Washington State – Deja vu – “Cougin’ It”

Washington State wide receiver Marquess Wilson sped past two Colorado defenders and hauled in a 63-yard touchdown pass from Cougar quarterback Marshall Lobbestael with 1:10 left to lead Washington State to a stunning 31-27 comeback win over Colorado in Boulder.

The Buffs (1-4, 0-1) were primed for their first win in their Pac-12 debut season before surrendering two touchdowns in the final 2 1/2 minutes. Lobbestael threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Cougars (3-1, 1-0) to just their second road win in four years under coach Paul Wulff.

Wake me up! This bad dream has got to come to an end!

Oh, it’s not a dream.

And it’s not the first time it has happened.

On Saturday, in the first conference game as a member of the Pac-12, the Colorado Buffs honored the 1961 Colorado football team. Those Buffs earned Colorado’s first title after joining the old Big 7 in 1948. All members of the team (players, coaches, staff) were invited back for the game. The Buffs finished 1961 with a 10-3 record with a 7-1 mark in conference games. Colorado finished the regular season ranked 6th in the nation, falling to No. 4 LSU in the Orange Bowl, 25-7.

While it was right and appropriate to honor the 1961 team, it may have been more appropriate to host the 1981 Colorado Buff team. It was 30 seasons ago that Colorado played its first-ever game against Washington State.

The final minutes of the 1981 game bear an eerie resemblance to what happened to the 2011 Buffs.

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