Posts Tagged ‘Notre Dame’

Pre-season: 1994 – Adios, Southwest Conference – CU returns 16 starters

//posted 8.1.1994

Adios, Southwest Conference

Quick – Name the last eight members of the Southwest Conference.

Not so easy, is it?

Entering the 1994 season, the long-anticipated demise of the SWC became official. The 1994 and 1995 campaigns would be the last for the storied conference. After 80 seasons, the Southwest Conference would fold up its tents; its teams left to a new future.

Arkansas, the only Southwest member outside of the state of Texas, had defected to the Southeastern Conference in 1990. Now Texas, Texas A & M, Baylor, and Texas Tech, commencing with the 1996 season, would join the Big Eight to form the Big 12. Southern Methodist, Rice, and Texas Christian, meanwhile, would join the Western Athletic Conference. The Houston Cougars, originally set adrift to fend for itself as an independent, would eventually settle upon an affiliation with Conference USA.

Why would a conference as steeped in history as the SWC fold? Several reasons were proposed: 1) the increased popularity of the NFL in Texas had eroded the state’s college fan base; 2) the widely-held belief that the conference was made up of two teams (Texas and Texas A&M) and a series of woeful second-tier teams; and 3) the …

Orange Bowl preview – Mixed emotions: Cheering for Notre Dame?

//posted 12.1.1990

(Post your own memories)

Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame,

Rooting for Notre Dame is hard for any Buff fan. It was the Irish who had deprived the Buffs of a storybook ending to the 1989 season. Now, in November, 1990, with Notre Dame and Colorado No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation, and Notre Dame having already accepted an invitation to play in the Orange Bowl against the Buffs, Colorado fans had to root for the Irish.

Even though a Notre Dame loss to Penn State or USC would mean Colorado would obtain the No. 1 ranking for the first time in 1990, the Buffs had to cheer, cheer, for ol’ Notre Dame. If Notre Dame maintained its top-ranking, the Orange Bowl would be the national championship game, winner take all.

So Colorado fans had to root for the Irish.

Naturally, they let us down.

While Colorado was completing its regular season 10-1-1 by dismantling Kansas State, the Irish blew a 21-7 halftime lead in succumbing to Penn State, 24-21. The Irish were now No. 7, and the allure of a title game in the Orange Bowl was lost. “I think having Nos. 1 and 2 playing would have eliminated a lot …

Oklahoma State – Fate, once again, intervenes

//posted 11.10.1990

(There has been 1 comment, post your CU memory now)

November 10th – Boulder #4 Colorado 41, Oklahoma State 22

Before November 10, 1990, the record for touchdown passes in a single game at the University of Colorado stood at three, and even that relatively low number had been reached only seven times in the 100-year history of the program.

That mark was finally erased as Darian Hagan passed for four scores and a career high 237 yards in leading the Buffs to a convincing 41-22 win over Oklahoma State. A sell-out crowd of 51,873 was on hand as several Colorado players followed Hagan into the record books.

Joining Hagan in the statistical barrage were Eric Bieniemy and Mike Pritchard. With his 148 yards, Bieniemy, already the all-time rushing leader in Colorado history, continued to mount his assault on 4,000 career yards (he would reach 3,940, not counting bowl game efforts). Pritchard caught six Hagan passes, a career high, for 151 yards and two scores. Pritchard’s effort represented only the fourth occasion in school history that a receiver surpassed the 150-yard barrier receiving.

The game itself was only in doubt for only about a quarter or so. After the Buffs scored early on a nine yard touchdown pass from Darian …

#4 Notre Dame – Orange Bowl – “Opportunity Lost”

//posted 1.1.1990

(Post your own memories)

Travel Plans

When I was an undergrad at Colorado, a number of my friends and I made a pact:

If Colorado ever made it to the Orange Bowl as Big Eight Champions, we would go to the game.

No matter when, no matter our circumstances, we would find a way to get there. At the time, with the Buffs posting a series of records like 1-10, 2-8-1, and 3-8, there seemed to be little substance to the pledge.

A few short years later, though, the Buffs were going. I envisioned a class reunion of sorts in Miami, catching up with friends not seen for several years. Not only were the Buffs Big Eight champs, they were playing for the national championship. Surely all of my football buddies of the early 1980′s, who had endured the carnage of the early years, would not miss the Orange Bowl.

Reality check.

Many of my friends from the early 80′s had, much to my chagrin, gotten a life. I was still single, while many of my classmates had settled down with wives and children. An excursion to Miami for them was just not in the cards.

Pact or no pact, few were planning on …

Kansas State – Six weeks to History, the Buffs move up to No. 1

//posted 11.18.1989

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November 18th – @ Kansas State No. 2 Colorado 59, Kansas State 11

Having learned their lesson against Oklahoma State, the Colorado Buffaloes did not allow Kansas State to open up strong. Instead, the Buffs dominated from beginning to end, rolling up the most points by a Colorado team in 20 years, mauling Kansas State, 59-11. J.J. Flannigan rushed for a career-high 246 yards and four touchdowns as Colorado rushed for 518 yards. The defense also contributed, holding Kansas State without a first down and only eight (eight!) yards of total offense in the first half.

Flannigan opened up the contest with a 57-yard run on Colorado’s first play from scrimmage. On the next play, Flannigan scored from two yards out as Colorado posted a 7-0 lead in the first minute of play. A few minutes later, quarterback Darian Hagan scored from a yard out, and the outcome was no longer in doubt. On the day, Hagan rushed for 156 yards while passing for 69 more. The numbers allowed Hagan to become only the fifth player in NCAA history to rush and pass for over 1,000 yards in the same season. Hagan’s totals for 1989: 1,002 yards passing; 1,004 yards …

Missouri – Taking Aim at No. 1

//posted 10.7.1989

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October 7th – Boulder No. 3 Colorado 49, Missouri 3

Missouri head coach Bob Stull spent ten years as an assistant to Washington head coach Don James before taking over for the Tigers in 1989. “It’s amazing to see they scored (45) against the Huskies out there”, said Stull the week before the Colorado/Missouri game. “They’re extremely strong this year.”

It took all of 34 seconds that Saturday for Stull and his Tigers to discover just how strong.

On the first play of the game, Colorado quarterback Darian Hagan connected with Jeff Campbell for 58 yards to the Missouri nine yard line. On the next play, Hagan ran the ball in for a 7-0 Colorado lead with 14:26 still to play in the first quarter. By the end of the first stanza, the score stood at Colorado 21, Missouri 0, as Hagan scored twice more, on a two-yard run midway through the first quarter, and an eight yard run just two minutes later.

By halftime, the score was 35-0, Buffs. Most of the first line players sat out the second half as Colorado cruised to a 49-3 final score.

In one half worth of work, Hagan ran for 106 yards …

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Posts Tagged ‘Notre Dame’

Pre-season: 1994 – Adios, Southwest Conference – CU returns 16 starters

Orange Bowl preview – Mixed emotions: Cheering for Notre Dame?

Oklahoma State – Fate, once again, intervenes

#4 Notre Dame – Orange Bowl – “Opportunity Lost”

Kansas State – Six weeks to History, the Buffs move up to No. 1

Missouri – Taking Aim at No. 1

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