Buffs Have Plenty Of Motivation For USC Game

BOULDER — There will be no shortage of motivation for the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday when USC pays a visit to Folsom Field (2 p.m., Fox).

— For starters, the 5-5 Buffs (2-5 Pac-12) have never beaten the Trojans (6-1, 8-2). From their first meeting in 1927 to last year's encounter at the Coliseum, Colorado is 0-11 all-time against USC. That includes an 0-6 mark since joining the Pac-12 and an 0-5 record in Boulder.

— It is Senior Day. For 21 Buffs, it will be their last time suiting up for a game at Folsom Field, an event that is no doubt emotional for players, their families and coaches.

— A win would make the Buffs bowl eligible for the second year in a row. CU hasn't gone to bowl games in back-to-back years since 2004-05.

— A win over the No. 15 Trojans would be a quality win in a season that began with high hopes but has not followed that path. A win would by no means make up for all of the tough Pac-12 stretch — but it would no doubt be the kind that can inject momentum into a program that carries through the offseason.

"I think we're all thinking about all of those things," said CU tackle Jeromy Irwin, a sixth-year senior and a team captain. "I just talked to the team about the fact that nobody's beaten that team since we've been here. Nobody wants to go out on that note."

But, Irwin admits, there's more to wanting a win on Saturday than just the historic angle. The vast majority of CU's players were part of last year's turnaround season — and this team doesn't want to be remembered as the group that took a big step back.

"We've kind of got our backs up against the wall right now," Irwin said. "That's probably our biggest incentive. We're going to have to go out there like a trapped animal trying to get out of this situation. It's Senior Day, my last game at Folsom — all those things. I think everybody wants to get this back on the right track. We just want to get the win."

Saturday will also be the final game at Folsom for Buffs running back Phillip Lindsay, a fifth-year senior. Lindsay arrived in Boulder with a number of members of last year's senior class, but redshirted his first year on campus after suffering a horrific knee injury his senior year in high school.

"For us, it's about finishing," Lindsay said. "For the seniors it's going to be an emotional time. We haven't beaten USC since we've been here. We want to beat them. We feel strongly about that and we're going to go out there and work our butts off to get this win."

Of course, the Trojans will have their own set of incentives — most importantly, the chance to clinch the Pac-12 South. A win Saturday would give USC the division title, a berth in the Pac-12 title game and a shot at a New Year's Day bowl.

The Trojans' marquee player is quarterback Sam Darnold, a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate who has had somewhat of an up-and-down season. But the player the Buffs might be watching most closely is running back Ronald Jones, who has caught fire lately. Jones has rushed for 410 yards and five touchdowns in USC's last two games, wins over Arizona State and Arizona.

"He's fast as lightning," MacIntyre said. "He's really athletic, able to run their stretch play. That's their No. 1 running play, stretch and let him run and find a crease. When he sticks his foot in the ground and he accelerates, he accelerates. He's an excellent, excellent back. He's a pro back for sure."

The Buffs, meanwhile, have had difficulty in recent weeks stopping the run. Arizona State creased Colorado for 381 yards in Saturday's 41-30 win in Tempe, with Demario Richard accounting for 189 yards on 25 carries.

"We have to tackle better," MacIntyre said. "That's what we have to do. We were there a lot of times and missed tackles. They had tremendous amount of yards gained after missed tackles. … We're right there and he just runs over us. Literally. On two long runs he makes two people miss that are face up on him. Players have to make those tackles."

STEFANOU HONORED: Freshman kicker James Stefanou, who had a career-long 53-yard field goal at ASU and is now 16-for-18 for the season, has been named one of the Lou Groza Award's "Stars of the Week."

Three players each week from FBS teams are selected, with this week's honorees coming from among the nation's 20 Groza Award semifinalists.

Stefanou's 88.9 percentage ties him for the best in the nation among kickers with more than 15 makes, and he is perfect this year on 31 PAT tries. He also leads CU in scoring this season with 79 points.

Other players honored this week were Utah's Matt Gay and Kansas State's Matthew McCrane.

CAREER HIGHS FOR McCARTNEY, GAMBOA: Buffs linebackers Derek McCartney and Rick Gamboa both had career highs in tackles vs. ASU, with McCartney registering 14 and Gamboa 17.

McCartney's night also included three third-down stops, one tackle for no gain and three pass breakups (also a career high). The sack was the 13½ of his career, which is tied with Garry Howe (1989-90) for the 19th most by any Buffalo in school history. He now has had a sack in back-to-back games and his eight third down stops on the season are tied for the team lead with ILB Drew Lewis and OLB Jacob Callier. McCartney's previous career-high for tackles in a game was 10, which he had as a sophomore in 2015 against Colorado State.

Gamboa's 17 tackles were the most by a Buffs since Kenneth Olugbode had 18 last year vs. Stanford. Of Gamboa's 17 tackles, six of them were solo stops. He also had two third down stops and one quarterback chase down in Tempe. Gamboa now has 103 tackles on the season, setting a single-season high for the junior (he had 96 in 2015 and 79 in 2016) and his 278 career tackles ranks 20th in Colorado history. There have been 15 Buffs in school history that have posted 300 or more career tackles, and with another season of eligibility, Gamboa likely is to become the 16th.

INJURY UPDATE: MacIntyre said sophomore offensive lineman Tim Lynott Jr. suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Saturday's game and will undergo surgery this week. Lynott, who started all 14 games last year for CU, had started all 10 games this year for the Buffs at guard and center.

Lynott won't be available for spring drills, but MacIntyre said they hoped to have him back in time for summer conditioning.

Safety Ryan Moeller, meanwhile, suffered a leg injury at ASU and won't be available for the USC game, but could return in time for the Nov. 25 season finale at Utah.

FUNDRAISER FOR PURIFY'S DAUGHTER: A fundraising page has been set up for Nyah Purify, the 12-year-old daughter of former Buffs standout running back Bobby Purify.

Nyah has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and has undergone multiple surgeries and many rounds of radiation. She now goes to Children's Hospital four times a month for check-ups and the tumor has now returned.

Those who would like to help the Purify family can go to this link and donate through Buffs4Life.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu.