Brooks: '90 Buffs Escape September With 'W' Against UW
September 29, 2010 | Football, B.G. Brooks
To commemorate CU's national championship, secured that season in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame, CUBuffs.com will take a look back at each game of the '90 season. Game stories that appeared in the Rocky Mountain News and were written by B.G. Brooks, now Contributing Editor for CUBuffs.com, will be reprinted each Wednesday on the website.
Non-conference schedules can be either a merry September ride on a dessert cart or a hellish trip through college football's badlands. In 1990, Colorado picked its way through the latter, playing four Top 25 teams in its first five games.
Come January, the nightmarish schedule would pay off for the Buffs. But on September's final Saturday, they might have been wondering who was responsible for putting them through this.
No. 12 Washington came to Folsom Field with a future NFL quarterback and a 3-0 record. And, following the form of CU's previous four games, UW took this one to the wire. In the game's final minute, trailing by a touchdown, QB Mark Brunell and the Huskies faced a fourth-and-goal from the CU 7-yard line.
The game hung in the balance.
Brunell wound up completing 16 of 34 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown. But he also was intercepted three times, with the final theft by Deon Figures in the end zone sealing CU's third September win (3-1-1).
It already had been a wild ride for the '90 Buffs, but it was only getting started.
CU defense makes its stand
Pass interception preserves victory over Washington
By B.G. Brooks
Rocky Mountain News
         BOULDER - Deon Figures wasn't sure the pass would be thrown at him, but his instincts as a cornerback led him to look into the eyes of wide receiver Mario Bailey.
         Figures did, and he saw the ball-along with Colorado's final chance at self-preservation-coming on a lazy arc toward him against the drippy, gray skies that shrouded Folsom Field.
         Figures turned, leaped and snared Washington quarterback Mark Brunell's fourth-down pass, securing a 20-14 triumph over the No. 12 Huskies.
         As a result, the Buffs begin defense of their Big Eight Conference championship Saturday at Missouri with what coach Bill McCartney calls "significant momentum."
         "So much is expected of us, and every one of these games have gone to the wire," he said. "Our kids are reaching deep. It would have been very difficult to come back from this if we hadn't won it."
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| Deon Figures' interception clinched CU's win over Washington |
         As in the Buffs' four previous games, yesterday's outcome was in doubt until the final minute. If an emotionally spent crowd of 52,868 had grave doubts about CU's ability to halt UW on fourth down at the Buffs' 7-yard line with 64 seconds left, Buffs strong safety Tim James never did.
         Said James: "Nine out of 10 times, a receiver can't outjump Deon for the ball. When I saw the ball floating to Deon's side, I wasn't worried. Deon's got big-time hops."
          The Buffs also were the recipients of some big-time breaks and bounces. After Brunell had driven the Huskies (3-1) to the CU 7 with 1:37 left, catchable first- and third-down passes in the end zone to Curtis Gaspard and Bailey were mishandled.
         On the deciding fourth-down pass, Figures matched steps with Bailey in the north end zone's deep left corner and made his game-saving interception-his second of the afternoon.
         Figures said Brunell (16 of 34, 190 yards, one TD, three interceptions) set up the final pass with a third-down route that had Bailey "line up outside and run a quick slant (across the middle). On fourth down, he came back and lined up inside. I knew he was going to fake inside and go out."
         So Figures positioned himself eye-to-eye with Bailey (eight catches, 141 yards) and "jammed" him at the line of scrimmage.
         "I jammed him tough, and I guess he took more of an outside route than he wanted to take," Figures said. "I watched his eyes. I saw his eyes look up. I turned around then and the ball was there."
         His interception capped an afternoon on which little came easy for CU. Quarterback Darian Hagan left the game in the fourth quarter with a sprained left shoulder and was replaced by Charles Johnson, who drove the Buffs to the UW 23-yard line before an Eric Bieniemy fumble gave the Huskies their final possession.
         "I won't really know how it happened until I see it again," Bieniemy said. "But I'd say I have to take the blame. CJ didn't do anything wrong."
The Huskies entered the game ranked No. 1 in the nation against the run, allowing an average of 23.3 yards in their first three games. UW coach Don James knew that wouldn't hold up, and he was right. Bieniemy rushed for 143 yards on 29 carries, and the Buffs finished with 183 rushing yards.
 That was CU's second-lowest rushing total of the season, but Hagan's passing (six of 13, 142 yards, one interception), mixed with a bit of trickery and luck, offset it.
In the third quarter, with CU cradling a 17-14 lead, punter Tom Rouen caught the Huskies off guard with a pass to reserve linebacker Paul Rose. It covered 24 yards and led to a 32-yard Jim Harper field goal that allowed CU its 20-14 advantage.
"We have a guy who's supposed to watch for it," James said. "He didn't see it. He left. That was a big play. We were out of that drive twice. That's not very alert football."
Said Rouen: "I thought it was great. I always wanted to throw the football, and I finally got the opportunity. I'm just glad it worked out like it did."
On the same drive, Hagan overthrew tight end Sean Brown, and UW's Eric Briscoe intercepted. He promptly fumbled, and Brown recovered for a 21-yard gain.
Six plays later, Harper kicked his second field goal of the game. His first, a 47-yarder, come on the first half's final play. It was the Buffs' only score after UW had driven 80 yards on its first possession for a 7-0 lead.
The Buffs opened the third quarter by marching 80 yards in eight plays, with Hagan sprinting 15 yards around right end for the first of his two touchdowns and a 10-7 advantage.
UW answered with a 65-yard, 10-play drive capped by Brunell's 3-yard pass to tight end Aaron Pierce. The Huskies regained the lead 14-10.
CU took it back on an 80-yard, six-play trek, with Hagan running 3 yards for the score. The Buffs led 17-14 after three quarters, and Hagan was finished as the decisive fourth quarter began.
After being slammed to the ground on a third-down sack, he went to the locker room for X-rays. When he returned to the sideline, Brunell had driven the Huskies to CU's 20-yard line.
"I thought, 'Oh my God, here it comes again,'" he said. "It was really tough to stand on the sidelines and watch it."
It was no easier for McCartney.
"There were so many big plays we could talk about," he said. "Somehow through the bounce of the ball we came out with the victory."
Next: Game 6 - at Missouri
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU