Oct. 19th – at Washington State – Pac-12 Parity – Just not For Colorado

Washington State quarterback Alex Gordon threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Cougars to a …. rout of Colorado. The Cougars raced out to a 21-3 first quarter lead, never looking back, handing the Buffs their third straight defeat.

Steven Montez, for the second game in a row, was ineffective. Montez went 16-for-30 for 129 yards and two interceptions before being pulled in the fourth quarter. Running back Alex Fontenot was a bright spot, going for 105 yards on 11 carries, but a porous defense and an ineffective red zone offense doomed the Buffs to a second straight rout on the road.

“We had a few turnovers and we couldn’t finish drives,” said Mel Tucker, who fell below .500 (3-4) for the first time as CU’s head coach. “We knew we would be able to run the ball but our passing game was inconsistent. Defensively, it just took us too long to settle down.”

“It is a little frustrating but you cannot let it get to you”, said running back Alex Fontenot, who had his second career 100-yard rushing game. “You have to keep the mentality of, when I am out there I am going to score, and just keep going.”

A month ago, Buff fans were excited about the 2019 season and the wide open Pac-12 South … A month later, parity remains the watchword in the Pac-12 (UCLA over Stanford; Oregon State over Cal), but CU – once again – has not been invited to the parity party …

Oregon and Utah have separated themselves as the top two teams in the Pac-12, but the rest of the conference is a jumble … CU has three conference losses, but so too do four (four!) Pac-12 North teams … Where would you rank the Buffs? …

Oregon all-but wraps up Pac-12 North with 35-31 win over Washington … Oregon State wins second road game in three weeks – a “different team” … UCLA routs Stanford on the road, 30-16 …

Mel Tucker: “It is a consistent message about how to get the job done and what we need to do to” … Pat Rooney: Buffs have opportunity to take down reeling opponent … Delrick Abrams forced into a leadership position – “I didn’t expect everybody to get injured” …

Neill Woelk’s Five Keys for Buffs … CU and WSU are 6-6 all-time, with two of CU’s wins under unusual circumstances (and one historical win) … Mike Leach’s losing record against the Buffs … Updated Injury Report … WSU leads nation in four categories (CU leads in one) …

The Cougars are averaging 43.0 points and 538.7 yards/game – and are still 3-3 … Weather will be a factor in Pullman (90% chance of rain) … Can the Buffs upend the Cougars with five freshmen in the starting lineup? …

Oregon and Utah have seemingly separated themselves from the rest of the Pac-12 … Which teams are left who can challenge the Ducks and Utes? … Which teams have the best chances at bowl eligibility? … Where did the Buffs land in this week’s Pac-12 Power Rankings? …