Woelk: This Time, Buffs Make Plays That Make The Difference
October 14, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Given the state of the Pac-12 these days, any win — particularly on the road — is a good one.
It's why the Colorado Buffaloes were all smiles late Saturday afternoon. The Buffs rallied from a nine-point first-half deficit to outscore Oregon State 22-14 in the second half and slip out of Reser Stadium with a 36-33 win. The victory ended a three-game CU skid and equally importantly, gave the Buffs a big boost in the confidence and momentum departments.
Don't underestimate the importance of those last two factors. A team that had lost its last two games by a total of seven points — in essence, one- or two-play games — needed in the worst way to prove it could make the plays necessary to make the difference.
Saturday offered that exact opportunity — and the Buffs delivered.
Colorado's final two possessions, both in the fourth quarter and both of which erased OSU leads, were clutch. Twice in the final period, the Buffs had no margin for error, and twice they delivered.
Trailing 26-21 heading into the fourth quarter, the Buffs drove 88 yards on 18 plays to take the lead. The power — naturally — came from running back Phillip LIndsay, who ran eight times for 31 of his 185 yards rushing. The punch came from quarterback Steven Montez and wide receiver Bryce Bobo, who hooked up on a 9-yard touchdown pass, leading to a 29-26 lead (after a Montez-to-Bobo two-point conversion).
The second — and game-winning drive — was nearly a repeat. Colorado went 82 yards in nine plays. Lindsay ran four times for 23 yards and Montez threw a 13-yard rocket to Bobo for the score and a 36-33 edge with just 1:34 left in the game.
"Those were huge drives," said Bobo, who finished with nine catches for 126 yards and a pair of touchdown catches to go with a touchdown throw. "We knew we had the ability to do it. We knew we could drive the length of the field when we needed to. But to do it in a situation like that gives you confidence the next time you are in that situation."
Equally important was Colorado's defensive stop on Oregon State's last possession — a gut-wrenching, nail-biter of a drive that had CU folks on the edge of their seats until the very end.
With OSU on the cusp of getting into field goal range, CU safety Nick Fisher came in on a blitz and teamed with defensive lineman Leo Jackson to stop Beavers running back Ryan Nall for a 3-yard loss on second down, dropping OSU back to the Colorado 34.
"A great call by (defensive coordinator) D.J. Eliot," said head coach Mike MacIntyre.
One play later, cornerback Isaiah Oliver came up with a big pass knockdown, leaving Oregon State with a 52-yard field goal try.
"That's a big difference from 48 yards," Fisher said. "When a kicker hears '50 yards,' that kind of gets into his head. That's why that stop on 34 (Nall) was big. They called a safety blitz and I was free to hit whoever came through there."
There were, of course, other big plays. Evan Worthington came up with a big interception early in the third quarter, fielding what he called an "easy punt" after linebacker Drew Lewis hit OSU quarterback Darrell Garretson just as he threw. Worthington returned the pick 43 yards, putting Colorado in position for its third touchdown and first lead of the day.
There was also the first Montez-Bobo connection, a trick-play 11-yard pass from Bobo to Montez that worked to perfection. There was Lindsay's 74-yard touchdown run for CU's first score of the day.
All just enough to add up to a Colorado win on the road — the kind of plays the Buffs made with regularity in 2016, but the kind of plays that had escaped the Buffs thus far this season in tight games.
"It gives us confidence because we were able to finish a game," head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "We did it a lot last year, but we haven't been able to do it the last two weeks. … We made a drive and we made a stop when we had to."
It is, of course, just one game — and now directly on the horizon is a trip to Washington State, where Mike Leach's Cougars will no doubt be aching to erase Friday's 37-3 loss at Cal.
But now, the Buffs will head to Pullman with the confidence that they can make plays when it matters most — a feeling that can only come with experience.
"It's a difference maker," said Lindsay, who now has a mind-boggling 69 carries for 466 yards and five touchdowns in CU's last two games. "What we needed to do was get a win, and that's what we did."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
