Nov. 17th – No. 21 Utah – Snowed Under

In the first game played during a snowstorm at Folsom Field since 2000, the No. 21 Utah Utes dominated the second half, turning a 7-7 halftime tie into a 30-7 rout. Utah gained 390 yards, holding the Buffs to 196 total yards.

Utah quarterback Jason Shelley completed 11-of-23 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. The second scoring pass, a 47-yarder to Jaysen Dixon, being the back-breaker for the Buffs, making it a 17-7 game late in the third quarter.

The anemic Colorado offense was held to 34 yards rushing, 4-of-15 on third downs, and turned the ball over three times. Quarterback Steven Montez went 13-for-22 for all of 84 yards, with a costly interception in the second quarter when the score was tied and the Buffs were actually driving. The Buffs were held to one touchdown for the second week in a row, having fallen to Washington State, 31-7, the week before.

“We are just inept on offense right now,” said Mike MacIntyre. “We have to find a way to move the ball better. Defense played okay at times, they just got worn down. We’re really poor on offense.”

The loss left the Buffs with a 5-6 record, with only one game left (on the road at California) to try and avoid turning a 5-0 record and a national ranking into a 5-7 finish.

Well, that was a bad idea.

Over the years, I have attended fewer and fewer November home games. First, years ago, when I still drove from Bozeman to Boulder for home games, I decided to cut back on my late season trips to Boulder because driving across Wyoming in November is often a weather gamble not worth taking. Later, when flying replaced driving, there was still the concern that the weather might turn for the worse in Boulder if I made plans to attend a game at Folsom Field in November.

Q.E.D.

While the official stats indicate that the attendance for the 2018 Colorado/Utah game was 39,360, that total was far from the actual number of fannies in the seats. The official figure represents tickets sold, including season tickets purchased months before anyone knew that the Buffs and Utes would play the first Folsom Field game in a snowstorm in 18 seasons.

So, what was the actual number of fans who braved the snow and 28-degree temperature at kickoff?

16,627.

Arizona State’s loss to Oregon gives Pac-12 South title to Utah … USC falls to 5-6 after 34-27 loss to UCLA – with Notre Dame up next … “Big Game” between Cal and Stanford postponed due to fires …

Jay MacIntyre: “It’s been an emotional week” … Rick Gamboa: “We want to give it all we’ve got and secure a bowl game” … CU seniors have taken different paths to finale … Folsom 500: A Look Back at 62-36 … Bios of CU’s 19 seniors …

Hard to believe, but CU hasn’t played a snow game at home since 2000 … Trivia: Which four teams has CU defeated more times than it has Utah (32)? … Travon McMillian and Laviska Shenault are on the verge of a feat never before accomplished in CU history …

“T.I.P.S.” for CU’s 500th game at Folsom Field … Utah comes to Folsom with a Pac-12 South title within their grasp, while Colorado tries (again) for win No. 6 … How will CU’s Tumultuous Tuesday affect the Buffs this Saturday? … Will anyone show up (33-degrees; snow) for Senior Day? …

An Apple Cup showdown for the Pac-12 North is in place … Arizona State controls its destiny for the Pac-12 South, but don’t bet against Utah, which only needs a win over Colorado (and an ASU loss to either Oregon or Arizona) to win its first division title …