November 14th – at Kansas           Kansas 27, Colorado 0

Kansas came into the game 6-3, but only 2-3 in the Big Eight, giving Buff fans at least some hope for an upset.

Not so much.

As had become custom for Colorado, the defense made an effort, and the score was only 10-0 at half. The Buffs, though, made the Jayhawks look like world-beaters, completing a second consecutive year without a road win, as Kansas rolled to a 27-0 victory.

The loss was the Buffs’ fourth in a row, dropping Colorado to a 2-8 record for the season. Leading ground-gainer Lee Rouson did his part, gaining 73 yards on 19 carries, but the passing game continued to be pathetic. Randy Essington was successful on just eight-of-23 passes for 56 yards and one pick.

Enough said.

 

A Sorry State

“A Sorry State” was the headline in the Rocky Mountain News on November 15th.

The Buffs had fallen to 2-8, while at the same time Air Force was losing to Notre Dame 35-7. Even lower on the scale were the Colorado State Rams, losing at home to lowly New Mexico, 28-16. CSU fell to 0-10 before only 10,149 loyal fans.

A sorry state of affairs – and football – indeed.

 

Game Notes –

– Lee Rouson, as a freshman, would lead the Buffs in rushing in 1981, carrying the ball 159 times for 656 yards and six touchdowns. His 42 points were also a team high.

– The 27-0 loss to Kansas was indicative of CU’s scoreboard problems all season. Colorado would go on to finish the 1981 season with a 12.8 points per game scoring average, 125th out of 137 Division 1 teams. The defense gave up an average of 29.3 points per game, 127th in the nation.

– Colorado State would go on to finish the season 0-12. Due to a game against Hawaii adding a 12th game, Colorado State in 1981 became the first team in NCAA history to post 12 losses in a season. Head coach Chester Caddas would only last the 1981 season, being replaced by Leon Fuller for the 1982 season.

– Air Force, for its part, would finish the 1981 season with a 4-7 record. The following season, the Falcons would go 8-5, including a win over Vanderbilt in the Hall of Fame Classic.

– Kansas would follow up its shut out of the Buffs with a regular season finale win over rival Missouri, to finish 8-3, 4-3. The record was sufficient to earn the Jayhawks an invitation to the Hall of Fame Classic in Birmingham, Alabama. There, Kansas faced off against Mississippi State, falling to the Bulldogs, 10-0.

—–

2 Replies to “Kansas – Rocky Mountain News: Colorado “A sorry state””

  1. “Lee Rouson, as a freshman, would lead the Buffs in rushing in 1981, carrying the ball 159 times for 656 yards and six touchdowns. His 42 points were also a team high.” Apparently 6 x 6 = 42. I think you’ve been reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy a bit too much.

Leave a Reply to Stuart Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *