Colorado-Colorado State Notes
vs
TCU
Oct 4 (Sat)
5:30 p.m.
Players who carried out CU’s symbolic instruments tonight (S Jaisen Sanchez also served as an honorary captain):
Sledgehammer: Nate Landman
Toolbox: Beau Bisharat
United States Flag: Kyle Evans
Colorado Flag: Daniel Talley
ATTENDANCE Tonight’s attendance of 70,158 broke down in this fashion: Colorado sold 38,399 tickets (11,440 student) for the game (460 fewer than last year); CSU sold 28,920; and the Broncos/Ticketmaster moved 2,839 ducats.
QUICKLY CU has won three straight season openers for the first time since 2003-04-05 (all against CSU both times) … MacIntyre is now 4-2 in season openers at CU and is 7-1 against CSU overall (2-0 at San Jose State) … Buffs now lead the series 66-22-2 (12-6 in Denver, 22-8 since it was resumed in 1983) … Colorado is now 80-44-5 in 129 season openers … CU has won four straight in the series, the longest run by either school since the Buffs claimed eight straight from 1987 through 1998 (CU has outscored the Rams 133-47 in the streak) … The 45 points by CU are the most in the series since 1996 (a 48-34 CU win in Fort Collins) … CU dressed 92 players for tonight, 50 of whom had never played a snap for the Buffaloes but 34 of those would appear (list below) …
Wacky Stats of the Night: CU was 9-of-9 on 2nd-&-4 or less until the kneel-down in the final series (13-of-23 overall on second down) … On the four third downs CU converted, it gained 186 yards (5, 89, 49, 43).
FIRST CAREER ACTION A total of 34 players made their Buffalo debuts tonight, easily the most in CU history dating to when records are available (*—mainly saw action on special teams):
TRUE FRESHMEN (5): DE Israel Antwine, WR Daniel Arias, OL Frank Filip, S *Hasaan Hypolite, WR Dimitri Stanley
REDSHIRT FROSH (17): WR Maurice Bell, CB Mehki Blackmon, WR Curtis Chiaverini, TB Alex Fontenot, S Kevin George, DE Terrance Lang, S Isaiah Lewis, QB Tyler Lytle, DL Nico Magri, OG Jake Moretti, ILB Chase Newman, OL Heston Paige, C Colby Pursell, TE Brady Russell, OL William Sherman, ILB Jonathan Van Diest, OLB Carson Wells
SOPHOMORES (6): CB Delrick Abrams, TE Derek Coleman, DE Mustafa Johnson, OL Kary Kutsch, WR Erik Lawson, S Aaron Maddox
JUNIORS (4): WR Tony Brown, TE Darrion Jones, OLB Davion Taylor, OLB Alex Tchangam
SENIORS (2): DT Mo Bandi, TB Travon McMillian
STARTS: Eleven Buffaloes made their first career starts:
CB Delrick Abrams, DE Israel Antwine, OLB Jacob Callier, TB Kyle Evans, DE Mustafa Johnson, ILB Nate Landman, WR K.D. Nixon, C Colby Pursell, WR Laviska Shenault, LG Brett Tonz and OLB Carson Wells.
Pursell became just the third freshman, true or redshirt, to ever start a CU season opener at center, joining two Buff first-team All-Americans, Bryan Stoltenberg (1992) and Andre Gurode (1998); they were also redshirt frosh.
INTERCEPTIONS: ILB Nate Landman made his first career pick in the second quarter.
MONTEZ-To-SHENAULT’S 89-YARDER … tied for the fourth-longest pass play in CU history and for the eighth overall (top 10 below). It was the second longest play this millennium, the longest since Robert Hodge-to-Jeremy Bloom covered 94 yards for a touchdown against Kansas State on Oct. 5, 2002.
COLORADO / ALL-TIME LONGEST PLAYS FROM SCRIMMAGE
95 Emerson Wilson vs. Kansas State in Boulder, Nov. 20, 1954 (TD).
94 Robert Hodge to Jeremy Bloom vs. Kansas State in Boulder, Oct. 5, 2002 (TD).
92 Koy Detmer to Charles Johnson vs. Oklahoma in Boulder, Oct. 17, 1992 (TD).
91 Kayo Lam vs. Brigham Young at Provo, Oct. 20, 1934 (TD).
91 Bob West vs. New Mexico in Pueblo, Nov. 4, 1944 (TD).
90 Eddie Dove vs. Kansas in Boulder, Oct. 5, 1957 (TD).
90 Marc Walters to Jeff Campbell vs. Kansas State in Boulder, Nov. 19, 1988 (TD).
89 Koy Detmer to Herchell Troutman vs. Colorado State in Boulder, Sept. 9, 1995.
89 Steven Montez to Laviska Shenault vs. Colo. St. in Denver, Aug. 31, 2018 (TD).
88 Mike Moschetti to Javon Green vs. Oklahoma in Boulder, Oct. 30, 1999 (TD).
300/200/100 Colorado had a 300-yard passer, a 200-yad receiver and a 100-yard rusher for the first time in its history … It was the second time with two 100-yard receivers and a 100-yard rusher (other: vs. Nebraska, 2009); and the 44th time with a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver (CU is 34-10 in those games).
QB Steven Montez (25-22-1, 338, 4 TD, 246.4 QBR passing; 3-41, 1 TD rushing).
—He completed his first 12 passes to tie the CU record for the most consecutive pass completions to start a game, matching Joel Klatt against Missouri in 2005).
—His 38-yard touchdown run was the longest for a score by a CU quarterback since Oct. 22, 1994, when Kordell Stewart scored on a 60-yard run against Kansas State (and the longest overall since a 39-yard scamper by Sefo Liufau against Cal in 2014).
—His quarterback rating of 246.4 is the best in CU history for 20-plus and 25-plus attempts in a game, besting Koy Detmer who had held both with a rating of 244.4 against NE Louisiana on Sept. 16, 1995 (he was 19-of-27 for 426 yards; 4 TD/1 INT).
—He has now become the ninth CU player to throw for 4,000 yards in a career, ending the night with 4,330 (ninth all-time).
—And with 379 yards of total offense tonight, he now has 4,917, passing Bobby Anderson (4,565) and Mike Moschetti (4,867) into ninth on that list (eight have 5,000-plus).
WR Laviska Shenault (11-211, 1 TD receiving).
He became the fourth player in CU history to record a 200-yard receiving game, the 211 yards being the fourth-most on the list of six 200-yard performances. Both numbers established series records against the Rams.
COLORADO / 200-YARD RECEIVING GAMES
Yds (no-td) Player Opponent Date
284 (11-2) Paul Richardson California (OT) Sept. 10, 2011
222 ( 5-2) Walter Stanley Texas Tech Sept. 12, 1981
222 ( 7-2) Rae Carruth at Missouri Nov. 2, 1996
211 (11-1) Laviska Shenault Colorado State (Denver) Aug. 31, 2018
209 (11-2) Paul Richardson Central Arkansas Sept. 7, 2013
208 (10-2) Paul Richardson Colorado State (Denver) Sept. 1, 2013
TB Travon McMillian (10-103, 1 TD rushing).
Not to be outdone by his receiver colleagues, but Virginia Tech transfer Travon McMillian enjoyed one of the best debuts at running back in CU history – gaining the sixth-most yards. The list of those who reached at least 100 yards in their CU debut (*—denotes first game at tailback; Pritchard was a wingback and Anderson a quarterback prior):
Player, Class Opponent Date Att. Yards TD
*Mike Pritchard, Sr. ^Tennessee 8/26/90 20 217 2
Charlie Davis, Soph. at Louisiana State 9/11/71 20 174 2
*Bobby Anderson, Sr. INDIANA 10/04/69 29 161 3
Michael Simmons, Fr.-RS OREGON 9/12/87 18 142 1
John Bayuk, Soph. DRAKE 9/18/54 16 124 2
Travon McMillian, Sr. Colorado State (Denver) 8/31/18 10 103 1
Marcus Houston, Fr. Colorado State (Denver) 9/02/00 18 100 1
Ron Rieger, Soph. TULSA 9/20/69 23 100 1
PR Ronnie Blackmon (5-82, 28 long).
He had the second most punt return yards in a game in the last decade by a Buff (behind 5-124 by Isaiah Oliver vs. UCLA in 2016); he had 96 yards last season on 12 returns, and the 82 yards tonight were more than any single Buff had in four of the last nine seasons.
WR K.D. Nixon (6-112, 1 TD receiving).
He had his breakout game after grabbing two passes for 17 yards as a true freshman last year.
ILB Nate Landman (6,10—16 TT, 2 TFL, 2 3DS, 1 INT, 1 PBU, 1 QBH).
All in his first career start (tackles may be adjusted in coaches review, CU uses those numbers), but if they hold, he will have topped this list:
MOST TACKLES / FIRST CAREER START ON DEFENSE
Total (UT,AT) Player Opponent Date
16 (6,10) Nate Landman Colorado State (Denver) Aug. 31, 2018
14 (7, 7) Addison Gillam Colorado State (Denver) Sept. 1, 2013
14 (14, 0) Ryan Moeller Colorado State (Denver) Nov. 22, 2014
14 (11, 3) Grant Watanabe ARIZONA Oct. 17, 2015
OLB Carson Wells (0,2—2 TT).
He was the first redshirt freshman to start the first game of the season for Colorado at outside linebacker since the late Drew Wahlroos in 1999.
MORE TEAM NOTES
CU started nine underclassmen (six sophomores, two redshirt freshman and a true frosh), its most since 12 in 2014 and second most since 2000 (11 in 2009). Overall, 65 of the 92 players who dressed got into the game tonight.
The CU first play of the season was an 8-yard pass from Steven Montez to Laviska Shenault; the Buffs have now completed their last 11 passes to open a season (for 162 yards); you have to go back to 1969 to find a year where CU opened with an incompletion.
(In 21 season openers versus CSU, the Buffs have gained 138 yard, or 6.6 per play, including 4-of-4 passing for 56 yards.)