BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes have had their chances to beat the UCLA Bruins in the Mike MacIntyre era, but have always seemed to fall short. In 2014 they’d lose a double overtime bout, while last year they lost by a bruising four points. For some reason, these Bruins seem to bring out the best in CU, but tonight, they brought out the worst of the Buffs.
But things have changed in Boulder, Colorado hung on to win 20-10.
It was clear from the start that this wouldn’t be a crisp football game as both offenses exchanged interceptions within the first three drives. However, it was the Buffs who managed to strike first thanks to a Kenneth Olugbode interception and return onto UCLA’s side of the field.
After an 18 yard completion from Sefo Liufau to Shay Fields to the outside, Phillip Lindsay would bring it home shortly afterward to put the Buffs up 7-0. The Bruins would respond quickly on the very next drive finding a wide open Darren Andrews for a 39 yard score down the left sideline. Seven-all and from there on things wouldn’t be all that easy. In fact, that’d be the game’s only two offensive touchdowns.
The game early on was defined by two opposing No. 98’s. Colorado stalwart Jimmie Gilbert was expelled for a targeting flag depriving the Buffaloes of their most talented pass rusher and one of their more impactful defenders. As Gilbert had to watch from the locker room he got to see UCLA’s No. 98, Takkarist McKinley, wreck havoc on the Buffs offensive line and their quarterback. It was McKinley who at the 5:43 mark of the second quarter hit Liufau to force the ball out for a fumble, denying any chance to score points and keeping the Bruins ahead 10-7.
It was at this point that the crowd in Folsom began to seriously worry. With that hit, Liufau was taken to the locker room and his status to return was uncertain as backup Steven Montez would be called on to end the half.
Despite four turnovers in the first half and playing with two different quarterbacks, the Colorado defense was able to limit damages holding the Bruins to only 10 points, going into the half down only three points.
While touchdowns were hard to come by, CU did find a way to get a few field goals, not a given these days for the Buffaloes. While they didn’t look pretty with extremely low trajectories, Chris Graham would first hit a 21-yard field goal to tie things up.
As their quarterback and leader Liufau would say after the game, “Good teams find a way to win, even when you’re not playing at your best.” Exactly what the Buffs were able to do once Liufau returned after the break.
While CU was able to sneak through some dubious kicks, it was the Bruins who began to unravel. On 2nd-and-6 Chidobe Awuzie would get the sack of the game to force the Bruins back 10 yards. That yardage would prove crucial as UCLA missed their field goal attempt with 4:43 in the third quarter. UCLA’s issues wouldn’t end there as they’d then generate several defensive flags to assist the Buffs in getting down the field on the very next drive.
As the theme would go for the whole game, the Buffs wouldn’t take advantage getting flagged themselves and having to settle for a field goal on the goal line. Though, again Graham came through this time with an unlikely 37-yard make that put the Buffs up 13-10.
Both teams were flagged an absurd amount, with UCLA being penalized 13 times for 96 yards and CU 12 times for 128 yards. Not exactly an example of disciplined football.
Colorado’s defense put on the clamps from their on. Aside from a broken play that led to the first score for the away team, the Buffs would lock things down. Without Gilbert, the pressure wasn’t always there, but the run defense plugged the gaps while the secondary blanketed the opposing receivers.
Backup quarterback Mike Fafaul could do little without a running game against this stout CU ‘D’, even a Colorado missed field goal wouldn’t matter as the defense would hold tough. The stop of the game came on third down with 6:04 left in the fourth; Christian Shaver freed up by an Awuzie blitz sacked Fafaul to force a punt on third down.
Isaiah Oliver, yet another defensive star on this team, wouldn’t look back taking the punt 68-yards to the house, giving the Buffs a 10 point lead and sending Folsom into an absolute frenzy in the process.
“It was a feeling of relief, we knew if we could get one more touchdown we’d solidify it.” said Oliver about his big TD.
UCLA would muster up a nice drive, getting into range but missing the kick. A subsequent penalty on the Bruins would extend a fourth down in which the Buffs were forced to punt virtually icing the contest. It was only natural that a game like this one would end with a flag.
While it wasn’t always pretty, this is exactly the type of game Colorado would have found a way to lose to the Bruins in year’s past. Not this team and certainly not this defense.
