Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Defense Helps Pave Way To Win With Big Second Half Vs. Huskers
September 07, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — After a tough first half for the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday at Folsom Field, the team needed a spark. Going into the locker room trailing 17-0, the offense was struggling and the defense could not seem to handle Nebraska's sophomore quarterback, Adrian Martinez.Â
When asked about the attitude in the locker room at halftime, Colorado defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson said, "Everybody kept their heads up … we all kept our heads up and ended up clapping each other on, going through our adjustments, and we were ready to play in the second half."Â
As the second half began CU's defenders proved they were not going to tuck their tails and give in. Coming out of the halftime break the CU defense forced the Cornhuskers to punt three possessions in a row. From there, the Buffaloes continued to apply the pressure, ultimately paving the way for a 34-31 Colorado win in overtime.Â
With a few more stops from the defense, the Buffaloes held Nebraska scoreless in the third quarter and were set up to continue their comeback in the fourth.Â
Johnson, a CU captain for the game, led the charge in the fourth quarter with a huge momentum swinging sack that forced a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Nu'umotu Falo. That led to a game tying field goal from James Stefanou.Â
Later in the fourth quarter, as the Cornhuskers were attempting to construct a drive to take the lead in the last minute of regulation, sophomore Chris Miller came up big with an interception to bring the drive to a halt and send the game into overtime. Â
After Stefanou gave Colorado its first lead of the game in overtime, 34-31, the defense came up big again and Johnson had another game-changing play. Martinez was flushed out of the pocket and sacked by Johnson for a loss of 7 yards. This left Nebraska kicker, Isaac Armstrong with a 48-yard field goal try that he missed, giving Colorado the victory.Â
The defense finished six sacks, one interception and two fumble recoveries, helping Colorado outscore the 25th ranked team in the nation, 31-14, in the second half. Johnson finished with four tackles — including three sacks — and a forced fumble. Also getting in on the sack parade were linebacker Alex Tchangam with two and defensive back Mekhi Blackmon with one.
Junior linebacker Nate Landman led the Buffs with 14 tackles.
When asked how to keep this momentum moving forward through the rest of the season, Johnson said, "We got to trust our coaches and execute what they tell us to do...our coaching staff has a lot of experience and they know what they're talking about."
The Buffaloes look to continue their winning ways next Saturday when they take on in state foe, Air Force, at Folsom Field at 11 a.m.
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