Nov 3rd – UCLA – Even the Ugly Wins Count

Isaiah Oliver returned a punt 68 yards for a score with 5:27 remaining and No. 21 Colorado overcame eight personal-foul penalties to beat UCLA 20-10 on Thursday night.

Oliver caught the punt on the right side of the field, cut back to the left and went untouched for the decisive score. It was the first punt return for a touchdown in 11 years for Colorado, giving the Buffs a guaranteed winning season since 2005 … the last time the Buffs had a punt return for a touchdown (Stephone Robinson v. Kansas).

The game featured a combined 25 penalties for 224 yards, two blocked kicks and five turnovers.

Mike MacIntyre: “We found a way to win”

The statistics tell the story:

— Four turnovers;

— A total of 12 penalties – including four personal fouls and four calls for unsportsmanlike conduct – for a total of 128 yards;

— Four trips to the red zone by the offense, with only one touchdown to show for the effort.

In year’s past … Hell, last year … this would have been the post-mortem of yet another close loss. The Buffs, at times in the very recent past, played well enough to win Pac-12 games, but turnovers, missed opportunities, and self-inflicted wounds kept the team from posting “W’s”.

Against UCLA, however, the team found a way to win, coming away with a 20-10 victory before a Thursday night Blackout crowd of 43,761.

Drew Litton on UCLA game … Neil Woelk’s Five Keys to the UCLA game …

CU defense: two TD’s allowed at home … CU 5-0 when scoring 30+ … UCLA: Best 3-5 team in the nation?

Your “T.I.P.S.” for the Blackout game against UCLA … How does your prediction match up with mine?

ESPN and Jon Wilner both project CU in the Rose Bowl … CU No. 15 in first College Football Playoff rankings