Buffs Struggle At Washington State, Fall 41-10

PULLMAN, Wash. — Colorado's offense struggled all night and Washington State took advantage of every opportunity that came its way Saturday, as the Buffaloes dropped a 41-10 decision at Martin Stadium.

The loss, CU's third in a row, dropped Colorado to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in Pac-12 play. The Cougars, who ended a three-game skid, improved to 4-3, 1-3.

Colorado entered the game hoping to take advantage of a Washington State defense that had given up an average of 47 points per game in three Pac-12 contests. But the Buffs struggled from the beginning, with quarterback Steven Montez throwing a pair of interceptions in the first half and James Stefanou connecting on just one of three field goal attempts.

The Cougars, meanwhile, scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, including a drive that needed only 26 yards after Montez's first interception, to take a 21-3 lead after the first quarter.

Colorado's defense then stiffened and held WSU to just a field goal in the second quarter, but CU's offense couldn't find the end zone until the third quarter. The Cougars' offense wore down the Buffs after intermission, adding two more touchdowns and a field goal to their total.

Montez finished 16-for-30 for 129 yards, two interceptions and no touchdowns. CU running back Alex Fontenot ran 11 times for 105 yards, as the Buffs rushed for 164 yards.

Defensively, Colorado had no answer for WSU quarterback Anthony Gordon, who finished 35-for-51 for 369 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

"Defensively it took us too long to get going, to figure out how we could get some stops," CU head coach Mel Tucker said. "Some missed assignments, we were poor tackling and we allowed a lot of yards after the catch. We started to settle down after that but it was too late. Offensively, turnovers and we still have some penalties. We were moving the ball but weren't able to finish drives and we missed a couple field goals. That was really the tale of the game."

HOW IT HAPPENED: For the second week in a row, the Buffs couldn't manufacture any offensive consistency, as they were once again plagued by problems in the red zone. CU reached inside the WSU 20-yard line twice in the first half, but came away with just three points.

Of Colorado's six first-half possessions, two ended on missed field goals (from 48 and 52 yards), two ended on interceptions, one resulted in a punt and one produced a 24-yard Stefanou field goal.

After Washington State scored on its first two possessions, the Buffs finally answered by marching deep into WSU territory and earning a first-and-goal from the 10-yard line. But the drive stalled after a short run and two incompletions, and CU had to settle for a Stefanou field goal to cut WSU's lead to 14-3.

The Cougars then quickly answered with another touchdown drive, getting a 47-yard Max Borghi run to cap the march for a 21-3 lead with 1:49 still left in the first quarter.

After WSU's third touchdown, Colorado's defense stiffened. The Buffs stopped the Cougars on downs on their next possession, then forced a three-and-out.

But the Buffs' two ensuing drives ended on an interception in the end zone on third down from the WSU 15-yard line and a three-and-out. That left WSU just enough time to drive for a field goal just before the half, leaving Colorado with a 24-3 halftime deficit.

"Once we settled down and guys started to home in on what their job was, we were able to get some stops, be aggressive, get off the field on third down," Tucker said. "I saw some young guys out there competing once the game started to slow down for them a little bit. But we're still not generating the takeaways that we need to have on defense."

The Buffs gave themselves some hope in the third quarter with two defensive stops to set the stage for a 51-yard march to the end zone. Montez connected with Laviska Shenault Jr. for 24 yards on third down to keep the drive alive before Shenault took a direct snap and powered into the end zone from 6 yards out.

That pulled CU to within 24-10 with 5:06 still left to play in the third period.

But the Cougars quickly answered with an 81-yard touchdown drive, getting a 44-yard Gordon touchdown pass to give WSU a three-score cushion, 31-10. It was one of three WSU touchdown plays of at least 22 yards, as Gordon also had a 22-yard touchdown pass and Max Borghi had a 47-yard scoring run.

WSU then added another touchdown and field goal in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.

Montez was replaced by sophomore Tyler Lytle midway through the fourth quarter, but Lytle was hurt on his first play. That brought redshirt freshman Blake Stenstrom into the game for his first action — and his first collegiate pass was intercepted.

TURNING POINT: After WSU took a 7-0 lead on its first possession, the Buffs handed the ball back to the Cougars on an interception. The Cougars needed just three plays to go 26 yards for the score and a 14-0 lead.

KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs managed just three points in their first two trips to the red zone … WSU won the turnover battle 3-1 … The Cougars converted 7 of 14 third-down tries while CU was just 5-for-15 … The Buffs gave up 6.8 yards per offensive snap, and three touchdown plays of more than 20 yards.

WHAT IT MEANS: Now with a 3-game losing streak, Colorado needs a win in a hurry to get back on the right track and keep bowl hopes alive.

NEXT UP: The Buffs return home next Friday for a 7 p.m. game with Southern California (ESPN2).

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu

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Team Stats

Steven Montez

Blake Stenstrom

Tyler Lytle

Players Mentioned

Alex Fontenot

Tyler Lytle

Steven Montez

Laviska Shenault Jr.

James Stefanou

Blake Stenstrom

Players Mentioned

Alex Fontenot

Tyler Lytle

Steven Montez

Laviska Shenault Jr.

James Stefanou

Blake Stenstrom