Colorado
1-5 , 1-2
California
3-3 , 1-2
Buffs Knock Off Cal In OT As Sanford Wins CU Coaching Debut
October 15, 2022 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Colorado interim head coach Mike Sanford wanted to bring joy and energy back to the Buffaloes' locker room.
The Buffs delivered exactly that in a big way Saturday, as CU's J.T. Shrout threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Montana Lemonious-Craig in the first overtime to lead the Buffs to a 20-13 win over Cal at Folsom Field and hand Sanford a victory in his first game at the Buffs' helm.
A crowd of 50,471 watched the Buffs end a five-game losing streak to improve to 1-5 overall and 1-2 in Pac-12 play while the Bears fell to 3-3, 1-2.
Colorado led just 3-0 at the half in a defense-dominated game.
But Shrout replaced a banged-up Owen McCown late in the third quarter and helped guide the Buffs to a touchdown for a 10-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, then a field goal with 4:30 left in regulation to give CU a 13-10 edge.
The Bears then forced overtime with a field goal on the last play of regulation, but Shrout tossed the touchdown to Lemonious-Craig on CU's first OT possession and the defense took over, keeping the Bears out of the end zone to clinch the win.
Lemonious-Craig finished with eight catches for 119 yards, Shrout was 8-for-12 passing for 69 yards and Anthony Hankerson had 16 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Coordinator Gerald Chatman's defense, meanwhile, was outstanding all day. While the Buffs were last in the nation in rushing defense coming into the game, they held Cal to 297 yards total offense, including just 35 on the ground — the Bears' second-lowest rushing total of the season. Linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo was credited with nine tackles, including 3.5 of Colorado's 10 tackles for loss. Safety Trevor Woods had a huge pass breakup in the end zone in overtime, safety Tyrin Taylor recorded an interception and cornerback Nikko Reed notched a fumble recovery.
Colorado's defensive front had its best game of the season, stymying Cal's run game and also getting pressure on Bears quarterback Jack Plummer all day.
Shrout's pass to Lemonious-Craig was originally ruled an incompletion, but an instant replay review awarded the Buffs a touchdown. Replay showed Lemonious-Craig making an outstanding leaping grab while managing to drag one foot in bounds in the right corner of the end zone to produce the score.
Sanford, who took the reins when CU dismissed Karl Dorrell on Oct. 2, was a bundle of energy all day on Colorado's sidelines.
"This is all about the players," Sanford said. "Their resilience, their resolve. I'm really proud of these players."
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado's defense delivered its best half of the season in the first 30 minutes, blanking the Bears for the first two quarters. CU held Cal to just 103 yards total offense, including just 23 on the ground.
The Bears did have two chances to get on the board, thanks to good field position, but both times came away empty when field goal tries of 54 yards and 48 yards wobbled left.
Colorado's offense, meanwhile, also struggled to find any consistency, finishing with just 141 yards offense in the first half. But CU did manage to get on the board with a 31-yard Cole Becker field goal with 4:39 left in the second quarter.
The Buffs put themselves in great scoring position on the drive, thanks to a 41-yard pass from McCown to Daniel Arias that put Colorado on the Cal 12-yard line. But two plays later, an 11-yard scoring pass from McCown to Jordyn Tyson was nullified by a penalty and CU settled for Becker's field goal.
That, though, was enough to send the Buffs into the locker room at intermission with the lead for the first time this year, a 3-0 edge.
Cal finally found the end zone and took the lead late in the third quarter when the Bears marched 47 yards in seven plays. Cal converted a fourth-and-2 on the drive, then scored on a 14-yard pass from Jack Plummer to J. Michael Sturdivant to take a 7-3 lead.
But following punts by both teams, CU's offense responded.
With Shrout at quarterback, Colorado drove 58 yards for its first touchdown of the game, with the big play coming via some trickeration. Wide receiver Tyson took a handoff from Shrout, then delivered a 37-yard pass to Lemonious-Craig.
Three plays later, Hankerson bulled in from the 1-yard line for the touchdown and Becker's PAT gave CU a 10-7 lead with 14:25 remaining in the fourth quarter.
But following turnovers by both teams — Colorado's Reed recovered a Cal fumble and the Bears answered by forcing a CU fumble — the Bears turned their opportunity into three points. Cal went 36 yards in five plays before settling for a 27-yard Dario Longhetto field goal to tie the game at 10-10.
Colorado, though, produced an answer. The Buffs went 69 yards in 14 plays before getting a 24-yard Becker field goal to take a 13-10 lead with 4:30 to play. Shrout completed a 19-yard pass to Lemonious-Craig on the drive and Hankerson had an 11-yard run on the march.
But the Bears responded with a 12-play scoring drive that resulted in a game-tying field goal as time expired. The Bears had a first-and-goal at the CU 7-yard line, but the Buffs defense forced two incompletions, then collected a huge sack on third down when Reed blitzed off the edge to produce a 9-yard loss.
Cal's Longhetto then kicked a 34-yarder as time expired to tie the game at 13-13 and send the game into overtime.
That led to Shrout's winning TD pass and one more defensive stand from Colorado.
"What I told them is that the best part about being 1-0 which we are in our new season, is that you have a chance to be 2-0 and that's where our attention turns 24 hours from now," Sanford said. "We're going to get back to work tomorrow and we're going to practice, we're going to add some Sunday work, and we've just got to keep our eyes straight ahead. Enjoy this, it's one of those days that you'll never forget, but at the end of the day, we've got a job to do and we believe in our abilities to go do that and that's where eyes are going to be fixated."
TURNING POINT: This one wasn't over until it was over. Neither team ever led by more than four points and the outcome wasn't decided until Cal's final pass in overtime fell incomplete.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs held Cal to just 35 yards rushing … CU had 10 tackles for loss, including two sacks … Shrout was a very efficient 8-for-12 for 69 yards and a touchdown in his relief role … Cal was just 5-for-17 on third-down tries ... Lemonious-Craig's eight-catch, 119-yard day was by far the best of any CU receiver and the most yards by a Colorado receiver since Dimitri Stanley had 126 yards vs. Stanford in 2020.
WHAT IT MEANS: The Buffs not only avoided an 0-6 start, they broke into the win column in Pac-12 play in the process. The victory will no doubt be a huge confidence boost as they head down the second half of the season.
UP NEXT: The Buffs hit the road next Saturday for a 6 p.m. game against Oregon State in Corvallis (Pac-12 Network).
Team Stats
CAL 0, COL 3
COL - Becker,Cole 31 yd field goal 8 plays, 57 yards, TOP 04:39
CAL 7, COL 3
CAL - Sturdivant,J.Michael 14 yd pass from Plummer,Jack (Longhetto,Dario kick) 7 plays, 47 yards, TOP 03:04
CAL 7, COL 10
COL - Hankerson,Anthony 1 yd run (Becker,Cole kick), 6 plays, 58 yards, TOP 01:42
CAL 10, COL 10
CAL - Longhetto,Dario 27 yd field goal 5 plays, 36 yards, TOP 02:04
CAL 10, COL 13
COL - Becker,Cole 24 yd field goal 14 plays, 69 yards, TOP 05:50
CAL 13, COL 13
CAL - Longhetto,Dario 34 yd field goal 12 plays, 59 yards, TOP 04:30
CAL 13, COL 20
COL - Lemonious-Craig,Montana 22 yd pass from Shrout,J.T. (Becker,Cole kick) 3 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00
Players Mentioned
