Colorado falls short of second-half comeback against No. 11 Utah
Some of the crowd at Folsom shuffled out at halftime, fearing another dejecting Colorado loss. But as those fans left the stadium, the Buffaloes (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) found some fight in a 27-24 loss to the No. 11-ranked Utah Utes (6-0, 3-0) on Saturday.
Colorado forced two interceptions from Utah quarterback Devon Dampier, scored 17 straight points to take a lead after trailing by 13 at halftime, but it wasn’t enough to overcome early mistakes.
The difference was success in high-leverage situations. The Utes’ opening score came on a Dampier eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end Hunter Andrews, giving Utah a 7-0 lead on its first drive.
Colorado had an extra man on the field but still couldn’t stop the play, which looked broken at first. Then an illegal shift on the Buffaloes’ first offensive drive put them out of go-for-it territory on fourth-and-1.
“When we don't beat ourselves, we're a pretty darn good football team,” Buffs head coach Deion Sanders said postgame. “I told those kids, I'm really proud of y'all, man.”
Colorado stopped the Utes on third down after two on its first drive, and Utah punter Orion Phillips shanked a punt 14 yards. But a facemask penalty from Buffaloes running back Micah Welch stalled the drive that started with good field position. That was one of eight penalties Colorado committed in the first half.
But the Buffaloes’ defense kept fighting and forced a field goal, which Utah’s Dillon Curtis made from 27 yards out to extend the lead to 10-0. After a three-and-out from Colorado’s offense, the Buffs’ defense stood tall on the ensuing drive as defensive lineman Dylan Manuel picked off a deflected shovel pass from Dampier in goal-to-go.
Colorado couldn’t stop shooting themselves in the foot heading into halftime, as Rabbit Evans picked off Isaac Wilson's pass, killing the momentum from the takeaway. Buffaloes tight end Charlie Williams looked like he caught it on a bang-bang play but lost possession as he went to the ground.
“They gave us a two-high look; Charlie bent it in like he was supposed to. I tried to put it on his chest, but it was kind of a 50-50 play,” Wilson said postgame. “I’m not losing any hope in him, and he’s gonna keep getting the ball.”
The Utes responded with five plays for 57 yards, setting up a 29-yard make from Curtis as time expired in the second quarter. The Buffaloes had more penalty yardage (82) than total offense (70) in the first half.
But after halftime, Colorado’s “Go-Go” offense found life.
Running back JaQuail Smith sprinted 66 yards after the catch for a touchdown on the half’s first drive, setting Folsom Field on fire. In one play, the Buffaloes cut a 13-point deficit in half. Smith totaled 141 all-purpose yards and averaged 5.6 yards per carry.
“It felt good to get in the endzone,” Smith said postgame. “We've been struggling the last few weeks. Getting points on the board there was big for us.”
The Colorado defense kept shining, stopping Utah on a third-and-long with a breakup by defensive back Cree Thomas.
Wilson hit wide receivers Quanell Farrakhan Jr. and Joseph Williams for chunk yardage on the next drive. DeKalon Taylor punched it into the end zone on an option set with an 18-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Buffaloes a 14-13 lead with 9:45 remaining in the third.
Colorado’s offense had nine explosive plays, with five passes for 15-plus yards and four rushes for 10-plus yards.
“I need to get the ball to my playmakers more,” Wilson said. “It’s not enough; we definitely could’ve scored more.”
The momentum continued on the next possession as Colorado safety Naeten Mitchell picked off Dampier, and the Buffs turned the turnover into points with a 32-yard field goal from Elliot Arnold to extend their lead to four.
Dampier responded, though, and engineered an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Braden Pegan, retaking the lead 20-17 before the end of the third quarter.
Colorado and Utah exchanged third-down stops to begin the fourth, but Wilson made a critical mistake with 5:23 remaining, throwing his second interception of the night. Buffaloes linebacker Gideon ESPN Lampron sacked Dampier on the next play, before Creed Whittemore one-handed grabbed a 25-yard pass on 2nd and 19.
Dampier then found Pegan, giving Utah a 27-17 lead with 3:46 left.
Wilson led an 83-yard drive in 1:21, including a 48-yard bomb to DeAndre Moore Jr. to set up a two-yard touchdown to Moore, making the score 27-24 and giving Colorado one last hope.
After Arnold attempted an onside kick, the Utes covered it; the Buffs' defense forced a three-and-out and used their last two timeouts. Phillips punted the ball back to Colorado with 56 seconds left.
Wilson hit Moore for 15 yards to the CU 30-yard line before a pass intended for Joseph Williams was broken up.
Then Wilson did something spectacular.
He rolled right out of the pocket after the play collapsed, picked up a first down, and then brilliantly tried to lateral it to Farrakhan. The play went for over 35 yards, but was ruled an illegal forward pass after review. If it stood, that would’ve set up a potential 57-yard field goal to tie the game at the end of regulation.
Wilson’s last-breath Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete.
“I haven’t seen anyone in the locker room give up,” Lampron said after the game.
The Buffaloes return to action next weekend against the No. 18 Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) in Stillwater. Kickoff time is set to be announced Sunday.
Comments