Colorado University Athletics
Series Classic: Buffs Rise and Shine
October 17, 2009 | Football, B.G. Brooks
(Note: The following story from the CU-Kansas game on Nov. 12, 1994 was written by former Rocky Mountain News staff writer B.G. Brooks, now the Contributing Editor for CUBuffs.com.)
LAWRENCE, Kan.- The reawakening required two weeks, but No. 7 Colorado left no doubt Saturday it is alive and alert. And very ambitious.
Rested and re-energized, CU- finally burying its post-Nebraska blahs- put Kansas to sleep early, scoring on four of its first five possessions, en route to a 51-26 rout.
A Fiesta Bowl representative was in attendance and- policy permitting- probably would have corralled CU on the spot. That can't happen officially until Nov. 26. But by then, the Buffaloes should be 10-1 and possibly back in the Top Five.
And if they defeat winless (and coachless) Iowa State next Saturday at Folsom Field, the Buffs finish as the Big Eight Conference runner-up. Thus, the Fiesta bowl bid becomes a lock.
Also, a victory over the Cyclones- who will be minus the suspended/resigned Jim Walden- would catapult the Buffs to their best regular-season finish since 1989's 11-0 mark. And a one-loss season would be only CU's second in the modern era; the 1990 co-national champions finished 10-1-1.
The Buffs positioned themselves to reach those numbers by doing a number on the largely defenseless Jayhawks. Saturday's point total was Cu's highest ever against KU- two more than the Buffs scored in a 49-17 win in '89.
Also, the Buffs' 639 yards in total offense was their second-highest this fall, and eight more than the No. 1 Cornhuskers amassed two Saturdays ago in a 45-17 flogging of the Jayhawks. If KU's defensive staff is counting, that's 1,270 yards the Jayhawks have allowed in back-to-back games.
After watching his offense sputter in a 24-7 loss in Lincoln and then attending an unscheduled slumber party last week in Boulder (a 17-3 snoozer over Oklahoma State), CU coach Bill McCartney liked the wild and wide-eyed Buffs he saw Saturday.
"I thought offensively we were extremely sharp. That was the difference in the game," McCartney said. "They were not able to stop us."
CU's list of unstoppables had a familiar look:
Junior tailback Rashaan Salaam, making another strong statement for the Heisman Trophy, rushed 30 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 16 yards. He sat out the fourth quarter, a break McCartney knew would be questioned.
"If he wins the Heisman, he wins on his own merit," McCartney answered before the query was uttered. "We don't need to pad what he's doing. Everything he's done, he's earned in the heat of the game. We're not going to start now to change that. Why contrive anything? His numbers are going to be authentic when the final tally is in, and it's going to testify to his excellence and the guys around him."
Salaam set school records for most yards in a season (1,796), most points scored (132) and most TDs scored (22). He also increased his CU record for 200-yard-plus games in a season (three).
Senior quarterback Kordell Stewart completed 15 of 23 passes for 202 yards and 2 TDs. At one first-half stretch, Stewart hit on nine straight passes- tying the second-longest streak in school history. Stewart holds the CU record (12 vs. Baylor in 1992). Stewart, who also sat out the final quarter, now has 77 attempts without an interception.
His accuracy helped the Buffs break free of a third-and fourth- down conversion drought. Against Nebraska, CU was 0-for-15 on third- and fourth- down attempts. Against OSU, CU was 3-for-13. The Buffs converted half (6-of-12) of their third down opportunities Saturday.
KU coach Glen Mason wasn't surprised: "This has been the year of the third down for me... We've had trouble with the third down, period. We change field positions, then change possession, and they'd end up scoring. The Jayhawks entered the game having allowed their opponents success on almost half (64-of-132) of their third-down attempts.
Senior receiver Michael Westbrook caught six passes for 117 yards (19.5 per catch). He became CU's all-time receiving yardage leader, surpassing Charles E. Johnson's total of 2,447. Westbrook now has 2,476 receiving yards. Westbrook, who did not play in the fourth quarter, suffered a dislocated right index finger- the same injury Johnson suffered last season.
Taking a 24-7 halftime lead, the Buffs never were threatened. Their firs t three drives covered 80, 97 and 78 yards.
"The key for us," center Bryan Stoltenberg said, "was going out and getting rhythm with the offense and getting the third downs. Kordell did it. When you go 97 yards like we did, it tells you something."
Buffs pay tribute to missing mate Knutson
When Colorado's seniors met Saturday as they normally do before a game, one was absent.
Outside linebacker Jon Knutson was in Great Falls, Mont. attended the funeral of his father, Donn, who was killed Tuesday in an airplane crash in their home state.
In a tribute to Knutson, the Buffaloes printed his number- 36- on their jerseys, wristbands, etc. before their Big Eight game with Kansas.
"We got together and one of our guys was missing," said senior inside linebacker Ted Johnson, one of Knutson's closest friends among the Buffs. "We wanted to honor him in some way."
Welcome break
In an unprecedented departure from his in-season routine, CU coach Bill McCartney gave his team last Monday off. The rest of the week was also irregular- with Tuesday's work being conducted in cramped Balch Fieldhouse because of bad weather and Wednesday's lone day of contact shortened.
The Buffs' 51-26 flogging of the Jayhawks was proof the change in routine had its desired effect.
Salaam moves up
CU junior tailback Rashaan Salaam regained the national lead in rushing and all-purpose yards Saturday. Entering the KU game, Salaam trailed Central Michigan's Brian Pruitt in both categories.
But with a 30-carry, 232-yard rushing performance, Salaam overtook Pruitt for the rushing lead. Salaam is now averaging 179.6 yards a game to Pruitt's 171.8.
Salaam also caught three passes for 16 yards, giving him 248 all-purpose yards against KU. He is now averaging 208.6 all-purpose yards a game to Pruitt's 202.9
With three rushing touchdowns against the Jayhawks, Salaam stayed first nationally in scoring. He now has a school record of 22 TDs for the season.
Mr. Smith steps up
KU wide receiver Ashaundai Smith made five receptions for 153 yards, including a 25-yard TD catch. His 153 receiving yards accounted for almost half of his team's 333 yards in total offense.
"For much of the game we contained them," McCartney said. "We just let the one kid (Smith) make too many big plays."
Smith is the only KU receiver to catch a TD pass in two seasons. Other scoring receptions have been made by tight ends.
Firsts
Senior tight end Norm Barnett caught his first pass of the season Saturday, and senior receiver Blake Anderson made the first TD reception of his career- a 2-yarder from backup quarterback Koy Detmer on a "fade" corner route.
Anderson gained notoriety in the Buffs' win at Michigan for tipping Kordell Stewart's Hail Mary TD pass to Michael Westbrook.
Injury report
Westbrook suffered a dislocated right index finger and had his sprained foot stepped on. He is probable for the Iowa State game... Cornerback Dalton Simmons suffered a severe contusion of the left shoulder. He is probable... Fullback Leon Merritt suffered a first-degree concussion. He is day-to-day.
Et cetera
The Buffs have now beaten the Jayhawks 10 straight times and lead the series 33-18-1... McCartney is now 12-1 against KU, including 6-0 in Lawrence- the only Big Eight stop he has not lost a game... CU is now 44-0-2 against unranked Big Eight teams... CU played 59 of the 60 players who traveled to Lawrence. The only player not seeing action was freshman outside linebacker Terrance Cade, who is redshirting... The Buffs have scored 30 or more points in five of the last six meetings.
