Colorado University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Colorado-USC Notes
October 18, 2014 | Football
Players who carried out CU's symbolic instruments today:
Sledgehammer: Chidobe Awuzie         Toolbox: D.D. Goodson
Special Teams Belt: Darragh O'Neill    Buffalo Head: Wes Christensen
QUICKLY USC now leads the series by a 9-0 count (5-0 in Los Angeles, 4-0 with both as Pac-12 conference mates) … Colorado falls to 2-18-1 all-time in the state of California and to 1-10 when they wear black helmets … CU lost the coin toss for the first time in 2014 (it also won the OT toss at Cal) … S Terrel Smith started his first game since the eighth game of the 2012 season (at Oregon) … 61 of the 70 players on the trip played in the game.
First Career Action: OG Shane Callahan, PK Chris Graham.
Get Well Wishes: Longtime voice of the Buffaloes, Larry Zimmer (the 2009 Chris Schenkel Award winner) missed his first CU game since the 1993 Aloha Bowl today; he has been hospitalized since the night of Oct. 4 for causes yet to be determined. A streak of 251 games in a row was thus snapped, but he's been doing better the last few days and hopes to be released soon.
The Buffs finished with 403 yards of total offense, the sixth straight game over 400; a CU team has not strung that many in a row since opening the 1994 season with seven straight …
Colorado actually ran one more play in plus territory than USC in the first half (18-17), but USC gained 150 yards to CU's 58 … CU ran 49 in the fame, and again topped the 90-play mark with 95.
WR NELSON SPRUCE (9-69, 1 TD)He tied the CU school record for single season TD receptions with 11 (matching Derek McCoy's mark set in 2003). He moved into second all-time in career receptions, finishing with 170 and passing Michael Westbrook (167, 1991-94), and became the fifth player in CU history to catch 70 passes in a season (71; fifth-most). He also added to his school mark with at least six receptions in eight straight games, and has caught at least one pass now in 20 straight games, tied for the ninth longest streak in CU history. He finished the game with 2,059 career all-purpose yards, the 45th player in school history to hit 2,000.
—Spruce is also now 3-of-3 as a passer in his career for 64 yards; all three passes were caught by quarterbacks (Liufau 2-49, Jordan Webb 1-15).
QB SEFO LIUFAU (35-23-2, 143, 2 TD) He now has 21 TD passes this season, tied for the second-most and one behind Koy Detmer's record 22 in 1996. He has thrown at least one TD pass in 15 straight games (fifth longest in the nation), including multiple tosses in the last 10 games, which is the longest current streak in the NCAA.Â
INDIVIDUAL LINER NOTES
-PK Will Oliver (4-4 PAT) He has now made 89 consecutive extra points (adding to his school record), and has 116 in his career, also the record, and now his 118 attempts are a record (old: 117; Mason Crosby, 2003-06). He has 233 career points, now third all-time and the second most by a CU kicker (he passed Jeremy Aldrich, 231, 1996-99). The only players ahead of him are Crosby, 307, and TB Eric Bieniemy (254, 1987-90).
-DT Justin Solis recorded his second career quarterback sack (his other was against Charleston Southern last year)
HONORS  Phil Steele's College Football announced its mid-season All-American and All-Pac 12 teams Friday; WR Nelson Spruce garnered second-team All-American honors and was first-team All-Conference. OG Daniel Munyer joined him as a first-team All-Pac 12 choice, while three others earned second-team mention: DB Chidobe Awuzie, ILB Addison Gillam and P Darragh O'Neill.
COLORADO INJURIES WR Bryce Bobo (rib contusion), day-to-day for UCLA. Older: none.   Â