—
Top 40 of the Past 40 – No. 19
—
Previously posted:
- Game No. 40: 2001 – No. 20 CU 31, No. 25 Texas A&M 21 – “This One’s For Fred Casotti”
- Game No. 39: 2004 – CU 26, Nebraska 20 – Bobby Purify shines as Nebraska Empire crumbles
- Game No. 38: 1995 – No. 4 CU 38, No. 10 Oklahoma 17 – John Hessler sets TD passing record in first start
- Game No. 37: 1998 – CU 51, No. 21 Oregon 43 – Aloha Bowl win sets the stage for Rick Neuheisel bolting
- Game No. 36: 1996 – No. 7 CU 38, No. 12 Oregon 6 – Cotton Bowl rout inadvertently leads to “Nike U”
- Game No. 35: 1999 – CU 38, No. 24 Oklahoma 24 – Mike Moschetti’s four TD’s leads to upset of Sooners
- Game No. 34: 2010 – CU 29, Georgia 27 – Late fumble recovery preserves the home victory for the Buffs
- Game No. 33: 1995 – No. 14 CU 43, No. 21 Wisconsin 7 – Neuheisel debut a huge success; Dave Plati’s Dad
- Game No. 32: 2009 – Buffs rally for 35-34 win over Texas A&M – Also remembered as the “Blue Out” Game
- Game No. 31: 2007 – Cornhuskers sent packing as CU qualifies for bowl game with a 65-51 win in Boulder
- Game No. 30: 1990 – No. 12 CU 33, Missouri 31 – The Fifth Down game puts an asterisk on CU’s title season
- Game No. 29: 2018 – CU 33, Nebraska 28 – Spoiling Scott Frost’s debut with last minute win
- Game No. 28: 2004 – CU 33, UTEP 28 – Buffs cap Big 12 North title with last (most recent) bowl win
- Game No. 27: 1990 – No. 20 CU 29, No. 22 Texas 22 – Bieniemy rallies the troops in comeback win in Austin
- Game No. 26: 2016 – No. 12 CU 38, No. 20 Washington State 24 – Sefo Liufau’s 300/100 game leads Buffs
- Game No. 25: 2003 – CU 42, No. 23 Colorado State 35 – Joel Klatt’s “Electrifying” Debut in the rain
- Game No. 24: 1989 – No. 3 CU 20, Oklahoma 3 – Pitch to Flannigan; High five in the produce aisle
- Game No. 23: 2007 – CU 27, No. 3 Oklahoma 24 – “They Think They Can Win” – Hawkins’ signature win
- Game No. 22: 2005 – CU 41, Texas A&M 20 – Watching Buffs trash the Aggies … from the press box
- Game No. 21: 2004 – CU 20, Washington State 12 – Buffs escape Seattle with a last minute goal-line stand
- Game No. 20: 1989 – No. 14 CU 27, Texas 6 – Triumphant debut for Darian Hagan at quarterback
–
- Player No. 40: Wide receiver Scotty McKnight (2007-10)
- Player No. 39: Punter Barry Helton (1984-87)
- Player No. 38: Quarterback Cody Hawkins (2007-10)
- Player No. 37: Linebacker Greg Biekert (1989-92)
- Player No. 36: Running back Bobby Purify (2000-04)
- Player No. 35: Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (2014-16)
- Player No. 34: Wide receiver/kick returner Jeff Campbell (1986-89)
- Player No. 33: Linebacker Ted Johnson (1991-94)
- Player No. 32: Offensive Tackle Nate Solder (2006-10)
- Player No. 31: Quarterback Sal Aunese (1987-88)
- Players No. 30: CU’s star offensive linemen
- Player No. 29: Running back Hugh Charles (2004-07)
- Player No. 28: Linebacker Chad Brown (1989-92)
- Player No. 27: Wide receiver/kick returner Ben Kelly (1997-99)
- Player No. 26: Wide receiver/kick returner Jeremy Bloom (2002-03)
- Player No. 25: Defensive back Mickey Pruitt (1984-87)
- Player No. 24: Linebacker Kanavis McGhee (1987-90)
- Player No. 23: Wide receiver Nelson Spruce (2012-15)
- Player No. 22: Quarterback Koy Detmer (1992-96)
- Player No. 21: Defensive back Chris Hudson (1991-94)
- Player No. 20: Running back Chris Brown (2001-02)
As always, I look forward to your comments and suggestions as we count down my favorite 40 games and favorite 40 players of my 40 years as a Buff …
—
Top 40 Favorite Games … No. 19
September 18, 2008 – Colorado 17, No. 21 West Virginia 14 (OT) – Rocky Mountain High
From the Game Story in the CU at the Game Archives …
Aric Goodman connected on a 25-yard field goal in overtime, lifting Colorado to a 17-14 win over No. 21 West Virginia.
Just moments after Mountaineer kicker Pat McAfee’s 23-yard attempt clanked off the left upright to end West Virginia’s overtime possession, Goodman snuck his 25-yarder just inside the same upright. Goodman’s kick not only gave Colorado it’s first 3-0 start since the 2004 season, but also earned the former walk-on a scholarship.
The low-scoring affair did not start out that way, as three touchdowns were scored in the first four possessions of the game. The Buffs opened the scoring with a nine-play, 83-yard drive to take a lead they would never fully relinquish. Converting two third down opportunities, including a 23-yard completion from Cody Hawkins to Josh Smith on a third-and-11 from the Colorado 16-yard line, the Buffs cashed in when Hawkins connected with Smith again, this time for a 38-yard score just 2:46 into the contest.
On the third play of the Mountaineers’ opening possession, West Virginia quarterback Pat White completed a pass to Bradley Starks, who fumbled at the West Virginia 28-yard line. The fumble, caused by defensive tackle Brandon Nicholas and recovered by defensive end Maurice Lucas, sent all but 4,000 of the 51,883 in attendance for the Thursday night “Blackout” game into a frenzy.
It took only five plays for the Buffs to score again, with Hawkins hitting tight end Patrick Devenny for a 13-yard touchdown. Devenny’s catch, a fine over-the-shoulder grab with a defender right on him, gave the Buffs a 14-0 lead with 10:10 still remaining in the first quarter.
West Virginia, which averaged almost 40 points per game in 2007, would not go quietly. It took the Mountaineers only five plays to answer, with Pat White scoring from six yards out to pull West Virginia to within a touchdown at 14-7. Less than half of the first quarter had been played, and the game had all the markings of an old WAC shootout.
Then it got quiet.
At least on the scoreboard.
Colorado had opportunities throughout the first half to put up additional points, but none were scored. In their next four possessions, the Buffs pushed the ball to midfield, the Colorado 47-yard line, the Mountaineers’ 30-yard line, and the Mountaineers’ 16-yard line, but came away with no points. The two most promising drives ended with turnovers by Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins.
Midway through the second quarter, Hawkins was intercepted by West Virginia linebacker Reed Williams, and on the next Colorado possession, Hawkins was sacked at the Mountaineer 24-yard line, fumbling the ball back to West Virginia. [Odd trivia here: Colorado has turned the ball over six times so far in 2008; all six turnovers have come in the second quarter]. The Buffs had one last chance to score before halftime, but a sure interception for a touchdown was dropped by cornerback Cha’pelle Brown with just over a minute to play.
Fortunately for Colorado and its fans, the Mountaineers were also unable to score, and the game stood at 14-7 at halftime.
… Continue reading story here …
—
Essay for the game … Rocky Mountain High
It’s time I make an admission.
Some of you have been with me from the beginning; some of you have signed on more recently.
It’s only fair that I come out of the closet.
Wow – this is hard ……
Okay – here goes ……
I am a Mountaineer.
There. I said it. I am a Mountaineer.
… Continue reading story here …
—
Top 40 Favorite Players … No. 19
Kicker Mason Crosby – (2003-06)
From his CUBuffs.com bio … He became just the seventh two-time, first-team All-American in CU history, as well as only the seventh three-time, first-team All-Conference performer … Set 33 single-game, season and career records at Colorado, most notably becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer with 307 points … He set or tied 19 of the school’s 38 placekicking records, including all of the major marks: field goals made (66), field goals attempted (88), extra points made (109), extra point attempts (117), field goal percentage (75.0) and longest field goal made (60 yards) …
Crosby made 12 career kicks of 50 yards or longer (the previous record had been three), as he owned nine of the 14 longest kicks in CU history at the end of his career … He excelled in late game heroics, making a name for himself in the clutch: he was 14-of-18 in the fourth quarter, including 12-of-14 in the final 9½ minutes with nine kicks of 41 yards or longer and seven of them with the score of the game within six points; his only misses came his senior year: a 63-yard try against Montana State as CU tried to rally in the waning minutes (2 yards short) and a 65-yard try in a bid to tie the NCAA record without a tee against Iowa State (27-inches short)…
Crosby made 32-of-43 field goals outside of the state of Colorado, the average make from 36.8 yards and the average miss from 43.4 yards (included three blocked; 47.0 otherwise) … His 58-yard kick at Miami, Fla., in 2005 was the longest at sea level in NCAA history … In addition, he kicked off 203 times, with 138 going for touchbacks (88 through the end zone), all school records, with the average starting yardline of the opponent its 22 after his kicks; 20 of 61 returned against him were not brought out beyond the 20 … In the postseason, he finished fourth all-time in scoring with 19 points in bowls (5-of-7 FG, 4-of-4 PAT), the second in kick scoring, trailing only Aldrich, one of the few records of his that he did not break …
Crosby also exited as the Big 12 Conference all-time leader in field goals made, attempted and percentage; he was selected the special teams player of the week by the conference nine times, a school record … He won a Super Bowl ring with the Green Bay Packers (for the 2010 season) … In 12 seasons with the Packers, he is now their all-time leading scorer in franchise history (1,469 points in 192 regular season games with 1,606 including the postseason) … In 2015, he was named as the second-team kicker on the FWAA 75th Anniversary All-America team.
–
—–