Posts Tagged ‘Rico Smith’

Oklahoma – Koy Detmer’s first career start a record-setter

//posted 10.17.1992

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October 17th – Boulder #7 Colorado 24, Oklahoma 24

In 1952, the Colorado Buffaloes tied mighty Oklahoma 21-21 to mar an otherwise perfect conference run of the Bud Wilkinson Sooners of 1948-57 (a 57-0-1 streak).

Forty years later, the Buffs salvaged a 24-24 tie against a 3-2 Sooner squad led by 4th-year head coach Gary Gibbs. Colorado managed to pull out the tie only by scoring 10 points in the final 4:27 of the game.

Freshman quarterback Koy Detmer, making his debut as a starter, made quite an impression, re-writing several pages of the Colorado record book. Detmer eclipsed the single game record for passing completions and yardage in completing 33-of-50 passes for a school best 418 yards. Included in the 418 yards was a school record 92-yard touchdown pass to Charles E. Johnson.

But not all of the records were positive. Included in Detmer’s efforts were five interceptions (tying a record set by Jeff Austin against Texas Tech in 1976).

For every good play made by the freshman quarterback, there was a poor one to offset it. Oklahoma scored the first points of the game less than two minutes into the contest when a Detmer fumble was returned …

Kansas – Vance Joseph leads Buffs back from two touchdown deficit

//posted 11.16.1991

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November 16th – Boulder #16 Colorado 30, Kansas 24

The Kansas Jayhawks, despite a lopsided 59-23 loss to Nebraska the weekend before, still harbored hopes of post-season play heading into the Colorado game. Kansas was 5-4 on the year, including shutout wins over Iowa State (41-0) and Oklahoma State (31-0). The Kansas/Oklahoma State score, if not the Buffs’ overall performance in the 16-12 nail-biter against the Cowboys, should have been to focus Colorado on the task at hand.

Once again, though, the Buffs were in a dogfight which came down to the game’s final minute.

Early in the third quarter, last minute heroics did not appear to be the order of the day, but it was not because of Colorado’s domination. With 10:49 remaining in the third quarter, the Buffs found themselves down 24-10 to the Jayhawks. The teams had battled to a 10-10 halftime tie, with the Colorado touchdown coming on a 48-yard touchdown pass from halfback Lamont Warren to wide receiver Charles Johnson on an option play.

The second half, though, started out all Jayhawks, as Colorado fumbled on its first second half possession before fumbling the ensuing two kickoffs. In less than four minutes of playing time, …

Oklahoma State – A fake field goal saves Buffs

//posted 11.9.1991

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November 9th – @ Oklahoma State No. 14 Colorado 16, Oklahoma State 12

The Oklahoma State Cowboys entered their 1991 game against Colorado with an 0-7-1 overall record, having managed only a 6-6 tie against equally hapless Iowa State. There was little for the Cowboys to play for in November other than pride.

The Colorado Buffaloes, meanwhile, still had the chance at a third straight Big Eight title.

It would be fair to expect, then, for the Buffs to roll to a blowout win over the Cowboys.

Not so.

Senior wide receiver Robbie James made a name for himself with only six seconds remaining against Oklahoma State. With Colorado trailing 12-10, James connected with tight end Christian Fauria on a 20-yard pass off of a fake field goal attempt to give the Buffs a 16-12 victory. The unlikely outcome, while not pretty, kept the hopes of an Orange Bowl birth alive for Colorado.

The game featured ten turnovers, including six by Colorado. After battling to a 3-3 halftime tie, the Buffs took the lead for the first time with 5:06 left in the third quarter when Darian Hagan passed to senior tight end Rico Smith for a ten-yard score. Early …

Minnesota – Buffs roll up 612 yards of offense in rout

//posted 9.21.1991

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September 21st – Boulder #19 Colorado 58, Minnesota 0

The Minnesota Golden Gophers came to Boulder 1-0 on the young season, hoping to build on their 6-5 effort from 1990. Instead, it was the Buffs who left Folsom Field with an improved state of mind, as Colorado mauled Minnesota, 58-0. In all, Colorado amassed 612 yards of total offense, only the eighth time in school history Colorado had surpassed the 600-yard mark.

Leading the onslaught was quarterback Darian Hagan, who passed for two touchdowns, connecting on 7-of-8 passes for 162 yards. The tone was set early, as Minnesota turned the ball on the first possession of the contest. On the Buffs’ first play, Hagan connected with tight end Rico Smith on a 40-yard touchdown. In all, the Buffs scored on six of seven first half possessions on their way to a 38-0 halftime lead.

The second half allowed the Buffs to give younger players a chance to give the Folsom Field faithful a glimpse of the future. In all, 72 players saw action. Sophomore quarterback Vance Joseph led the Buffs to three touchdowns, while freshman quarterback Kordell Stewart also played. Stewart led the Buffs in rushing, picking up 73 yards …

Preseason – Conferences realign / Scouting the Nation

//posted 9.1.1991

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National and Big Eight recap -1991

For the second consecutive year, after occurring only twice in the past twenty, the college football season ended with a split national championship. The Miami Hurricanes went 12-0 in 1991 to win the Associated Press title, it’s fourth championship in nine years. Miami was forced to share the limelight, however, with the Washington Huskies, who also went 12-0. Washington was awarded the national championship by the Coaches’ poll, later re-named the CNN/USA Today poll. Both teams went 11-0 in the regular season, but with Washington contractually bound to play Big Ten champion Iowa in the Rose Bowl, there was no way for the teams to decide the matter on the field.

Washington beat Iowa, 46-34, in the Rose Bowl, capping a season in which the Huskies led the nation in turnover margin and rushing defense. Miami, for its part, beat Nebraska, 22-0, in the Orange Bowl, winning the inaugural Big East title in leading the nation in scoring defense (9.1 pts. per game). Don James of Washington was the consensus choice for coach of the year, while wide receiver Desmond Howard of Michigan was the Heisman trophy winner.

In the Big Eight, as nationally, …

#5 Notre Dame – Orange Bowl – National Champions!*

//posted 1.1.1991

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January 1st – @ Miami – Orange Bowl #1 Colorado 10, #5 Notre Dame 9

In a game largely devoid of offensive highlights, the Colorado Buffaloes overcame the loss of two key starters to defeat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, 10-9. The hard-fought win enabled Colorado to stake a claim to the Buffs’ first-ever national football championship. An Eric Bieniemy one-yard touchdown run tied the score midway through the third quarter, with Jim Harper’s extra point providing the margin of victory.

Neither the Buffs nor the Irish could dominate their opponent. In the end, the game would come down to the final minute – and one last controversy for Colorado.

First Half

In practice the week before the Orange Bowl, All-Big Eight wide receiver Mike Pritchard broke a bone in his left hand. Pritchard would play, but the air cast he was forced to wear eliminated him from kick returning duties. So for the opening kickoff of the 1991 Orange Bowl, cornerback Dave McCloughan took the field to return the Notre Dame kick. McCloughan was far from a drop-off in terms of kick-returning. In 1990, McCloughan was responsible for 80% of Colorado’s punt returns, leading the Buffs to …

#22 Oklahoma – The return of Great Expectations

//posted 10.27.1990

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October 27th – Boulder #10 Colorado 32, #22 Oklahoma 23

Like the Buffs, the Oklahoma entered the 1990 campaign with high hopes.

Five weeks into the season, the Sooners seemed to be well on their way to realizing their dreams. Oklahoma took a 5-0 record and a No. 4 national ranking to play Texas in Dallas, only to be turned away by the unranked Longhorns, 14-13. The loss was hard to take, but not nearly as debilitating as the loss the next week to Iowa State, 33-31. The upset by the Cyclones left the Sooners looking for answers as they headed to Boulder. Now ranked 22nd in the nation, Oklahoma was riding a two game regular season losing streak for the first time in almost a decade. Colorado already had a loss and a tie, but was undefeated in Big Eight play.

With Nebraska still undefeated, the Sooners and the Buffs knew that the loser of their game was likely out of the race for the Big Eight championship.

In a game filled with anxious moments and big plays, the Colorado Buffaloes finally prevailed over the Oklahoma Sooners, 32-23. Each team posted scores in all four quarters as neither team …

Missouri – The “Fifth Down” Game (including final drive video)

//posted 10.6.1990

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The controversial ending no one could see coming

On October 6, 1990, the 12th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes traveled to Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri, to face the Missouri Tigers.

A top five team in the 1990 preseason poll, the Buffs had completed the non-conference portion of their schedule 3-1-1. Colorado tied No. 5 Tennessee to open the season, beat Stanford at home, and fell on the road to No. 21 Illinois before rebounding to defeat No. 22 Texas in Austin and No. 12 Washington in Boulder (yes, that’s right. Four ranked teams in five non-conference games – and the lone unranked opponent, Stanford, went on to upset No. 1 Notre Dame in South Bend a few weeks after falling to Colorado – see below).

Missouri, under third year head coach Bob Stull, entered the contest with a 2-2 record. The Tigers had defeated Utah State and Arizona State, but had fallen to TCU and Indiana. The Tigers and 46,856 faithful fans were anxious to play the 12th-ranked Buffs. Missouri had owned the Buffs for many years, building a 33-13-1 series edge through 1984. Colorado, however, had run off five straight wins in the series heading into the 1990 game.

The …

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Posts Tagged ‘Rico Smith’

Oklahoma – Koy Detmer’s first career start a record-setter

Kansas – Vance Joseph leads Buffs back from two touchdown deficit

Oklahoma State – A fake field goal saves Buffs

Minnesota – Buffs roll up 612 yards of offense in rout

Preseason – Conferences realign / Scouting the Nation

#5 Notre Dame – Orange Bowl – National Champions!*

#22 Oklahoma – The return of Great Expectations

Missouri – The “Fifth Down” Game (including final drive video)

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