Rashaan Salaam ran for 174 yards against OSU in his Heisman Trophy winning season in 1994. Six years earlier, Barry Sanders ran for 174 yards against the Buffaloes.
October 24, 2026 | Football
        The Buffs lead the series, 27-20 with one tie, but there have been an abnormal number of what you could say have been thrilling/downright goofy games with several fourth quarter rallies. There have been 15 games decided by one score (all seven points or less, with OSU winning nine). A real oddity in the series is that both won games by the score of 11-10, two of just 19 in the history of college football (over 105,600 games). So with the number 11 in mind, here are 11 wacky games in the series with our neighbors 520 miles to the southeast:
        1920. The weirdness started in the very first game on Thanksgiving Day in Oklahoma City. Colorado, then referred to as the Silver & Gold, were well ahead of then-Oklahoma A&M, 33-6, late in the game. Newspaper accounts published this about CU's last TD in the 40-7 win: "The final period became a time-killing contest which was closed by a peculiar touchdown tallied when (George) Wittemeyer, Colorado fullback grabbed a pass by Ray, Aggie right halfback, hurled after the timekeeper's whistle had ended the fray and ran 30 yards to the goal line. Referee Ramp ruled that the touchdown was legal because no one but the referee had a right to stop the game." Carl Fulghum made the extra point "after both teams had left the field and the stands were empty."
        1933. The second night game in CU history took place in Stillwater (the last meeting between the two until OSU joined the Big Eight in 1960). The Friday night affair saw the only points scored when after CU blocked a punt and took over at the A&M 6. Eddie Wagner ran for a touchdown. The offense earned just four first downs, but the CU defense intercepted four passes as the Aggies were 0-of-13 passing in the game.
        1966. Colorado went ahead 10-3 with 8:11 left in the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by John Farler. After swapping possessions, OSU drove 69 yards in 13 plays, scored a touchdown and earned two points on a conversion pass to take an 11-10 lead with 1:11 left. The Buffs then drove to the OSU 29 but a Bernie McCall pass was intercepted with 25 seconds left to end the comeback. In the end, it cost the Buffs a share of the Big Eight title, as CU finished 5-2 in conference play, one game back of Nebraska.
        1976. Leading 10-6 in Stillwater, OSU's Jerry Cramer intercepted a Jeff Knapple pass on the goal line with 1:37 left, only to have CU's Steve Gaunty dislodge the ball, giving CU new life on the Cowboy 1. After Knapple failed on a quarterback sneak, one which OSU was certain he fumbled but the referees ruled the play over before the ball came loose, Jim Kelleher powered in from a yard out for a 13-10 Buff lead with 43 seconds left. CU then added another score on a 25-yard interception return by Frank Patrick with 0:18 on the clock and CU escaped town with a 20-10 win, which would prove vital: CU, OSU and Oklahoma all tied for the league lead with 5-2 marks, but CU's wins over OU and OSU earned it the bid to the Orange Bowl.
        1978. Colorado traveled to Stillwater ranked 13th and 5-0 on the season. A windy day would do the Buffs in; after building a 14-3 lead with the wind in the first quarter (two punts for a 42.5 average), OSU cut it to 14-10, the TD aided by a 6-yard punt into the wind (CU's three in that quarter averaged 22.0 yards). The Cowboys scored the next 10 points, but the Buffs could only counter with a late TD and lost, 24-20 (with their only second half punt traveling 25 yards). Primarily a rushing team, CU had 50 attempts for 166 yards – but OSU did not have a single tackle for loss but frustrated the Buffs by limiting 28 of those rushes to 2 yards or less with seven for no gain.
        1979. The Buffaloes were 1-7 and appeared on their way to easy win, leading 20-0 entering the fourth quarter. But Harold Bailey threw three fourth quarter touchdown passes, two to Mel Campbell, to rally the Cowboys to a 21-20 win. It was the second largest lead that Colorado ever lost in a game at the time. Bill Solomon threw two TD passes for Colorado (13 yards to Doug Krahenbuhl and 55 yards to Bob Niziolek), with Tom Field making good on field goals from 48 and 50 yards to build the 20-point lead.
        1981. CU had one of its most memorable and challenging comebacks in an 11-10 homecoming win over the 'Pokes. Trailing 10-3 with 1:28 remaining, the Buffaloes took over on their own 8-yard line. Redshirt freshman QB Steve Vogel engineered a 10-play, 92-yard drive in 1:22, completing passes to four different player players: Derek Singleton, Ricky Ward, Dave Hestera and Brad Parker, who caught the TD pass with just six seconds remaining. The driven actually covered 96 yards after a penalty on the first play. Tragedy struck one of the participants later in the week. In an Ames hotel ahead of CU's next game against Iowa State, Singleton fell ill with what would be diagnosed as a severe meningitis infection. He would fight the illness the remainder of the year but succumbed on New Year's Day 1982 at the age of 19. The last time he touched the ball was the winning two-point conversion against Oklahoma State.
        1982. Tom Field kicked a 49-yard field goal with no time remaining to salvage a 25-25 tie in Stillwater. CU had jumped out to a quick 13-0 start, was ahead 16-7 at halftime, and seemingly had the game won when ahead 22-10 with less than five minutes to play. But OSU rallied to score two touchdowns in the waning minutes, with a two-point conversion to go up, 25-22, with 32 seconds remaining. Randy Essington completed passes to Donnie Holmes (22 yards) and to Dave Hestera (24) to set the stage for Field's fourth field goal of the game earned the tie in an affair that saw Victor Scott intercept three passes, returning two for the Buffs' only touchdowns.
        1991. Another windy day on the great plains played havoc throughout the game, gusting up to 35 miles per hour in the fourth quarter. CU had built a 10-3 lead going into the period, but the Cowboys tied it at 10 with 11:41 and took a 12-10 lead when it blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety. OSU was held to a pair of three-and-outs sandwiched around a stalled Buff drive, and CU took over with 1:54 left after Darian Hagan – a rare combination of quarterback and punt returner – fielded a 34-yard punt and set CU up at the Cowboy 43 with a nine-yard return. But two plays into the drive, he was injured when sacked and was replaced by Vance Joseph, who would march the Buffs down to OSU 20 with 14 seconds on the clock. With the wind howling and blowing left to right, Bill McCartney called for a fake field goal, with Robbie James passing to a wide-open Christian Fauria at the 12-yard line who ran it in for the winning touchdown and a 16-12 win. Jim Harper's extra point try? The swirling wind blew it into the right upright …
        1997. In a game that saw the lead change hands after each of the final five scores in the game, the Cowboys scored last, a touchdown with 2:00 left to beat the Buffs in Stillwater, 33-29. In CU falling to 2-3 on the season, the Buffs fell out of the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time after 143 consecutive weeks being ranked (the fifth-longest streak all-time at the time and still 10th).
        2001. The Cowboys took a 19-7 edge late in the third quarter, but Marcus Houston's 16-yard TD run as time expired in the period pulled CU to within 19-14. Then with 5:54 remaining, Bobby Pesavento hit Daniel Graham with a 21-yard scoring strike to put the Buffs up, 20-19. – So go for two, right? However, CU was called for two consecutive unsportsmanlike penalties, which placed the ball on the OSU 33. No problem – Pesavento found Derek McCoy in the end zone for the 2-point conversion and a 22-19 lead (perhaps the longest 2-point pass play in college football history). OSU in two plays drove to the CU 36, but Michael Lewis intercepted a pass to end the threat, and one last rally by the Cowboys died at their own 36 with three incomplete passes sandwiched around a Marques Harris sack. The win was key, keeping CU in the hunt for the Big 12 North Division title (which it would win).
        OTHER SERIES ODDITEES: More 11's: CU won 34-11 in 1965, and OSU won 14-11 in 1985 … In CU's 13-6 win in 1960. OSU was 2-of-6 passing for minus-1 yard in their first meeting as conference mates … Barry Sanders, OSU's 1988 Heisman winner, rushed for "only" 174 yards against the Buffaloes, his third-fewest yards in his 2,628-yard season; the two other games with fewer were blowouts when he didn't play the whole game … In 1971 in Boulder, Charlie Davis rushed for 342 yards in a 40-6 win, to this day the most yards in a single-game by a Buffalo. He went over the 1,000-yard mark in the game with a 67-yard TD run around the right end (sound familiar? In 1994 at Folsom Field against Iowa State, Rashaan Salaam went over the 2,000-yard mark with a 67-yard TD run around the right end) … Salaam against OSU in 1994? He also rushed for 174 yards … spooky! … Bobby Anderson's 1-yard TD run with 1:22 left rallied CU to a 17-14 win; he had a hand in the other TD when he fielded the opening kickoff and handed it to Steve Engel who returned it 87 yards for a score – the first TD scored by CU to open a game in its history (three times since) … Colorado won, 29-13, in 1977, but scored two touchdowns in the final 33 seconds to make it appear like the game wasn't close; for some reason, the fans rushed the field as CU improved to 5-0 despite OSU falling to 2-3 and the Buffs being a 10-point favorite (CU did climb from No. 6 to 3 after the win) … In a 2004 loss to the 'Pokes, Lawrence Vickers made his first start at tailback (he had several at fullback); he responded with 15 carries for 72 yards and a TD, but had more yards receiving (nine catches for 96 yards)
        1920. The weirdness started in the very first game on Thanksgiving Day in Oklahoma City. Colorado, then referred to as the Silver & Gold, were well ahead of then-Oklahoma A&M, 33-6, late in the game. Newspaper accounts published this about CU's last TD in the 40-7 win: "The final period became a time-killing contest which was closed by a peculiar touchdown tallied when (George) Wittemeyer, Colorado fullback grabbed a pass by Ray, Aggie right halfback, hurled after the timekeeper's whistle had ended the fray and ran 30 yards to the goal line. Referee Ramp ruled that the touchdown was legal because no one but the referee had a right to stop the game." Carl Fulghum made the extra point "after both teams had left the field and the stands were empty."
        1933. The second night game in CU history took place in Stillwater (the last meeting between the two until OSU joined the Big Eight in 1960). The Friday night affair saw the only points scored when after CU blocked a punt and took over at the A&M 6. Eddie Wagner ran for a touchdown. The offense earned just four first downs, but the CU defense intercepted four passes as the Aggies were 0-of-13 passing in the game.
        1966. Colorado went ahead 10-3 with 8:11 left in the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by John Farler. After swapping possessions, OSU drove 69 yards in 13 plays, scored a touchdown and earned two points on a conversion pass to take an 11-10 lead with 1:11 left. The Buffs then drove to the OSU 29 but a Bernie McCall pass was intercepted with 25 seconds left to end the comeback. In the end, it cost the Buffs a share of the Big Eight title, as CU finished 5-2 in conference play, one game back of Nebraska.
        1976. Leading 10-6 in Stillwater, OSU's Jerry Cramer intercepted a Jeff Knapple pass on the goal line with 1:37 left, only to have CU's Steve Gaunty dislodge the ball, giving CU new life on the Cowboy 1. After Knapple failed on a quarterback sneak, one which OSU was certain he fumbled but the referees ruled the play over before the ball came loose, Jim Kelleher powered in from a yard out for a 13-10 Buff lead with 43 seconds left. CU then added another score on a 25-yard interception return by Frank Patrick with 0:18 on the clock and CU escaped town with a 20-10 win, which would prove vital: CU, OSU and Oklahoma all tied for the league lead with 5-2 marks, but CU's wins over OU and OSU earned it the bid to the Orange Bowl.
        1978. Colorado traveled to Stillwater ranked 13th and 5-0 on the season. A windy day would do the Buffs in; after building a 14-3 lead with the wind in the first quarter (two punts for a 42.5 average), OSU cut it to 14-10, the TD aided by a 6-yard punt into the wind (CU's three in that quarter averaged 22.0 yards). The Cowboys scored the next 10 points, but the Buffs could only counter with a late TD and lost, 24-20 (with their only second half punt traveling 25 yards). Primarily a rushing team, CU had 50 attempts for 166 yards – but OSU did not have a single tackle for loss but frustrated the Buffs by limiting 28 of those rushes to 2 yards or less with seven for no gain.
        1979. The Buffaloes were 1-7 and appeared on their way to easy win, leading 20-0 entering the fourth quarter. But Harold Bailey threw three fourth quarter touchdown passes, two to Mel Campbell, to rally the Cowboys to a 21-20 win. It was the second largest lead that Colorado ever lost in a game at the time. Bill Solomon threw two TD passes for Colorado (13 yards to Doug Krahenbuhl and 55 yards to Bob Niziolek), with Tom Field making good on field goals from 48 and 50 yards to build the 20-point lead.
        1981. CU had one of its most memorable and challenging comebacks in an 11-10 homecoming win over the 'Pokes. Trailing 10-3 with 1:28 remaining, the Buffaloes took over on their own 8-yard line. Redshirt freshman QB Steve Vogel engineered a 10-play, 92-yard drive in 1:22, completing passes to four different player players: Derek Singleton, Ricky Ward, Dave Hestera and Brad Parker, who caught the TD pass with just six seconds remaining. The driven actually covered 96 yards after a penalty on the first play. Tragedy struck one of the participants later in the week. In an Ames hotel ahead of CU's next game against Iowa State, Singleton fell ill with what would be diagnosed as a severe meningitis infection. He would fight the illness the remainder of the year but succumbed on New Year's Day 1982 at the age of 19. The last time he touched the ball was the winning two-point conversion against Oklahoma State.
        1982. Tom Field kicked a 49-yard field goal with no time remaining to salvage a 25-25 tie in Stillwater. CU had jumped out to a quick 13-0 start, was ahead 16-7 at halftime, and seemingly had the game won when ahead 22-10 with less than five minutes to play. But OSU rallied to score two touchdowns in the waning minutes, with a two-point conversion to go up, 25-22, with 32 seconds remaining. Randy Essington completed passes to Donnie Holmes (22 yards) and to Dave Hestera (24) to set the stage for Field's fourth field goal of the game earned the tie in an affair that saw Victor Scott intercept three passes, returning two for the Buffs' only touchdowns.
        1991. Another windy day on the great plains played havoc throughout the game, gusting up to 35 miles per hour in the fourth quarter. CU had built a 10-3 lead going into the period, but the Cowboys tied it at 10 with 11:41 and took a 12-10 lead when it blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety. OSU was held to a pair of three-and-outs sandwiched around a stalled Buff drive, and CU took over with 1:54 left after Darian Hagan – a rare combination of quarterback and punt returner – fielded a 34-yard punt and set CU up at the Cowboy 43 with a nine-yard return. But two plays into the drive, he was injured when sacked and was replaced by Vance Joseph, who would march the Buffs down to OSU 20 with 14 seconds on the clock. With the wind howling and blowing left to right, Bill McCartney called for a fake field goal, with Robbie James passing to a wide-open Christian Fauria at the 12-yard line who ran it in for the winning touchdown and a 16-12 win. Jim Harper's extra point try? The swirling wind blew it into the right upright …
        1997. In a game that saw the lead change hands after each of the final five scores in the game, the Cowboys scored last, a touchdown with 2:00 left to beat the Buffs in Stillwater, 33-29. In CU falling to 2-3 on the season, the Buffs fell out of the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time after 143 consecutive weeks being ranked (the fifth-longest streak all-time at the time and still 10th).
        2001. The Cowboys took a 19-7 edge late in the third quarter, but Marcus Houston's 16-yard TD run as time expired in the period pulled CU to within 19-14. Then with 5:54 remaining, Bobby Pesavento hit Daniel Graham with a 21-yard scoring strike to put the Buffs up, 20-19. – So go for two, right? However, CU was called for two consecutive unsportsmanlike penalties, which placed the ball on the OSU 33. No problem – Pesavento found Derek McCoy in the end zone for the 2-point conversion and a 22-19 lead (perhaps the longest 2-point pass play in college football history). OSU in two plays drove to the CU 36, but Michael Lewis intercepted a pass to end the threat, and one last rally by the Cowboys died at their own 36 with three incomplete passes sandwiched around a Marques Harris sack. The win was key, keeping CU in the hunt for the Big 12 North Division title (which it would win).
        OTHER SERIES ODDITEES: More 11's: CU won 34-11 in 1965, and OSU won 14-11 in 1985 … In CU's 13-6 win in 1960. OSU was 2-of-6 passing for minus-1 yard in their first meeting as conference mates … Barry Sanders, OSU's 1988 Heisman winner, rushed for "only" 174 yards against the Buffaloes, his third-fewest yards in his 2,628-yard season; the two other games with fewer were blowouts when he didn't play the whole game … In 1971 in Boulder, Charlie Davis rushed for 342 yards in a 40-6 win, to this day the most yards in a single-game by a Buffalo. He went over the 1,000-yard mark in the game with a 67-yard TD run around the right end (sound familiar? In 1994 at Folsom Field against Iowa State, Rashaan Salaam went over the 2,000-yard mark with a 67-yard TD run around the right end) … Salaam against OSU in 1994? He also rushed for 174 yards … spooky! … Bobby Anderson's 1-yard TD run with 1:22 left rallied CU to a 17-14 win; he had a hand in the other TD when he fielded the opening kickoff and handed it to Steve Engel who returned it 87 yards for a score – the first TD scored by CU to open a game in its history (three times since) … Colorado won, 29-13, in 1977, but scored two touchdowns in the final 33 seconds to make it appear like the game wasn't close; for some reason, the fans rushed the field as CU improved to 5-0 despite OSU falling to 2-3 and the Buffs being a 10-point favorite (CU did climb from No. 6 to 3 after the win) … In a 2004 loss to the 'Pokes, Lawrence Vickers made his first start at tailback (he had several at fullback); he responded with 15 carries for 72 yards and a TD, but had more yards receiving (nine catches for 96 yards)
Sunday, October 25
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