LOSS STILL FRESH
Buffs recall game vs. Huskies
BOULDER» Cue the 2016 Pac-12 football championship game tape to one minute left in the first quarter.
Colorado tailback Phillip Lindsay dives into the end zone to cap a seven-play, 55-yard touchdown drive with backup quarterback Steven Montez against Washington amid a raucous crowd of 47,000-plus at Levi’s Stadium. “Touchdown Colorado! What a response by the Buffs!” Fox playby-play announcer Joe Davis said on the TV broadcast, as CU pulled within 14-7 going into halftime.
The Buffaloes’ first outright conference championship since 2001 was in sight.
“The first 35 minutes, I thought we were pretty much toe to toe with them,” CU coach Mike MacIntyre said.
But the second half? Not so much.
CU and No. 7 Washington meet again at 8 p.m. Saturday at Folsom Field in a rematch of that 41-10 Buffs’ loss in December. MacIntyre isn’t dwelling on the past with a new season with new teams, but he did make one thing clear.
“I’m pretty sure the kids who played in the game last year definitely have to be thinking about that (loss),” MacIntyre said. “If they didn’t, they’re not really competitors.”
So, what happened? Senior quarterback Sefo Liufau sprained his ankle on the game’s opening drive, returned after halftime, and he threw high on a crossing route on CU’s first offensive play of the third quarter. The football tipped off receiver Jay MacIntyre’s fingers and into the arms of Washington safety Taylor Rapp — who returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. The rout was on. The Huskies also rushed 54 times for 265 yards and two touchdowns.
“From about 10 minutes to go in the third quarter until the end of the game, they just ran the ball down our throat,” MacIntyre said. “Then they kind of feasted on us when we got down and had to throw it (on offense).”
Said cornerback Isaiah Oliver: “I would say the biggest gap was just physicality.”
Said running back Phillip Lindsay: “It was a good learning experience for all of us.”
With 6-foot-3, 350-pound nose tackle Javier Edwards anchoring CU’s defensive front, the Buffaloes figure to have more strength inside Saturday. CU has allowed only 2.8 yards per carry through three games, but Washington returns starting tailback Myles Gaskin, a two-time 1,000-yard rusher.
CU players and coaches say mental muscle is equally important in matching the Huskies’ lategame toughness.
No need to remind the Buffs. “We always have that (loss) in the back of our head, because we felt like we got embarrassed out there,” Lindsay said. “But at the end of the day, our goal is to be Pac-12 champions. We know that they’re in our way for us to achieve our goal.”