rehe No. 21 Colorado Buffaloes squandered a late comeback attempt against the USC Trojans on Saturday afternoon, dropping the contest by a score of 21-17.
Colorado’s backup quarterback Steven Montez made the start and was largely inefficient on the day. USC’s freshman quarterback Sam Darnold, on the other hand, was very efficient, throwing for 358 yards on 25-of-37 passing, including three touchdowns.
Unlike the week leading up to the game, the story was not about the quarterbacks. It was that of the defenses and trenches. Colorado was out-rushed by almost 90 yards on the day, a microcosm of USC’s dominance on the line of scrimmage. The Trojans courteously keyed in on Montez, forcing his not-so-good-day. CU could only get a hand on Darold in sparse instances, giving him the opportunity to have a big game.
“We just didn’t play our game, we didn’t play Colorado football,” running back Phillip Lindsay told KOA following the contest. “It doesn’t matter who we line up against, if we don’t play like we are supposed to, it’s gonna end up like that.”
USC’s first drive was a harbinger of things to come, as the Trojans marched down the field with ease. Another theme would arise on the goal line, though, as the Buffs were able to strip the ball from the hands of USC quarterback Sam Darnold.
The Buffs would fail to do anything with that turnover and USC took advantage, driving 80 yards on nine plays to take a 7-0 lead.
“They did some stuff we didn’t expect them to do,” Montez said to KOA. “Especially on third down, but we need to start faster as an offense.”
The teams traded punts until USC would drive another 92 yards on a long 13-play drive, scoring another touchdown and giving the home team a 14-0 lead.
“We just sputtered a bit in the first half,” Mike MacIntyre told KOA. “We didn’t play ‘Colorado football’ which is fast and tough.”
USC fumbled twice to start the half, and on the second one, the Buffs would capitalize.
On the first play, wide receiver Bryce Bobo got his chance to throw the rock, becoming the third player to throw a pass on the day. He hit Phil Lindsay on a 67-yard pass, resulting in a touchdown. The Buffs cut the lead to seven.
On the next drive, USC gave the ball right back to Colorado, as Kenneth Olugbode intercepted Darnold. The Buffs finally had good field position, and all they would do with the ball would hand it right back to USC.
Each defense held the other and the Buffs were stuck down seven.
Just as many were clamoring for Liufau, Montez got hot. On the first pass of a fresh drive, he hit Bryce Bobo for a gain of 21. After a four-yard run, he hit Kabion Ento for another 11.
Finally, the Colorado run game woke up. Phil Lindsay broke off a rush for 37 yards to get the Buffs into the red zone. On third down, the drive ended just as it started, Montez to Bobo. This time it was a touchdown, tying the score at 14.
Just as USC’s lead was cut, their offense woke up too. On six plays they drove 70 yards. Darold hit Tyler Petite for a second touchdown, capping the drive and giving Southern Ca a 21-14 lead with less than 10 minutes left.
“I’m starting to learn that things are a lot faster,” Montez mentioned. “That the front seven is a lot faster, I have to throw the ball away and not be a hero.”
The Buff would answer with three points, cutting the USC lead to four.
At the time, it seemed like a sound strategy, trusting what had been a stout defense to try to get one more stop. But the USC offense was just too much and they were able to run out the clock.
“The defense played great,” Lindsay said. “But you can’t keep your defense on the field all day and expect to win the game.”
While many, including Montez, felt like Colorado would stay hot and win another, the game still had a positive.
“You’re never as good as you think you are,” Montez described. “It’s an extremely humbling experience coming in and losing this game.”
In the end, the Buffs are still 4-2 with four home games remaining, still in great position to reach their lofty goals.
“We just need to continue to stick together, it’s tough. It’s the Pac-12, we just have to play Colorado football,” Lindsay entailed.
The Buffs welcome the Arizona State Sun Devils into Folsom Field next Saturday, as they fight to hold on to the Pac-12 South.
