Colorado
6-2 , 4-1
Stanford
4-3 , 2-3
Bowl-Eligible Buffs Down Stanford With 'D'
October 22, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
Colorado will be bowling for the first time since 2007
STANFORD, Calif. — Colorado's defense put forth a game for the ages, holding Stanford's offense to just three points as the Buffaloes punched out a 10-5 win over the Cardinal on Saturday at Stanford Stadium to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2007.
The Buffs, who produced four defensive takeaways, improved their record to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Pac-12 play. Colorado remained tied with Utah atop the Pac-12 South standings with the win and heads into the bye week with the most wins by a CU team since 2007 — and the Buffs have four games remaining.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The game was a defensive struggle from the beginning. Stanford struck first with a 66-yard drive that produced a field goal with 2:33 left in the first half following punts by both teams. Christian McCaffrey carried six times for 29 yards on the drive and Stanford converted two third downs on the march. CU finally held, though, when Chidobe Awuzie forced an incompletion on third down and Stanford settled for a 3-0 lead.
Following two more punts, Colorado finally answered with a sustained scoring drive. The Buffs went 73 yards in nine plays, with Sefo Liufau completing three passes for 36 yards on the drive, including a 15-yard scoring toss to Shay Fields across the middle. Phillip Lindsay carried three times for 23 yards, including a 19-yard burst that took CU into Stanford territory.
Chris Graham's PAT gave CU a 7-3 lead with 11:59 to go in the first half.
Colorado then missed an opportunity for more points on its next possession. After the Buffs' defense forced its third Stanford three-and-out of the half, Colorado drove from its own 12 to the Stanford 22. CU missed a golden opportunity to score when Liufau underthrew a wide-open Devin Ross. The drive stalled at the Stanford 25 and the Buffs came away with no points when Graham was wide left on a 42-yard field goal try.
CU's other kicker, Davis Price, did not make the trip because of an illness.
A Tedric Thompson interception of Stanford quarterback Ryan Burns just before the half extended CU's streak of games with at least one defensive takeaway to a nation-leading 21 and sent CU into the locker room at intermission with a 7-3 lead.
The Buffs' kicking woes struck again — twice — in the third quarter.
On the first possession of the second half, CU took the opening kick and drove inside the Stanford 5. But on second-and-goal from the 3, Liufau was sacked and then threw incomplete on third down. Graham then attempted a 28-yard field goal and was again wide right and the score remained 7-3.
CU's defense then held Stanford on fourth down in CU territory, and the Buffs again drove to the Stanford 5-yard line. But a 5-yard touchdown pass from Liufau to Bryce Bobo was nullified by a pass interference penalty. Liufau then ran for 5 yards on second down and threw incomplete on third down. The Buffs then sent punter Alex Kinney on to try a 31-yard field goal — and it was wide right and the score remained 7-3 with 2:48 left in the third quarter.
After back-to-back three-and-outs, Stanford finally mustered a long drive, aided by a pair of penalties on the Buffs. The Cardinal moved from its own 34 to CU's 4-yard line. But on first-and-goal, Stanford's Burns fumbled the snap and CU's Kenneth Olugbode recovered. CU then drove to its own 36 before stalling and a Kinney punt put the Cardinal at the Stanford 5-yard line with 8:36 to go.
Stanford then drove to its own 30-yard line before Thompson recorded his second interception of the game and his is 30-yard return gave the Buffs the ball on the Stanford 20. Colorado then marched to the Stanford 5-yard line and the Buffs finally were successful on a field goal attempt as Graham was good from 23 yards out to give the Buffs a 10-3 lead.
Isaiah Oliver ended Stanford's final threat with an interception with 1:37 left. The Buffaloes, with not quite enough time to run out the clock, had to take a safety with :04 left, but the strategy worked perfectly after Graham's squib kick left Stanford only one desperation play from 82-yards out as time ran out and Colordo holding a 10-5 win.
Colorado held Stanford's Christian McCaffrey, last year's Heisman Trophy runner-up, to just 92 yards rushing on 21 carries. McCaffrey also returned one punt for a minus-four yards.
TURNING POINT: Kenneth Olugbode's recovery of a Ryan Burns fumbled snap on first-and-goal from the 4-yard line ended Stanford's last serious scoring threat; and on Stanford's next possession, Tedric Thompson picked off his second pass of the game and returned it to the Stanford 20.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs head into the bye week bowl eligible and atop the Pac-12 standings with a 6-2 overall record and 4-1 in conference play. Colorado now remains very much in the hunt for a berth in the Pac-12 title game.
PLATI'TUDE STAT: The Buffs have now held four opponents to single-digit scoring this season, the most since the 1989 Buffs also held four opponents to single digits. The last time CU held five opponents to under 10 was 1978.
NOTEWORTHY: CU's Sefo Liufau established the CU record for most consecutive passes without an interception, stretching the mark to 148. Liufau finished with a subpar 12-for-25 day for just 135 yards and one touchdown, but he also improved to 4-1 as a starter this season. ... Phillip Lindsay had his fourth career 100-yard rushing game (12 carries, 131 yards) and his second in a row (219 last week vs. ASU). Lindsay has averaged at least 4.0 yards per carry in 10 straight games, the longest such streak since 1988-89, when J.J. Flannigan did it over 14 straight games across two seasons. ... N.J Falo had his first quarterback sack as a Buff and Isaiah Oliver his first interception. Both are sophomores.
QUOTEWORTHY: "We're a good football team with great character. When you beat the defending Rose Bowl champ ugly, and you've won as many Pac-12 games as we have, to do that on the road is very, very special." — CU head coach Mike MacIntyre
NEXT UP: The Buffs enter the bye week before returning to action on Thursday, Nov. 3, in a 7 p.m. home game against UCLA (Fox Sports 1).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Team Stats
COLO 0, STAN 3
STAN - Ukropina,C 26 yd field goal 14 plays, 66 yards, TOP 7:19
COLO 7, STAN 3
COLO - Fields, Shay 15 yd pass from Liufau, Sefo (Graham, Chris kick) 9 plays, 73 yards, TOP 3:01
COLO 10, STAN 3
COLO - Graham, Chris 23 yd field goal 8 plays, 15 yards, TOP 4:25
COLO 10, STAN 5
STAN - Thomas,S 2 yd safety
