No. 19 Oklahoma – Buffs hold Sooners without a completed pass


— October 31st –  at Oklahoma           No. 19 Oklahoma 49, Colorado 0 — An Oklahoma blowout of Colorado was, unfortunately, familiar territory for the Buffs. In 1981, the final was 49-0. Same song, different year. Having started out the season uncharacteristically slow at 1-2-1, the Sooners faced the Buffs with a 3-2-1 record, coming off consecutive romps over Kansas (45-7) and Oregon State (42-3). With the modest two game winning streak, the Sooners were again ranked nationally, meaning that, for the 10th consecutive season, Colorado faced a ranked Oklahoma team. Steve Vogel …

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— October 24th – at Iowa State           No. 14 Iowa State 17, Colorado 10 — Steve Vogel, the hero of the Oklahoma State game, made his first career start as a Buff in Ames against No. 14 Iowa State. It was an inauspicious debut, as the Colorado offense struggled in a tough 17-10 loss to the Cyclones. Vogel’s numbers indicate the ineffectiveness of the offense on the day: 12-for-16 passing, but for only 89 yards and no touchdowns; two rushes for minus-three yards. Colorado was led by junior halfback Richard …

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— October 17th – Boulder           Colorado 11, Oklahoma State 10 — A homecoming crowd of 36,101 came out to watch one of the most improbable finishes in Colorado football history, with the Buffs prevailing, 11-10, on a last minute score against Oklahoma State. The Colorado offense was stifled for most of the day by an Oklahoma State defense which came into the contest ranked No. 2 in the nation, having allowed a paltry 180 total yards per game. The Cowboys, coached by Jimmy Johnson (later of University of Miami, Dallas …

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— October 10th – at Nebraska           Nebraska 59, Colorado 0 — The Nebraska thrashing, 59-0, was not unique for the result, as Colorado went into the game on a thirteen game losing streak against the Cornhuskers (average score: 34-8). What was unique was that, of the three losses suffered after the Washington State game to open the season, this was the lone Buff loss against an unranked team. Nebraska began the 1981 campaign 1-2, losing to Iowa 10-7 in Iowa City, and 30-24 to Penn State in Lincoln. Shortly after the demolition …

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— October 3rd – at UCLA           No. 16 UCLA 27, Colorado 7 — The October 3rd game brought the Bruins home for their first home game after playing three games on the road to open the 1981 season. With Colorado wearing similar blue and gold uniforms, the UCLA faithful may have been initially confused. This was not to last, though, as the true blue and gold team stepped forward and dominated the Buffs. Colorado came into the game ranked eighth in the nation in total offense, but the yardage hadn’t resulted in …

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