Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Buffs beat Ducks with backup QB
EUGENE, Ore. — Steven Montez threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns in his first start and Colorado held off Oregon 41-38 on Saturday, the Buffaloes’ first victory over the Ducks since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.
Ahkello Witherspoon intercepted Dakota Prukop’s pass to Darren Carrington in the end zone on Oregon’s final drive to preserve the victory for Colorado (3-1).
The Buffaloes had retaken the lead after a disputed 31yard touchdown from Montez to Bryce Bobo. Officials ruled Bobo had control of the ball in his right hand when his right foot came down in the end zone — but the crowd at Autzen Stadium booed in disagreement. The call was upheld after review.
The Buffaloes led from the start and went up 33-17 after Montez’s 48-yard TD pass to Devin Ross to open the second half.
But Kani Benoit scored on a 3-yard touchdown to pull Oregon (2-2) within 3331. Troy Dye’s interception on Colorado’s subsequent possession led to Prukup’s 18-yard go-ahead TD pass to Carrington late in the third quarter.
The Buffaloes led 21-7 against Michigan last weekend but ended up losing 4528. Oregon was coming off a 35-32 loss at Nebraska last weekend.
Both teams were without key playmakers.
Oregon running back Royce Freeman, who left the game against the Huskers after five carries with a leg injury, watched from sidelines although he warmed up in pads with the team. Benoit made his first career start in Freeman’s place.
The Buffaloes didn’t have senior quarterback Sefo Liufau, who left the game at Michigan with an ankle injury after throwing for 246 yards and three touchdowns.
In another game involving the Pacific-12 Conference, Jeremy McNichols ran for 208 yards and scored four touchdowns and Boise State is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2011 after a 38-24 victory over Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore. McNichols did most of his damage in the first half, as the junior running back ran for 146 yards and touchdowns of 5, 6 and 70 yards, and caught a 6-yard scoring pass. Brett Rypien completed 19 of 36 passes for 215 yards and 1 touchdown for the Broncos, who won their fourth consecutive game against a Pacific-12 opponent, and their second this season. Both teams scored on their opening drive, as Oregon State (1-2) tied the game at 7-7 on a 14-yard run by Ryan Nall. But the Broncos ran over the Beavers from there, holding OSU to 41 yards on its final six first-half drives, while scoring 24 consecutive points to take a 31-7 halftime lead. It was Boise State’s first win in four tries at Oregon State. The Broncos have yet to trail in a game this season.