Colorado
5-7 , 2-7
California
7-4 , 4-4
Buffs Can't Overcome Mistakes As Comeback Falls Short At Cal To End Season
November 24, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BERKELEY, Calif. — After a nightmarish start Saturday night, the Colorado Buffaloes never quit — but neither could they completely overcome a flood of early mistakes.
In the end, those errors spelled the difference in a 33-21 loss to Cal at Memorial Stadium. The loss, the Buffs' seventh straight, ended their season at 5-7 overall and 2-7 in Pac-12 play. Cal improved to 7-4, 4-4.
Colorado entered the game with hopes of still earning bowl eligibility. But those hopes absorbed a fatal blow in the first two minutes of the game when Cal recorded two defensive scores. The Buffs managed to come back and throw a scare into the Bears, but their first-half mistakes dug a hole from which they could never completely escape. It was CU's 10th opportunity in the last two years to become bowl eligible with a win.
But instead of a bowl bid, the loss finished a season slide not seen before in CU history. After starting the season 5-0 and reaching the top 20 in the national rankings, Colorado finished with a seven-game losing streak, a stretch that ultimately resulted in the dismissal of head coach Mike MacIntyre one week before the regular season finale.
Quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper served as CU's interim coach Saturday, and he credited the Buffs with never giving up.
"They've done that all year," Roper said. "They're a tough team, they're a really close team. Putting on the Colorado uniform is important to them and they're going to fight for 60 and they'll continue to do that."
The Bears set the tone early, picking off two Steven Montez passes in the first two minutes of the game and returning both for scores. The Buffs also fumbled away two punts, which led to another Cal touchdown and a field goal, and Montez also threw a third interception in the first half.
Those miscues left Colorado trailing 21-0 after the first quarter and 24-7 at the half. CU did manage to come back and pull to within 27-21 late in the third quarter, but the Bears answered with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter for a two-score cushion and neither team scored again.
Also in the game, CU's Laviska Shenault Jr. passed the 1,000-yard receiving mark and running back Travon McMillian surpassed 1,000 yards in rushing for the season. It is the first time in CU history the Buffs have had a 1,000-yard rusher and receiver in the same season.
The Buffs actually came out ahead in most of the key statistical categories. Colorado had a 318-211 edge in total offense, including 170-116 in passing yards and 148-95 in rushing yards. The Buffs also converted nine of 19 third-down attempts while the Bears were just 1-for-17.
But while the Buffs committed five costly turnovers, the Bears did not have a turnover the entire game — the third consecutive game CU could not come up with a defensive takeaway. In that stretch, opponents forced 12.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Buffs could not have scripted a worse start, committing five turnovers in the first half that led to 24 Cal points, including the two interceptions returned for touchdowns.
On the third play of the game, Montez threw into the flat and Cal cornerback Elijah Hicks read the throw perfectly. Hicks broke on the ball, nabbed it in full stride and raced 34 yards to the end zone for a touchdown and 7-0 Cal lead.
The nightmare continued on CU's next series. On another third down play, Montez was intercepted again, this time by safety Ashtyn Davis, who returned the pick 35 yards for another touchdown, giving Cal a 14-0 lead before Colorado's defense ever stepped foot on the field.
Cal then extended its lead to 21-0 when its offense got a second chance on its first possession. The Buffs forced a Bears punt, but a Ronnie Blackmon fumble gave Cal the ball at the CU 29, and eight plays later, the Bears had their third touchdown and a 21-0 lead.
"The start was just godawful on my part," Montez said. "I wasn't seeing it, just forcing balls. Basically just throwing picks is what it was. I feel like we kid of turned it around a little bit in the second half, started making better decisions, but it was just too late."
The Buffs finally halted the Cal run with a six-play, 69-yard touchdown drive early in the second quarter. Montez completed passes of 26 yards to Kabion Ento and 22 to Shenault before Kyle Evans scored from 1 yard out to cut the lead to 21-7. The Bears, however, recovered another fumbled punt and turned it into a field goal to take a 24-7 halftime lead.
The Buffs did come back to throw a scare into the Bears in the third quarter. After CU's defense forced a three-and-out to start the half, Colorado went 60 yards in nine plays for a score. Montez capped the drive with a 24-yard touchdown toss to K.D. Nixon and James Stefanou's extra point cut Cal's cushion to 24-14.
The Bears then answered with a field goal, but CU responded with a 10-play, 79-yard touchdown drive to cut the deficit to 27-21. Montez threw to Shenault for 18 yards and Nixon for 24 on the drive before hitting Winfree with a 3-yard scoring toss with 41 seconds to go in the third quarter.
But that was Colorado's last gasp. The Bears took the ensuing kickoff and went 72 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown, aided by a huge personal foul penalty on the Buffs on third down in CU territory. A Chase Garbers 7-yard pass to Moe Ways gave Cal a 33-21 lead, and while the two-point conversion failed, neither team managed another score.
TURNING POINT: Just after the Buffs pulled to within 27-21, the Bears answered with a long scoring drive early in the fourth quarter to bump their cushion back up to two scores. The Buffs didn't have another comeback in their pocket.
KEY STATISTIC: Colorado's five turnovers — and Cal's zero miscues — were the difference in the game.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs have now played 10 games over the last two seasons with a chance to become bowl eligible, and have lost each time.
NOTEWORTHY: Shenault's seven catches for 65 yards gave him 86 for 1,011 for the year, numbers he reached despite missing three games with a toe injury. … McMillian, a graduate transfer, finished his only year at Colorado with 201 carries for 1,009 yards after a 21-carry, 58-yard night against the Bears.
QUOTEWORTHY: "It's tough knowing this will be the last time I'll be putting on black and gold, wearing Colorado colors, playing with my teammates. I wish it would have went a little better, wish we could have gone out on a win and gone to a bowl game. But it's like Coach Mac always taught us, keep moving forward. You can't do anything about the past, but you can do something about your future." — CU senior linebacker Rick Gamboa
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Team Stats
COLO 0, CAL 7
CAL - Hicks, Elijah 34 yd interception (Thomas, Greg kick)
COLO 0, CAL 14
CAL - Davis, Ashtyn 35 yd interception (Thomas, Greg kick)
COLO 0, CAL 21
CAL - Laird, Patrick 1 yd pass from Garbers, Chase (Thomas, Greg kick) 8 plays, 29 yards, TOP 4:19
COLO 7, CAL 21
COLO - Evans, Kyle 1 yd run (Stefanou, James kick), 9 plays, 69 yards, TOP 3:49
COLO 7, CAL 24
CAL - Thomas, Greg 24 yd field goal 4 plays, 8 yards, TOP 2:10
COLO 14, CAL 24
COLO - Nixon, K.D. 24 yd pass from Montez, Steven (Stefanou, James kick) 9 plays, 60 yards, TOP 3:12
COLO 14, CAL 27
CAL - Thomas, Greg 33 yd field goal 6 plays, 34 yards, TOP 1:54
COLO 21, CAL 27
COLO - Winfree, Juwann 3 yd pass from Montez, Steven (Stefanou, James kick) 10 plays, 79 yards, TOP 4:08
COLO 21, CAL 33
CAL - Ways, Moe 7 yd pass from Garbers, Chase (Garbers, Chase passfailed) 11 plays, 72 yards, TOP 5:00
