Folsom's Greatest Games #6 - Colorado vs. Utah 2016

November 26, 2016 – #9 Colorado 27, #22 Utah 22

On purely aesthetic grounds, this game was not a thing of beauty. Because of Utah’s shocking loss to a bad Oregon team the week beforehand, it was also not the winner-take-all showdown for the Pac-12 South title that fans had been anticipating for weeks. All that said, it was still one hell of a football game, as well as the crowning moment of a remarkable season. 

Playing before Folsom’s first sellout crowd in eight years, the pressure was all on the Buffs, and they played like it. Sefo Liufau fumbled on CU’s first possession, and a three-and-out on their next offensive series led to a punt return touchdown for Utah. Inside the stadium, you could feel the tension mounting.

The offense finally got rolling on their fourth possession, with a big Devin Ross catch helping to set up a short rushing touchdown from Liufau on the final play of the quarter. 

In the second quarter, CU had the ball inside the Utah ten yard line twice, but a missed throw by Sefo and an egregious drop by George Frazier led to two short field goals that kept Utah within striking distance at the half. Squandering golden opportunities typically loses football games against good competition, but the 2016 CU defense was truly special, and they managed to keep Utah out of the end zone for most of the night.

Despite having 2nd-and-goal from the two yard line on their first possession of the second half, the Utes settled for a field goal to creep closer at 13-10. When they threatened again on their next drive, the Buffs ripped the ball away from running back Joe Williams inside the five yard line and recovered to maintain the slim lead. After another Liufau fumble, Utah had 1st-and-goal again but couldn’t manage more than a game-tying field goal. 

By this point, the copious amounts of pregame alcohol had completely worn off, and I was becoming very nervous that the Buffs might have come all this way only to blow it against a team that was only playing for pride. That was when Sefo orchestrated a classic Sefo drive – he found Jay MacIntyre deep downfield one play after taking a huge hit to the gut; then he hit Shay Fields on a fade in the end zone to put CU up by a touchdown again on the last play of the third quarter. 

That lead nearly evaporated immediately when Kyle Fulks ran back the ensuing kickoff and seemed destined for another special teams touchdown. It took a heroic effort from Chidobe Awuzie to knock Fulks out at the three yard line. It was there that the defense made yet another goal line stand to force a field goal that made it 20-16. The offense was unable to come up with an insurance touchdown on their next two drives, and my nerves were back in full force when Utah got the ball back with 11 minutes to play.

On first down, Joe Williams took a handoff and tried to spin out of a tackle at his own 15 yard line. CU’s Rick Gamboa tore the ball loose, and Kenneth Olugbode scooped it up off the grass for an easy touchdown. All the bottled-up tension in the stadium exploded like champagne. I remember the student section turning into a mosh pit as my friends and I knocked into each other like bowling balls. As we picked ourselves back up, we realized that the Buffs were really about to win a division title.

With the victory, CU earned a spot in their first conference championship game since 2005, as well as their first 10-win season since 2001 and their first undefeated home record since 1994. While the Pac-12 Championship Game and the Alamo Bowl were forgettable, I’ll always remember this night against Utah. It was my final game at Folsom as a student, and it remains the greatest one I’ve ever attended – maybe not the most enjoyable, but the greatest.

Links:
Condensed game on YouTube
CU at the Game recap