Colorado 34, No. 25 Nebraska 31, OT

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September 7th – Boulder          Colorado 34, No. 25 Nebraska 31 OT

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James Stefanou hit a 34-yard field goal in overtime to give Colorado its first lead of the game, and the defense made it stand up, as Isaac Armstrong’s 49-yard attempt for Nebraska sailed wide right, giving the Buffs an unlikely 34-31 overtime win over No. 25 Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers dominated play for most of the contest, taking a 17-0 lead into halftime before 52,829 fans in CU’s first sell-out since 2016. The Buffs didn’t score until only 1:42 remained in the third quarter, when a Jaren Mangham 11-yard run made it a 17-7 game. Mangham’s score touched off a frenetic fourth quarter, in which the teams combined for 38 points. A Steven Montez 26-yard touchdown pass to Tony Brown with 46 seconds remaining in the game set the stage for CU’s dramatic win in overtime.

Steven Montez had a sluggish start to the game, but finished 28-for-41 for 375 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. K.D. Nixon led the receiving corps, with six receptions for 148 yards and an electrifying 96-yard touchdown – the longest touchdown in CU history – in the first minute of the fourth quarter.

The win gave the Buffs back-to-back wins over the Cornhuskers, with Scott Frost falling to 0-2 against his “ex-rival”. CU head coach Mel Tucker, meanwhile, not only posted a victory in his first game in Folsom Field as head coach, but did so by beating a ranked opponent.

“I am really proud of our players,” said Mel Tucker, who became the 10th coach to win their first two games at Colorado. “They did a phenomenal job of just continuing to play the next play. We were never looking at the scoreboard and played for each other.”

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Game story … The first-game between Nebraska and Colorado in Folsom Field since 2009 started off unevenly for the CU offense. The Buffs overcame an offensive pass interference penalty and a third-and-25 (thanks to a personal foul against the Cornhuskers), and managed to hold the ball for 12 plays and over seven minutes of the first quarter … but gained only 33 yards before punting.

The Nebraska offense had no such issues on its first possession. The Cornhuskers covered 96 yards in only five plays to take the lead. Quarterback Adrian Martinez hit J.D. Speilman for a 65-yard touchdown, and, just like that, Nebraska had a 7-0 lead.

After CU gained only eight yards before punting on its next possession, Nebraska looked to make the game a rout. In six plays, the Cornhuskers marched to the CU 39-yard line, but there safety Mikial Onu forced a Martinez fumble, giving the ball back to the Buffs with new life.

Instead, it was a three-and-out for the Buff offense, with Nebraska taking off on yet another long touchdown drive. This time, the Cornhuskers covered 95 yards in 13 plays, aided by a roughing the punter penalty to keep the drive alive. This time, Adrian Martinez had the honors, taking it in from five yards out to make it a 14-0 game midway through the second quarter.

When Steven Montez threw an interception on the second play of the ensuing drive, it appeared to be game over. Nebraska took over on the CU 43-yard line, and in two plays was in the red zone with a first-and-ten at the Buff 15. There, however, the drive stalled, and the Cornhuskers settled for a 26-yard field goal by Isaac Armstrong. The Buffs had held, but it seemed only a moral victory, as the Cornhuskers took a 17-0 lead into the break.

Halftime score: No. 25 Nebraska 17, Colorado 0

The Cornhuskers punted the ball away on their first drive of the second half, but with a 266-84 total yards advantage in the first half, it seemed to be of little consequence to the outcome of the game.

It appeared that the 17-0 score might hold the remainder of the game, with the teams trading punts throughout the third quarter, including three straight three-and-outs from the ineffective offenses.

Late in the third quarter, the Colorado offense finally put together a sustained drive. Taking over at their 36-yard line, the Buffs quickly moved into Cornhusker territory with a 21-yard completion from Steven Montez to K.D. Nixon. A 14-yard completion from Montez to tight end Brady Russell, followed by a 14-yard run by receiver Jaylon Jackson set up the Buffs with their first scoring opportunity of the game. A pair of 11-yard runs by Jaren Mangham followed, with the second getting the Buffs on the board, making it a 17-7 game with 1:42 remaining in the third quarter.

Aided by a facemask penalty, Nebraska quickly drove to midfield, and it appeared that the Cornhuskers had taken back the momentum. A 15-yard penalty for an illegal block, however, stalled the drive, with Nebraska punting the ball back to the Buffs as the fourth quarter opened.

Starting the drive at their own four-yard line with 14:22 to play, Steven Montez and K.D. Nixon connected on the play of the game. Taking a pitch back in the end zone, Steven Montez hit Nixon near midfield. A dive by the Cornhusker defender was to no avail, and Nixon had the longest play from scrimmage – 96 yards – in school history.

“That call was guts,” said Montez of the play call that came from offensive coordinator Jay Johnson in the booth. “That was pure guts.”

Nebraska 17, Colorado 14, with still over 14 minutes to play.

Bedlam in Folsom Field … which lasted for all of one play.

After taking the ball at their 25 after a touchback on the kickoff, NU quarterback Adrian Martinez hit running back Maurice Washington on a short pass, with Washington doing the rest, taking it 75 yards for a touchdown.

Order restored: Nebraska 24, Colorado 14 … with still over 14 minutes to play.

But the Buffs would not go away. Five plays later, the Buffs were on the board again. Steven Montez hit Jaylon Jackson for a 57-yard gain to the Nebraska seven yard line, with Jaren Mangham taking it in on the next play.

At the 12:19 mark, it was a game again, at 24-21, Nebraska.

Needing a stop, the Buff defense got one. On third-and-eight at the Nebraska, Adrian Martinez was sacked by Mustafa Johnson, with defensive lineman Nu’umato Falo picking up his second fumble recovery of the game at the Nebraska 20-yard line.

Just like that, Colorado had a chance to take the lead. A 12-yard completion from Montez to Dimitri Stanley gave CU a first-and-goal at the Nebraska six-yard line. There, however, the drive stalled, with James Stefanou kicking a 20-yard field goal with 8:30 to play. The Buffs had squandered an opportunity to take the lead, but the score – remarkably – was now tied, 24-all.

The tie didn’t last long.

The Cornhuskers needed only 2:41 of game clock to cover 75 yards to retake the lead. On fourth-and-one at the CU six yard line, Adrian Martinez took it in for the score. Nebraska 31, Colorado 24, with 5:49 to play.

The Buffs’ chances at a comeback seemingly took a fatal hit on the ensuing kickoff. Laviska Shenault, who was held to 31 yards receiving and six yards rushing, returned the Nebraska kickoff 54 yards … but fumbled, giving the Cornhuskers the ball and the lead with 5:35 to play.

Unable to run out the clock or post a game-clinching score, the Nebraska offense went three-and-out, giving the Buffs one more opportunity to tie the game.

It took ten plays and 71 yards, but the Buffs did just that.

The Buffs faced a fourth-and-one at midfield, with Steven Montez sneaking ahead for a five yard gain and new life with 1:29 to play. After a nine-yard completion to K.D. Nixon and a ten-yard run by Jaren Mangham, Montez hit senior receiver Tony Brown for a 26-yard touchdown … with 46 seconds to play.

An interception by Chris Miller gave the Buff Nation hopes of a win in regulation, but Miller was ruled down at the CU 15-yard line.

End of Regulation: Colorado 31, Nebraska 31.

Steven Montez hit Laviska Shenault for 14 yard gain on the first play of overtime, but the gain was wiped out by CU having an ineligible receiver downfield. An Alex Fontenot 18-yard run, though, gave CU a first down at the 12. There, however, the Buffs’ drive stalled, with James Stefanou hitting a 34-yard field goal to give the Buffs their first lead of the game, at 34-31.

Needing a touchdown to win or a field goal to tie, the Nebraska offense went nowhere. Two Maurice Washington runs netted one yard before Adrian Martinez, on third-and-nine at the CU 24, was sacked by Mustafa Johnson for a seven yard loss.

Isaac Armstrong, the Nebraska punter who was pressed into duty when the Cornhusker kicker went out with an injury, was brought in to try a 48-yard field goal to force a second overtime. The effort was short and right, and CU’s unlikely comeback victory was secured.

Final score: Colorado 34, No. 25 Nebraska 31

“We have great pride here and great tradition,” said Mel Tucker. “We have great facilities. There is not a better place in America to be a head football coach, in my opinion. We had some big time recruits here and they could really feel the passion in this place, in this community and on this campus. It was a great day for the Buffs. My hat goes off to our entire organization and our administration. It was a team effort by everyone involved.”

The comeback from a 17-point deficit matched the fourth-largest in school history. “My message to the team was that they gave us their best shot and we hadn’t even scratched the surface of what we could do on either side of the ball,” said Tucker. “It was just a matter of playing the next play, never looking at the scoreboard, doing what we do, believing in each other, playing harder, hitting a little bit harder and executing. When we went out into the tunnel those guys were energized. They were ready. They were ready to play ball. Our guys want to play football. We had an opportunity in the second half to come out and put our best foot forward. We did that.”

Buff players, who were instructed by their head coach not to engage in trash talking during the week, were willing to talk more openly after the game (CU and Nebraska won’t play again until 2023 [Boulder] and 2024 [Lincoln]).

“I love the way it felt,” said Mustafa Johnson, who had three sacks and a forced fumble which allowed the Buffs to tie the game in the fourth quarter. “I happened to be walking through campus on Friday with all of my senior gear on, and Nebraska fans were booing me, so it’s great being able to send them home with a loss.”

Here is the YouTube story of the game (40 minutes) … 

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If you don’t have as much time, here is a 15-minute highlight package … 

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Game Notes … 

— While Colorado is certainly not the first team to accomplish the feat, the Buffs did at least tie an NCAA record. In the final game book, there is always a stat: “Time Spent in the Lead“. For the CSU game, for instance, the final game book reads: “Time Spent in the Lead … Colorado: 43:36; Colorado State: 4:12″. For the Nebraska game, the final game book reads: Time Spent in the Lead … “Nebraska: 47:35; Colorado: 0:00”.  So, yes, Buff fans, Colorado won a game in which the Buffs – officially – never led;

— Attendance of 52,829 (sellout) was the largest (and third crowd of 50,000-plus) since Folsom was reconfigured ahead of the 2015 season. It was CU’s largest home opener crowd since 2009 (53,168 vs. Colorado State). The attendance of 52,829 was the largest at Folsom since 2010, when 52,855 were in the house for the Georgia game (a 29-27 win);

 — Colorado is now 7-8 in overtime games in its history (1-1 vs. Nebraska; in the 1999 OT game won by the Huskers, CU rallied from down 27-3 tie the game but missed a 33-yarder that would have won it;

— Colorado gained 258 yards in the fourth quarter after having 193 at the end of three;

— CU had six quarterback sacks in the game, four coming on third downs (all in the second half). Mustafa Johnson had three of those sacks, the first three-sack game for a Buff since Leo Jackson had three against Texas State in 2017;

— Chris Miller had his first career interception;

— It took nearly 65 years to break one of the oldest records in school history, but the 96-yard pass was the longest play from scrimmage in Colorado history (a 95-yard run by Emerson Wilson in 1954).  It was the longest play since Robert Hodge-to-Jeremy Bloom covered 94 yards for a touchdown against Kansas State on Oct. 5, 2002;

— Steven Montez (28-for-41 for 375 yards, two touchdowns; one interception) moved into second place on CU’s all-time passing yards list (7,448), trailing only Sefo Liufau (9,568) as he passed Cody Hawkins (7,409) and Joel Klatt (7,375) in the Nebraska game.

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Tags: Alex Fontenot, Brady Russell, Chris Miller, Dimitri Stanley, James Stefanou, Jaren Mangham, Jaylon Jackson, K.D. Nixon, KD Nixon, Mustafa Johnson, Steven Montez
This post, about the Nebraska game, from the 2019 Season, is filed under Uncategorized.
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