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Brooks: Buffs Find Another Route To
Heartache
BOULDER ? A loss is a loss is a loss, but donGÇÖt
believe anyone who suggests there arenGÇÖt bad losses, incredibly bad
losses and losses that rip open the chest cavity and bust a break
dance on the heart.
The Colorado Buffaloes opened themselves up to one of those in
September ? and apparently it wasnGÇÖt sufficient. So they ushered in
October (and their Pac-12 Conference membership) in the same
unthinkable, torturous way.
The utter dejection of last monthGÇÖs overtime loss to California
? remember first-and-30 in OT and a 32-yard Cal completion on the
next play? ? was one-upped by what happened Saturday against
Washington State. After taking a 10-point lead with 5:11 to play,
CU allowed WSU a pair of touchdown passes ? the last with 1:10
remaining ? and lost 31-27.
Of the CougarsGÇÖ 455 yards in total offense, 167 of it was gained
in the two fourth-quarter touchdown marches that enabled them to
win for only the second time in 21 road trips.? WSUGÇÖs winning TD
drive was of the blink-and-you-missed-it variety: five plays, 40
seconds, 90 yards. Hello...anybody home?
The Buffs now are 1-4 overall and by all accounts not in a very
good place. Believe it or not, the schedule toughens up
considerably from here. Trips to Stanford (next Saturday) and
Washington (Oct. 15) await, and CU has this thing ? 20 consecutive
losses ? about playing on the road. And when the Buffs return next
to Folsom Field, it will be to face No. 9 Oregon (Oct. 22).
But weGÇÖre getting ahead of ourselves, which after SaturdayGÇÖs
devastating loss seems almost impossible to do. Giving up the
touchdown pass that permitted the Cougars to pull to within 27-24
with 2:35 left tensed up the Buffs and the 51,928 watching, but it
couldnGÇÖt happen again in one afternoon...could it?...more
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