Colorado
5-7 , 2-7
Utah
6-6 , 3-6
Buffs Fall To Utes In Season Finale
November 25, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
SALT LAKE CITY — Colorado's hopes of a bowl bid came crashing down in a big way Saturday night, as the Buffs dropped a 34-13 decision to Utah in the season finale.
The loss finished Colorado's season at 5-7 while the Utes improved to 6-6 to become bowl eligible. The loss also dropped CU into last place in the Pac-12 South with a 2-7 conference record, one season after the Buffs won the division with a 10-2 regular season record, 8-1 in the Pac-12.
"It came down to who was more physical," Buffs running back Phillip Lindsay said. "Utah just wanted it more than we did."
HOW IT HAPPENED: The seventh game between the two schools since they both joined the Pac-12 in 2011 was nothing like the first six, all of which were decided by seven points or less.
This time around, the Utes thoroughly dominated the Buffs, taking a 28-0 lead at the half to effectively put the game away. Colorado momentarily threatened to make a game of it early in the fourth quarter, pulling to within 31-13 and driving deep into Utah territory, only to see quarterback Steven Montez stripped of the ball to end the threat.
The Utes outgained Colorado 491-319, including 310 yards on the ground. Utah running back Zack Moss did the most damage, carrying 26 times for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
"Their offensive line blocked well and he (Moss) ran over us," head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "We didn't do a good job of tackling."
The Buffs never had an answer for Utah's offense as the Utes put together scoring drives of 73, 78, 88 and 74 yards to score four touchdowns in their first six possessions. Moss carried 16 times for 138 yards (8.6 average) and two scores in the first half and Utah quarterback Troy Williams, filling in for an injured Tyler Huntley, completed 10 of 14 attempts for 138 yards and also ran for two scores.
CU, meanwhile, never established any kind of offensive consistency. The Buffs drove into Utah territory twice in the first quarter, but saw the first drive end in a missed field goal and the second stall after two incompletions.
After that, Colorado never mounted any kind of serious scoring threat, finishing the half with just 119 yards offense.
Colorado finally got on the board early in the second half. After the two teams traded punt, CU marched 73 yards in six plays, getting a 21-yard Steven Montez pass to Jay MacIntyre, a 13-yard Phillip Lindsay run and a 19-yard Montez pass to Chris Bounds to set up a 6-yard Lindsay touchdown run.
The Utes, however, answered with a long drive that ended in a 37-yard Matt Gay field goal to bump their lead back to 31-7.
The Buffs threatened to make a game of it in the fourth quarter, scoring early in the period to pull within 31-13, then driving to the Utah 14 on their next possession. But, Utah's Bradlee Anae stripped the ball from Montez and Utah recovered to end the threat.
Lindsay carried 18 times for 72 yards and a touchdown in his final game as a Buff. Montez finished 14-for-28 for 195 yards.
TURNING POINT: The Buffs had a chance to get on the board early, but missed a 51-yard field goal after Utah's first touchdown. The Utes then answered with another score and Colorado never had an answer the rest of the evening.
NEXT UP: The Buffs open the 2018 season in Denver vs. Colorado State.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Team Stats
COLO 0, UTAH 7
UTAH - Moss, Zack 15 yd run (Gay, Matt kick), 6 plays, 73 yards, TOP 2:35
COLO 0, UTAH 14
UTAH - Moss, Zack 2 yd run (Gay, Matt kick), 4 plays, 66 yards, TOP 1:38
COLO 0, UTAH 21
UTAH - Williams, Troy 8 yd run (Gay, Matt kick), 10 plays, 88 yards, TOP 4:24
COLO 0, UTAH 28
UTAH - Williams, Troy 9 yd run (Gay, Matt kick), 7 plays, 74 yards, TOP 1:20
COLO 7, UTAH 28
COLO - Lindsay, Philli 6 yd run (Stefanou, James kick), 6 plays, 73 yards, TOP 1:38
COLO 7, UTAH 31
UTAH - Gay, Matt 37 yd field goal 11 plays, 56 yards, TOP 4:56
COLO 13, UTAH 31
COLO - Montez, Steven 3 yd run (Montez, Steven passfailed), 13 plays, 78 yards, TOP 5:13
COLO 13, UTAH 34
UTAH - Gay, Matt 48 yd field goal 8 plays, 37 yards, TOP 5:15
