Colorado University Athletics
Buff Bowl No. 9 - '99 Insight.com
Dec. 31, 1999
TUCSON, Ariz. - Colorado scored six first half touchdowns from its offense, defense as well as special teams in building an insurmountable 45-7 lead en route to a 62-28 thrashing of Boston College in the 11th annual Insight.com Bowl, CU's nation-best sixth bowl win in a row.
The Buffaloes took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards in 13 plays, with Cortlen Johnson's 10-yard run capping the drive to give CU a 7-0 lead. Boston College drove to the CU 26 on its first possession, but a 43-yard field goal sailed wide to take some steam out of the Eagles. Quarterback Mike Moschetti then engineered a 12-play, 74-yard drive, and called his own number to score on a 2-yard run and CU led, 14-0, with just 1:47 left in the period.
Then a barrage of returns for touchdowns sealed BC's fate. Thirty seconds and three plays after the Moschetti score, Jashon Sykes intercepted a Tim Hasselbeck pass and returned it 29 yards for a 21-0 lead. A little over four minutes into the second quarter, Rashidi Barnes did the same, stealing a Brian St. Pierre pass and rambling 21 yards into the end zone to make it 28-0. The Buffalo defense stopped the Eagles cold on their next possession, but the elation of a Kevin McMyler 55-yard punt to the CU 12 was short-lived as Ben Kelly raced 88 yards with the ball for a touchdown, the longest in NCAA bowl history, and a 35-0 Colorado lead. After George White intercepted a Moschetti pass and ran it back for a 78-yard score, Johnson added his second touchdown on the day and Jeremy Aldrich the first of two field goals for the 45-7 lead at intermission.
There were a couple of more quirky scores in the second half, as BC recovered its own fumble in the end zone for a score and got its last touchdown on a blocked punt return, but the game was over at halftime. Johnson ran for 201 yards on just 15 carries, and was named to Sports Illustrated's All-Bowl team. CU set numerous school records and the 62 points were the third most ever scored in any bowl. And by scoring in all four quarters, the Buffs extended another amazing streak, as CU ended the 20th century scoring in 15 consecutive bowl quarters and in 26 of its last 27.
The win also gave CU a final record of 7-5 under first-year coach Gary Barnett, and it was Barnett's first win as a head coach in a bowl in three games (he was 0-2 at Northwestern before coming to Colorado).
| Colorado |
21
|