Colorado
4-5 , 1-4
UCLA
6-2 , 3-2
Valiant Effort Falls Just Short As UCLA Edges Buffs 35-31
October 31, 2015 | Football, Neill Woelk
PASADENA, Calif. — Saturday may have been one of the most paradoxical performances in Colorado football history — and in the end, surely one of the most frustrating losses.
At least as frustrating as last year's double-overtime loss to UCLA.
In a topsy-turvy affair that saw the Buffs rack up a huge statistical edge but trail 21-6 at the half, then rally to take the lead in the fourth quarter, Colorado couldn't hold the lead and UCLA slipped out of the Rose Bowl with a 35-31 victory.
The loss dropped the Buffs to 4-5 on the season and 1-4 in Pac-12 play while the Bruins improved to 6-2, 3-2.
After putting 278 yards offense on the board in the first half — and running 40 offensive snaps in the second quarter alone — the Buffs still had only six points to show for their efforts and trailed 21-6 at intermission. CU had two 16-play drives in the first half that didn't yield a point.
But after a first half when the Buffs couldn't buy a break, they finally had some go their way in the third and fourth quarters — and the result was a game that had fans on both sides chewing their nails until the very end.
"It was definitely frustrating in the first half," head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "But we battled back from it and had an opportunity to win the game. We just didn't finish it."
Indeed, the Buffs did have their opportunities. After falling behind 28-13 in the third quarter, the Buffs fought back with a field goal, a fumble return for a touchdown and finally a long touchdown drive to take a 31-28 lead with 12:04 left in the game.
But the Bruins had enough left in their tank to retake the lead midway through the fourth period, and the Buffs couldn't muster one more scoring drive on their last two possessions.
"We played well at times — really well," MacIntyre said. "But we shot ourselves in the foot a couple times and got in a hole. I was proud of the way we battled back and gave ourselves a chance to win. We just fell a little short."
The game was chock-full of big plays. UCLA's Ishmael Adams returned an interception 96 yards for a touchdown. CU defensive lineman Samson Kafovalu had a 33-yard "scoop and score" of a fumble by UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen. The Buffs had a 62-yard Sefo Liufau pass to Devin Ross on a two-play, 68-yard scoring drive; the Bruins had a one-play, 82-yard scoring drive courtesy of a Paul Perkins run.
Liufau finished with 312 yards passing and the Buffs rushed for 242. Colorado had 554 yards total offense and more than 41 minutes of time of possession.
"We should have found a 'W,'" said CU freshman running back Patrick Carr, who finished with 100 yards rushing and a touchdown, the first 100-yard game of his career. "But we will find a way. We will find a way."
After the frustrating first half, the Buffs took the opening kick in the third quarter and drove 75 yards in eight plays for a touchdown, running on every play. Donovan Lee carried three times for 27 yards, including the 1-yard touchdown run. Carr ran three times for 34 yards and Phillip Lindsay twice for 10 yards on the drive.
Lee's score cut UCLA's lead to 21-13, and on the ensuing kickoff, UCLA's Stephen Johnson fumbled and CU's Jered Bell recovered after a hit by CU's Jaleel Awini.
The Buffs, though, couldn't take advantage of the turnover, and the Bruins finally cranked up their offense, driving 81 yards for a touchdown in six plays. The big play of the drive was a 51-yard Josh Rosen pass to Jordan Payton. Nate Starks carried in from 11 yards out with 7:35 left in the third quarter and the Ka'imi Fairbairn PAT gave the Bruins a 28-13 lead.
The Bruins ran just 59 offensive plays — barely half of the 114 CU offensive snaps — but UCLA finished with 400 yards, a healthy 6.8-yard average per play.
Still, just when the Bruins started to feel comfortable again with their 28-13 lead, the Buffs fought back.
After the two teams traded punts, the Buffs put together another scoring drive, moving 32 yards for a 45-yard Diego Gonzalez field goal to cut UCLA's lead to 28-16.
Then came the big break the Buffs needed. With UCLA facing a third-and-15, CU's Jordan Carrell sacked Rosen and forced a fumble. An alert Kafovalu scooped up the ball on the run and rumbled 33 yards to the end zone, with the ensuing PAT cutting UCLA's lead to 28-23 at the 14:37 mark of the fourth quarter.
"I just saw the quarterback tangled up with Jordan," Kafovalu said. "I was just doing my job, filling a gap and saw the ball. It's something we practice all the time."
Colorado's defense then answered with another stop of the Bruins, forcing a punt — and it took the Buffs just two plays to finally take the lead. Liufau hit Ross with a 62-yard pass on the first play and Carr powered in from 6 yards out — with plenty of help from his offensive line — on the second play. Liufau then connected with Nelson Spruce for the 2-point conversion, and with 12:04 left in the game, the Buffs had a 31-28 lead over the Bruins.
Spruce finished with 11 catches for 90 yards and became the Pac-12's all-time receptions leader in the game.
But almost before Buffs fans had time to celebrate taking the lead, the Bruins responded. Rosen completed passes of 26 and 38 yards before Soso Jamabo carried in from 3 yards out. The UCLA drive lasted just 27 seconds and the PAT gave the Bruins a 35-31 lead with 8:28 left in the game.
Colorado then forced a UCLA punt, but for the first time in the game, the Buffs couldn't move the ball and had their first three-and-out. They then forced another UCLA punt and drove into UCLA territory, but fell short on fourth down and UCLA took over.
"We gave ourselves chances in the fourth quarter but couldn't finish," MacIntyre said. "We had our chances."
The Buffs' defense came up with one more stop, giving Colorado the ball with two minutes left, but Colorado's last drive ended with a Liufau interception. UCLA took over with 51 seconds remaining and ran out the clock.
"Every time you continue to pursue a goal and then fall short, it gets tough," Liufau said. "It definitely sucks to keep falling short. But we have to do just a little bit more. One extra rep in practice, a little extra focus. Nobody believes we can't win."
In the first half, the Buffs were their own worst enemy. They drove inside the UCLA 20-yard line four times, but had just six points to show for their efforts by intermission. One drive ended on a missed field goal; the second ended on a 96-yard interception return for a touchdown. The Buffs were just 3 yards away from the end zone at one point on the drive, but Adams' pick six of a Liufau pass intended for Ross turned what could have been a tie game into a 14-0 UCLA lead.
"That was a big swing," MacIntyre said. "One of those things that you just have to fight back from."
The Buffs finally got on the board with 3:29 left in the half with a 25-yard Gonzalez field goal to cut the Bruins' lead to 14-3. CU drove 57 yards in 11 plays, getting a 35-yard Liufau pass to Sean Irwin and a 10-yard pass to Spruce before the drive stalled inside the UCLA 10.
The Bruins, though, quickly answered. After the kick return, Perkins went 82 yards to the end zone on the Bruins' first play from scrimmage. The PAT gave UCLA a 21-3 lead just 20 seconds after CU's score. It was Perkins' second long touchdown run against the Buffs in his career; as he had a 92-yard TD run a year ago.
After Perkins' run, Colorado again put together a long, sustained drive before again having to settle for a field goal. The Buffs drove 72 yards in 13 plays, with Lee notching a 21-yard run and Liufau completing passes of 7 and 11 yards to Shay Fields and 4 yards to Spruce. Gonzalez' 23-yard kick as time expired sent the Buffs into the locker room at intermission trailing 21-6.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Here's another look at how Nelson Spruce became the leading receiver in Pac-12 history. #GoBuffs #CUvsUCLA https://t.co/ezQzr028Bk
— Colorado Buffaloes (@cubuffs) November 1, 2015
Jordan Carrell gave Samson Kafovalu this present in the form of a 33-yard fumble return for a TD. #GoBuffs ... https://t.co/KonmUATDrD
— Colorado Buffaloes (@cubuffs) November 1, 2015
Patrick Carr's first collegiate TD put the Buffs up in the fourth quarter. #GoBuffs #CUvsUCLA https://t.co/KvhepWmlUK
— Colorado Buffaloes (@cubuffs) November 1, 2015
Team Stats
COLO 0, UCLA 7
UCLA - Perkins 31 yd pass from Rosen (Fairbairn kick) 11 plays, 91 yards, TOP 4:07
COLO 0, UCLA 14
UCLA - Adams 96 yd interception (Fairbairn kick)
COLO 3, UCLA 14
COLO - Gonzalez, Diego 25 yd field goal 11 plays, 57 yards, TOP 3:26
COLO 3, UCLA 21
UCLA - Perkins 82 yd run (Fairbairn kick), 1 plays, 82 yards, TOP 0:12
COLO 6, UCLA 21
COLO - Gonzalez, Diego 23 yd field goal 13 plays, 72 yards, TOP 3:03
COLO 13, UCLA 21
COLO - Lee, Donovan 1 yd run (Gonzalez, Diego kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:04
COLO 13, UCLA 28
UCLA - Starks 11 yd run (Fairbairn kick), 6 plays, 81 yards, TOP 1:36
COLO 16, UCLA 28
COLO - Gonzalez, Diego 45 yd field goal 8 plays, 32 yards, TOP 2:17
COLO 23, UCLA 28
COLO - Kafovalu,Samson 33 yd fumble recovery (Gonzalez, Diego kick)
COLO 31, UCLA 28
COLO - Carr, Patrick 6 yd run (Spruce, Nelson pass), 2 plays, 68 yards, TOP 0:24
COLO 31, UCLA 35
UCLA - Jamabo 2 yd run (Fairbairn kick), 4 plays, 69 yards, TOP 0:27
