Posts tagged Nate Bonsu
Buffs wallop Charleston Southern 43-10
Oct 19th
Game Story by B.G. Brooks CUBuffs.com contributing editor
BOULDER – Stepping away from their Pac-12 Conference schedule on a perfect mid-October Saturday, the Colorado Buffaloes eventually stepped out of Folsom Field with a 43-10 romp past overmatched Charleston Southern.
The Buffs’ Big Stepper was tailback Michael Adkins II.
Adkins, a true freshman from San Diego, accounted for a freshman school record four touchdowns on runs of 23, 5, 33 yards and 34 yards. Entering Saturday’s game, the Buffs had scored one rushing TD in their previous five games.
“We always say we want to be about 50-50 (run-pass), it depends on how the game goes,” said Adkins, who finished with 137 yards on 13 carries. “But running today definitely was a factor.”
And how. Tailback/fullback Christian Powell also scored on a 2-yard run as the Buffs enjoyed their most productive running afternoon of the season (218 yards). Adkins’ four TDs eclipsed the school freshman record set by Herschel Troutman in 1994 and equaled by Powell last season.
The Buffs’ top rushing effort this season had been 154 yards in a 44-17 loss at Oregon State. In the two games before Saturday, they had totaled 94 yards against Oregon and 99 against Arizona State. Adkins’ carries had steadily risen in the three previous games, with his 98 yards on 14 attempts at OSU the previous high mark for a CU back this season.
“My carries have been increasing every week so I just took advantage of the carries I got,” Adkins said. “Our line blocked well and I just kept grinding and kept finding the holes . . . it gave me a lot of confidence. I didn’t score in my first two games, so scoring today gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.”
The Buffs broke a three-game losing streak, evened their record at 3-3 and won their first game under first-time starting quarterback Sefo Liufau. CU returns to Pac-12 competition and remain at home next weekend, hosting Arizona (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network) in a game that suddenly looms as perhaps the schedule’s most pivotal.
With Saturday’s win, CU’s goal now becomes to win its first Pac-12 game under first-year coach Mike MacIntyre next week and exit October 4-3 overall. That leaves five conference games in the season’s final month for the Buffs to get two wins and reach six for bowl qualification – something that hasn’t happened since the 2006 season.
“If we get the one next week,” said MacIntyre, “it means November matters in Colorado.”
A true freshman from Tacoma, Wash., Liufau made his college debut last weekend at Arizona State, replacing junior Connor Wood in the first quarter of CU’s 54-13 loss. Liufau finished 18-of-26 for 169 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions, in that game.
In his first start Saturday, he was 14-of-20 for 198 yards. Liufau’s TD pass covered 60 yards, most of them courtesy of fleet junior Paul Richardson in the second quarter. Richardson finished with eight receptions for 122 yards.
“It feels good,” Liufau said of his home debut and first start. “It was fun being out there with the guys and just playing and having fun.” He called he confidence gained from the win “a tribute to the team – the O-line blocking, the receivers running the routes. Paul had a great play there . . . I definitely got confidence as I kept going.”
The game against previously unbeaten CSU, the FCS’ No. 24-ranked team, was arranged last month to replace Fresno State on the CU schedule. The Fresno State contest was postponed due to the mid-September floods that ravaged Boulder and Boulder County.
“I’m thankful that Charleston Southern wanted to play us,” MacIntyre said. “Or we couldn’t have played today.”
CSU, which entered the afternoon 7-0, was without its first two quarterbacks and started freshman Kyle Copeland, who was playing in only his third game and had thrown two incompletions in his only two attempts. Copeland’s final passing stats: 7-of-14 for 48 yards, one TD, one interception.
CU outgained CSU 416-196 in total offense, with the Buffs adjusting to the Buccaneers’ option attack and holding them to zero points and 46 total yards in the second half.
“(CU) is just a better team than us,” said CSU coach Jamey Chadwell. “We had seven wins before today and I don’t think that’s going to change. The only difference is that won’t play quite as good of a team. They made some good adjustments during the second half, and as for us, we’re going to keep doing what we do.”
The Buffs got out of the first half with a 22-10 lead largely made possible by a timely fumble recovery by Nate Bonsu and Richardson’s runaway speed.
Bonsu got the loose ball following defensive end Chidera Uzo-Diribe’s strip of CSU quarterback Kyle Copeland at the Buccaneers’ 12-yard line in the second quarter. Two plays later, Adkins took a handoff headed off left tackle, weaved to his right and scored from 5 yards out.
Will Oliver’s PAT staked CU to a 15-3 lead that ballooned to 22-3 after a three-and-out CSU series and a 60-yard pitch-and-catch executed by Liufau and Richardson.
Credit Liufau with keeping the play afloat; he fielded a bouncing center snap, collected himself and spotted Richardson crossing right to left in front of the formation. “P-Rich” took the short pass, reversed his field and outran two Buccaneers in pursuit to the right pylon.
Oliver again kicked the extra point and CU seemed comfortably ahead 22-3. The Buffs had opened the game with a 65-yard, six-play scoring drive, getting 52 yards on the ground – the last 23 by Adkins. They went ahead 8-0 when holder Darragh O’Neill ran for the two-point conference.
But after CU had surged in front 22-3, CSU collected itself for its second 9-plus minute drive of the half – the first ended with a field goal when an apparent TD pass on a well-designed pitch was reviewed and overruled – and scored on a 7-yard Copeland to Colton Korn with six left before intermission.
The disallowed TD proved pivotal. The play initially was reviewed and not overturned, but MacIntyre called a time out to allow another look and said he was told by an official that the ball being bobbled by tight end Nathan Prater was missed on the first look.
Chadwell said he was upset because “they took a time out, they reviewed the play (and) it was fine. Then the other review took an hour. They (officials) didn’t go by their protocol . . . I just felt like it was huge deal momentum-wise, because that could have meant a touchdown for us.”
CU, which was leading 8-0 at the time, finished the half with 164 yards in total offense, while CSU had 150. Liufau attempted only six first-half passes, completing four for 74 yards – Richardson’s long TD was for 60 – and being sacked once. Copeland, playing in only his second game and 0-2 in passing, was five-for-eight for 27 yards and a TD. The Buccaneers controlled the ball for 21:51 to 8:09 in the opening half.
The Buffs scored on their first possession of the second half, opening a 29-10 lead after a 13-play, 64-yard march capped by Christian Powell’s 2-yard run. Exactly 3 minutes later – at 4:11 – Liufau and his offense failed to capitalize on a Jered Bell interception near midfield, and the quarter ended with CU clutching its 19-point lead.
With 11:22 to play, Adkins’ 33-yard jaunt and Oliver’s extra point sent the Buffs comfortably ahead 36-10. Just over 5 minutes later, Adkins broke loose again and broke three tackles en route to his record-setting fourth rushing TD.
Wood replaced Liufau and Tony Jones replaced Adkins with just over 3 minutes remaining, with CU taking possession near its 15-yard line and ending the game near midfield.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
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Brooks: Cardinal overpowers punchless Buffaloes
Nov 4th
Release: 11/03/2012 Courtesy: B.G. Brooks, Contributing Editor
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BOULDER – From week to week in the Pac-12 Conference, if the method of extermination changes for the Colorado Buffaloes, the outcomes don’t. Oregon abused them with speed two games ago, Stanford took its turn with power on Saturday at Folsom Field. And for the record, it’s been a while since the Buffs have helped themselves offensively – try the fourth quarter of their Pac-12 opener at Washington State in late September. Saturday’s final: No. 15 Stanford 48, CU 0 – and that zero is significant. It marked the Buffs’ first home shutout since Nov. 15, 1986, when Oklahoma blanked CU 28-0. More dark news: It was the Buffs’ fifth consecutive loss, and in those five defeats they’ve been outscored 261-51. It also was CU’s 11th straight defeat by a ranked opponent. CU (1-8, 1-5) also remained winless at home this season, with two chances remaining – Nov. 17 vs. Washington, Nov. 23 vs. Utah – after next weekend’s final road trip to Arizona. “Stanford got after us with their defense and their offense made plays when they needed to,” CU coach Jon Embree said. “We just weren’t good all the way around . . . I don’t think something happened (as a turning point).” Embree had contemplated a quarterback change this week, replacing junior starter Jordan Webb with sophomore Nick Hirschman after the latter gave the Buffs’ offense some second-half life in the 70-14 loss at Oregon. A lukewarm week of practice by Hirschman kept Webb in the starting role Saturday. Hirschman replaced Webb for one first-half series, then opened the second half with the Buffs trailing 35-0 – 21 points better than last week’s score at intermission. Embree said Webb was “clearly the better guy” in practice, then deferred further comment until his weekly press conference on Tuesday. Through almost three quarters, neither Webb nor Hirschman was effective. So sophomore Connor Woodgot the call with 1:23 left in the third quarter — and CU trailing 45-0. Wood promptly connected with tight end Nick Kasa for a 14-yard completion – the Buffs’ longest play of the game to that point. He had fourth-quarter completions of 22 yards to Tony Jones and a 20-yarder to Kasa, which moved CU across midfield for the first time all afternoon. Immediately thereafter, Wood was sacked, fumbled and lost nearly all of that yardage. On the bright side, the Buffs recovered and avoided another 50-plus point loss. That’s the kind of homecoming afternoon it had been for CU. Webb finished with four of 10 passes completed for 19 yards (one interception). Hirschman went four of six for 12 yards, and Wood completed four of seven throws for 66 yards. Through three quarters, the Buffs had managed three first downs and 40 yards in total offense. They left Folsom Field with 76 yards in total offense on 44 plays – an average of 1.7 per play – and minus-21 yards rushing. The Cardinal has allowed minus-34 yards rushing in its past three games. Embree said his team’s offensive struggles resulted from a “perfect storm” brewed by one of the nation’s best defenses: “When we had people open we had protection issues and when we did have protection we couldn’t get people open. It was one of those things, but protection was a problem (seven sacks among his three QBs). “You know, there is a reason why they are No. 2 in the country against the run and why they are what they are as a defense. They are a very good defense and they showed it today.” Meanwhile, Stanford also juggled its quarterbacks, as expected using Josh Nunes first, then replacing him with Kevin Hogan. Nunes went three-of-five for 23 yards, while Hogan – touted as more of an option threat – was mildly surprising, completing 18-of-23 passes for 184 yards and two TDs. Hogan also ran seven times for 48 yards before he was replaced in the fourth quarter by Brent Nottingham, who eventually was spelled by Robbie Picazo. In what nearly has become a weekly occurrence for CU in Pac-12 play, this game had been decided by halftime. The Buffs trailed the Cardinal 35-0 at intermission, and their offensive stats showed why: 20 yards in total offense, one of eight third-down conversions and two first downs (one by penalty). Stanford, meanwhile, rolled up 13 first downs and 249 yards in first-half offense, 115 rushing and 134 through the air. The Cardinal finished 436 yards in total offense – 230 passing, 206 rushing. Both teams used two quarterbacks each before intermission, but the halftime stats offered a clear picture of which pair was most effective. Webb opened for CU and promptly went three-and-out – and that turned out to be a harmless series. On the Buffs’ next possession, facing third-and-six, he was intercepted by free safety Ed Reynolds, who ran untouched for 52 yards and Stanford’s first touchdown. Hirschman entered for CU’s next series, was the recipient of a first down on a fourth-down Cardinal holding penalty but couldn’t advance the Buffs in any other manner. Webb reentered on the Buffs’ next possession and played for the rest of the first half. CU’s defense was standing up to Stanford for almost the entire first quarter and might have provided a turning point. But freshman corner Yuri Wright dropped a sure interception on the Cardinal’s side of the field. The Buffs forced a punt on that series, but on the first play thereafter, Kasa bobbled a Webb pass and the ball was picked out of the air by inside linebacker A.J. Tarpley. Three plays later, Cardinal tailback Stepfan Taylor scored on a 26-yard run and the skids had been greased. Stanford’s other first-half TDs came courtesy of a 1-yard Remound Wright run, a 1-yard pass from Hogan to Zach Ertz and a 2-yard plunge by Taylor. Jordan Williamson kicked five PATs and the Cardinal had its 35 first-half points. At the end of three quarters, Stanford had opened its lead to 45-0 on a 31-yard field goal by Williamson and a 19-yard pass from Hogan to tight end Levine Toilolo. With 9:52 to play, Williamson added a 35-yard field goal to end the Cardinal’s stroll through Folsom at 48-0. BUFF BITS: Senior linebacker Jon Major suffered a hyperextended elbow in practice last week and did not play Saturday . . . . Junior nosetackle Nate Bonsu sprained an ankle in practice and wasn’t expected to play . . . . In what was termed a precautionary measure, freshman nosetackle Justin Solis was taken from the field on a gurney after suffering an apparent neck injury early in the second half. He was said to have movement in his extremities when he was carted off. Results of an MRI later were negative . . . . Saturday’s paid attendance was 44,138. [includeme src=”http://c1n.tv/boulder/media/bouldersponsors.html” frameborder=”0″ width=”670″ height=”300″] C |
CU football team falls 70-14 at Oregon
Oct 27th
Saturday quickly turned into that kind of day. No. 2 Oregon, built for speed, ran for 311 first-half yards, flashed to a 56-0 halftime lead and coasted to a 70-14 win against Colorado.
Oregon’s 70 points were the school’s most ever in a conference game and the most allowed by CU since losing 70-3 to Texas in the 2005 Big 12 Conference championship game.
The Buffaloes’ staggering defensive collapse continues; in their last four Pac-12 Conference games they’ve allowed 2,115 yards and 213 points. Oregon’s contribution to the yardage figure was 617 yards in total offense, including 425 on the ground.
Saturday’s loss was the Buffs’ fourth straight and dropped them to 1-7 overall, assuring the school of a record seventh consecutive losing football season. CU fell to 1-4 in the Pac-12, with its lone win coming five weeks ago at Washington State.
Second-year Buffs coach Jon Embree said he hadn’t thought about the seven consecutive losing seasons, instead focusing on how to fix his defense: “It’s just disappointing that we’re not getting stops on that side and giving ourselves a chance. It just hasn’t been what you expect from a Colorado defense. Trust me, I’m trying to figure that out.”
Although the Buffs’ halftime deficit Saturday matched the school record, set in 1980 against UCLA, they did show vital signs after intermission. With Nick Hirschman replacing Jordan Webb at quarterback, the Buffs drove 72 yards after receiving the second-half kickoff, scoring their first touchdown since the second quarter of the Arizona State game (Oct. 11) on a 1-yard run by freshman Christian Powell.
After a fumble recovery on by CU defensive back Jered Bell on the next Oregon series, the 6-1, 235-pound Powell scored his second TD on a 20-yard run. He finished the afternoon with 121 yards on 20 carries and the pair of scores.
But by the time Powell had crossed the goal line for a second time, the Ducks (8-0, 5-0) already were in cruise control and were heading toward their eighth straight win. As they did last weekend at Southern California, the Buffs fell into a first-quarter pit – 19-3 against the Trojans – and never recovered.
But this weekend, it was worse. Oregon led 28-0 at the end of the first quarter and was well on its way to a halftime total offense output of 447 yards.
The Ducks’ speed was evident from the first snap. They went 57 yards in five plays to take a 7-0 lead on Kenjon Barner’ 1-yard run, then got the ball back when CU’s Tony Jones fumbled the kickoff and set up Oregon at the Buffs’ 17-yard line.
Three plays later, De’Anthony Thomas scored on a 9-yard sweep of left end (14-0) and the mauling was underway. Barner, who entered the game averaging 124 rushing yards, carried nine times in the first half for 104 yards and two TDs, while Thomas rushed five times for 97 and one score. With those totals, both were done for the day.
In Oregon’s 45-2 rout of CU last season in Boulder, Barner rushed 10 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns – one a career-long 84-yarder. The Ducks led that one 29-0 after one quarter and 35-0 at the half.
Look for Thomas’ TD punt return Saturday to be replayed ad infinitum here and elsewhere – try ESPN for starters. After letting Darragh O’Neill’s punt take a backward bounce, Thomas scooped it up going to his right, reversed himself and made Buffs safety Ray Polk miss, cut toward the CU sideline and made Buffs linebacker Derrick Webb whiff, then turned on the speed and outran everyone else in a white jersey to the end zone.
Embree had said all week that the Ducks appeared even faster than last year, and Saturday confirmed it. “They’re fast at every position . . . defense, offense, linebacker, receiver and it showed. They closed some holes offensively quicker and got around the ball. And obviously, what they did offensively . . . (Thomas) getting around the edge, then his punt return reminded me of Ben Kelly.”
That remarkable run pushed the score to 42-0 with 11:06 remaining in the first half – and the only questions left unanswered were how many more times the Ducks would cross the goal line and if the Buffs would ever get there.
By the time the fourth quarter started, Oregon had its most points – 70 – in a conference game and led by a cool 56. And Ducks coach Chip Kelly couldn’t be accused of piling on; he pulled Barner, Thomas, freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota and most of his super-skilled offensive players before halftime. Mariota’s first-half work: 10-of-14 passes completed for 136 yards and two TDs.
Still, CU’s second-teamers were no match for Oregon’s. Backup Ducks QB Bryan Bennett, a sophomore, completed all four of his pass attempts for 56 yards and ran 10 times for 73 yards and three TDs. Third-team QB Dustin Haines replaced Bennett in the fourth quarter.
CU’s Webb, starting for the eighth time, finished his afternoon completing seven of 11 passes for 31 yards. Under his direction, the Buffs’ deepest first-half penetration was to the Ducks’ 32-yard line. Under Hirschman, the Buffs got both TDs – although he faced the Ducks’ second- and third-team defense and the game had long ago been tucked away in the win column for Oregon.
Sophomore Connor Wood spelled Hirschman for CU’s final possession. Wood didn’t attempt a pass, and Hirschman finished 7-of-16 for 64 yards. Embree said naming a starter for next week would be evaluated.
The Buffs’ schedule remains rugged; they return to Folsom Field next Saturday to face their third straight Top 25 opponent – No. 19 Stanford. Kickoff is at noon (FX).
BUFF BITS: CU played without its best offensive lineman – junior left tackle David Bakhtiari, who made the trip but was held out with a knee injury. Starting in his place was senior Ryan Dannewitz, but O-line coach Steve Marshall also had sophomore left guard Alex Lewis move out and freshman Jeromy Irwin take his place . . . . On defense, starting freshman nosetackle Josh Tupou (ankle) did not make the trip. Opening in his place was junior Nate Bonsu. Also, freshman Yuri Wright started in place of freshman Kenneth Crawley at cornerback, and junior Terrel Smith opened at nickel instead of freshman Marques Mosley . . . . Before kickoff, Oregon honored former CU tight end Ed Reinhardt, who suffered a severe head injury in the 1984 Buffs-Ducks game here. CU head coach Jon Embree was a teammate. Reinhardt, accompanied on the trip by his father, Ed, Sr., was given a standing ovation by the Autzen Stadium crowd . . . . Saturday’s attendance was announced as 57,521.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
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