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Buffs Stymie Rams In Opener As CU Takes 17-3 Showdown Win
September 01, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
DENVER — An anticipated high-scoring shootout never materialized in Friday night's Rocky Mountain Showdown.
Instead, Colorado scored the first 17 points of the game, then relied on its defense for the rest of the night as the Buffs posted a 17-3 win over rival Colorado State at Sports Authority Field. The Buffs received a solid rushing effort from Phillip Lindsay and some highlight passing moments from quarterback Steven Montez, but it was new defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot's defense that made the difference for much of the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs put 17 unanswered points on the board to start the game, getting a touchdown and field goal in the first quarter, then adding another touchdown early in the second period.
That was all the points the Buffs would need.
"I was really excited about how hard our guys played," CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "We started out fast and then we kind of stalled. We had some opportunities to score more points and let them hang around. But I was really proud of our defense and our special teams. We'll look at this tape and we'll improve."
After forcing a pair of CSU punts and one of their own, the Buffs put their first points on the board with a six-play, 94-yard drive. Steven Montez completed four passes on the drive, including a 12-yard toss over the middle to Devin Ross on third-and-5 before Phillip Lindsay finished the march with a 45-yard burst up the middle to the end zone. Chris Graham's PAT gave CU a 7-0 lead at the 7:11 mark.
The Buffs bumped the margin to 10-0 on their next possession, driving to the CSU 22 before settling for a 39-yard James Stefanou field goal. Lindsay had two carries for 29 yards on the drive.
Colorado's defense, meanwhile, kept Rams quarterback Nick Stevens and the CSU running game in check. CU forced four CSU punts inthe first quarter, and after the fourth, CU needed just four plays to put up its second touchdown of the night.
Lindsay ran for 18 yards on second down and for 7 more after a penalty. Montez then finished the drive by spinning out of the pocket under pressure, rolling to his left and motioning wide receiver Shay Fields into the end zone and unloading a perfect ball to a streaking Fields, who grabbed the catch in stride for a 31-yard touchdown pass and a 17-0 lead with 13:36 left in the second quarter.
The Rams finally got on the board on their next possession, moving from their own 25 to the CU 13, where they settled for a 31-yard Wyatt Bryan field goal.
That proved to be the end of the scoring for the evening.
Colorado drove near midfield on its next possession near the end of the half, but the drive ended on an interception when CSU corner Kevin Nutt swiped a pass out of the hands of CU's Ross for an interception.
CSU mounted one more drive at the end of the half, reaching past midfield before back-to-back sacks ended the drive.
After halftime, the Buffs never got their offense untracked again while the Rams were plagued by penalties on big plays, including a touchdown that was called back by a flag. One came for offensive pass interference; the second for illegal hands to the face. Later in the quarter, the Rams had another big play called back by another offensive pass interference call, the third of the game against CSU.
The Buffs finally put together a sustained drive over the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter, but Montez threw deep into the end zone for Ross and Nutt came up with his second interception of the game.
"We made a few mistakes here and there," MacIntyre said. "We'll see that on film, we'll correct it, and we'll move on. We will be an explosive offense. Someday, this group will be really explosive, and I can't wait until they do it."
But while the offense sputtered, CU's defense continued to hold.
Early in the fourth, the Buffs stopped the Rams on fourth down at the Colorado 45, then took over and drove to the CSU 15 — CU's first trip inside the red zone. But the drive once again stalled and Stefanou was wide left on a 38-yard field goal try.
CU's defense then took over down the stretch, ending CSU's last three possessions on downs (incomplete pass), a fumble recovery by Afolabi Laguda and an interception by Trey Udoffia.
CU STANDOUTS: Running back Phillip Lindsay had his seventh career 100-yard rushing game, running for 140 yards and a score on 19 carries. … Cornerback Isaiah Oliver had an excellent game against CSU standout wide receiver Michael Gallup. Gallup was targeted 11 times and finished with 5 catches for 67 yards while Oliver was credited with four pass breakups. Gallup's longest catch was for just 19 yards… Rick Gamboa had 10 tackles and Afolabi Laguda had nine along with a fumble recovery. … Bryce Bobo had eight catches for 49 yards and Shay Fields had six receptions for 78 yards and a score. … Trey Udoffia had six tackles, an interception and a pair of pass breakups.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs get a quality win to start the season and some momentum heading into a pair of home games, including next week's home opener at Folsom Field.
NEXT UP: The Buffs play host to Texas Sate in their Folsom Field opener on Saturday, Sept. 9, at noon.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
