Turnovers doom Buffs in blowout loss against Northwestern
The Colorado Buffaloes (2-1) suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Northwestern Wildcats (2-0), 41-7. Colorado turned the ball over four times, lost the ball on downs three extra times, and never got out of its own way.
CU gave up 423 yards of offense and only made it into Northwestern’s red zone once. The offense went four-for-12 on third downs and did not convert on a single fourth-down attempt.
The Buffs started the game with a stop on defense but failed to capitalize on an impressive drive-opening connection from quarterback Julian Lewis to wide receiver Joseph Williams.
Back on defense, Colorado held firm and forced Northwestern’s second punt in as many drives, but a Micah Welch fumble near midfield gave the Wildcats the momentum they needed.
Northwestern embarked on a seven-play drive, aided by two CU defensive holding penalties, that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Aidan Chiles.
The Buffs responded with an effective drive of their own. Two scrambles for 17 yards from Lewis moved the ball to the Wildcats’ 20-yard line.
On third-and-one in the red zone, Colorado put the ball on the ground again and turned it over, ending a promising response.
The defense then forced a three-and-out, but the Buffs’ offense could not get out of its own way.
Following back-to-back offensive holding penalties, Lewis threw the first interception of his collegiate career. After 19 minutes of play and only four drives, the CU offense had turned the ball over three times.
"It starts with me. I have to do better,” Lewis said following the loss. “Just getting the ball to the open guys, just keeping everybody motivated to continue to drive."
Two plays later, the Wildcats capitalized with a walk-in touchdown by a wide-open Joseph Himon II.
The Buffs drove into Northwestern territory, but four straight running plays inside the 30-yard line ended with a Wildcat stop on fourth down to regain possession. Northwestern scored 17 points off of takeaways.
After falling behind the chains, Northwestern converted a third-and-16 when Chiles extended the play with his legs and found a receiver to reset the downs. Two plays later, on a second-and-15, the Wildcats benefited from an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on defensive back Boo Carter.
Another Northwestern touchdown with a minute remaining before halftime extended Colorado’s deficit to 21 points.
Despite outgaining Northwestern in total offense heading into the break, Colorado was unable to recover from its early turnovers and costly penalties.
The offensive struggles continued into the second half.
The Buffs offense continued to stall in Wildcats territory and turned the ball over; however, on the ensuing defensive drive, Colorado forced a fumble to take the ball away.
CU then turned the takeaway into points. Lewis found Williams on a screen pass that went for 50 yards and Colorado’s first touchdown of the day.
Northwestern then slammed the door with another touchdown to make it a three-score game yet again.
Another Buffs turnover on downs opened the door for the Wildcats to score again, extending the lead to 28 before the three-minute mark of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Northwestern added six more points and picked off Lewis again to cap off a perfect last game at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
"They played a heck of a game, forced us to turn the ball over, forced us into bad decisions," Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said. "(They) forced us into doing things that are not truly who we are.”
The Buffs head to McLane Stadium to take on the Baylor Bears to begin their Big 12 Conference play. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 10 a.m. MT (ESPN).
Comments