Plati-'Tudes Shorts: Top Game 8's

Plati-'Tudes Short No. 8 ... The eighth installment of CU's best or most exciting football games in its history as to when they occurred in week eight of any season. We're running these over the second half of the spring on our "Throwback Thursdays" -- many are obvious, a few obscure, and no doubt some up for debate. So here are the best "game eight" games in our history in my humble opinion:

GAME 8's
#1—1989: Colorado 20, Oklahoma 3 at Norman.
Colorado had ascended to No. 3 in the nation with a 7-0 record, and first of the "Big Reds" awaited in Norman for the Buffaloes. At 5-2, the Sooners had just dropped out of the top 25 despite a wild 43-40 win at Iowa State the previous week; OU was at one point ranked sixth in the country. A dangerous game loomed ahead against No. 2 Nebraska in Boulder, and Oklahoma owned a 12-game winning streak in the series, though barely escaped with a 17-14 win in Boulder the previous season. After each team failed to score on their first four possessions, CU finally broke through with a 30-yard field goal by Ken Culbertson with 5:13 left in the first half. The Buffs forced OU into a three-and-out, and CU took over on its own 47. Darian Hagan let loose with a 40-yard run around the right side to the O13, and four plays later, faced a second-and-goal at the OU 1. One of the great plays in CU history then took place; Hagan appeared to be going down at the 2, but then pitched the ball about 10 feet in the air over two OU defenders where J.J. Flannigan caught it and ran untouched into the end zone for a 10-0 lead with 1:51 left in the half. After a scoreless third quarter, the two traded field goals to open the fourth, Culbertson making good on a 27-yard boot after OU pulled to within one score. Garry Howe recovered a Sooner fumble at the OU 9, where three plays later Hagan ran it in from 8 yards out to seal the win. Hagan (107 yards) and Flannigan (103) provided a 1-2 offensive punch for the Buffs, as CU rushed for 284 yards, finally breaking through in the running game for the first time since Colorado adopted an option offense in 1985. The CU defense stifled the Sooners all day, allowing just 248 yards (on 71 plays), limiting them to 3.4 yards per rush and to 3-of-22 passing. Colorado's "H-Boys" (Houston natives) led the way, as Kanavis McGhee had 13 tackles, Art Walker 12 tackles (three for losses) and Alfred Williams 11. See Hagan's famous "moon" pitch here (at the 1:00 mar).

Runner-Up—1976: Colorado 42, Oklahoma 31 in Boulder.
In the weirdest Big Eight season ever (five teams entered the last game of the year with a shot at the conference title), CU had rebounded from a 24-12 loss to No. 6 Nebraska to defeat Oklahoma State (20-10, with two touchdowns in the final 43 seconds) and No. 16 Iowa State to stand 2-1 in league action. Oklahoma was 2-1 as well, ranked No. 13 but had fallen seven spots in the polls after losing to Oklahoma State the previous week as the Cowboys rallied after their loss to CU (OSU and Nebraska were also 2-1 at that point). Tim Mangnall made a 38-yard field goal on CU's first possession, but the Sooners responded two scores in 62 seconds on a 71-yard TD run by Kenny King and another TD after a CU fumble for a 14-3 lead. Jim Kelleher capped a 13-play drive with a 2-yard TD run to knock the deficit down to 14-10, and then turned an OU fumble, recovered by Ruben Vaughan into a 28-yard TD run on an option call and CU was back ahead, 17-14. OU bounced right back with another King TD and the Sooners recaptured the lead at 21-17; Mangnall added a 39-yard field goal and cut the margin to 21-20 … ending a wacky first half in which both teams gained 222 yards on offense but because of the big play, CU had a 13-4 edge in first downs. Oklahoma stormed out of the gate in the second half and scored the first – and its last – 10 points, the first three on a 54-yard field goal by Uwe von Schamann, and then a quick seven after picking off a Jeff Knapple pass. It was then CU's turn for the big play – Knapple and Billy Waddy teamed up for a 70-yard touchdown, and Tony Reed scored on a 2-point try and the Buffs pulled to within 31-28 with 5:42 left in the third. Bill Muxlow then recovered an OU fumble at the Sooner 27, and six plays later Kelleher scored again and the Buffaloes had the lead for good. He scored a career-high third TD to close the scoring with 10:30 to play, and two Sooner attempts at a comeback both ended in turnovers in CU territory as the Buffs won the total offense battle, 477-438. Freshman Mark Haynes shined on defense for CU, recording 12 tackles, three for losses, as the Buffs forced five OU turnovers. It was just the second conference game at the time in CU history where the winner scored 40 or more points and the loser 30-plus. CU, OU and OSU all went on to finish 5-2 in league games and be tri-champions, but CU earned the nod to the Orange Bowl by virtue of its two wins over the Oklahoma schools (with ISU and NU a game back at 4-3; Missouri was sixth at 3-4, as the Tigers were perhaps the most perplexing team of them all, owning wins at No. 2 Ohio State, at No. 3 Nebraska, at No. 8 USC and against the Buffs and North Carolina when both were ranked No. 14).

Honorable Mention—1961: Colorado 7, Nebraska 0 at Lincoln.
To this day, one of the greatest defensive efforts in Colorado history. The Buffs entered in the hunt for their first Big Eight title, with a 6-1 record and ranked No. 8 in the nation, though stung the week before in a 21-12 home loss to Utah; Nebraska was 3-4-1, needing wins over CU and Oklahoma to avoid a rare losing record at home. On a typical cold (31 degrees) and cloudy mid-November day in Lincoln, the game was scoreless at halftime, as the Buffs missed two field goals and lost a fumble. When it started to appear neither team could break through, Jim Perkins recovered an NU fumble at the Husker 11; four plays later, Gale Weidner scored on a quarterback sneak with Jerry Hillebrand adding the extra point for a 7-0 lead and what turned out to be the game's only points with 2:31 left in the third quarter. And they were the only ones the Buffs needed, as in 12 possessions, the Cornhuskers never got any further than their own 41-yard line, punting nine times, most inside their own 25; the other three ended in the costly fumble, on downs and the halftime clock. CU gained 343 yards on offense and amassed 20 first downs, while the CU defense held NU to zero (yes, zero) first downs and just 31 yards total offense, which included a net of zero in the second half. Loren Schweninger led the CU offense with 93 rushing yards, with Bill Harris adding 53 (with 45 receiving yards); Hillebrand caught four passes for 84 yards. Weidner completed 10-of-14 passes for 150 yards, while two Husker quarterbacks combined to go 0-for-12. The Buffs went on to defeat Iowa State the next Saturday and finish 7-0 in league play, claiming that first Big Eight crown.

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