November 19, 2016 – #10 Colorado 38, #22 Washington State 24
Everyone has their own personal biases, and this game might be in the top ten because I’m the one making the list. That said, it’s also a late November victory by a top ten Buffs team on the verge of a division title – and it came against a highly-touted opponent that was undefeated in Pac-12 play and riding an eight-game winning streak.
This was the year of “The Rise”, and the Buffs had already ended a run of ten consecutive losing seasons. Now, with only two home games left, they controlled their own destiny in the Pac-12 South. Standing in the way was Mike Leach and his Air Raid-powered Cougars. The matchup between talented Wazzu quarterback Luke Falk and CU’s “Money Gang” secondary would likely decide the game.
For the first time in many years, the Buffs were playing on a truly national stage. FOX’s top broadcast crew of Gus Johnson and CU alum Joel Klatt were on hand, along with the first flying “skycam” I had ever seen at Folsom Field. CU had not played on one of the four major broadcast networks since 2011, and getting a 1:30pm kickoff on FOX for the first ranked showdown in Boulder since 2002 made the moment feel that much bigger.
Before the game I had the pleasure of meeting Stuart Whitehair, whose website CU at the Game is the preeminent historical resource on the last four decades of Colorado football. As we looked out at the snow-capped Flatirons from his longtime season seats high in the 200 level, I wondered whether this game would measure up to some of the legendary battles he’d seen from that vantage point, but which I had only read about. I felt like I’d been waiting my entire life for the chance to watch CU play in a game like this.
The matchup more than lived up to the anticipation. After CU scored on their opening drive, the Cougs dominated much of the first half and would have led by two touchdowns early in the second quarter if not for a dropped pass in the end zone. I remember thinking in that split-second that CU’s storybook run was going to come to an end that afternoon. After the drop, the Buff defense kept it a one-possession game by forcing a turnover on downs, and at halftime CU only trailed by a score of 17-14.
Quarterback Sefo Liufau was a warrior for his entire Colorado career, but this was his finest hour. Despite obvious pain he continued to run the ball aggressively – carrying 23 times for 108 yards and three touchdowns – while throwing for 345 yards and zero interceptions. The lead swung back and forth three times in the third quarter, and it looked like the last team with the ball was probably going to win the game.
Early in the fourth, with a dazzling sunset lighting up the clouds, Wazzu faced 4th-and-4 on the Buffalo 18 yard line. Trailing by four, Mike Leach decided to go for it. CU safety Nick Fisher made the play of his life – coming from out of nowhere “like a missile” to snuff out the threat.
The Cougars didn’t cross midfield again, and Phillip Lindsay provided one of the most iconic moments in recent CU history on a game-sealing touchdown run with five minutes to go, with Gus Johnson’s dramatic call making it even more special.
The euphoria of the victory was tempered somewhat by the knowledge that another huge test loomed in just six days. It’s true that this game didn’t clinch anything for the Buffs, and that lack of finality is why it falls below the following week’s Utah game on this list. But just about everyone who saw them both would agree that this was the more classic contest on its own merits. To be honest, I usually think of them as a pair, and together they served as the climax to a magical season and one of the most special times of my life.
