30.1985

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December 30th – @ Anaheim, California Washington 20, Colorado 17

Some 30,961 fans, representing all the interest that the 7-4 Buffs and 6-5 Washington Huskies could muster, were witness to an exciting, if not particularly well played, contest in the second-ever Freedom Bowl. Washington coach Don James and his Huskies, with a 20-17 victory, were able to salvage something from a 1985 campaign which had started with great promise.

Washington had been rated highly in the preseason polls (6th in UPI; 12th in AP), only to lose the first two games of the season. Rebounding with four straight wins, the Huskies seemed to have righted the ship, only to be stunned at home by Oregon State, 21-20, losing on a blocked punt return for a touchdown with less than two minutes in the game. After winning two of the next three games, the Huskies again were victimized, again at home and again by the score of 21-20, this time by arch-rival Washington State.

The first quarter of the 1985 Freedom Bowl was scoreless until Washington kicker Jeff Jaeger connected with a 30-yard field goal late, giving the Huskies a 3-0 lead. The Buffs responded with a drive culminating with a one…

Colorado State – Off on the right foot

//posted 9.7.1985

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September 7th – Boulder Colorado 23, Colorado State 10

In only the second meeting between the in-state rivals in 25 years, 40,665 looked on as Colorado and the wishbone offense made a successful debut in Boulder, defeating Colorado State, 23-10. Senior quarterback Craig Keenan was out with back problems, so sophomore Mark Hatcher made his starting debut for Colorado, leading the Buffs to 404 yards of total offense, 358 yards coming on the ground. Halfback Ron Brown rushed for 104 yards, with fullback Anthony Weatherspoon contributing 95 yards. For his part, Hatcher ran for 62 yards and the Buffs two touchdowns, and passed for an additional 46 yards on three completions.

When the wishbone is successful, the offense controls the ball. Colorado kept the ball for 35:23, limiting the Rams to 24:27 of possession time and only 10 points. Colorado held the ball for over ten plays on almost every scoring drive, with the lone exception being a six-play drive leading to a field goal at the end of the first half.

The most impressive series came after Colorado State had cut the Colorado lead to 16-10 in the third quarter. After the Ram touchdown, the Buffs turned the ball back…

Preseason – Cautious Optimism / Recruiting Watch

//posted 9.1.1984

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Cautious Optimism

The 1984 season presented an excellent opportunity for third-year coach Bill McCartney to demonstrate that the building process was continuing.

Bill McCartney’s inaugural squad, consisting of nary a single player recruited by McCartney, had finished 2-8-1. In 1983, the mark had improved to 4-7. Now, with two full seasons under his belt, and two recruiting classes to call his own, whispers of a winning season were heard around campus. Not Orange Bowl, mind you. No one was oblivious to the fact that there were top ten teams residing in Lincoln and Norman. Still, McCartney had doubled the win total from his first season to his second. An additional two wins in ’84 would mean a 6-5 season.

Fans of Colorado were not asking for miracles, just continued improvement.

The enthusiasm could be seen in an editorial in January, 1984, by Boulder Daily Camera Sports Editor Ralph Routon. The piece was entitled: “How to Recruit, McCartney-style”, and relayed the story of how McCartney had “mesmerized” a Colorado Springs gathering a few evenings before. McCartney: “I can guarantee you we will have one of the greatest classes of recruits in the nation”, and “What I want everyone to know is that the Colorado program…

National and Big Eight Recap – “Salesman Bill” McCartney

//posted 9.1.1983

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National and Big Eight recap – 1983

The Miami Hurricanes finished on top of the polls for the first time in school history, defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers 31-30 in the Orange Bowl. Miami head coach Howard Schnellenberger completed the resurrection of the once dormant program, bouncing back from a 28-3 setback to Florida in the season opener to run the table and finish 11-1. Freshman quarterback Bernie Kosar teamed with fellow frosh Alonzo Highsmith to account for three touchdowns in the national championship game, as Kosar passed for 300 yards. Schnellenberger shared coach of the year honors with Ken Hatfield of Air Force. Hatfield, despite having the inherent obstacles associated with recruiting for a service academy, led the Falcons to an unlikely 10-2 record, and only the second final ranking (13th) in school history.

In the Big Eight, the cliché of the year could well have been: so close, yet so far. Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne fell a two-point conversion short of his first national championship and an undefeated season in what many believe to be one of the best college football finales ever. Osborne lost the game, but gained the admiration of millions of football fans, when, with only…

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Posts Tagged ‘Barry Helton’

Iowa State – 1-4 Buffs roll over 4-1 Cyclones

1986 – An Introduction – “Great Expectations”

Washington – Freedom Bowl – Fake punt!

Colorado State – Off on the right foot

Preseason – Cautious Optimism / Recruiting Watch

National and Big Eight Recap – “Salesman Bill” McCartney

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