Oct. 13th – USC – Un-Lucky 13

USC freshman quarterback J.T. Daniels passed for 272 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Trojans to a 31-20 victory over No. 19 Colorado. Daniels hit wide receiver Michael Pittman for two of those scores late in the second quarter, taking a 7-7 game and making it a 21-7 halftime lead for the Trojans.

CU all-everything wide receiver Laviska Shenault led the Buffs in both rushing and receiving. Shenault had nine receptions for 72 yards, but was held without a receiving touchdown for the first time all season. Shenault also had two carries for 46 yards, including a 49-yard scamper for a touchdown early in the second quarter, giving the Buffs a 7-0 advantage, the only CU lead of the game.

Steven Montez hit on 25-of-46 passes, well below his season average of over 75% completions. Montez had 168 yards passing, adding a 19-yard touchdown run late in the contest. Montez also threw a pick-six early in the third quarter, making it a 28-7 USC advantage.

The beatings date back to 1927.

On November 12, 1927, the University of Colorado Silver-and-Gold football team – still seven years away from taking the nickname “Buffaloes” – traveled to Los Angeles to take on the University of Southern California Trojans.

USC won that day, 46-7, setting the tone for the series, which now stands at 13-0 after the 31-20 setback in the Coliseum.

The Buffs tried again in the early 1960’s to earn a victory over the Trojans, but the result was a pair of shutout losses. USC triumphed in Boulder in 1963, 14-0, then won again the next year in Los Angeles, 21-0.

Nine more losses in the series followed, beginning in 2000 with a 17-14 loss, ending with a 38-24 loss in Boulder in 2017.

Oregon takes control of the Pac-12 North with 30-27 OT win over Washington … UCLA wins first game under Chip Kelly with 37-7 win over California … Utah emerges as a Pac-12 South contender with rout of Arizona …

DL Mustafa Johnson: “We’re very prepared. We’re very ready” … Pat Rooney: USC game a “prove-it” moment for CU program … Neill Woelk’s Friday’s Fast Five: Keys to CU picking up first win over USC …

“T.I.P.S.” for CU at USC … Three zeroes figure into CU’s trip to the Coliseum … 0 – as in CU’s 0-12 all-time record against USC … 0 – as in the number of points the Buffs have scored in the first half of its last two games against the Trojans (34-0) … 0 – as in CU’s first 5-0 record in twenty years … Which “0” will be changing this Saturday? ….

CU still getting no love from ESPN’s Football Power Index … CBS Power Rankings: CU No. 20 … Sports Illustrated: CU v. Michigan in Holiday Bowl … CU up to No. 19 in AP poll (up to No. 18 in USA Today/Coaches’ poll) …

Grading CU’s effort – unit-by-unit – against Arizona State … Pac-12 Power Rankings: Buffs move into the top three, with a showdown with No. 5 USC (at least in my rankings) coming up this weekend …