Colorado-Hawai'i Notes
September 04, 2015 | Football
Tonight's Captains: Awuzie, Liufau, Nembot, Olugbode
Players who carried out CU's symbolic instruments today:
Sledgehammer: Christian Powell         Â
Toolbox: Ryan Severson
Special Teams Belt: W.T. Smith              Â
Buffalo Head: Aaron Howard
United States Flag Jeromy Irwin            Â
Colorado Flag: Shane Callahan
QUICKLY...Hawaii takes the all-time series lead at 3-2 (Colorado is 1-3 all-time in the state of Hawai'i, 0-3 against UH ... ... Colorado won the coin toss and then elected to receive for the second season in a row ... The game ended at 2:57 a.m. Colorado time (MDT), the latest any CU sporting event has ever ended (four hours difference between Colorado and Hawai'i).
Colorado debuted a new look tonight, wearing silver (gray helmets) and pants with white uniforms; the Buffs wore silver helmets in the 50s and off and on in the 60s, but never the pant in this color before ... Colorado is now 77-44-5 in season openers (9-5-2 in season openers in the third year of a head coach's tenure) ... The 100 rushing yards by Hawai'i marked the 16th time in the last 31 season openers the Buffaloes held the opponent to 100 or fewer on the ground ... Hawaii's 302 total on 72 plays were hard earned (4.2 per play), but 79 came on one play, lowering the average for the other 71 to 3.1; it was the Warriors' only play of 20 yards or longer (CU allowed 72 in 2014).
Chidobe Awuzie's second quarter interception ended a streak of 262 passes by the opponent dating back to last year (CU's last pick was on the first play of the game at Cal on Sept. 27, 2014).
Colorado had 215 yards rushing, its most in a season opener since having 255 against Colorado State in the 2004 opener (Sept. 4); the Buffs had two games with 200+ yards last year (against Arizona State and at UCLA).
INDIVIDUAL LINER NOTES
WR NELSON SPRUCE (8-69, 0 TD) He now has 213 career catches, second only to 215 by Scotty McKnight (2007-10), and his 2,365 yards are sixth, but he's now 186 out of first. He has caught at least one pass in 26 straight games (multiple in 22 straight).Â
TB MICHAEL ADKINS (22-90, 2 TD) He became the 52nd player in Colorado history to gain 1,000 yards rushing for a career (finishing the game with 1,023 yards).
QB SEFO LIUFAU (40-23-1, 158, 0 TD; 18-81 RUSHING) His streak of 20 straight games with a TD pass came to an end, but he did rush for a career-high 81 yards, earning 8 rushing first downs (not including sacks, he had 14 rushes for 103 yards).
FIRST CAREER ACTION: 18 players made their Buffalo debuts tonight:
TRUE FRESHMEN (4): TB *Patrick Carr, DB *Nick Fisher, P *Alex Kinney, CB *Isaiah Oliver.
REDSHIRT FROSH (9): ILB Rick Gamboa, DT Jase Franke, DE *Terran Hasselbach, OL *Josh Kaiser, TE Dylan Keeney, DE *Michael Mathewes, WR Jay MacIntyre, DB *Jaisen Sanchez, WR Lee Walker
SOPHOMORES (3): DL Jordan Carrell, DE Chris Hill, DB *Afolabi Laguda,
JUNIORS (1): DL Leo Jackson,
SENIORS (1): WR *Colin Johnson,
STARTS: Four Buffaloes made their first career starts: DL Jordan Carrell, OG Jonathan Huckins, DL Leo Jackson and WR Devin Ross.Â
 INTERCEPTIONS: CB Chidobe Awuzie (the first by a CU cornerback in 21 games... dating to a pair by Greg Henderson versus Oregon on Oct. 5, 2013 in Boulder); DE Derek McCartney (the first by a CU defensive lineman since Josh Hartigan at Missouri on Oct. 9, 2010).
FIELD GOALS: PK Diego Gonzalez made his first two field goal attempts, both from 40 yards out (including a clutch one in the fourth quarter).
COLORADO INJURIES -Â OG Gerrad Kough (sprained ankle), day-to-day for Massachusetts; OLB Jaleel Awini did not play tonight after suffering a leg injury late last week; day-to-day for Massachusetts.
