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Top 40 of the Past 40 – No. 26
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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
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- 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)
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 …
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Top 40 Favorite Games … No. 26
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November 19, 2016 – No. 12 Colorado 38, No. 20 Washington State 24 – Sefo Liufau posts 300/100 game
From the Game Story in the CU at the Game Archives …
Sefo Liufau passed for 345 yards, rushing for another 108 yards and three touchdowns, leading No. 12 Colorado to a 38-24 victory over No. 20 Washington State. The victory, the first for head coach Mike MacIntyre against a ranked team, witnessed 603 yards of total offense from the Buffs, while holding the Cougars to a season-low 24 points.
“He’s the poster boy of our team,” Buff cornerback Chidobe Awuzie said of Liufau. “Everyone from the outside looking in, that’s what Colorado football looks like. He never quits.
“On the interior, in the locker room, we look at him like the guy who’s going to lead us to the promised land. He goes down, but he always comes back. That tough mindset, that gritty mindset — that’s what this team is built on because that’s who he is and that’s who we are.”
Phillip Lindsay had 31 carries for 144 yards and two touchdowns, with the receiving corps being led by Devin Ross, who had eight catches for 121 yards.
Luke Falk went 26-for-53 for 325 yards and three touchdowns for the Cougars, but was held at bay for most of the final three quarters despite the fact that the Buffs were without defensive backs Afodabi Laguda (ejected for targeting in the first quarter) and Ryan Moeller, out with an injury for all of the second half.
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“That fourth down stand at the beginning of the fourth quarter was the turning point in the game,” said coach Mike MacIntyre, “when Nick Fisher made the tackle there. Nick had to come in and play a lot tonight after we lost Afolabi (Laguda) and Ryan Moeller. I’m very proud of him. We talk all the time about – you have to start in your role, whatever your role is, and everybody’s dreams can come true. We’re marching to try to get our dreams to come true.”
Colorado posted a season-high 603 yards of total offense, with Sefo Liufau passing for 345 yards and rushing for 108 more. The Buffs rushing attack was led by Phillip Lindsay, who went over 2,000 yards rushing for his career, and 1,000 yards rushing for the season, with a 31-carry, 144-yard effort. The Buffs had no passing touchdowns, but five scores on the ground, with Liufau scoring three times; Lindsay twice.
“It was a big win,” said Lindsay. “We have something called the gold games and we have gold bricks. So any time we beat a ranked team we get a gold brick. This is our first time since we’ve been ranked that we get a gold brick so it’s a pretty big deal for us. We’re excited and we’re happy and we have to continue to ride this wave and get ready for the next game.”
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From the Essay for the Game, “Giving Thanks” …
The 2016 Redemption Tour by your Colorado Buffaloes continued this weekend with yet another victory. Before a national television audience on Fox, No. 12 Colorado took down No. 20 Washington State, 38-24, to run its record to 9-2, 7-1 in Pac-12 play.
There are, of course, the latest additions to the list of “not since” or “first time since” to add to the ever-growing pile of superlatives being posted by these Buffs … First win over a ranked team since 2009 … First five-game winning streak since 2002 … First nine-win season since 2002 … First 5-0 home record since 1994 …
And that’s before we get to the heroics of the individual players.
Rather than pile on the statistics, though, let’s talk about this historic ride, and what it means to those closest to the fray … the coaches and players who are making this run possible.
… Continue reading story here …
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Here are the YouTube highlights from the game …
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Top 40 Favorite Players … No. 26
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WR/KR Jeremy Bloom (2002-03)
Bloom’s bio, from CUBuffs.com … A member of the U.S. Olympic Ski Team, the NCAA cut his career short by not allowing him to accept endorsement money to fund his ski training… He made his mark in just two seasons at CU, though, as he had five career plays of 75 yards or longer (two receptions, two punt returns, one kickoff return), tied with Byron White for the second most in school history, and just one behind the leader, Ben Kelly (six between 1997-99) …
The first time he touched the ball as a collegian, he returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown against Colorado State (2002 opener)… That same year against Kansas State, he had a 94-yard catch and run reception for a touchdown, the longest pass play in school history (also his first career catch)… Against Oklahoma in the ’02 Big 12 Championship, he had an 80-yard punt return for six… He added an 81-yard touchdown reception at Florida State and an 88-yard kickoff return at Kansas State as a sophomore.
Bloom finished his career eighth in punt return yards (625), tied for fifth in punt return touchdowns (2), 11th in kickoff return yards
(627), 57th in receiving yards (458) and 48th in all-purpose yards (1,792)… The 2004-05 World Cup Moguls champion, he finished
ninth in the event at the 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City and sixth in the 2006 games at Turin, Italy… Created a foundation,
Wish of a Lifetime, which funds life-enriching wishes for seniors.
Here is a YouTube video containing nothing but Jeremy Bloom highlights … Enjoy! …
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5 Replies to “Top 40 of the Past 40 – No. 26”
Man I wish he could have played 4 years. Quite a family. See the movie Molly’s Game to learn about the family
Yo Stuart,
Jeremy Bloom might have well been the most exciting player to ever don the black and gold. He was certainly a world class athlete, competing at high levels in several sports.
He also won the 2003 “Superstars” competition against other world class pro athletes. He ran the 100 yard dash in a blazing 9.41 seconds during Superstars. That means he was a world class sprinter as well.
He was one of the those rare players who was a threat to score every time he touched the ball. And his ability to make even good defenders look helpless was priceless. I remember that every time he got the ball in his hands, everybody watching, including defenders, held their breath for a moment because they knew Bloom could take it to the house. A fun guy to watch.
Mark / Boulderdevil
I always thought he should have had “the ball in his hands” a lot more
Thanks for putting Jeremy on this list. My wife was one of his teachers in elementary school and we have followed his exploits since. He was an awesome kid and now a great guy as an adult. I have hated the NCAA ever since their ridiculous decision to ban him from college football. He was a delight to watch and made his hometown very proud for both being a Buff and a USA olympian.
Thanks, David, for sharing.
Jeremy would have certainly been higher on the list had he been given the opportunity to play more than two years.
I have remained a big fan – especially since Jeremy has remained a big fan of CU.