Saturday, October 15
Boulder, Colo.
6:00 PM
Colorado
5-2-0 , 3-1
40
vs
16
Arizona State
5-2-0 , 2-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Arizona State
7
3
3
3
16
Colorado
7
16
10
7
40
Phillip Lindsay
Buffs Pound No. 24 Sun Devils, Stay Tied With Utah Atop Pac-12 South
October 15, 2016 | Football, B.G. Brooks
Box ScoreBuy TicketsWoelk: Buffs' Win Over ASU A Defining MomentBrooks: Another Comeback CompleteBuffs Notes: Gilbert Leads Sack AttackCU's Lindsay Runs For Career-High 219Buffs Leave Lasting Impression on Sun DevilsWATCH KOA RecapWATCH HighlightsWATCH Pac-12 RecapWATCH Pac-12 With MacIntyreWATCH Pac-12 SefoWATCH Pac-12 LIndsayWATCH Post Game Lindsay & O-LineWATCH Post Game: Gillam, Liufau, GilbertWATCH Post Game MacIntyreQuotesNotesFinal Game Book
BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes parlayed the return of senior quarterback Sefo Liufau with a punishing ground game and buried No. 24 Arizona State 40-16 on Saturday night at Folsom Field.
Beating the Sun Devils for the first time in eight tries, the Buffs (5-2, 3-1) remained tied with Utah (6-1, 3-1) in the Pac-12 Conference's South Division. With five wins and five games remaining, the Buffs are one 'W' short of bowl eligibility. Their last postseason appearance was in 2007.
Liufau, out for the last three games with an ankle injury, completed 23 of his 31 passes for 265 yards. But it was CU's ground game – led by Phillip Lindsay's 29 carries for 219 yards and three touchdowns – that overran ASU (5-2, 2-2).
Lindsay's 200-plus yard rushing game was the first by a Buff since Chris Brown's 202-yard effort against Missouri in 2002.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs celebrated Liufau's return by immediately kicking their offense into gear. They scored on their first possession, marching 81 yards in 10 plays and taking a 7-0 lead on Kyle Evans' 16-yard run and Davis Price's PAT.
Liufau gave a hint of his accuracy on the drive, completing all three of his pass attempts. He would complete his next six throws before have an incompletion – and his first was a drop by tight end Dylan Keeney, followed by a Bryce Bobo juggle and drop.
But Bobo more than redeemed himself, finishing the half with five receptions for 105 yards – his first career 100-yard receiving game. And Liufau's first half numbers were sharp: 11-of-14 for 172 yards, with eight carries for 25 yards and a TD.
The Buffs and Sun Devils went back and forth, battling to 7-7 and 10-10 ties until Liufau engineered a pair of scoring drives that covered 75 and 56 yards and opened a 23-10 halftime lead for CU.
Liufau's 3-yard keeper produced the first of those two TDs and Lindsay's 13-yard run accounted for the second. Price kicked a 20-yard field goal on the fourth play of the second quarter – his fourth of the season in as many attempts – and added two of three extra points. His first missed PAT of the season caromed off the right upright following Lindsay's TD run.
ASU's 10 first-half points came on a 5-yard Manny Wilkins to Kody Kohl pass and a 51-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez. The Sun Devils' TD was set up by a muffed punt by Jay MacIntyre that gave ASU a short field (CU 31) and produced a 7-7 tie. "J-Mac" was injured in the fourth quarter after diving for his fumbled punt that was recovered by ASU at the CU 32.
But aside from allowing that early short scoring drive, the Buffs' defense wasn't in a giving mood. They limited the Sun Devils to 45 rushing yards and 69 passing yards (114 total offense) in the first half and limited the visitors to only two of nine third-down conversions.
Meanwhile, the CU offense was amassing 305 yards in total offense in the first two quarters, with 133 of that number on the ground. It was a good half's work for the Buffs' run game, considering the Sun Devils entered the night allowing only 89.3 yards a game – tops in the Pac-12.
CU opened the second half with something a few decibels beyond a bang – a 75-yard TD run by Lindsay on the first play from scrimmage. Weaving his way for the longest run of his career and avoiding getting caught from behind, Lindsay's score and Price's PAT pushed the Buffs in front 30-10 and created a mountain of a comeback for ASU.
The Sun Devils tried to start it on a 50-yard field goal by Gonzalez (30-13) that was the product of the Buffs' going three-and-out on a drive that started on their own 5-yard line. The poor field position resulted when Jay MacIntyre appeared undecided on whether to fair catch a punt; he didn't and ASU downed the ball at the CU 5.
After Price's first missed field goal of the season – a 26-yarder that drifted wide right – the Sun Devils might have sensed a slight opening. If so, it was slammed shut by Afolabi Laguda's interception – the first of his career – that gave CU possession at its own 20. The Buffs got three points from Laguda's pick – a 32-yard field by Chris Graham that increased CU's lead to 33-13.
The third quarter ended with the Buffs up by 20 and determined not to allow the Sun Devils to come any closer. But ASU had Gonzalez and always had a chance for points. After CU's second punt return miscue, Gonzalez nailed a 59-yard field goal to bring ASU to within 33-16.
It was the longest kick of Gonzalez's career and the second longest in Folsom Field history, trailing only a 61-yarder by Mason Crosby. Gonzalez's long kick appeared to be the only points of the fourth quarter until Liufau and the Buffs put together an 8-play, 47-yard scoring drive capped by Lindsay's 4-yard run with 40 seconds remaining.
Graham's PAT made it 40-16, and 40 seconds later CU students mobbed the field to help the triumphant Buffs sing the fight song.
TURNING POINT: With the score tied at 10-10, Liufau led scoring drives on CU's next two possessions that pushed the Buffs up 23-10 and allowed them to pull away The big play in the first TD drive was a completion to Bobo that saw Liufau scramble out of the pocket and find his receiver uncovered for a 66-yard gain.
CU STANDOUTS: Liufau – 23-of-31, 265 yards; Lindsay – 29 carries, 219 yards, 3 TDs; Evans – 11 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD; Bobo – 6 receptions, 110 yards; Jimmie Gilbert – 6 unassisted tackles (3 for loss), 2 QB sacks; Kenneth Olugbode – 10 tackles (9 unassisted).
KEY STATISTIC: The Buffs rushed for 315 yards against the Sun Devils, who came into the game allowing only 89.3 yards a game – first in the Pac-12.
THE PLATI'-TUDE STAT: The Sun Devils ran 12 plays for minus-14 yards in CU territory in the second half.
WHAT IT MEANS: At the halfway point of the season, the Buffs kept themselves in the thick of the Pac-12 South race (3-1, tied with Utah) and offered the nation more validation of a program on the rise.
NOTEWORTHY: Saturday night's attendance was 48,588, the highest at Folsom Field in five seasons. It topped this season's previous high attendance mark of 46,839 against Oregon State. CU reported tickets sales of near 43,000 in the run up to Saturday . . . . Weather conditions at kickoff: 79 degrees, 17 percent humidity, winds easterly at 5 mph . . . . The Buffs won the coin toss, marking the fifth time in six games they've done so. And, as in the previous four games, they deferred taking the kickoff until the second half . . . . Saturday's game marked CU's 102nd homecoming game. The Buffs were 61-35-5 in homecoming contests prior to Saturday . . . . Two Buffs celebrated birthdays Saturday: freshman defensive back/kick returner Anthony Julmisse turned 19, junior punter Cameron Silzer turned 23 . . . . Freshman kicker Davis Price's 20-yard field goal in the first quarter produced a 10-7 CU lead and kept him perfect (4-for-4) since taking over for the injured Diego Gonzalez. But he missed his first field goal of the season in the third quarter – a 26-yarder. He also hit the right upright after the Buffs' third TD, his first missed PAT of the season . . . . Afolobi Laguda's third-quarter interception of Manny Wilkins marked the 20th straight game – tops nationally – in which CU has recorded a turnover.
QUOTEWORTHY: "'I really respect Todd Graham, they've beat us pretty good the last few years. We were able to get after them tonight." – CU coach Mike MacIntyre
"That's good to hear. Phillip's smarter than I thought he was. They've got a great bond. They realize they all count on each other. He understood how good that defensive front was." – MacIntyre on Phillip Lindsay bringing CU's O-Line to his press conference
"They were loud. I think this was the loudest I've heard Folsom since I've been here in my fourth year. It helps a lot, especially on defense. The opposing team was getting some false starts and missed blocks. When our crowd is that loud, our offense and defense feeds off of it." – Safety Tedric Thompson on the crowd noise in Folsom
"When we put up over 500 yards total offense is something great and it's not done often. We didn't have to throw the ball that much which is awesome." – Left tackle Jeromy Irwin on CU's running game
"I think Alex Kelley as been here the longest and Jeromy Irwin and they deserve it. They put their bodies on the line so we have to make it happen for them." – Lindsay on being one win away from bowl eligibility
"It's been really fun, the best way to put it. I was pretty frustrated but it's finally paying off this year even with the whole team. Four years later we're finally starting to win some games. It's awesome." – Linebacker Addison Gillam on finally being healthy
"First and foremost, you give credit when credit is due. You have to give credit to Colorado for having a great plan. You know obviously one thing that you saw out there is that we did a poor job stopping the run." – ASU linebacker Marcus Ball on the Sun Devils' defensive problems
NEXT UP: The Buffs play at Stanford on Saturday (1 p.m. MDT, Pac-12 Networks).
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Beating the Sun Devils for the first time in eight tries, the Buffs (5-2, 3-1) remained tied with Utah (6-1, 3-1) in the Pac-12 Conference's South Division. With five wins and five games remaining, the Buffs are one 'W' short of bowl eligibility. Their last postseason appearance was in 2007.
Liufau, out for the last three games with an ankle injury, completed 23 of his 31 passes for 265 yards. But it was CU's ground game – led by Phillip Lindsay's 29 carries for 219 yards and three touchdowns – that overran ASU (5-2, 2-2).
Lindsay's 200-plus yard rushing game was the first by a Buff since Chris Brown's 202-yard effort against Missouri in 2002.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs celebrated Liufau's return by immediately kicking their offense into gear. They scored on their first possession, marching 81 yards in 10 plays and taking a 7-0 lead on Kyle Evans' 16-yard run and Davis Price's PAT.
Liufau gave a hint of his accuracy on the drive, completing all three of his pass attempts. He would complete his next six throws before have an incompletion – and his first was a drop by tight end Dylan Keeney, followed by a Bryce Bobo juggle and drop.
But Bobo more than redeemed himself, finishing the half with five receptions for 105 yards – his first career 100-yard receiving game. And Liufau's first half numbers were sharp: 11-of-14 for 172 yards, with eight carries for 25 yards and a TD.
The Buffs and Sun Devils went back and forth, battling to 7-7 and 10-10 ties until Liufau engineered a pair of scoring drives that covered 75 and 56 yards and opened a 23-10 halftime lead for CU.
Liufau's 3-yard keeper produced the first of those two TDs and Lindsay's 13-yard run accounted for the second. Price kicked a 20-yard field goal on the fourth play of the second quarter – his fourth of the season in as many attempts – and added two of three extra points. His first missed PAT of the season caromed off the right upright following Lindsay's TD run.
ASU's 10 first-half points came on a 5-yard Manny Wilkins to Kody Kohl pass and a 51-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez. The Sun Devils' TD was set up by a muffed punt by Jay MacIntyre that gave ASU a short field (CU 31) and produced a 7-7 tie. "J-Mac" was injured in the fourth quarter after diving for his fumbled punt that was recovered by ASU at the CU 32.
But aside from allowing that early short scoring drive, the Buffs' defense wasn't in a giving mood. They limited the Sun Devils to 45 rushing yards and 69 passing yards (114 total offense) in the first half and limited the visitors to only two of nine third-down conversions.
Meanwhile, the CU offense was amassing 305 yards in total offense in the first two quarters, with 133 of that number on the ground. It was a good half's work for the Buffs' run game, considering the Sun Devils entered the night allowing only 89.3 yards a game – tops in the Pac-12.
CU opened the second half with something a few decibels beyond a bang – a 75-yard TD run by Lindsay on the first play from scrimmage. Weaving his way for the longest run of his career and avoiding getting caught from behind, Lindsay's score and Price's PAT pushed the Buffs in front 30-10 and created a mountain of a comeback for ASU.
The Sun Devils tried to start it on a 50-yard field goal by Gonzalez (30-13) that was the product of the Buffs' going three-and-out on a drive that started on their own 5-yard line. The poor field position resulted when Jay MacIntyre appeared undecided on whether to fair catch a punt; he didn't and ASU downed the ball at the CU 5.
After Price's first missed field goal of the season – a 26-yarder that drifted wide right – the Sun Devils might have sensed a slight opening. If so, it was slammed shut by Afolabi Laguda's interception – the first of his career – that gave CU possession at its own 20. The Buffs got three points from Laguda's pick – a 32-yard field by Chris Graham that increased CU's lead to 33-13.
The third quarter ended with the Buffs up by 20 and determined not to allow the Sun Devils to come any closer. But ASU had Gonzalez and always had a chance for points. After CU's second punt return miscue, Gonzalez nailed a 59-yard field goal to bring ASU to within 33-16.
It was the longest kick of Gonzalez's career and the second longest in Folsom Field history, trailing only a 61-yarder by Mason Crosby. Gonzalez's long kick appeared to be the only points of the fourth quarter until Liufau and the Buffs put together an 8-play, 47-yard scoring drive capped by Lindsay's 4-yard run with 40 seconds remaining.
Graham's PAT made it 40-16, and 40 seconds later CU students mobbed the field to help the triumphant Buffs sing the fight song.
TURNING POINT: With the score tied at 10-10, Liufau led scoring drives on CU's next two possessions that pushed the Buffs up 23-10 and allowed them to pull away The big play in the first TD drive was a completion to Bobo that saw Liufau scramble out of the pocket and find his receiver uncovered for a 66-yard gain.
CU STANDOUTS: Liufau – 23-of-31, 265 yards; Lindsay – 29 carries, 219 yards, 3 TDs; Evans – 11 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD; Bobo – 6 receptions, 110 yards; Jimmie Gilbert – 6 unassisted tackles (3 for loss), 2 QB sacks; Kenneth Olugbode – 10 tackles (9 unassisted).
KEY STATISTIC: The Buffs rushed for 315 yards against the Sun Devils, who came into the game allowing only 89.3 yards a game – first in the Pac-12.
THE PLATI'-TUDE STAT: The Sun Devils ran 12 plays for minus-14 yards in CU territory in the second half.
WHAT IT MEANS: At the halfway point of the season, the Buffs kept themselves in the thick of the Pac-12 South race (3-1, tied with Utah) and offered the nation more validation of a program on the rise.
NOTEWORTHY: Saturday night's attendance was 48,588, the highest at Folsom Field in five seasons. It topped this season's previous high attendance mark of 46,839 against Oregon State. CU reported tickets sales of near 43,000 in the run up to Saturday . . . . Weather conditions at kickoff: 79 degrees, 17 percent humidity, winds easterly at 5 mph . . . . The Buffs won the coin toss, marking the fifth time in six games they've done so. And, as in the previous four games, they deferred taking the kickoff until the second half . . . . Saturday's game marked CU's 102nd homecoming game. The Buffs were 61-35-5 in homecoming contests prior to Saturday . . . . Two Buffs celebrated birthdays Saturday: freshman defensive back/kick returner Anthony Julmisse turned 19, junior punter Cameron Silzer turned 23 . . . . Freshman kicker Davis Price's 20-yard field goal in the first quarter produced a 10-7 CU lead and kept him perfect (4-for-4) since taking over for the injured Diego Gonzalez. But he missed his first field goal of the season in the third quarter – a 26-yarder. He also hit the right upright after the Buffs' third TD, his first missed PAT of the season . . . . Afolobi Laguda's third-quarter interception of Manny Wilkins marked the 20th straight game – tops nationally – in which CU has recorded a turnover.
QUOTEWORTHY: "'I really respect Todd Graham, they've beat us pretty good the last few years. We were able to get after them tonight." – CU coach Mike MacIntyre
"That's good to hear. Phillip's smarter than I thought he was. They've got a great bond. They realize they all count on each other. He understood how good that defensive front was." – MacIntyre on Phillip Lindsay bringing CU's O-Line to his press conference
"They were loud. I think this was the loudest I've heard Folsom since I've been here in my fourth year. It helps a lot, especially on defense. The opposing team was getting some false starts and missed blocks. When our crowd is that loud, our offense and defense feeds off of it." – Safety Tedric Thompson on the crowd noise in Folsom
"When we put up over 500 yards total offense is something great and it's not done often. We didn't have to throw the ball that much which is awesome." – Left tackle Jeromy Irwin on CU's running game
"I think Alex Kelley as been here the longest and Jeromy Irwin and they deserve it. They put their bodies on the line so we have to make it happen for them." – Lindsay on being one win away from bowl eligibility
"It's been really fun, the best way to put it. I was pretty frustrated but it's finally paying off this year even with the whole team. Four years later we're finally starting to win some games. It's awesome." – Linebacker Addison Gillam on finally being healthy
"First and foremost, you give credit when credit is due. You have to give credit to Colorado for having a great plan. You know obviously one thing that you saw out there is that we did a poor job stopping the run." – ASU linebacker Marcus Ball on the Sun Devils' defensive problems
NEXT UP: The Buffs play at Stanford on Saturday (1 p.m. MDT, Pac-12 Networks).
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Team Stats
ASU
COLO
Total Yards
199
580
Pass Yards
149
265
Rushing Yards
50
315
Penalty Yards
20
20
1st Downs
7
27
3rd Downs
3
8
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
26:24
33:36
1st Quarter
ASU 0, COLO 7
COLO - Evans, Kyle 16 yd run (Price, Davis kick), 10 plays, 81 yards, TOP 2:49
ASU 7, COLO 7
ASU - Kohl, Kody 5 yd pass from Wilkins, Manny (Gonzalez, Zane kick) 5 plays, 31 yards, TOP 2:22
2nd Quarter
ASU 7, COLO 10
COLO - Price, Davis 20 yd field goal 12 plays, 72 yards, TOP 4:54
ASU 10, COLO 10
ASU - Gonzalez, Zane 51 yd field goal 5 plays, 42 yards, TOP 1:57
ASU 10, COLO 17
COLO - Liufau, Sefo 3 yd run (Price, Davis kick), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:46
ASU 10, COLO 23
COLO - Lindsay, Philli 13 yd run (Price, Davis kickfailed), 8 plays, 56 yards, TOP 2:10
3rd Quarter
ASU 10, COLO 30
COLO - Lindsay, Philli 75 yd run (Price, Davis kick), 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:12
ASU 13, COLO 30
ASU - Gonzalez, Zane 50 yd field goal 4 plays, -2 yards, TOP 1:32
ASU 13, COLO 33
COLO - Graham, Chris 36 yd field goal 12 plays, 62 yards, TOP 4:28
4th Quarter
ASU 16, COLO 33
ASU - Gonzalez, Zane 59 yd field goal 4 plays, -9 yards, TOP 1:00
ASU 16, COLO 40
COLO - Lindsay, Philli 4 yd run (Graham, Chris kick), 8 plays, 47 yards, TOP 4:48
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
23
TD
0
YDS
265
INT
0
CMP
0
TD
0
YDS
0
INT
0
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
TB
/ Football
OLB
/ Football
ILB
/ Football
PK
/ Football
PK
/ Football
OL
/ Football
WR/DB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
C
/ Football
DB
/ Football
TB
/ FootballQB
/ FootballWR
/ Football
ILB
/ Football
PK
/ Football
P
/ Football
DB
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