Post Game Notes - University of Colorado Athletics

u Gary Barnett announced to the team after the win that the game ball would be presented to John Hessler, the former CU quarterback who remains in a coma in critical, but stable condition, after an Oct. 19 car accident. “This is a small token of the 2003 team’s appreciation for John and what he’s done for our program,” Barnett said. “We remain in a vigil for him, with our thoughts and prayers for his him and his family.” QB Joel Klatt?“You know, I grew up watching John play quarterback here. Just because you’ve graduated from CU doesn’t mean you’ve left the Colorado Buffalo football family. John’s a part of this program, we’re thinking of him and his family, and we’re all praying for his recovery.”

u The 21 points by CU was the fewest scored by the winning team since a 21-0 CU win in 1995.

u The 16 points allowed by Colorado was the second fewest scored on the Buffs this year (14, UCLA).

u Colorado is now 3-0 this year when it has played the previous week while the opponent was idle (UCLA, Kansas, Missouri). CU has also reeled off five straight wins over Missouri, tying its longest active streak over any Division I-A opponent (Air Force).

u Today’s game took 2:53, only the 15th sub-3 hour game four CU dating back to the 1990 season (the ninth fastest during this time). The last was last year against USC (2 hours, 58 minutes of sheer agony in that one).

u WR D.J. Hackett. He became only the second player in Colorado history to record 60 receptions in a single season with his first catch of the game, joining Michael Westbrook with the distinction. Westbrook caught 76 passes in 1992.

u WR Derek McCoy. He became the first player in Colorado history to record 10 touchdown receptions in a single season with his first quarter grab. That catch also extended his streak to 20 straight games with at least one reception.

u Colorado scored a touchdown on its first possession for fourth time in the last five games (the only four times this season), with the 82 yards tying the longest opening march of the year (which came at Baylor; CU didn’t score, turning the ball over deep in Baylor territory).

u FB Lawrence Vickers. His 3-yard reception for a score early in the second quarter was his first career touchdown.

u The 29-yard pass play from Joel Klatt to D.J. Hackett on a 3rd-and-18 that set up CU’s first touchdown was the longest the Buffs have converted in 2003. Klatt and Hackett hooked up today for three third down conversions, passes covering 29, 22 and 20 yards, the last of which came on a 3rd-and-16 in the third quarter.

u P John Torp. His 61-yard punt in the fourth was his longest of the season; with punts of 61 and 60 yards today, those were the second and third of his career over 60 yards (he had a 63-yard boot against USC in 2002). He had a career best day, with six punts for a 50.7 average, with three inside-the-20, two landing inside-the-10.

u PK Mason Crosby. All four kickoffs today went for touchbacks, upping his season numbers to 19 touchbacks out of 24 kickoffs.

u S J. J. Billingsley. He unofficially had a career-high 17 tackles today; coaches will compute exact count Sunday.

u S Dominique Brooks. He had his first two career interceptions today, the 69th time a CU player had two or more picks in the same game. The last true freshman to have two in a game was CB Damen Wheeler, who had two against Kansas State in Boulder on Nov. 16, 1996.

u Near Mistake-Free. Colorado had a season low three penalties in today’s game, as well as committing no turnovers for the first time this season. CU forced Missouri into four turnovers; since a stretch where CU had forced just one turnover in 16 quarters (prior to the Oklahoma game), the Buff defense has now forced 13 in the last three games.

u QB Joel Klatt. With 187 passing yards today, giving him 2,057 for the season, he became the fifth player in CU history to throw for 2,000 yards in a season, joining Kordell Stewart (three times), John Hessler (twice), Mike Moschetti (twice), and Koy Detmer (once?but the only player to top 3,000). Klatt joins Stewart and Hessler as the lone sophomores to do it.

And with two touchdown passes today, he now has 16 for the season, the fourth most for a single season in school history, trailing Detmer (22, 1996), Hessler (20, 1995) and Moschetti (18, 1999).

u Colorado scored on both its opening drive of the first and second halves today, which it had done in only one other game this year (versus Kansas). It was only CU’s third score in 10 second half opening drives on the year, and the yards gained (80), was almost four times the yardage the Buffs gained in their last two third quarters combined?against Oklahoma (16) and Texas Tech (5).

u It also was the first time CU scored in the third quarter since outscoring Kansas 14-3 in game six, the only other game besides today that Colorado outscored the opponent in the period.

u POST-CONTACT YARDS. Press box figures indicate that Missouri’s Brad Smith had 68 of his rushing yards after taking a first hit. Smith accounted for 380 yards of total offense, or all but 67 of his team’s yards.

u COLORADO INJURIES: WR Ron Monteilh (shoulder, questionable for Iowa State); QB Joel Klatt (hand contusion, definite for ISU).