No. 23 Arizona 34, CU 31

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November 11th – Boulder           No. 23 Arizona 34, Colorado 31

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Tyler Loop connected on a 24-yard field goal with no time remaining, giving No. 23 Arizona a comeback 34-31 win over Colorado 34-31 at a sold-out Folsom Field. Jonah Coleman rushed for 179 yards as the Wildcats earned their fourth consecutive victory, while Colorado lost its fourth straight to fall to 4-6.

Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch led the Wildcats to bowl-eligibility in his third season in charge. So he understood the plight of first-year Colorado coach Deion Sanders, trying to turn around a program that went 1-11 a season ago. “I would not be worried if I was a Colorado fan,” Fisch said. “They have a fantastic head coach that is going to do just great.”

Shedeur Sanders ran for a score and threw for two more as the Buffaloes (4-6, 1-6) lost for the sixth time in seven games since a 3-0 start. Sanders also finished with 262 yards passing to go over the 10,000-yard mark for his career.

“We could have won the darn game. I like that we should have won. I’m tired of ‘we could’ve won’,” said coach Coach Prime, whose team had 11 penalties for 83 yards. “There ain’t no lose in me. It don’t sit well with me. It don’t rock well with me. It don’t lay down with me. I have no lose in me.”

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Game story … For a Colorado offense which had struggled for the past two-and-a-half games, going three-and-out to start a game against a ranked team with momentum wasn’t what the Buff Nation was hoping for, but that’s what the Buffs did, with three plays netting three yards.

The Buff defense, though, was up to the challenge, forcing a three-and-out of their own, with Leonard Payne Jr. and Chazz Wallace teaming up for a sack. Arizona’s punt was returned by Xavier Weaver inside of Arizona territory, where he fumbled. The ball, however, was picked up by Jordan Domineck, who carried the ball down to the Arizona 36-yard line. From there, it took the Buff offense only three plays to score. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders hit wide receiver Javon Antonio for a 17-yard gain to put the ball in the red zone, with Sanders taking it in himself from 16 yards out two plays later to make it a 7-0 game less than four minutes into the contest.

Less than three minutes later, the game was tied. The Wildcat offense needed only six plays to cover 75 yards, with an 11-yard touchdown run by Arizona running back DJ Williams, tying the score midway through the first quarter.

The Buffs were only able to get one first down on their next drive, with Shedeur Sanders connecting with wide receiver Xavier Weaver for 13 yards on third-and-three. The drive stalled, though, with Mark Vassett called in to punt. Vassett did his job, with his 45-yard effort downed at the Arizona two-yard line. Backed up, the Arizona offense quickly went three-and-out.

Taking over at the Arizona 48, the Buffs set off on their second touchdown drive of the first quarter. A ten-yard completion from Sanders to Travis Hunter on third-and-five kept the drive alive, with a ten-yard run by Sanders on third down a few plays later giving CU another red zone opportunity. Two plays later, Sanders found wide receiver Jimmy Horn in the corner of the end zone for a 20-yard score. Colorado 14, Arizona 7, in the final minute of the first quarter.

Arizona quickly drove into CU territory to open the second quarter, but the drive stalled just inside of Buff territory. The CU offense, with the ball and the lead for the first time in the game, with a pass for a first down by Travis Hunter nullified by a penalty for having an offensive lineman downfield.

Taking over at its 28-yard line after CU’s punt, Arizona quickly tied the score. A Jonah Coleman run for 49 yards quickly moved the ball deep into Buff territory, with Arizona finishing off the drive quarterback Noah Fifita finishing off the drive with a three-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Cowing.

Aided by two fifteen yard penalties against the Wildcat defense – one for a face mask, the other for pass interference – offset an intentional grounding call against Shedeur Sanders, CU’s next drive was one of fits and starts. From the CU 43-yard line, the Buffs started moving in the right direction. Running back Anthony Hankerson was responsible for the next 13 yards and a first down before Sanders connected with Jimmy Horn for 17 yards and another first down. Then, on third-and-ten at the Arizona 27, Sanders hit Xavier Weaver for 26 yards and a first-and-goal at the one (on a play which was initially called a touchdown). On second down, a Sy’veon Wilkerson run pushed the ball over the line, giving CU a 21-14 lead late in the first half.

But the teams weren’t done scoring. Aided by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty call on Shedeur Sanders on the CU touchdown, the Wildcats were able to take over at their 40-yard line to start their next drive. Six plays later, Arizona kicker Tyler Loop hit a 52-yard field goal to cut CU’s lead to 21-17 with 1:32 left before halftime.

A 12-yard completion from Sanders to tight end Michael Harrison, followed by a 47-yard completion to Travis Hunter, gave the Buffs another chance to score before the break. A holding call against the Buffs pushed the offense back, but a 39-yard field goal by Buff kicker Alejandro Mata as time expired restored CU’s seven-point lead.

Halftime score: Colorado 24, No. 23 Arizona 17

Arizona opened the second half looking like a ranked team, quickly tying the score. It took the Wildcat offense only five plays to cover 75 yards, with a Noah Fifita touchdown pass to Tetairoa McMillan making it a 24-24 game less than three minutes into the third quarter.

After the Buffs punted quickly on their first possession of the second half, the Wildcats had a chance to take their first lead of the game. Instead, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Arizona offense killing the drive.

Another 17-yard punt return by Xavier Weaver set the CU offense up at the Arizona 35-yard line, and the Buff offense delivered. It took eight plays, including an 11-yard run by Shedeur Sanders on fourth-and-seven at the Arizona 32, but the Buffs found the end zone. The drive was capped by a seven-yard touchdown pass from Shedeur Sanders to tight end Michael Harrison. Colorado 31, Arizona 24, late in the third quarter.

A questionable pass interference call against Travis Hunter opened the next drive for Arizona, with back-to-back completions from quarterback Noah Fifita to wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, covering 26 and 19 yards, giving the Wildcats a quick red zone opportunity. A seven-yard run for a score by running back DJ Williams tied the score at 31-31 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The CU offense, which had been effective for most of three quarters, sputtered to open the fourth quarter. A sack of Shedeur Sanders quickly ended CU’s next drive … and the sell-out Folsom Field crowd of 52,788 sat uneasily, fearing the worst.

Instead, the Buff defense rose to the occasion, forcing a three-and-out from the Arizona offense.

CU next possession, with the game clock ticking below ten minutes … was a three-and-out.

Again, however, the Buff defense did its job. A Mark Vassett punt put the Wildcats at their eight-yard line, and Arizona went three-and-out. A 14-yard punt return by Xavier Weaver allowed the Buffs to set up shop near midfield, with a 23-yard completion from Sanders to Weaver putting the Buffs into field goal range.

The drive stalled after the completion to Weaver, with Alejandro Mata called upon for a field goal attempt with just under five minutes to play. The 44-yard field goal attempt, however, missed, giving the Wildcats a chance to win the game.

And the Wildcats seized the opportunity. Never facing a third down until the ball was inside the CU ten-yard line, the Wildcats smartly marched downfield, working the clock. With two seconds remaining, the Wildcats called timeout with the ball centered at the CU seven. On the final play of the game, No. 23 Arizona, which had never led during the game, took the lead with 24-yard field goal by Arizona kicker Tyler Loop, sending the Buff Nation home disappointed once again.

Final score: No. 23 Arizona 34, Colorado 31

“We’re so close is what I told the team but yet so far. We just simply surely don’t know how to win yet and it’s not for lack of effort, not for lack of coaching with the staff or the support staff, the trainers and strength conditioning, and everybody around is doing a phenomenal job, we just can’t get over that hump,” said Coach Prime of his Buffs, falling for the sixth time in seven games. “Another game, right there and I don’t know from your vantage point, your viewpoint but it seemed like we were the better team and we just couldn’t get it done. The best thing about it is that in our first year, we haven’t even been here a year, but we’re right there. I mean, we’re right there in all these darn games except the one that we got our butts slaughtered in Oregon, that we’ve had an opportunity to win.”

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Tags: Alejandro Mata, Anthony Hankerson, Chazz Wallace, Javon Antonio, Jimmy Horn, Jimmy Horn Jr., Jordan Domineck, Leonard Payne, Mark Vassett, Michael Harrison, Shedeur Sanders, Sy’veon Wilkerson, Travis Hunter, Xavier Weaver
This post, about the Arizona game, from the 2023 Season, is filed under Article.
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