Cowboys Outlast Buffaloes

STILLWATER, Okla. - In a football season that too often has seen their offense rendered punchless, the Colorado Buffaloes still managed to strike Oklahoma State hard and often here on Thursday night.

Trouble was, the No. 12 Cowboys absorbed each of the Buffs' blows - including a 98-yard kickoff return by Brian Lockridge - and counterpunched, finally outlasting them 31-28 and dealing CU its 12th consecutive road loss.

The Buffs, winless away from Folsom Field since Oct. 27, 2007 (31-26 at Texas Tech), led 14-10 at halftime and 21-10 midway through the third quarter.

But the final quarter brought three lead changes, two of them in the last 111/2 minutes by OSU, which finally revved up its passing game under second-half starter Brandon Weeden and overcame four turnovers (three fumbles and an interception).
After Cowboys starter Alex Cate, subbing for No. 1 QB Zac Robinson, didn't complete any of his nine first-half passes and threw one pick, coach Mike Gundy turned to Weeden.

"At halftime we felt like we needed a spark, so we made the change and put Brandon in," Gundy said. "He made some nice plays and put us in position to win the game - which we did."

Weeden, a sophomore, was responsible for each of the Cowboys' 168 air yards, completing 10-of-15 passes (two touchdowns) as OSU improved to 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the Big 12 Conference.

"They're a good football team . . . I thought our guys battled and scrapped and I'm really proud of them," said CU coach Dan Hawkins, who again gave no indication that he believes his future is in question.

He said his team, which dropped to 3-8, 2-5, will "keep focusing on the process, keep chipping away and continue to bring it. I'm totally thinking about the future. I'm good, Mike's (athletic director Mike Bohn) good."

Hawkins and his fourth Buffs team have one more chance this season at a victory, redemption and whatever else comes with it. Nebraska visits Folsom Field on Nov. 27.

As a precautionary measure or perhaps believing he didn't need him to beat the Buffs, Gundy elected to sit Robinson, a senior from Chatfield High School.

Starting in the place of Gundy, the recipient of a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit in last weekend's victory against Texas Tech, was Cate, a junior who played in four previous games this season but had not attempted a pass.

Cate struggled in the first half, going 0-for-9 and being intercepted by CU safety Anthony Perkins. While Cate was ineffective in his half, the OSU running game compensated with Keith Toston, who rushed for 82 of his 172 yards (one touchdown) in the first half. He also caught two passes for 45 yards and a fourth-quarter score.

But for the third consecutive week, CU sophomore Markques Simas was the game's most productive receiver, catching 11 passes for 90 yards and a 28-yard touchdown from starter Tyler Hansen.
Still, Simas said he was "very frustrated" by the defeat, even though he continued his productive play. "A loss is a loss, but we did battle."

Almost forsaking the run - the Buffs went 14 plays before they even attempted one - CU used Hansen and Cody Hawkins at quarterback for the first time since the loss at Kansas State.

Hawkins spelled Hansen in the second quarter when Hansen suffered an injury to his right thumb, which he broke in April's spring game. In relief, Hawkins completed 7-of-11 passes for 69 yards and a score, but Hansen opened the second half.
Hansen finished with 169 passing yards (23-for-36) and a pair of scores. He was sacked four times, Hawkins once.

Once again, the Buffs failed to finish, and Hansen blamed "inexperience, and some of it is people doubting themselves because of has happened in the past (games)."

CU was held to minus-11 yards rushing in the first half and finished with only 13 while OSU ran for 232 of its 400 yards of total offense - 274 of it in the second half.

But Hansen and Cody Hawkins completed 20-of-28 first-half passes for 150 yards, with each throwing a TD pass as the Buffs built a 14-10 halftime lead.

After forcing CU to punt on the game's opening series, OSU took a 7-0 lead on the sixth scoring return of senior Perrish Cox' career. This one covered 67 yards and was his second career punt return for a TD.

The Buffs' second offensive series was bleaker than the first, with Hansen being sacked twice for minus-16 yards and Matt DiLallo again forced to punt to Cox.

This time, CU's coverage team did its job, and on OSU's first play from scrimmage, Buffs linebacker Marcus Burton caused and recovered a fumble by Toston at the Cowboys 47-yard line.

Eight plays later - six of them passes - Hansen connected with receiver Scotty McKnight for a 5-yard touchdown. Aric Goodman's PAT tied the score at 7-7 just over halfway through the first quarter - and that's how it ended.

With 5:40 remaining before halftime, the Cowboys broke the tie on a 30-yard field goal by Dan Bailey.

During that 29-yard drive, the Buffs might have been as interested in what was happening on their sideline as on the field. Hansen was escorted to the locker room by CU medical personnel at the half's 7:16 mark.

After his right thumb was X-rayed - the same one he broke in last April's spring game - Hansen returned to the Buffs bench with 1:22 to play.

But by then backup Cody Hawkins had run two series, although each was a three-and-out. The third, however, wasn't.
After CU defensive end Conrad Obi blocked a 53-yard field goal attempt by Bailey, Hawkins again trotted onto the field with the Buffs offense.

Seven plays after that, he lobbed a 5-yard scoring pass to tight end Riar Geer, and after Goodman's extra point, with 22 seconds left in the half, the Buffs led 14-10 - the same halftime margin they held at No. Texas on Oct. 10.

That one ended with CU being shutout in the second half of a 38-14 Texas win. But Thursday night's second half opened with the Buffs appearing intent on avoiding another collapse of that sort.

While OSU changed starting QBs, going from Cate to Weeden, CU got its original starter - Hansen - back. And although his first series of the second half resulted in a punt, that might have been the break of the game.

Cox muffed DiLallo's punt, and Perkins hopped on the ball at the OSU 28. Hansen threw one incompletion, then hit Simas with a 28-yard scoring pass. Add Goodman's PAT and the Buffs' lead swelled to 21-10 with 8:41 left in the third quarter.

But on OSU's third series of the second half, Weeden settled down, hitting three passes in a six-play, 82-yard TD drive. More than half the yards in the march, though, came courtesy of Toston's 45-yard scoring run, which pulled the Cowboys to 21-17 with a quarter to play.

The Buffs muffed an early scoring chance to begin the fourth quarter when Goodman's 50-yard field goal attempt slammed into the right upright.

A play later, CU got the ball back when linebacker Michael Sipili stripped OSU tailback Kendall Hunter and defensive end Will Pericak recovered at the Cowboys 36.

Facing fourth-and-two at the 28, Hansen threw incomplete to Geer. Big chance blown, Cowboys ball - and the Buffs paid dearly.

On eschewing a field goal opportunity on fourth-and-two, Hansen said, "We all knew if we got that fourth down, we were going to score and seal the game (CU led 21-17).

"There was no hesitation, we were going for it. I was going to the sideline saying we were going for it. It didn't work out that way, but we still had confidence in our defense to make a stop."

That didn't happen either. After CU was penalized 15 yards for a personal foul on safety Ben Burney, Weeden hit receiver Josh Cooper for 9 yards, then found Toston uncovered on a middle screen during a Buffs blitz.

Toston turned the short lob into a 47-yard TD run, and OSU reclaimed the lead 24-21 with 11:24 to play.

Lockridge had a remedy for that, returning OSU's kickoff 98 yards for a score and putting the Buffs back in front 28-24. It was CU's longest kickoff return since Ben Kelly's 98-yarder against Washington on Sept. 25, 1999.

But this night was getting nuttier by the snap. Weeden & Co. responded with a 73-yard scoring drive, with Weeden hitting receiver Justin Blackmon for 28 yards and what would be the Cowboys' winning touchdown (31-28).

Buffs' turn . . . but this time, there was no answer. Six plays after getting the ball at their 17-yard line, Demetrius Sumler fumbled at the 48 and Cox recovered for the Cowboys with 5:21 to play.

CU, though, got another chance when linebacker Tyler Ahles stopped Weeden for a 3-yard loss on fourth-and-one, giving the Buffs possession at their 42-yard line with 3:14 to play.

But they gave up the ball on downs - Dan Hawkins elected to punt on fourth-and-10, pinning his hopes on his defense - and OSU took over at its 21 with 2:45 remaining.

The Buffs never got the ball back.

Dan Hawkins lauded his team's effort and told his players they once again came away a play or two short: "Those guys shouldn't hang their heads. They battled and they brought it like a good football team's supposed to."

BUFF BITS: Thursday night's attendance was 50,080 . . . . As of Wednesday morning, there were 2,900 tickets remaining for the Nebraska game . . . . The Cowboys were in all black uniforms Thursday night for the first time since 1994 . . . . Linebackers B.J. Beatty (concussion) and Jeff Smart (pinched nerve, neck) did not play . . . . McKnight's first-quarter reception gave him at least one catch in a school-record 35 consecutive games. That 5-yard TD reception was McKnight's first score the West Virginia game . . . . Simas entered the OSU game with consecutive 100-yard receiving games. Had he reached that mark against OSU, it would have been the first time for a CU receiver to post three straight 100-yard games since Charles E. Johnson in 1993. Simas finished with 11 receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown.

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU

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Team Stats

Tyler Hansen

Cody Hawkins

Scotty McKnight

Players Mentioned

Tyler Ahles

B.J. Beatty

Marcus Burton

Matt DiLallo

Riar Geer

Aric Goodman

Tyler Hansen

Cody Hawkins

Brian Lockridge

Scotty McKnight

Conrad Obi

Will Pericak

Anthony Perkins

Markques Simas

Michael Sipili

Jeff Smart

Demetrius Sumler