CU Buffs
CU Buffs Football Team’s Final Shot At Home “W” Slips Away
Nov 24th
Courtesy: B.G. Brooks, Contributing Editor |
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BOULDER – After seven consecutive blowout losses, the Colorado Buffaloes found themselves competing in the fourth quarter Friday at Folsom Field. It was a strange, unfamiliar situation, but the Buffs appeared ready to handle it.
Like their 2012 season, it slipped away. CU and Utah swapped 100-yard kickoff returns in the fourth quarter, but the Utes’ runback came in response and proved to be the difference in their 42-35 Pac-12 Conference win. The gut-wrenching loss ended CU’s season at 1-11 overall, 1-8 in conference, and made this Buffs team 0-6 at Folsom. The last time a CU team didn’t win a home game was 1920, and the school’s most recent one-win season was 1984 (1-10). Utah (5-7, 3-6) won for the first time on the road this season. CU’s only 2012 win came on the road – 35-34 at Washington State on Sept. 22.
“Tough game, tough loss,” said an emotional Jon Embree, whose two-year record at his alma mater is 4-21. “I just want to thank the seniors for what they did for us.” CU said goodbye to eight seniors and three fourth-year juniors who are graduating. “I’d like for it to have been better,” senior tight end Nick Kasa said of his career and final season. “But it was good to be in a game until the last play. I think we all know there are better things coming for this program.” Senior linebacker Jon Major characterized his CU career as “super frustrating . . . life ain’t fair, and that’s just the way it is.” Making his third career start – the second this season – CU sophomore quarterback Nick Hirschman completed 30 of 51 passes for 306 yards and a touchdown. But four interceptions, the last ending the Buffs’ final chance in the final half minute, cast a long shadow. Three of the picks led to 21 Utah points. Embree said Hirschman “gave us everything he had . . . he rallied, he gutted it out. He got banged around a little bit, but he didn’t stop fighting.” Redshirt freshman Nelson Spruce caught 10 passes for 98 yards and an 8-yard touchdown, while freshman tailback Donta Abron rushed 14 times for 84 yards and a TD. The Buffs outgained the Utes 418-336 in total offense, led 25-18 in first downs and held the visitors without a third-down conversion until the middle of the fourth quarter. As the season’s grind intensified, Major said CU’s locker room stayed tight: “We got closer. We knew, the guys in the locker room knew who would fight and have each other’s backs. That was a priority around here.” Utah led 17-14 at halftime, but the way the game opened it appeared the Utes might make this a first-half blowout – something the Buffs had experienced in their previous seven games. Opening series, second CU play: Hirschman’s first pass is picked by defensive end Trevor Reilly and returned 13 yards to the CU 16. First Utah play: Travis Wilson hits Dres Anderson for a 16-yard touchdown and the Utes are up 7-0 less than a minute into the first quarter. Fortunately for the Buffs on the ensuing possession, a roughing-the-kicker penalty salvaged a stalled drive and provided a first down at the Utes’ 23-yard line. Four plays later, Hirschman found Spruce in the end zone for an 8-yard score and Will Oliver’s extra point tied the game at 7-7. CU’s defense provided a rare – in this season anyway – goal line stand, stopping Utah on three plays from the one and forcing a 21-yard Coleman Peterson field goal that put the Utes ahead 10-7 with 13 seconds left in the first quarter. That Utah possession followed CU’s second turnover – a fumble by Abron, who started in place of former high school teammate Christian Powell (concussion). The Buffs botched an opportunity to tie the score after snapper Ryan Iverson recovered returner Charles Henderson’s fumble at the Utes’ 15. After a Hirschman sack and an illegal substitution penalty, CU wound up trying a 43-yard field goal by Oliver. But Utah defensive end Joe Kruger, a 6-7, 280-pounder lined up inside, swatted it down. The Utes capitalized on their second interception of Hirschman – this one by free safety Eric Rowe – and marched 47 yards in six plays to go ahead 17-7. Backup tailback Kelvin York scored the TD on a 4-yard run. The Buffs had 3:35 before intermission to respond, and they used all but 16 seconds of it on an 11-play, 78-yard drive. After Hirschman went four-of-four for 46 yards on the march, he scored on a 1-yard sneak to bring the Buffs to 17-14. Utah padded its lead (20-14) on a 37-yard field goal by Peterson on the second half’s opening possession, but CU offered an immediate response and took its first lead of the afternoon. Tony Jones’ 3-yard run capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive and tied the score, then Oliver’s PAT pushed the Buffs in front 21-20 with 8:46 left in the third quarter. Having an advantage felt so good CU had to expand on it. After again shutting down Utah on third down – the Utes finished the third quarter 0-for-8 – and forcing a punt, Hirschman drove the Buffs 71 yards for another score. Abron got it on a 4-yard run. Of the drive’s eight plays, three were Hirschman passes that covered 60 yards – the big play a third-down screen to fullback Alex Wood that covered 34 yards. After Abron’s TD, Oliver kicked CU ahead 28-20 and the third quarter ended that way. Less than 5 minutes into the final quarter, the game was tied. Those third-down conversions Utah was having problems with? No problem on a 75-yard drive that saw the Utes convert two and ultimately score on an 11-yard run by tailback John White (20 carries, 168 yards, 1 TD). A two-point conversion would tie the score and that’s what Utah opted to do. After lining up in a spread PAT formation, Jake Murphy took a direct shotgun snap, took a couple steps toward the end zone then pulled up and lobbed a pass to David Rolff. Utah 28, CU 28. The tie held until Hirschman’s third interception set up the Utes at the Buffs’ 30. Wilson ran 9 yards around right end for the TD that broke the tie – 35-28. Then came the exchange of 100-yard kickoff returns by CU’s Marques Mosley and Utah’s Reggie Dunn. Mosley’s jaunt – he started left, reversed his field and finally outran the kicker – tied the score at 35-35. Dunn’s answer – he started near the right hash mark, cut up the right sideline and was untouched until his teammates mobbed him in the end zone. The Utes went up 42-35 with 8:12 to play. The Buffs chance to answer stalled when the decision was made to go for a fourth-and-three at the CU 45. A Hirschman pass for Gerald Thomas was batted away, but the Utes were forced to punt on their next series. CU took over on its 7-yard line with 2:55 showing. Last chance for a miracle, but the Buffs couldn’t find one. They moved as far as the Utes 46, where on fourth-and-eight Hirschman’s fourth pick – this one by strong safety Brian Blechen – ended the afternoon and CU’s one-win season. Despite the record and the string of blowout losses, Embree said there are positives although “it may not be crystal clear. We’ve got a lot of young talent that’s grown up. We get some guys back who were hurt, we’ve got some good grayshirts coming in. There’s a lot to be excited about and feel good about.” BUFF BITS: Senior defensive end Will Pericak received the Buffalo Heart Award, presented by a group of long-time fans seated behind the CU bench . . . . Saturday’s actual attendance was 39,400, with 46,052 tickets distributed. [includeme src=”http://c1n.tv/boulder/media/bouldersponsors.html” frameborder=”0″ width=”670″ height=”300″]
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Buff women host b’ball tournament this weekend
Nov 22nd
BENCH PRODUCTION: Colorado scored 42 bench points in the win over UMKC. The bulk of those came from freshman forward Arielle Roberson who scored 23 points in 19 minutes off the bench on 9-of-12 from the field. Her 23 bench points are tied for the second most in the past 10 years and her nine field goals are the most. Only Bianca Smith, with 25 points off the bench against San Jose State on Dec. 22, 1999, had a bigger bench game in the last 10 years.
ROBERSON EARNS FIRST HONOR: Forward Arielle Roberson was named the inaugural Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Week for the week of Nov. 5-12. The Pac-12 has added Freshman of the Week to its weekly honors for the first time this season, joining the standard Player of the Week honor which this week went to Stanford’s Chiney Ogwumike. Roberson, a 6-1 forward from San Antonio, had a sparkling collegiate debut, scoring 16 points on 7-of-13 from the field as Colorado defeated Idaho 70-65 in its season opener on Nov. 11. She grabbed six rebounds, four of which came on the offensive end, while collecting five steals, two assists and two blocked shots. Her five steals were the most by a freshman in her CU debut since all-time leading scorer Brittany Spears had five in her initial game at San Francisco in 2007. Her final steal was critical as it came with under one minute left with the Buffaloes hanging on to a five-point lead. Roberson’s honor is CU’s second weekly award in the Pac-12 since the Buffaloes joined the conference in 2011.
Chucky Jeffery earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors last December, ironically following a stellar performance (30 points, 10 rebounds) against this same Idaho squad. Jeffery and fellow senior Meagan Malcolm-Peck both earned Freshman of the Week honors in the Big 12 Conference, during the 2009-10 season.
ARIELLE & ANDRE: The Roberson’s are the only brother/sister tandem on the 2012-13 basketball rosters from the same school in the Pac-12 Conference. They’re one of five brother/sister tandems on 2012-13 basketball rosters in Division I. The Big Ten has two tandems, followed by
one each in the ACC, Mountain West and the Pac-12 Conferences. CU has another brother/sister pair on the ski team with freshmen Maria and Gustav Nordstrom from Sweden. Colorado (Pac-12): Arielle (Fr.) and Andre Roberson (Jr.) Air Force (Mountain West): Alicia (Sr.) and Marshall Leipprandt (Fr.) Indiana (Big Ten): Kaila (Fr.) and Jordan Hulls (Sr.) Ohio State (Big Ten): Caite (Fr.) and Aaron Craft (Jr.) Virginia (ACC): Sarah Beth (So.) and Tayor Barnette (Fr.)
SEEING DOUBLE: Colorado is used to getting double takes from fans and opponents, as the Buffaloes once again sport two pairs of identical twins on its roster. Brenna and Meagan Malcolm-Peck are senior wing players while Ashley and Brittany Wilson are junior guards. Brenna is the older of the two Malcolm-Pecks by 27 minutes. Ashley is the older of the Wilson twins, by only five minutes.
BUFFS SIGN FOUR TO NLI’s: Zoe Beard-Fails, Desiree Harris, Haley Smith and Briana Watts have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball and continue their education at the University of Colorado in 2013-14 head coach Linda Lappe announced on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period. Beard-Fails is a 6-2 forward from Herndon, Va., and attends Georgetown Day School in Washington D.C. She missed all but five games of her junior year with an ACL and meniscus tear, but is nearing full strength as her senior season commences. The 51st rated forward in the nation according to ESPN.com’s HoopGurlz, Beard-Fails averaged 27 points and nearly 18 rebounds as a sophomore for Georgetown Day in 2010-11, earning fourth team All-Met honors from the Washington Post.
Harris is a 5-8 guard from Oakland, Calif., who attends St. Joseph Notre Dame High school in Alameda. She averaged 23.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 2.7 assists as a junior, helping the Pilots to the North Coast Section championship. Harris was a CIF All-State Division V second team selection as well as a Bay Shore Athletic League second team pick. Smith, a 6-0 wing from Sammamish, Wash., is getting ready for her senior season at Skyline High School. A do-it-all player for the Spartans, she averaged around seven points, five rebounds and just under two assists and steals per game as a junior. Smith is in her fourth varsity season with the Spartans and also has had a successful club career playing with the Tree of Hope program. ESPN.com’s HoopGurlz has her as the top prospect in the state of Washington and the 20th ranked wing in the nation. Watts, a 6-4 center from Fresno, Calif., will make her debut with Clovis West High School this winter after playing her first three years at rival Buchanan. She was the first commit of the 2013 class. Watts averaged nearly six points and just over six rebounds per game for Buchanan as a junior, contributing to the Bears’ 18-9 record and a spot in the CIF Central Section Division I semifinals. BUFFS IN
OPENERS: With its win over Idaho, Colorado improved to 34-5 (.872) all-time in season openers and 37-2 (.949) in all-time home openers. The Buffs opened the season with a home game for the 27th time in 39 seasons, and moved to a perfect 27-0 in those instances.
BUFFS IN EXHIBITION: Colorado improved to a perfect 23-0 in exhibition games with its 87-38 win over Western State University Colorado. The Buffaloes have outscored their exhibition opponents by just over 31 points per game (86.0 to 54.7). Colorado’s 38 points allowed against WSCU were its fewest in an exhibition since the Buffaloes beat Colorado Mines 58-31 in 2007. The 49-point margin was the most in an exhibition since the Buffaloes defeated Spartak Moscow 115-55 in 2002. The Buffaloes have played at least one exhibition game in all but one year (2009) since 1997. CU’s exhibition games have featured a mix of NCAA II schools, foreign teams and traveling all-star teams.
BUFFS PICKED NINTH: Coming off its first 20-win season in eight years, Colorado was picked to finish ninth in the Pac-12 in 2013, according to the league’s annual Preseason Coaches Poll and Media Poll. In the Coaches Poll, 2012 NCAA Women’s Final Four participant Stanford was picked to win the Pac-12, compiling the maximum amount of points (121) and first place votes (11) possible. 2012 Pac-12 runner-up and NCAA participant California claimed the other first place vote and was second in the poll (109). UCLA was third with 100 points followed by USC (91), Arizona State and Oregon State (67), Utah (56), Washington (54), Colorado (49), Washington State (40), Oregon (20) and Arizona (18). Colorado’s ninth place preseason rating is its highest in the last nine years since Buffaloes were picked to finish seventh in the 2004-05 Big 12 Coaches Poll. The Media Poll was nearly identical in order. Stanford was picked to win with 12 first place votes and 166 total. California was second with 155 points and two first place votes. UCLA was third (136) followed by USC (123), Oregon State (106), Arizona State (100), Washington (80), Utah (72), Colorado (57), Washington State (47), Oregon (25) and Arizona (22).
MEDIA TABS JEFFERY: Along with picking the order of Pac-12 finish, the media selected a preseason All-Pac-12 team. Senior guard Chucky Jeffery was one of six individuals selected, along with California’s Layshia Clarendon, Washington’s Jazmine Davis, Stanford’s Chiney Ogwumike, UCLA’s Markel Walker and Arizona’s Davellyn Whyte. BUFFS EXPERIENCED
FROM DEEP: While Colorado looks to achieve balance on its 2012-13 squad, there is no questioning its experience from shooting from the perimeter. The Buffaloes have four players with at least 50 career 3-point field goals, and all four rank among CU’s career Top 20. Senior Meagan Malcolm-Peck tops current Buffs with 81 and ranks 12th on CU’s all-time list. Junior Brittany Wilson is 14th all-time with 73. Lexy Kresl, who set CU’s freshman record in 2011-12 is 15th with 66. Senior Chucky Jeffery rounds out the current Buffs at 18th with 53.
JEFFERY MOVING UP CAREER LADDERS: Junior guard Chucky Jeffery ranks among Colorado’s all-time leaders in several categories. She is sixth in assists (362), ninth in steals (217), 12th in rebounds (669), 16th in blocks (57), 17th in field-goals made (458), 18th in scoring (1,223), 3-point field goals made (53) and free-throws made (254). Colorado is 10-7 in its last 17 true road games, including postseason, dating back to the end of the 2010-11 season.
CU will make its first television appearance on Dec. 11 at Denver on ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain. The Buffaloes make their Pac-12 Network debut on Friday, Jan. 4 against defending league champion Stanford; their first of four straight televised games on the network. Colorado will have fi ve straight road games televised beginning with Utah on Jan. 13, through a Super Bowl Sunday match-up at USC on Feb. 3. CU’s final regular season televised game will be Feb. 8 at home against Oregon State. Entering the 2012-13 season, CU has appeared on 99 regional or national telecasts over the previous 11 seasons.
CU Buffs Ranked #23, Booker Pac-12 Player of the Week
Nov 19th
By Curtis Snyder, Associate SID |
| BOULDER—The Colorado men’s basketball team appeared in the Associated Press poll for the first time in 15 years and sophomore guard Askia Booker was named Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week Monday on the heels of the Buffs winning the Charleston Classic and Booker being named tournament MVP.
Booker averaged 19.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.7 steals and 2.3 rebounds per game en route to MVP honors, helping the Buffs knock off Dayton, No. 16 Baylor and Murray State in four days in Charleston, S.C. Booker scored 16 points in the quarterfinal round and added four assists. He then scored a career high 19 points with three assists and three steals in the win over Baylor and bettered that performance with 23 points and four steals in the championship game against the Racers. Booker shot over 50 percent from the field, knocking down 24-of-47 shots, and made seven 3-pointers to help the Buffs to their first in-season tournament championship since 2003 Pepsi Classic, not far from Charleston in Charlotte, N.C. The Buffs came it at No. 23 in the AP poll, the first time the program has been ranked in a major poll since earning back-to-back No. 25 rankings in the Coaches Poll during the 2005-06 season. In the AP poll, it is the first ranking since appearing at No. 24 in the final poll of the 1996-97 season, when Chauncey Billups led the Buffs to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
It’s the first time the Buffs have been ranked before the start of conference play in 42 years, since a showing on the Dec. 30, 1969, poll, coming in at No. 20. Overall, it is the 32nd time the Buffs have appeared in the AP rankings. CU’s highest ranking came on Dec. 18, 1963, coming in at No. 6. The Buffs returned to Boulder Monday and have a few days off to recover from three games in four days, next hitting the court on Sunday against Air Force, a 6 p.m. tip off at the Coors Events Center. [includeme src=”http://c1n.tv/boulder/media/bouldersponsors.html” frameborder=”0″ width=”670″ height=”300″] |
