Quickly... Colorado had allowed 173 yards in the first quarter prior to tonight (86.5 per), but FSU mustered just 22 in the opening stanza (FSU won the second quarter, 106-48 as the team both at 128 at intermission)... The Buffs held the ball for 11:39 in the first quarter, only the second quarter in nine/10 that the Buffs held an advantage (and over half of their entire possession time—22:59—versus CSU)... Florida State’s second quarter TD allowed the Seminoles to become the first opponent in three games to score first against the Buffs... Matt DiLallo had his first 50-plus yard punt of the season tonight (55 in the second quarter); it came on his 12th boot of the season, but prior to tonight, the average line of scrimmage for his punts in the first two games was the CU 46 (six of his first nine were inside-the-20)... The Buffaloes had 33 rushing yards in the first half, one more than for the entire game last week at Arizona State... Colorado is now 3-1 when wearing all black against a non-conference opponent, and 18-14-1 overall in the look.
Late and Latest. Tonight’s 8:15 p.m. kickoff was the latest in Folsom Field history, and with the game taking 3 hours and 31 minutes, the ending time of 11:46 was the latest a game ever ended in Boulder in CU annals... In any sport (the previous latest ending for football was 11:27; a women’s NCAA regional game ended at 11:39 in the early 90s).
First Action. Two true freshman saw action in the first half tonight: WR Josh Smith (who started), and TB Brian Lockridge (his appearance was planned as he had several scripted plays for him put into the game plan).
Scoreless Opening Quarter Rare. The scoreless first quarter in tonight’s game was just the second involving the Buffaloes over the last 48 games (dating back to 2003). The only other was last year’s Kansas State game (eventually won by KSU, 34-21). In the last four games CU has been involved in with a scoreless first, the winner scored 30 or more each time out and the games averaged 59.3 points (2006: K-State 34, CU 21; 2003: Baylor 42, CU 30; 2002: CU 31, UCLA 17; 2001: CU 38, Missouri 24).
Average on First Down. In the first half, Colorado ran 13 first down plays for 18 yards (1.4 per), while Florida State had 11 for 50 yards (4.5 per). CU’s longest gain was 7 (twice), while FSU had three plays net 48 of their yards (two passes of 17 and a rush of 14). In the second half, CU ran 19 for 84 yards (4.4 per) and Florida State 11 for 33 (3.0).
Attendance. Tonight’s attendance of 52,951 is the largest since the ’05 finale against Nebraska (54,841), and the 93rd crowd of 50,000-plus in school history. It was just short of a sellout.
Third Down Defense. Florida State converted just 1 of 13 third down plays (though it went for 45 yards), the best CU defense in that situation since 1999, when Kansas (1-of-13), Baylor (1-of-13) and Kansas State (1-of-14) were all held in check.
The Streak and an Eerie Similarity. Colorado extended its scoring streak to 225 games tonight the latest it ever had in the entire streak—with 3:39 remaining. The previous latest time the Buffs waited to get on the scoreboard was against Kansas State in 1998, when it scored a TD with 5:42 remaining. Both scores came with CU down 16-0 and at Folsom Field; in ’98, the Buffs added a field goal to pull to within 16-9 with 1:46 left, stopped KSU cold with 43 ticks still to go, but were flagged for 12-men on the field for the punt and would not get the ball back.
--The late score also averted the first shutout loss in Coach Dan Hawkins’ career.
Passing Fancy. Colorado attempted 54 passes, tied for the second most in school history; CU tried 55 against Washington State in 2003, and then later that year tossed 54 against Kansas. The 34 completions were the second most in school annals, trailing only the 38 against Kansas in ’03. This was the 35th 300-yard passing game in Colorado history.
O-Line. Colorado’s five starting offensive linemen played every snap for the third straight game, with that number now 212 on the season.
Chunks. Colorado’s defense limited Florida State to 221 yards of offense on 55 plays; the Seminoles picked up 81 of them on their only two plays longer than 20 yards in the game. Of the 55 plays, 36 gained three yards or less. It was the fewest yards by an opponent since New Mexico State had 181 in Boulder on Sept. 10, 2005.
