Buffs Set To Face No. 24 Cougars

PULLMAN, Wash. — While there are plenty of differences in their statistics, the style of play, their approach and the schools themselves, the biggest distiniction — this year, at least — between the Washington State and Colorado football teams might be about four minutes.

That, at least, is the total amount of time that has been the difference in at least four victories for the 7-3 Cougars this season. To wit:

A touchdown with 13 seconds remaining lifted WSU to a 37-34 win over Rutgers. A touchdown and interception in overtime made the difference in a win over Oregon. A touchdown with 2:03 remaining in the game led WSU to a 45-42 win over Arizona. And last week, it was a touchdown with :03 on the clock that gave the Cougars a 31-27 win over UCLA.

Take those four minutes away, and the Cougars' record would be 3-7. But instead of coming up short, they've come up strong in the clutch.

“They never quit,” said Buffs defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt, who spent the week dissecting Mike Leach's Air Raid offense. “They finish games. Mike's always been that way. I've known Mike a long time and his teams always compete to the end.”

And the 4-7 Buffs? The Buffs are still trying to make those plays that make the difference. Twice this year they've let fourth quarter leads against Pac-12 foes slip away; and last week, they added to their tale of woes when they watched a 17-3 lead over USC disappear into the night.

What the Cougars' resurgence has meant is a guaranteed bowl berth, a No. 24 national ranking and the end of their reputation as a Pac-12 doormat.

“Definitely they've turned the corner,” CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said. “They've made some plays. If they would have overthrown one of those balls, or a couple of them get tipped away, you might not say they've turned the corner. They've made plays and that's good, that's a credit to them. We need to try to make some more plays like that in close games.”

So what better place to make those plays than in the Cougars' back yard? The Buffs will have that opportunity Saturday when they meet up with WSU in a nationally televised 8:45 p.m (MST) game at Martin Stadium (ESPN2). It will be CU's record eighth night game of the season.

Making those plays won't be easy. The Cougars, led by sophomore quarterback Luke Falk, lead the nation in passing offense at 414.4 yards per game and they're 31st in the nation in scoring (35.2 yards per game).

“Falk makes them go,” MacIntyre said. “He makes a lot of great throws and it seems like they have glue on their hands with some of the catches. I've been very impressed with their football team and what they're doing. There's not just one guy you have to stop, there's a multitude of guys, but mainly it's No. 4 (Falk) that you have to slow down somehow.”

One thing the Cougars don't do is run the ball — at least not very much. They're averaging just 77.9 yards per game on the ground this year, 110th in the nation. But their running backs do play a major role in their screen passing game.

“They get those guys into space and they make plays,” Leavitt said. “It's tough on linemen.”

Defensively, the Cougars are an opportunistic team, one that isn't afraid to gamble — they're averaging nearly eight tackles for loss per game — mainly because they have so much faith in their offense. But they're still giving up nearly 30 points per game, and their rush defense (206.7 yards per game) is among the nation's worst.

Trying to take advantage of that defense will be Buffs redshirt freshman quarterback Cade Apsay, who will be making his first collegiate start. Apsay relieved injured regular Sefo Liufau last week against USC and played admirably, notching the second-best completion percentage for a game in CU history with a minimum of 20 throws (18-for-23). But he was also sacked five times, and he'll need more time — and have to get rid of the ball quicker — if he's going to help the Buffs move the ball consistently against WSU.

CU's coaches have said their game plan won't change much with Apsay at the helm.

“We'll do a few things that Cade likes,” MacIntyre said. “Everybody kind of has their strengths and certain pass patterns, or pass routes, they like; (but) it won't be a drastic change.”

Despite another season peppered with frustrating, narrow losses, the Buffs still have a very slim chance at a bowl berth. But to get there, they'd have to win both of their last two games, then hope not enough teams have the requisite number of wins to automatically qualify.

They could take a big step with a win over the Cougars. The Buffs have lost 21 straight games against ranked teams and 25 straight on the road against ranked teams.

But, they have a little bit of history on their side: CU is 3-0 against Washington State in the state of Washington, with wins in Seattle, Spokane and Pullman.

And, speaking of making plays that made the difference: the last time the Buffs visited Pullman, in 2011, CU rallied from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to score three touchdowns in the final 7:06 of the game to beat Leach's Cougars, 35-34.

“That's all I need to remember,” said CU tackle Stephane Nembot, who played in the game. “I hope this time we go back and do the same thing.”

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu