Buffs Offense Comes Alive In Second Half To Sink Huskers

BOULDER — Colorado's offense never blinked Saturday.

Even after a lackluster first half when the Buffs reached Nebraska territory only twice, the Buffs didn't panic.

Then, when their defense gave them the opportunity in the second half, they finally capitalized. After throwing for just 84 yards in the first half, CU quarterback Steven Montez threw for 291 and two touchdowns after intermission to lift Colorado to a 34-31 overtime win. His first touchdown, a 96-yarder to K.D. Nixon — the longest play from scrimmage in CU history — came on a flea-flicker and pulled the Buffs to within 17-14 early in the fourth quarter.

His second, a beautiful 26-yard strike to Tony Brown with 46 seconds remaining, knotted the game at 31-31 and sent it into overtime.

"We just kind of got it together," said Montez. "We just all kind of calmed down and started to play."

Montez was sacked three times in the first half but was never taken down in the second.

"They played lights out," Montez said of his offensive line. "Shout out to the big guys up front. They played their butts off in the second half. I can't say enough about what the O-line did today."

Colorado offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic said he "couldn't be prouder" of his players.

"We came in at halftime and all I said was we had to quit playing tentative," Kapilovic said. "They came back and trusted their technique and their training. They grew up before our own eyes. They took it to them and wore them down. We just wore them down in the fourth quarter."

The Buffs did indeed wear the Huskers down, scoring 31 points in the second half. Along with Montez's throwing, CU finished with 89 yards on the ground after intermission, including an 11-carry, 44-yard, two-touchdown effort from freshman Jaren Mangham.

But it was Montez who made the biggest difference, finding holes in the Nebraska secondary the entire fourth quarter.

"Steven showed poise, he showed patience, trusted his teammates, trusted the plan, trusted the coaches and it became about execution," head coach Mel Tucker said. "I was really proud of him and he hung in there. I saw him do things that good players do."

BIG DAY FOR FALO: With starting outside linebacker Carson Wells out with a concussion suffered in practice this week, CU needed big performances from its other outside linebackers.

The Buffs got exactly that. Senior OLB Alex Tchangam had two sacks and senior OLB Nu'umotu Falo had two fumble recoveries, the second of which led to a game-tying field goal in the fourth quarter.

"I do everything for the team," Falo said. "Football is a team sport. What I do doesn't contribute to myself, I see it as a team step. What I did out there was just to help the team win."

COMEBACK ANNALS: The comeback from a 17-point deficit tied for the fourth largest in CU history. The record is 20, coming against Missouri in 1978 when the Buffs erased a 27-7 deficit for a 28-27 win. CU came back from 19 down to beat Kansas, 20-19, in 1961 and came from 18 down against Iowa State for a 43-38 win in 1997.

Colorado also came back from 17 down to beat Minnesota (1992), Oklahoma (2007) and Washington State (2012).

BUFFS BITS: Montez is now second on CU's all-time passing list with 7,448 yards, trailing only Sefo Liufau's 9,568. He now has 50 career touchdown passes … CU kicker James Stefanou is now 76-for-76 on career PATs … K.D. Nixon had his third 100-yard receiving game … The announced sellout Folsom crowd of 52,829 was the largest at Folsom since 52,855 in a 2010 win over Georgia … CU's 375 yards passing was the most ever by a CU team against Nebraska, and just one yard short of Montez's career high … Colorado is now 7-8 all-time in overtime games and 1-1 against Nebraska … The two teams will meet again in Boulder in 2023, then play in Lincoln in 2024. … After giving up 10 catches for 177 yards last year to Laviska Shenault Jr., Nebraska did hold the CU receiver to just five catches for 31 yards Saturday.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu