No. 31 – 2007: CU 65, Nebraska 51 / Player No. 31: Sal Aunese


Posts Tagged ‘Byron Ellis’

2007- In a game between two teams vying for bowl-eligibility, Buffs rally from a 35-24 halftime deficit to take down Nebraska, 65-51, before 51,403 frigid fans at Folsom (with game video) … Player No. 31: Quarterback Sal Aunese (1987-88) – with multiple videos …

READ MORE >>

Colorado evened its season record at 6-6, and its Big 12 mark at 4-4, with a record-setting 65-51 win over Nebraska. The Buffs put up the third highest point total ever against the Cornhuskers over the course of almost four hours before a frigid Folsom Field crowd of 51,403.

With the win (combined with a loss by Kansas State to Fresno State), the Buffs earned a bowl berth in the second season of the Dan Hawkins’ era, while simultaneously helping to seal the fate of Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan, who was dismissed by interim athletic director Tom Osborne the day after the game.

Given that the Nebraska defense came into the game ranked near the bottom nationally in most defensive categories, including rushing defense (114th out of 120 teams), total defense (111th), and scoring defense (105th), combined with a Colorado defensive unit which had surrendered 31 points to Iowa State in the second half of the Buffs’ previous game, predicting a shootout for the season finale was not difficult. The 116 points and 1,128 yards of combined offense, however, was more than anyone could have reasonably foreseen.

READ MORE >>

— October 20th – Boulder           No. 15 Kansas 19, Colorado 14 — 15th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks moved their record to 7-0 (3-0 in Big 12 play), holding on to defeat Colorado, 19-14. Sophomore quarterback Todd Reesing led the Jayhawks in both passing and rushing, almost single-handedly defeating the Buffs for the second year in a row. The win was the first for the Jayhawks in Boulder since 1995, and kept the Jayhawks undefeated on the season, one of only five teams in Division 1-A still able to …

READ MORE >>

— September 29th – Boulder        Colorado 27, No. 3 Oklahoma 24 — Kevin Eberhart connected on his second game-winning field goal of the month, hitting from 45 yards out with no time remaining to give Colorado a 27-24 upset win over No. 3 Oklahoma. A homecoming crowd of 50,031 witnessed the Buffs rally from 17 points down (the fourth largest comeback in CU history) to pull off the upset. Oklahoma, which had been averaging 61.5 points and 562 yards per game, was held to just 24 points and 230 yards by …

READ MORE >>

  Preseason – 2007 A preview of the 2007 Colorado Buffaloes – the strengths and weaknesses of the roster; the schedule; and the competition in the Big 12. The Colorado Buffaloes enter the second season of the Dan Hawkins era confronting a problem the program hasn’t faced in over twenty years – low expectations. Coming off a 2-10 campaign in 2006, the Buffs are not expected to make much of an impact on the national stage in 2007. This lack of faith runs contrary to the preseason prognostications coming on …

READ MORE >>

  — Preseason, 2006 – A New Coach, but Unchanged Expectations — The Colorado Buffaloes entered the 2006 season with four Big 12 North division titles in the past five seasons. Sustained excellence is usually reason enough to expect national respect for a football program. After all, in Division 1-A football, only two other teams could lay claim to earning that many rings since 2001. One was USC, which had won the Pac-10 four years in a row, and had played for the national championship the previous three. The other …

READ MORE >>

— November 5th – Boulder          No. 25 Colorado 41, Missouri 12 — Senior running back Lawrence Vickers rushed for 85 yards and four touchdowns, leading Colorado to a 41-12 win over Missouri in Boulder. The victory put the Buffs in the driver’s seat in the race for the Big 12 North Division crown, giving Colorado a two game lead on the division with two games to play. Brad Smith, who would become the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher for quarterbacks during the game, was held to just 16 yards on 13 carries …

READ MORE >>

  — October 1st – at Oklahoma State           Colorado 34, Oklahoma State 0 — Posting a shutout for the second time in three games, the Colorado defense led the way to a surprisingly easy 34-0 romp over Oklahoma State in Stillwater. The Buffs held the Cowboys to only 208 yards in total offense, posting a second shutout in a season since the 1991 and 1992 Buffs accomplished the same feat. The afternoon started out well for Colorado. On the Buffs’ first play from scrimmage, sophomore running back Hugh Charles raced past the …

READ MORE >>

— Preseason – 2005 — Despite winning the Big 12 North Division title three of the previous four years, and despite having 17 starters returning, the Colorado Buffaloes entered the 2005 season in search of national recognition. The titles of the past and the promise of the future were offset by a lack of overall success. After all, it was argued, the Buffs finished only 8-5 overall in 2004, had played in a lackluster division, and had backed into the 2004 title with a 4-4 conference record when Iowa State failed …

READ MORE >>