Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
2-0-0
Idaho State
1-1-0
Buffs Roll Past Idaho State To Start Season 2-0
September 10, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
CU gets final tuneup before road trip to Michigan
BOULDER — Colorado won its second straight game with a record-setting performance at Folsom Field on Saturday, rolling to a 56-7 win over visiting Idaho State to start the season 2-0.
The Buffs tied school records for the most points in the second quarter (35) and first half (49), and set a school record for the largest halftime lead (49-0), eclipsing a 49-7 edge they held against NE Louisiana in 1995.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs thoroughly dominated the game in every regard, putting it away before halftime.
CU scored on seven of its eight possessions in the first half. Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau was 15-for-18 for 204 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, and also ran for 54 yards and a score before intermission. Phillip Lindsay added a pair of rushing touchdowns and Devin Ross and Kabion Ento each had a touchdown reception. Ento also added another touchdown catch in the third quarter for CU's final points of the day
Colorado led 14-0 after the first quarter opening with a 15-yard Liufau touchdown pass to Devin Ross, followed by a 6-yard Phillip Lindsay run.
The Buffs then added five more touchdowns in the second quarter, with Lindsay adding another score, Kyle Evans rushing for one, Liufau throwing to Chris Hill for a 4-yard score and Liufau running in from 19 yards out. CU backup quarterback Steven Montez then got into the act, completing a 69-yard touchdown pass to Ento on his first pass attempt as a collegian. Ento's touchdown was also the first time he touched the ball as a Buff.
CU finished the half with 410 yards offense while limiting the Bengals to just 48 total yards. Colorado also held a 21-3 edge in first downs, as the Bengals failed to cross midfield in the first 30 minutes of play.
Overall, CU finished with a 597-96 edge in offensive yards and a 32-7 gap in first downs.
TURNING POINT: After punting on their second possession of the day, the Buffs came back to drive 61 yards in five plays for a touchdown to go up 14-0, and they then scored on their next five possessions.
CU STANDOUTS: Liufau had a standout day in the air and on the ground. With his 15-for-18 day, he is now 38-for-51 for 522 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions over his first two games. … WR Kabion Ento had two catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns. … WR Jay MacIntyre had a team-high six catches for 78 yards. … Defensive lineman Jordan Carrell had his first sack of the season. … True freshman Tony Julmisse had an interception, giving him one takeaway in each of the last two games. He had a fumble recovery in the opener vs. Colorado State. … Drew Lewis had four tackles and Julmisse, Kenneth Olugbode and Josh Tupou were each credited with three. … Phillip Lindsay ran for two scores, and now has four touchdowns this season.
KEY STATISTIC: CU's defense again dominated an opponent, holding the Bengals to just three first downs in the first half while never allowing the Bengals past midfield in the first 30 minutes, giving the offense great field position and plenty of opportunities to put the ball in the end zone.
PLATI'TUDE STAT: Paired with last week's 44-7 win over Colorado State, it was the first time since 1994 that the Buffs won back-to-back games by 35-plus points. That year, CU opened with a 48-13 win over NE Louisiana and 55-17 over Wisconsin.
NOTEWORTHY: CU has now forced at least one turnover in 15 straight games, best in the nation. … True freshman Beau Bisharat carried eight times for 19 yards. … Liufau was the game's leading rusher with his 54 yards on six carries, a healthy 9.0 average per carry. … The Buffs did not give up a quarterback sack. … It's the first 2-0 start by the Buffs since 2013, when Mike MacIntyre's first CU team beat CSU and Central Arkansas to open the year. … Montez finished 6-for-10 passing for 117 yards and two touchdowns and senior Jordan Gehrke threw three passes, completing one for 14 yards. … Twelve different Buffs caught passes in the game, including the first of his career for true freshman Johnny Huntley III.
QUOTEWORTHY: "I think we just go out there and play as hard as we can play. The whole key of the first two games goes back to practice. It doesn't go to what happened in the game, it goes to how we practice and how we focus and prepare." -- CU coach Mike MacIntyre
"It was exciting to see so many of our players get their first catches and their first runs and see how excited they were. We just tried to teach them to handle the atmosphere and the fans and stuff, so it was fun." -- CU receiver Devin Ross
"A big check, literally." -- Idaho State coach Mike Kramer on what positives he could take from the game
"I guess, at least in our defense, we weren't conditioned enough. We got tired and we weren't used to their fast paced offense." -- Bengals linebacker Hayden Stout
"It was crucial because you can overlook any team but we treated (Idaho State) just like we're going to treat Michigan and just like we treated Colorado State . . . We go in like it's a business and we get things done." -- CU backup QB Steven Montez
"(Saturday) was all Idaho State for us. At the end of the day it's just us and everyone else on our schedule. If we don't play well then we're not going to win, so that's the mindset we've had." -- CU receiver Jay MacIntyre on Michigan possibly being a distraction
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs now take a 2-0 record and plenty of momentum into maybe their most difficult two-game stretch of the season: back-to-back road games at Michigan and Oregon. After two blowout wins, the Buffs will find a true barometer waiting for them next weekend in the Big House in Michigan.
NEXT UP: The Buffs travel to Michigan for a 1:30 p.m. (Mountain) matchup with Michigan. The fifth-ranked Wolverines beat Central Florida 51-14 on Saturday. The game will be televised by the Big Ten Network.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Team Stats
ISU 0, COLO 7
COLO - Ross, Devin 15 yd pass from Liufau, Sefo (Gonzalez, Diego kick) 8 plays, 77 yards, TOP 2:11
ISU 0, COLO 14
COLO - Lindsay, Philli 6 yd run (Gonzalez, Diego kick), 5 plays, 61 yards, TOP 1:34
ISU 0, COLO 21
COLO - Lindsay, Philli 2 yd run (Gonzalez, Diego kick), 8 plays, 48 yards, TOP 2:08
ISU 0, COLO 28
COLO - Evans, Kyle 1 yd run (Gonzalez, Diego kick), 4 plays, 52 yards, TOP 1:39
ISU 0, COLO 35
COLO - Hill, Chris 4 yd pass from Liufau, Sefo (Gonzalez, Diego kick) 8 plays, 66 yards, TOP 3:10
ISU 0, COLO 42
COLO - Liufau, Sefo 19 yd run (Gonzalez, Diego kick), 5 plays, 62 yards, TOP 1:46
ISU 0, COLO 49
COLO - Ento, Kabion 69 yd pass from Montez, Steven (Gonzalez, Diego kick) 4 plays, 82 yards, TOP 1:14
ISU 0, COLO 56
COLO - Ento, Kabion 19 yd pass from Montez, Steven (Graham, Chris kick) 6 plays, 38 yards, TOP 1:54
ISU 7, COLO 56
ISU - Jakori Ford 3 yd run (Zak Johnson kick), 5 plays, 27 yards, TOP 2:17
