Colorado-CSU Notes
vs
Wyoming
Sep 20 (Sat)
8:15 p.m.
ATTENDANCE Tonight’s attendance of 66,997 finished the 19 Rocky Mountain Showdowns in Denver (16 at the new stadium, three at old Mile High) with 1,294,101 in attendance. CU sold 38,102 tickets (25,868 public, 12,234 student).
TIME(S) With kickoff at 8:47 p.m., it was the fourth latest kickoff in CU history (second latest in Colorado—latest was 9:08 vs. Oregon in 2015); the 37-minute delay due to lightning was reminiscent of a 28-minute delay in the 2003 game here (that was in the third quarter) … The ending at 12:06 a.m. was the second latest in the state (Oregon, 12:31 a.m.).
QUICKLY CU has won four straight season openers for the first time since claiming eight in a row (1991-98) … Mel Tucker joins Rick Neuheisel (1995) and Mike MacIntyre (2013) as the only coaches to win their first game at the reins of the Buffaloes dating back to 1932 … Buffs now lead the series with CSU by 67-22-2 (13-6 in Denver, 23-8 since it was resumed in 1983) … Colorado is now 81-44-5 in 130 season openers … The 83 points scored tonight are the most in the 91 games in the series, topping the 82 in the 1996 game at Fort Collins (a 48-34 CU win) … CU has won five straight in the series, the longest run by either school since the Buffs claimed eight straight from 1987 through 1998 (CU has outscored the Rams 185-78 in the streak) … The 52 points by CU are the most in the series since 1952, when CU won 61-0 in Boulder; it’s also the sixth-most overall (all by Colorado) … Colorado is now 124-2 all-time when scoring 43 or more points … The Buffs have now made 102 consecutive PAT kicks dating back to October 2016 … CU dressed 104 players for tonight, it’s most in recent memory.
FIRST CAREER …
ACTION: 13 players made their Buffalo debuts tonight:
TRUE FRESHMEN (5): TB Joe Davis, DT Janaz Jordan, TB Jaren Mangham,
DT Na’im Rodman, DT Austin Williams
REDSHIRT FROSH (5): WR Clayton Baca, LB Ray Robinson, OL Casey Roddick,
DT Jalen Sami, TB Deion Smith
GRADUATE TRANSFERS (3): OT Arlington Hambright, TE Jalen Harris, S Mikial Onu
STARTS: Four Buffaloes made their first career starts:
REDSHIRT FRESHMEN (1): DT Jalen Sami
SENIORS (1): OLB Nu’umotu Falo
GRADUATE TRANSFERS (2): OT Arlington Hambright, S Mikial Onu
200/200 The Buffaloes, with 243 rushing yards and 232 passes yards improved to 52-8 when topping 200 in both in the same game since 1981 (59-11 all-time). It’s the third time in the last four games against CSU that CU accomplished that feat.
SCORING FRENZY Colorado scored it most points in a season opener since defeating Drake 61-0 back in 1954; it’s the third-most ever in a season lid-lifter, as the only other in-between was a 54-0 win over Colorado Mines in 1942.
—The Buffs last scored 50+ points in week two of the 2016 season in a 56-7 win over Idaho State.
WACKY STAT OF THE NIGHT CU has now scored 52 of its last 53 times in goal-to-go situations (44 TD/8 FG) over the course of its last 29 games.
INDIVIDUAL LINER NOTES
QB Steven Montez (20-13-0, 232, 2 TD, 195.4 QBR passing; 5-39 rushing; 271 yards total offense).
—He is now 13-15 as CU’s starting quarterback; his 28 starts tie Cody Hawkins (2007-10) for the sixth-most in CU history.
—His 25 consecutive regular season starts trail only Kordell Stewart (33, 1992-94) and Gale Weidner (31, 1959-61).
—He has now started games in four different seasons (3-2016, 12-2017, 12-2018, 1-2019); he joins his predecessor, Sefo Liufau (2013-16), Tyler Hansen (2008-11) and Hawkins as the four to do so in Colorado history.
—While remaining in fourth place on CU’s all-time passing yards list (7,073), he became the fourth Buff to pass for 7,000 or more yards; he trails Sefo Liufau (9,568), Cody Hawkins (7,409) and Joel Klatt (7,375).
—But: he closed the game in second in total offense (7,919); he passed Kordell Stewart (7,770) and trails only Liufau (10,509).
—He now has 48 career TD passes (trailing 60 by both Hawkins and Liufau).
—Career numbers vs. CSU: 56-of-74, 772 yards (7 TD, 3 INT),
186.4 rating.
WR Laviska Shenault (3-48, 1 TD receiving; 3-45 rushing).
He moved from 21st into 17th on CU’s all-time receiving yards list (1,227); among those he passed tonight was his position coach, Darrin Chiaverini (1,199). Chiaverini has now coached four players who have passed him on the chart.TIME(S) With kickoff at 8:47 p.m., it was the fourth latest kickoff in CU history (second latest in Colorado—latest was 9:08 vs. Oregon in 2015); the 37-minute delay due to lightning was reminiscent of a 28-minute delay in the 2003 game here (that was in the third quarter) … The ending at 12:06 a.m. was the second latest in the state (Oregon, 12:31 a.m.).
QUICKLY CU has won four straight season openers for the first time since claiming eight in a row (1991-98) … Mel Tucker joins Rick Neuheisel (1995) and Mike MacIntyre (2013) as the only coaches to win their first game at the reins of the Buffaloes dating back to 1932 … Buffs now lead the series with CSU by 67-22-2 (13-6 in Denver, 23-8 since it was resumed in 1983) … Colorado is now 81-44-5 in 130 season openers … The 83 points scored tonight are the most in the 91 games in the series, topping the 82 in the 1996 game at Fort Collins (a 48-34 CU win) … CU has won five straight in the series, the longest run by either school since the Buffs claimed eight straight from 1987 through 1998 (CU has outscored the Rams 185-78 in the streak) … The 52 points by CU are the most in the series since 1952, when CU won 61-0 in Boulder; it’s also the sixth-most overall (all by Colorado) … Colorado is now 124-2 all-time when scoring 43 or more points … The Buffs have now made 102 consecutive PAT kicks dating back to October 2016 … CU dressed 104 players for tonight, it’s most in recent memory.
FIRST CAREER …
ACTION: 13 players made their Buffalo debuts tonight:
TRUE FRESHMEN (5): TB Joe Davis, DT Janaz Jordan, TB Jaren Mangham,
DT Na’im Rodman, DT Austin Williams
REDSHIRT FROSH (5): WR Clayton Baca, LB Ray Robinson, OL Casey Roddick,
DT Jalen Sami, TB Deion Smith
GRADUATE TRANSFERS (3): OT Arlington Hambright, TE Jalen Harris, S Mikial Onu
STARTS: Four Buffaloes made their first career starts:
REDSHIRT FRESHMEN (1): DT Jalen Sami
SENIORS (1): OLB Nu’umotu Falo
GRADUATE TRANSFERS (2): OT Arlington Hambright, S Mikial Onu
200/200 The Buffaloes, with 243 rushing yards and 232 passes yards improved to 52-8 when topping 200 in both in the same game since 1981 (59-11 all-time). It’s the third time in the last four games against CSU that CU accomplished that feat.
SCORING FRENZY Colorado scored it most points in a season opener since defeating Drake 61-0 back in 1954; it’s the third-most ever in a season lid-lifter, as the only other in-between was a 54-0 win over Colorado Mines in 1942.
—The Buffs last scored 50+ points in week two of the 2016 season in a 56-7 win over Idaho State.
WACKY STAT OF THE NIGHT CU has now scored 52 of its last 53 times in goal-to-go situations (44 TD/8 FG) over the course of its last 29 games.
INDIVIDUAL LINER NOTES
QB Steven Montez (20-13-0, 232, 2 TD, 195.4 QBR passing; 5-39 rushing; 271 yards total offense).
—He is now 13-15 as CU’s starting quarterback; his 28 starts tie Cody Hawkins (2007-10) for the sixth-most in CU history.
—His 25 consecutive regular season starts trail only Kordell Stewart (33, 1992-94) and Gale Weidner (31, 1959-61).
—He has now started games in four different seasons (3-2016, 12-2017, 12-2018, 1-2019); he joins his predecessor, Sefo Liufau (2013-16), Tyler Hansen (2008-11) and Hawkins as the four to do so in Colorado history.
—While remaining in fourth place on CU’s all-time passing yards list (7,073), he became the fourth Buff to pass for 7,000 or more yards; he trails Sefo Liufau (9,568), Cody Hawkins (7,409) and Joel Klatt (7,375).
—But: he closed the game in second in total offense (7,919); he passed Kordell Stewart (7,770) and trails only Liufau (10,509).
—He now has 48 career TD passes (trailing 60 by both Hawkins and Liufau).
—Career numbers vs. CSU: 56-of-74, 772 yards (7 TD, 3 INT),
186.4 rating.
WR Laviska Shenault (3-48, 1 TD receiving; 3-45 rushing).
P Alex Kinney (4-49.0 avg., 63 long, 1 In20).
—He joined a handful of players is CU history to play in five games against the same opponent (the first since TE Quinn Sypniewski, who lined up against the Rams in 2000-01-02-04-05); he lost two seasons after being injured early in 2003 and 2004 and was granted a sixth year).
—But: Kinney was 5-0 against Colorado State, believed to be either the first or second player in CU history to be involved in five wins against the same opponent. With no participation records available for the early years of the program, it can’t be confirmed, but Harry Gamble lettered six times (1891-96) and could have been 5-0 against the University of Denver.
—Kinney had 21 punts in his career against CSU, for 895 yards (42.6 avg.) with 9 inside-the-20.
TB Alex Fontenot (19-125, 3 TD rushing)
—He had the most yards by a Buffalo in his starting debut at running back since Michael Adkins had 137 against Charleston Southern in 2013; the 125 yards rank as the 13th most in a starting debut, while his three touchdowns join Bobby Anderson (vs. Indiana in 1969) and Christian Powell (vs. Sacramento State in 2011) behind only Adkins, who scored four times against Charleston Southern.
MORE TEAM NOTES
-In the last 14 season openers, the Buffaloes are 42-of-46 in the red zone (28 TDs, 14 FGs), including 36-of-38 against Colorado State (and one of the four misses was at Hawai’i in 2015 in a controversial ending when the Mountain West officials botched setting the ball as time ran out (CU was 2-of-4 in that game).