DENVER (Ticker) -- The opening-game woes continue for Gary
Barnett and Colorado.
Quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt scored on a 23-yard run with 6:20
remaining as Colorado State stunned the sixth-ranked Buffaloes,
19-14, at Invesco Field at Mile High.
"We knew going into this game that this CU team wasn't
unbeatable," Van Pelt said.
Barnett dropped to 3-8 in season openers, including an 0-4 mark
at Colorado. Three of those defeats have come against Colorado
State.
The Buffaloes, who many believe boast one of the top rushing
attacks in the country, were blanked until early in the fourth
quarter and managed only one offensive touchdown.
Colorado rallied from a 13-0 deficit and had a chance to win in
the final minute, driving from their 20 to the Rams 12. But a
wide-open John Donahoe dropped a fourth-down pass inside the 5
with 21 seconds remaining.
"CU is a good team," Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick said.
"Defensively, we tried to make them earn every yard they got.
This was a great college football game."
Colorado State's Jeff Babcock, who kicked five field goals in
last week's win over Virginia, missed two field goals and an
extra point against Colorado. It appeared that would come back
to haunt the Rams, but the Buffaloes could not overcome four
turnovers, including a pair of costly fumbles by running back
Chris Brown.
Cecil Sapp, who rushed for 80 yards on 22 carries, scored on
touchdown runs of eight and two yards in the first half to give
Colorado State a 13-0 halftime lead.
"There's no question that Cecil Sapp has made a name for
himself," Lubick said of his fullback, who ran for 178 yards
against Virginia.
After being held to 90 yards in the first half, Colorado came
alive after halftime but fumbled twice deep in Colorado State
territory in the third period.
Freshman Jeremy Bloom, a Olympic freestyle skier who gave up his
endorsement deals to play college football, finally ignited the
Buffaloes with a 75-yard punt return that made it 13-7 just 18
seconds into the final period.
Colorado grabbed a 14-13 lead on Brown's one-yard TD run with
9:39 to play, but Colorado State answered with a seven-play,
84-yard drive to regain the lead on Van Pelt's scramble.
Van Pelt completed 11-of-24 passes for 168 yards and also ran
for 74 yards on 15 carries.
"Before this game we knew we would win if everybody stepped up
and played their assignments," Van Pelt said. "Everybody did
what they had to do to win."
Flat in the first half, Colorado picked up four first downs in
as many plays on its first possession of the third quarter, but
Brown fumbled at the Rams 19.
Colorado State missed a chance to add to its lead as safety Phil
Jackson intercepted Van Pelt in the end zone. The Buffs
appeared ready to punch it in, marching to the Rams 3 after
converting a pair of fourth downs.
But Brown fumbled a handoff on 4th-and-1 as the Buffaloes again
came away with no points.
Colorado forced a three-and-out and finally got on the board on
Bloom's punt return. The score appeared to change the momentum
as the Buffaloes forced another punt.
Colorado marched 81 yards in eight plays to take the lead on
Brown's plunge. The TD was set up by Craig Ochs' 45-yard
completion to Donahoe that gave the Buffaloes a first down at
the 18.
Two plays later, Bobby Purify ran for 15 yards and Brown went
over on the next snap.
Ochs was 14-of-27 for 199 yards with an interception. Brown ran
for 93 yards on 22 carries.
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