Colorado Basketball – November, 2021


CU opens the 2021-22 season with a 6-1 record in November … The month included an unexpected loss to Southern Illinois in the Paradise Jam, and tougher-than-expected overtime wins over Montana State and Duquesne, but the Buffs do finish the month with a 1-0 Pac-12 record, posting a win over Stanford in CU’s earliest-ever conference game … CBS Sports picks Colorado to finish 6th in the Pac-12 for 2021-22 season: “This looks like a transition season for the Buffaloes” … Former Buff star Donnie Boyce enshrined in the CU athletics Hall of Fame …

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No. 16 Utah 28, Colorado 13

//posted 11.26.2021

Quarterback Cameron Rising threw for three touchdown passes, and two Ute running backs had over 100 yards rushing apiece as No. 16 slowly pulled away from Colorado, defeating the Buffs, 28-13. The Buff offense, which ended the season with its lowest total yard average since 1964, had only 148 total yards, with an interception return to the Utah 15 by safety Mark Perry and a 100-yard kickoff return by Nikko Reed supplying 10 of CU’s 13 points.

Buff quarterback Brendon Lewis finished the season with the CU freshman record for consecutive passes without an interception, but completed only 9-of-23 passes for 84 yards. With Jarek Broussard out with an illness, Alex Fontenot was the Buffs’ leading rusher … with 28 yards on ten carries.

The Buffs played short-handed on both sides of the ball. Linebacker Nate Landman missed his sixth game, along with fellow linebackers Jack Lamb, Guy Thomas and Joshka Gustav. Defensive backs Mekhi Blackmon and Kaylin Moore were also out. On offense, receivers Brenden Rice and Montana Lemonious-Craig, along with Broussard, didn’t see the field in CU’s final game of the 2021 season.

“Everybody feels that we have that foundation to build from moving forward,” Dorrell said. “It’s unfortunate — I would love to have started the offseason with a win, winning this game and using that as juice to get some things going for us in a positive way into the offseason, but there’s enough of a good feel on this team. We feel like we’re close.”

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Black Friday (Again)

//posted 11.26.2021

Once upon a time, CU was relegated to secondary status on Thanksgiving weekend (remember all of those exciting CU/K-State finales?) … But since leaving the Big Eight, the Buffs are 6-21 in year-end rivalry games, including 2-9 against Utah … The 28-13 score this year was better than expected, but yet another loss …

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Colorado Daily – Utah Week

//posted 11.25.2021

CU/Utah scouting report: Team with the most rushing yards wins … Dorrell hopes to have the chance to build what Utah has: “That’s what we all aspire to do” … Neill Woelk’s Five Keys to Utah Game … Dimitri Stanley: “Right now I plan on coming back” …

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Friday Fast Facts

//posted 11.25.2021

CU hasn’t scored over 35 points in regulation since Labor Day, while Utah is averaging 35 points per game … Buffs poised to set school all-time red zone record … Lost games to injury: Highest since 1987 … Stat you are guaranteed to hear on Friday’s telecast …

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Pac-12 Notes – Utah Week

//posted 11.24.2021

NCAA to allow coach-to-player electronic communication in Bayou Classic … Has Iowa State’s Matt Campbell emerged as the favorite to coach USC? … ESPN Bottom Ten: Mel Tucker’s MSU Gets Coveted No. 5 Spot … CBS Bottom 25: Five Power Five Teams Left …

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Utah has a running back (Tavion Thomas) with 17 touchdowns (CU has 22 total offensive scores all season) … Will the three-way race for the Pac-12 North title give the Utes enough of a distraction to help the Buffs? … Did Arizona give CU a blueprint for how to upset Utah? …

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Buffs find a way to win a game without posting at least 200 yards of total offense for the first time since 2004 (four turnovers didn’t hurt) … Can the Buffs catch the Utes looking forward to the Pac-12 title game, and looking past the Buffs? Or will it be a Ute rout of epic proportions? … Let’s find out …

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Colorado 20, Washington 17

//posted 11.21.2021

Colorado’s defense produced four takeaways and the offense came up with a game-clinching 90-yard touchdown drive Saturday as the Buffaloes claimed a 20-17 win over Washington at Folsom Field.

Washington dominated nearly every statistical category except one — turnovers. CU’s defense collected two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, including a 92-yard scoop-and-score by linebacker Jack Lamb in the first quarter that gave CU a 10-0 lead. Colorado also turned a Robert Barnes fumble recovery into a field goal in the fourth quarter, then drove for the game-clinching touchdown following a Nikko Reed interception.

The Buffaloes were outgained 426-183 and allowed the Huskies to convert 14 of 21 third-down tries while converting just 2-of-14 of their own. On the day, Washington gained more on third downs (188) than Colorado did all day (183).

Quarterback Brendon Lewis hit on 14-of-25 passes for 112 yards, and contributed 30 yards on the ground, including the game-winning two-yard touchdown run with four minutes remaining. CU’s leading rusher was Jarek Broussard, who had all of 43 yards on 12 carries, with 26 of those yards coming on the Buffs’ game-winning drive.

“It was a hard-fought win,” head coach Karl Dorrell said. “I’m very proud of his team. They’re starting to develop that competitiveness, that drive to just fight for 60 minutes. It’s definitely something our program’s going to build on. It’s really going to be part of who we are, that’s our fabric, is being fighters. We have to continue to build this program the way that it used to be. We’re going to get it back to that level.”

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George Bernard Shaw wrote: “Write your sad times in sand, write your good times in stone” … It took four turnovers and more than a little luck for the Buffs to defeat the Huskies, 20-17, but, considering the state of the program, there is no such thing as a bad win …

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Utah ends Oregon’s College Football Playoff hopes with a 38-7 rout … UCLA mauls USC, 62-33 … Washington State bowl-eligible after 44-18 thumping of Arizona …

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Senior Day! Officially five seniors – but plenty of juniors will be playing their last game in Folsom … Neill Woelk’s Five Keys to the Washington game … Brian Howell interviews Rick George: “We’ve got to start delivering and I get that” … Senior left guard Kary Kutsch will be missed: “He has a future (in the NFL)” …

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