Colorado
5-4 , 2-4
California
4-5 , 1-5
Buffs Put Forth Complete Game In 44-28 Win Over Cal
October 28, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — The Colorado Buffaloes everyone had been waiting to see all season showed up in a big way Saturday at Folsom Field.
One week after a halftime benching, CU quarterback Steven Montez produced his best game of the season and Colorado's defense played well when it mattered — even contributing to the scoring — as the Buffs hammered out a 44-28 win over the Bears.
Montez completed 20 of 26 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for one score while running back Phillip Lindsay carried 33 times for 161 yards. The game also featured a 100-yard interception return for a score by Colorado's Nick Fisher.
The Buffs improved to 5-4 overall and 2-4 in Pac-12 play while the Bears fell to 4-5, 1-5. The win was also the 700th in Colorado history.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado's offense put forth one of its best performances of the season in carving out a 27-14 halftime lead.
Montez enjoyed his best half of the year, completing 11 of 16 attempts in the half for 242 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 65-yard strike to Shay Fields — CU's longest pass completion of the season — as well as rushing for a touchdown. Phillip Lindsay, meanwhile, ran 16 times for 82 yards.
After the two teams traded punts to start the game, the Buffs drove 73 yards in nine plays for a 7-0 lead. Phillip Lindsay had a 39-yard run on the drive and, following a sack of Montez, the CU quarterback threw 22 yards to Devin Ross for the score on third-and-17.
The Bears answered with their own long drive, going 75 yards to tie the score at 7-7, finishing the march with a razzle-dazzle 15-yard pass from wide receiver Vic Wharton to Kanawai Noa.
The Buffs then grabbed momentum, scoring touchdowns on their next two possessions, sandwiching a Cal punt.
Colorado needed just six plays to go 75 yards for the go-ahead score. Montez converted a third-and-18 with a 20-yard pass to Bryce Bobo, then hit a streaking Laviska Shenault Jr. with a 58-yard pass to the Cal 7-yard line. One play later, Montez carried in from 7 yards out and James Stefanou's PAT gave Colorado a 14-7 lead.
Colorado's defense then came up with a big stop, fueled by a George Frazier sack, that produced a Cal punt.
CU then needed just six plays again to go 96 yards for another score. Montez converted one third down with a 21-yard toss to Devin Ross, then hit Fields with a 65-yard scoring strike two plays later. Stefanou's PAT gave the Buffs a 21-7 lead.
After another Cal punt, Colorado extended its margin to 24-7, driving to the Cal 12 before settling for a 29-yard Stefanou field goal.
The Bears, however, kept themselves in the game on the ensuing possession, taking 17 plays to go 79 yards. Cal converted its second fourth-down play of the game on the drive and scored on a third-and-14 pass from Ross Bowers to Noa to pull to within 24-14.
But, with just 1:16 left in the half, Colorado drove into Cal territory in time to produce a 39-yard Stefanou field goal as time expired to give the Buffs a 27-14 halftime lead.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, with both teams trading punts.
But early in the final period, Colorado built its cushion to 20 points by carving out a 14-play, 74-yard march. The Buffs converted one third-down play early on the drive, a 3-yard Montez run, then got a 23-yard scoring pass from Montez to Jay MacIntyre on third-and-nine. Stefanou's PAT gave the Buffs a 34-14 lead with 13:17 left in the game.
The Bears managed to cut the margin back to 13 after a five-play, 84-yard drive produced a Bowers 14-yard scoring pass to Wharton, shaving CU's cushion to 34-21 with 8:24 left, but Colorado answered with a methodical 55-yard drive that produced a 37-yard Stefanou field goal and 37-21 lead with just 5:22 left on the clock.
Fisher then put an exclamation point on the win on Cal's ensuing possession by fielding a Bowers pass in the end zone, and then racing 100 yards down the sideline with 2:34 left in the game for a 44-21 Colorado lead.
After Fisher's interception, the Bears added the final score of the day, another Bowers touchdown pass.
TURNING POINT: After Colorado had taken a 14-7 lead in the first quarter, the Buffs came up with a defensive stop, getting a sack from George Frazier on first down and forcing an incompletion on third down. CU took the ensuing punt and went 96 yards for a two-score lead and the Bears never came closer than 10 points again.
KEY STATISTIC: The Buffs were 11-for-17 on third-down attempts, with two of those conversions producing touchdowns. A week ago, Colorado was just 1-for-17 on third-down tries at WSU.
WHAT IT MEANS: With their fifth win of the season, the Buffs need just one win in their last three to become bowl eligible.
NEXT UP: The Buffs travel to Tempe, Ariz., next Saturday for a 6 p.m. meeting with Arizona State (Pac-12 Networks).
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Team Stats
CAL 0, COLO 7
COLO - Ross, Devin 22 yd pass from Montez, Steven (Stefanou, James kick) 9 plays, 73 yards, TOP 3:39
CAL 7, COLO 7
CAL - Noa, Kanawai 15 yd pass from Wharton III, Vi (Anderson, Matt kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:47
CAL 7, COLO 14
COLO - Montez, Steven 7 yd run (Stefanou, James kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:51
CAL 7, COLO 21
COLO - Fields, Shay 65 yd pass from Montez, Steven (Stefanou, James kick) 6 plays, 96 yards, TOP 2:57
CAL 7, COLO 24
COLO - Stefanou, James 29 yd field goal 10 plays, 42 yards, TOP 3:11
CAL 14, COLO 24
CAL - Noa, Kanawai 27 yd pass from Bowers, Ross (Anderson, Matt kick) 17 plays, 79 yards, TOP 5:43
CAL 14, COLO 27
COLO - Stefanou, James 39 yd field goal 8 plays, 50 yards, TOP 1:10
CAL 14, COLO 34
COLO - MacIntyre, Jay 23 yd pass from Montez, Steven (Stefanou, James kick) 14 plays, 74 yards, TOP 5:55
CAL 21, COLO 34
CAL - Wharton III, Vi 14 yd pass from Bowers, Ross (Anderson, Matt kick) 5 plays, 84 yards, TOP 1:07
CAL 21, COLO 37
COLO - Stefanou, James 37 yd field goal 9 plays, 55 yards, TOP 3:02
CAL 21, COLO 44
COLO - Fisher, Nick 100 yd interception (Stefanou, James kick)
CAL 28, COLO 44
CAL - Veasy, Jordan 8 yd pass from Bowers, Ross (Anderson, Matt kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:44
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
