Folsom500 - A Look Back - November 23, 2001 - University of Colorado Athletics

BOULDER - On a brisk November day in 2001, the University of Colorado Buffaloes took Folsom field to face their rival Nebraska Cornhuskers. Fans donning CU black and gold swarmed into the stadium and took their seats, not that they would stay sitting long. Despite CU's efforts to prevent Nebraska fans from overwhelming the stadium, a sea of red was also in attendance. None of the attendees, however, could have foreseen what they were about to witness.

The CU-Nebraska rivalry is one of the oldest and most storied in college football, dating back to 1898. The Cornhuskers had undeniably gotten the better of the Buffs over the past century. In fact, the Buffaloes hadn't beaten Nebraska in 10 years. Prior to the game, CU running back Cortlen Johnson acknowledged this as he said, "It's almost like playing against your older brother. You want to beat them so bad, and just all the years growing up he's been beating up on you. Our opportunity is here."

Every time the two schools clashed it was like a bowl game in its own right, but the stakes seemed especially high in 2001. Nebraska came into the game on a 13-game win streak, ranked second in the nation, and their quarterback, Eric Crouch, looked poised to win the Heisman Trophy. On the other hand, the Buffs were 8-2 and looking to win their first Big 12 Conference championship.

The Buffs came out of the gates on fire. Just minutes into the game, running back Bobby Purify pulverized Nebraska's front seven and ran untouched for a 39-yard score. On the other side, CU's defense flocked to the ball, creating turnovers that led to a 28-3 lead after the first quarter.

The second quarter was more of the same. Running back Chris Brown took the reins, carrying the ball for 92 yards and a trio of touchdowns. With each score, the CU faithful got louder, and by halftime Folsom was in a frenzy. The Buffs went into the locker room up 42-23.

But the game was far from over. Despite their dominant first half, the Buffs were playing against one of the country's most high-octane offenses and would need to be relentless.

"We were level headed, focused, and wanted to make sure we put that game far enough away that we had a comfortable lead going into the fourth quarter," said. CU offensive guard Andre Gurode following the game. "Coming out of halftime we truly believed the score was 0-0."

If that was the sentiment in the locker room, it did not translate on the field immediately. Nebraska scored early in the third quarter, and then drove down to the Buff's 1-yard line with a chance to make it a one-score game.

On the afternoon's most crucial play, the Cornhuskers opted to hand the ball off to Dahrran Diedrick, who made a leaping attempt at the goal line. Seemingly from out of nowhere, CU linebacker Sean Tufts ripped through Nebraska's offensive line and met Diedrick at the pinnacle of his jump. Tufts jarred the ball lose and the Buffs recovered.

From there, Brown took over the game, scoring three more touchdowns in a span of just over three minutes. To seal the game for the Buffs, senior captain Michael Lewis and Tufts both intercepted Crouch passes, and the Buffs were able to run out the clock for an unthinkable 62-36 upset win.

It was the tandem of Brown and Purify that overwhelmed Nebraska. Purify carried the ball 20 times for 154 yards while Brown turned 24 rushes into 198 yards and six touchdowns. After the game, even he couldn't fathom his team's performance – "You never think it will go like this, obviously," Brown said. "But once in a while, it all works. Sixty two points is almost too overwhelming for me. It's going to take a while to sink in."

The game was both memorable and central to Colorado football history for many reasons. Not only did the Buffs beat Nebraska, 62 points was the most a Cornhusker defense had given up in their history. Equally as impressive, Brown's six rushing touchdowns remain a CU record to this day.

As it turned out, the game was pivotal for both teams. Everyone thought that Nebraska had been taken out of contention for the BCS National Championship, including their coach Frank Solich, who said after the loss, "I feel bad for the players and everyone else associated with the program to have our season end like this."

On the contrary, they did make it, but ended up losing in the National Championship game to Miami. The Buffs meanwhile, played themselves into the Big 12 Championship and upset Texas to win their first Big 12 title.

Although both teams ended up losing their respective bowl games, their own national championship took place on that brisk November day. The CU fans fortunate enough to have attended will forever remember the day the Buffs flipped the script and dominated the Cornhuskers. Little brother had finally beat up the big bully.

Folsom500 - A Look Back - November 23, 2001

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