CU Games of the Day – October 30th

October 30th … CU has a 1-4 record on this date over the past 40 years … 1982: The game v. No. 17 Oklahoma became a representation of the 1982 season in a nutshell: a great deal of heart; a stubborn defense; and an eventual submission to a more talented foe (including video with CU in baby blue uniforms) … 1993: No. 6 Nebraska sent a message it was reclaiming the Big Eight with a 21-17 win over No. 20 CU … 1999: Mike Moschetti, showing no ill effects from a concussion which had sidelined him a week earlier, threw for four touchdowns and ran for another as CU upended 24th-ranked Oklahoma, 38-24 (including video) … 2004: Texas QB Vince Young was able to put two early interceptions behind him before guiding the Longhorns to a 31-7 romp over Colorado … 2010: QB Landry Jones threw for a career-high 453 yards and four touchdowns, while wide receiver Ryan Broyles set a school record with 208 yards receiving in the rout of CU …

  • 1982: No. 17 Oklahoma 45, Colorado 10 … Considering that the last two games with Oklahoma had left CU on the short end of 82-42 and 49-0 scores, the fact that the score at halftime was 10-10 was just this side of remarkable …
  • 1993: No. 6 Nebraska 21, Colorado 17 … “I can’t remember being this disappointed,” said a quiet head coach Bill McCartney after the game. “I thought we’d win” … 
  • 1999: Colorado 38, No. 24 Oklahoma 24 … The victory gave Colorado an 8-0-1 record against Oklahoma in their last nine meetings, and fifth straight win overall in the series (best-ever run by any CU opponent) …
  • 2004: No. 8 Texas 31, Colorado 7 … CU entered October 3-0, looking for a national ranking.  After a 1-4 October, the Buffs were a loss away from the Big 12 North cellar … Essay: “Now What?” …
  • 2010: No. 11 Oklahoma 43, Colorado 10 … In the long, relatively successful history of its football program, CU had never before had a 14-game road losing streak, but had just such a streak heading into the game against the Sooners … Essay:No Reason to be Nervous” … 

October 30, 1982 – Boulder           No. 17 Oklahoma 45, Colorado 10

At 1-5-1, the Buffs were not likely to pose much of a threat to the 5-2 Sooners. As the game unfolded, the Oklahoma game became a representation of the 1982 season in a nutshell: a great deal of heart; a stubborn defense; and an eventual submission to a more talented foe.

Considering that the last two games with Oklahoma had left Colorado on the short end of 82-42 and 49-0 scores, the fact that the score at halftime was 10-10 was just this side of remarkable. Add to this the tidbit that the Oklahoma touchdown came on a 77-yard punt return, and it is clear how well the defense of Colorado was playing.

Turnovers in the second half led to quick Sooner scores, however, leaving the final score of 45-10 much more to the Sooner faithful’s liking. “I thought it was another game where we blew opportunities,” said Bill McCartney. “We fought for awhile, and then we just broke down and hurt ourselves.” On the day, Oklahoma passed only eight times, but ran the ball 76 times (for 368 yards) to wear down the Buffs.

Of the 35-0 second half, McCartney noted, “They didn’t have far to go with the ball in the second half. At that point we got them down and lost our confidence. We couldn’t do anything to them. We gave them momentum and confidence.

“I don’t think it was a change in strategy,” continued McCartney. “We fought for awhile and then we broke down and hurt ourselves. We’re just not big and strong to keep going the full 60 minutes against a team like Oklahoma”.

Two stats told the story of the game … The first: Buff quarterback Randy Essington went 13-for-31 for only 132 yards – and four interceptions (including one returned 49 yards by safety Keith Stansberry for a touchdown) … The second: Oklahoma had 37:21 of possession time, compared to 22:39 for the Buffs.

Still, progress was being noted. A column in the Denver Post by Tom Patterson the day after the game was entitled: “Buffs Traveling Right Road”. Even Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer, not known for heaping praise upon the opposition, had this to say about the Buffs after the game: “From what I’ve seen, they’ve fought like hell. As long as you keep playing like that and they keep giving the effort, that’s progress.”

Still, at the end of the day, Colorado was 1-6-1.

Progress was coming in very small doses.

Here are the video highlights from the game, courtesy of CU at the Gamer Paul:

 

– Game Notes …

– The Buffs were led on offense by Richard Johnson, who had 45 yards rushing and 63 yards receiving. Johnson’s 17-yard touchdown run in the first quarter gave Colorado a rare lead over Oklahoma, 7-3.

– Linebacker Ray Cone was a one man wrecking crew against the Sooners, posting Buff season highs for total tackles (22) and unassisted tackles (16). For the season, Cone had 183 tackles, almost twice as many as the next Buffs’ defender, linebacker Mark Shoop, who had 92 total tackles in 1982.

– The win over Colorado was the fifth of seven straight for Colorado. The 1982 season did not have a happy ending for the Sooners, however. Oklahoma was ranked No. 11 when the Sooners traveled to Lincoln for the regular season finale. The Cornhuskers prevailed, 28-24, relegating Oklahoma to the Fiesta Bowl. There, against the home-standing Sun Devils of Arizona State, the Sooners fell again, 32-21, to finish the season 8-4, ranked No. 16 in the final polls.

October 30, 1993 – Boulder           No. 6 Nebraska 21, No. 20 Colorado 17

For the first 14 minutes of the 1993 Colorado/Nebraska game, only one team played like it had something to prove … and it was Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers, 7-0, 3-0 in Big Eight conference play and ranked 6th in the nation, were nonetheless 1-2-1 against Colorado since 1989. In the first quarter, Nebraska sent a message that it was back on top of the Big Eight, racing out to a 21-3 lead. After Nebraska stopped the Buffs on the first offensive series of the game, a 68-yard punt return by Corey Dixon set up the Cornhuskers on the Colorado four yard line. On the Cornhuskers’ first play from scrimmage, Calvin Jones scored, and it was 7-0, Nebraska, less than two minutes into the game.

Later, a 60-yard bomb from Tommie Frazier to Dixon gave Nebraska a 21-3 lead with five minutes still to be played in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Rashaan Salaam, earning his first career start, brought the Buffs closer. The sophomore tailback finished off a six-play, 63-yard drive with a 15-yard run to pull the Buffs within 21-10.

Even though over two-thirds of the game remained to be played, the scored remained 21-10 for most of the rest of the contest. Colorado’s much-maligned defense more than held up its end after the first quarter, shutting out the Cornhuskers for the final three periods.

As had been the case for the Buffs against Miami, Stanford, and Kansas State, the Nebraska game would come down to the final minutes, with Buff fans again coming away disappointed. After being held to just 18 total yards on its first five drives of the second half, the Buffs’ offense finally found a new gear, pushing the ball downfield 80 yards in 15 plays. Salaam, who would register 165 yards on 25 carries on the day, posted his second score with a 1-yard run up the middle. Nebraska 21, Colorado 17, with 2:54 still to play.

Needing a stop, the Buffs’ defense rose to the occasion, sacking Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier on third down to force a punt. Chris Hudson returned the kick to the Buffs’ 47-yard line, and Colorado was in business with 1:41 remaining.

A 13-yard pass from Kordell Stewart to tight end Christian Fauria put the Buffs on the Husker 40 yard line. The Buff Nation was poised for a memorable comeback.

But that would be as close as the Buffs would come. On the next play, Stewart attempted to hit Sean Embree over the middle, only to be picked off by Nebraska cornerback John Reece.

Game over. 21-17, Nebraska.

“I can’t remember being this disappointed,” said a quiet head coach Bill McCartney after the game. “I thought we’d win.”

The loss was especially hard on the defense, which had come of age after spotting Nebraska 21 points (one score came after a punt return to the Buffs’ four-yard line, another on a 60-yard bomb).

“It’s worse (than the 52-7 loss to Nebraska in 1992)”, said senior linebacker Sam Rogers. “Our defense played its heart out after the 21 (point) spot and we just came out on the short end of the field. This is my last year, so there’s nothing I can do about it. It hurts, it hurts a lot.”

52,277 mostly upset fans filed out of Folsom Field the day before Halloween, 1993, wondering what else could go wrong with the season. Colorado was now 4-3-1 overall, and the 20th-ranked Buffs would be lucky just to stay ranked in the polls. (As it turned out, the Buffs were fortunate, as 22nd-ranked Michigan State and 24th-ranked Michigan also lost, allowing Colorado to continue its school-record run of consecutive poll appearances, coming in at No. 23).

National and Big Eight Conference Championships were no longer possibilities for the 1993 Colorado football team.

The question now was whether the Buffs could re-group and go bowling for the sixth-consecutive year.

Game Notes …

– Sophomore tailback Rashaan Salaam earned his first career start against Nebraska in 1993, replacing Lamont Warren. Salaam did not disappoint, rushing for 165 yards on 25 carries. Warren, relegated to backup, had three rushes for 16 yards.

– Senior cornerback Dennis Collier had an interception for the second week in a row against Nebraska. Collier would go on to finish the season with four interceptions, tying Chris Hudson for the team lead in that category. Collier, who had come to Colorado as a running back, earned honorable mention All-Big Eight honors as a defensive back in 1993.

– Junior quarterback Kordell Stewart had his worst game of the season against Nebraska. Stewart completed just eight of 28 passes for 115 yards, throwing a season-high three interceptions. Stewart also had his only negative rushing day of the season. With four sacks included, Stewart ended the afternoon with ten rushes for a minus-two yards.

– Sophomore nose tackle Kerry Hicks, conversely, had one of his best games of the 1993 season against Nebraska. Hicks finished with 14 tackles, including ten solo tackles (both personal season highs). At the end of the season, the Big Eight coaches voted Hicks onto their first team All-Big Eight defense.

– Nebraska would go on to finish the 1993 regular season with an 11-0 record, completing a sweep of Big Eight rivals. Ranked No. 2 in the nation, Nebraska represented the Big Eight in the Orange Bowl, facing off against No. 1 Florida State. The Seminoles prevailed, however, 18-16, giving Bobby Bowden his first national championship. Nebraska finished the 1993 season with an 11-1 record and a No. 3 national ranking (just behind Notre Dame, which defeated Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl to finish off an 11-1 campaign of its own).

October 30, 1999 – Boulder           Colorado 38, No. 24 Oklahoma 24

Mike Moschetti, showing no ill effects from a concussion which had sidelined him a week earlier, threw for four touchdowns and ran for another as Colorado upended 24th-ranked Oklahoma, 38-24.

Moschetti completed 22-of-31 attempts for 382 yards, including scoring passes of 49 and 88 yards to junior wide receiver Javon Green, on his way to being named the Big 12 Offensive Player-of-the-Week.

The Colorado defense, despite giving up 24 points, more than held its own.

Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel came into the game already owning – after six games – most of the single season passing records for the Sooners. Heupel was also making inroads on many of the career passing records at Oklahoma, but against Colorado, all Heupel received was a pounding.

Last in the Big 12 in sacks entering the contest, the Buff defense got to Heupel three times. Heupel was also suffered four interceptions, connecting on 26-of-58 passes on the day. “Defensively, we kept responding,” said Colorado coach Gary Barnett. “We had a great defensive plan (which at times had the Buffs utilizing six defensive backs and only one linebacker). We didn’t want to sit back and let them just throw the ball.”

After a long punt return deep into Colorado territory, Oklahoma took the early lead with a field goal on its first possession, but the Buffs responded late in the first quarter with an 11-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Moschetti to Marcus Stiggers. Oklahoma then took its second – and last – lead of the game with a two-yard touchdown run with four minutes left in the half.

Again the Buffs responded, taking only three plays to cover 62 yards to regain the lead. A 49-yard touchdown pass from Moschetti to Javon Green gave Colorado a 14-10 halftime advantage.

The Buffs expanded on their lead in the third quarter thanks to Ben Kelly.

The senior cornerback had two interceptions in the quarter. The first, on the opening drive of the second half, was returned to the Oklahoma one-yard line, with Moschetti taking the ball in on the next play to make it a 21-10 game. Two possessions later, Kelly picked off another Heupel offering, with the Buff offense converting that turnover into a 33-yard field goal by Jeremy Aldrich.

Down 24-10, the Sooners rallied. In the first minute of the fourth quarter, Heupel hit Reggie Skinner for a six-yard touchdown, cutting the Buffs’ lead in half. The Colorado offense countered with an 80-yard drive, with Moschetti hitting Daniel Graham for a 14-yard touchdown and a 31-17 lead.

Heupel then connected on a 49-yard touchdown pass, again pulling to within a touchdown, at 31-24. Again the Colorado offense had an answer.

Instead of taking eight plays to score, however, the Buffs posted their second one-play drive of the second half, with Moschetti connecting with Javon Green for an 88-yard touchdown pass to seal the victory.

“There were times in the game when we had to score because of Oklahoma’s offense,” Moschetti said, “and we went down the field and scored. That’s what I’m most proud of.”

The seemingly resurgent Buffs were now 5-3 on the season, one win from qualifying for a bowl game. Sandwiched between games with undefeated and 6th-ranked Kansas State and once beaten and 8th-ranked Nebraska was a very winnable game against 1-7 Baylor. With a bowl game now within their reach, the Buffs could now focus on the improbable – a run at the Big 12 title.

Colorado was tied with Nebraska for second place in the Big 12 North with a 4-1 conference record. A win in Manhattan against the front-runners from Kansas State would tie the Buffs for first place in the Division and give the Buffs the inside track to the conference title game.

Colorado had contained an Oklahoma offense averaging over 40 points a game, limiting the nation’s third-best passing attack to 317 yards. Kansas State, though, was even more potent. In outscoring their first eight opponents, 332 -89, the Wildcats were winning by an average score of 41-11. Five times in 1999, Kansas State had held its opponent under ten points.

“Today was probably as good as we could play in most respects,” Barnett said after the Oklahoma win.

For Colorado to defeat Kansas State for the first time since 1996, though, the Buffs’ effort would have to be even better.

Here is a link to the You Tube video of the game, courtesy of CU at the Gamer Paul:

Game Notes … 

– The victory gave Colorado an 8-0-1 record against Oklahoma in their last nine meetings, and fifth straight win overall in the series. The nine game non-winning streak represented the longest such streak by any team against Oklahoma in the history of Sooner football (Colorado had been tied with three other teams, each of which had put together an eight game unbeaten streak against Oklahoma).

– Oklahoma entered the game as the No. 24 team in the nation. The win for Colorado marked the 12th straight season in which the Buffs had defeated at least one ranked team, the second-longest streak in the nation (Florida State – 13 straight seasons).

– Oklahoma, the former rushing great, finished the game against Colorado with 17 rushes for a minus-11 yards (Colorado had three sacks for a minus-30 yards, which meant that the Sooners rushing game was only good for 14 carries and 19 yards). The game marked the fifth time in Colorado history in which a team was held to negative yards rushing (the record: -49 yards by Wichita State in a 52-0 blowout).

– On the flip side, the 58 passes by Oklahoma set a new record for the most passes in a game by the Sooners.

– In addition to his 382 yards passing, Mike Moschetti also led the team in rushing against Oklahoma, with 14 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown. His four touchdown passes in a single game was a career high.

– Ben Kelly’s interceptions against Oklahoma represented two of his team-leading five for the 1999 season. Kelly would go on to be named first-team All-Big 12 as a cornerback, also being honored as first team kick-returner by the Big 12 coaches.

– Javon Green had only three catches on the day, but they went for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Green would go on to lead the team in receptions on the season (with 40), yards receiving (663) and receiving touchdowns (7). His 88-yard touchdown reception against the Sooners was the longest play from scrimmage for the Buffs all season.

– Junior wide receiver Eric McReady earned his first career start against Oklahoma, responding with two receptions for ten yards. Also posting their first career starts were sophomore defensive end Robert Haas and sophomore defensive back Terrence Wood.

– Oklahoma would go on to bounce back from the loss to Colorado to win three of its last four regular season games in the Sooners’ first season under Bob Stoops. A 27-25 loss to Mississippi in the Independence Bowl left Oklahoma with a 7-5 record (5-3 in the Big 12) in 1999.

October 30, 2004 – Boulder          No. 8 Texas 31, Colorado 7

Texas quarterback Vince Young was able to put two early interceptions behind him before guiding the Longhorns to a 31-7 romp over Colorado.  Running back Cedric Benson rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns, leading the 8th-ranked Longhorns to a 7-1 record.  The Buffs, in losing their eighth straight game to a Big 12 South Division team, managed only three yards rushing on the day, the fewest since Alabama held Colorado to minus-11 in the 1991 Blockbuster Bowl.

The day did start out with promise for Colorado.  On Texas’ seventh play, Young was picked off by Colorado sophomore cornerback Terrence Wheatley.  Wheatley returned the interception 37 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Colorado lead.  On the Longhorns’ next possession, Young was picked off again, this time by another Buff sophomore cornerback, Lorenzo Sims.  The Buffs, though, were not able to take advantage.

So much for the Colorado highlights.

Texas did not score until midway through the second quarter, tying the game on one-yard run by Vince Young.  A two-yard scoring run by Cedric Benson with 0:52 left gave the Longhorns a 14-7 halftime edge.  Any hopes of Colorado being competitive in the second half were dashed by two third quarter turnovers.  A Joel Klatt fumble quickly resulted in a score, and Benson put the game out of reach with a six-yard run after Texas’ Michael Griffin picked off a deflected Klatt pass.  Two drives totaling just 37 yards made the score 28-7 midway through the third quarter.

Colorado fans only reason for staying for the fourth quarter?  To see whether the Colorado offense would put together a drive which would actually carry the ball into Texas territory (Answer: yes, twice.  Once the Buffs turned the ball over with an interception, the other drive ended with Colorado turning the ball over on downs).

The 31-7 defeat was a humbling one for Colorado.  The Buffs generated all of one first down in the first half when the game was still at issue.  Bobby Purify managed only 13 yards on 12 carries.  Joel Klatt was held to 142 yards passing, with two interceptions.  Only John Torp, the Colorado punter, had a good day, averaging 50.8 yards on his six punts.

“It’s obvious that I didn’t have my team prepared to play today,” said Gary Barnett.  “We weren’t ready to play on offense and that’s on me.”  While not pinning blame on his coach, tight end Joe Klopenstein echoed similar sentiments.  “Early on we didn’t know what they were doing to us,” said Klopenstein, who did have a 45-yard catch in the fourth quarter, well after the game was out of hand.  “We weren’t ready and their front six out-played our front six.”

The Buffs were now a 4-4 team heading into November.  Colorado would face Kansas and Nebraska on the road, with a home game versus Kansas State sandwiched in between.  Colorado would have to win two out of three to be bowl eligible.  When asked about team morale after the Texas loss, Barnett said, “You don’t know (how it is) until you get back on Monday, and that’s our challenge.  Times like this, teams have to work together.  No one’s very happy with the way we played and our team performance.  This is a defining time for us.”

Kansas was up next, in Lawrence.  The Jayhawks were only 3-5 (1-4 in conference play).  Still, Kansas did have a win over Kansas State on its resume, and had a one-point loss to Texas Tech at home and a pair of six point losses to Nebraska and Iowa State on the road.

Colorado had entered October 3-0, looking for a national ranking.  After a 1-4 October, the Buffs were a loss away from the Big 12 North cellar.

The Buffs were hoping the change of calendar would bring a change of results.

 Now What? … 

After the dismantling by Texas, the players and coaches all talked about moving forward.  “Possibly going to a bowl game is one bright spot,” said cornerback Terrence Wheatley, “We can still prove to people that we are not the team they think we are, and make a turn-around in the next three games.”

Echoed quarterback Joel Klatt: “Our goal is to beat Kansas. We know that we have some things that we need to fix, but our goal is to go out and beat Kansas and see where things go from there.”

There seemed little to do but look ahead, as looking back showed four losses in the past five games.  A bowl bid, such a certainty at 3-0, looked less likely for a 4-4 team – which finished with two of its final three games on the road.

If it was any consolation, the Buffs at least were not the only Big 12 North team with problems.  Nebraska lead the division at 5-3 (3-2 in conference play), but had been blown out by Kansas State, 45-21, and completely mauled by Texas Tech, 70-10.  Missouri was 4-4 (2-3) after losing to Nebraska, 24-3.  Iowa State was also 4-4, (2-3), but the Cyclones wins were over lightweights Northern Iowa and Northern Illinois, combined with a one-point conference win over Baylor and a six-point win over Kansas.  Kansas State was perhaps the biggest disappointment, at 3-5 (1-4).  The Wildcats had a win over Nebraska, but the defending Big 12 Champions had lost to every other conference opponent they had faced.

Kansas was just as dismayed about its record as Colorado.  Sporting a 3-5 (1-4) record, the Jayhawks had a least defeated rival Kansas State for the first time since 1992.  Also, Kansas had posted two wins in the past three games against Colorado in Lawrence.  With a game against Texas the week after Colorado, it appeared unlikely that the Jayhawks would post three straight wins and become bowl eligible, but there was no reason to believe that the Buffs could count on leaving Memorial Stadium with an easy win.

Game Notes … 

– On a day with negligible offense by the Buffs, an offensive record was nonetheless set. With 142 yards passing, Joel Klatt became the 5th quarterback in CU history to pass for over 4,000 yards.

– CU’s rushing totals: 18 rushes; three yards. It was the seventh lowest total in Buff history (the other six were all in the negative).

– Texas continued to dominate on the road, winning for the 20th time in their past 21 road games.

October 30, 2010 – at Oklahoma               No. 11 Oklahoma 43, Colorado 10

Colorado’s last visit to storied Owen Field as a member of the Big 12 did not end (or begin, for that matter) well.

In the long, successful history of its football program, Oklahoma had never before had a 34-game home winning streak, but had just such a streak heading into the game against the Buffs. In the long, relatively successful history of its football program, Colorado had never before had a 14-game road losing streak, but had just such a streak heading into the game against the Sooners.

Result? Predictable.

Oklahoma 43; Colorado 10.

Quarterback Landry Jones threw for a career-high 453 yards and four touchdowns, while wide receiver Ryan Broyles set a school record with 208 yards receiving in the rout of Colorado.

Continue reading Game Story here

No Reason to be Nervous … 

It was Saturday night. The team was on the road, playing before a national television audience. The team had actually had recent success against its opponent, but the historical record was on the side of the home team.

It was a big game for both teams, but for different reasons. One had national title aspirations; the other was looking for respect.

The fan was pensive, concerned. In a word:  nervous.

Of course I’m talking about my son-in-law, Mac, an Oregon alumnus and fan, who was nervous about his No. 1 Ducks going into the Los Angeles Coliseum to face the USC Trojans. Everyone in Portland was worried about the USC game, as every game when you’re the top ranked team is a potential pitfall. Every game can “end” a season. Every opponent is gunning for you. With the Trojans banned from bowl participation due to NCAA sanctions, this was the Trojans’ bowl game. Mac had every reason to be nervous.

I, on the other hand, was not.

Continue reading Game Essay here

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