1989 Season Archive

No. 4 Notre Dame – Orange Bowl – “Opportunity Lost”

//posted 1.1.1990

— Prelude to the 1990 Orange Bowl … Travel Plans — When I was an undergrad at Colorado, a number of my friends and I made a pact: If Colorado ever made it to the Orange Bowl as Big Eight Champions, we would go to the game. No matter when, no matter our circumstances, we would find a way to get there. At the time, with the Buffs posting a series of records like 1-10, 2-8-1, and 3-8, there seemed to be little substance to the pledge. A few short …

Video highlights from every game of the 1989 season

//posted 12.11.1989

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Here’s a YouTube video with highlights of the 1989 season … including extensive video from the Nebraska game. Thanks to CU at the Gamer Paul for finding this treasure …

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Kansas State – Six weeks to History, the Buffs move up to No. 1

//posted 11.18.1989

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— November 18th – at Kansas State No. 2 Colorado 59, Kansas State 11 — Having learned their lesson against Oklahoma State, the Colorado Buffaloes did not allow Kansas State to open up strong. Instead, the Buffs dominated from beginning to end, rolling up the most points by a Colorado team in 20 years, mauling Kansas State, 59-11. J.J. Flannigan rushed for a career-high 246 yards and four touchdowns as Colorado rushed for 518 yards. The defense also contributed, holding Kansas State without a first down and only eight (eight!) yards …

Oklahoma State – Buffs rally from 10-0 deficit to rout Cowboys

//posted 11.11.1989

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— November 11th – at Oklahoma State No. 2 Colorado 41, Oklahoma State 17 — What was supposed to be a coronation of the new Big Eight champions appeared to be anything but as the Oklahoma State Cowboys came to play against the emotionally drained Buffaloes. With a 53-yard scoring strike from quarterback Mike Gundy to wide receiver Curtis Mayfield to open the second quarter, Oklahoma State opened up a 10-0 lead against the lethargic Buffs. This team was not to be denied, however, as Colorado stormed back with 41 …

No. 3 Nebraska – “This is the greatest win I’ve been a part of”

//posted 11.4.1989

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— November 4th – Boulder No. 2 Colorado 27, No. 3 Nebraska 21 — Jim Nantz, the play-by-play announcer for CBS, introduced the Colorado/Nebraska game to the nation as follows: “Quite simply, there has never been a bigger game in Colorado’s 100-year history than this game today.” After falling behind early, the Colorado Buffaloes played like champions, prevailing over Nebraska, 27-21, taking control of the Big Eight race to the Orange Bowl, and taking dead aim at a national championship. The game began ominously for the Buffs. In each of …

Oklahoma – Getting a High Five in the Produce Aisle

//posted 10.28.1989

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— October 28th – at Oklahoma No. 3 Colorado 20, Oklahoma 3 — Colorado used a stifling defense and just enough offense to take a 20-3 decision over Oklahoma in one of the biggest wins in Colorado football history. Raising its season record to 8-0 for the first time in sixty-two years, the Buffs gave notice to future opponents that its defense was just as good as its offense. Colorado held the Sooners to only 248 yards of total offense, including completions on only three-of-22 passes in the stiff afternoon …

Buffs take down Kansas – “Things Have Changed”

//posted 10.21.1989

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— October 21, 1989 – Boulder No. 3 Colorado 49, Kansas 17 — The largest Homecoming crowd in the Bill McCartney era, 50,057, witnessed the methodical dismantling of the Jayhawks as the Buffs rolled to a 49-17 win. Starting for the injured Eric Bieniemy, senior tailback J.J. Flannigan ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns, including two in the second quarter as Colorado built a 21-3 halftime advantage. Before Kansas was allowed to score its two consolation touchdowns in the fourth, Colorado had built the lead to 42-3. The 482 …

Iowa State – Buffs roll up 662 yards of total offense

//posted 10.14.1989

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— October 14th – at Iowa State No. 3 Colorado 52, Iowa State 17 — The 100th edition of the Colorado Buffaloes football team continued their assault on the record books as Colorado scored on all seven first half possessions en route to crushing Iowa State, 52-17. The Cyclones stayed even with the Buffs through the first quarter, forging a 10-10 score with a 50-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter. Thereafter, though, it was all Buffs. Colorado scored 35 points in the second quarter, setting a …

Missouri – Buffs Taking Aim at No. 1

//posted 10.7.1989

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— October 7th – Boulder No. 3 Colorado 49, Missouri 3 — Missouri head coach Bob Stull spent ten years as an assistant to Washington head coach Don James before taking over for the Tigers in 1989. “It’s amazing to see they scored (45) against the Huskies out there”, said Stull the week before the Colorado/Missouri game. “They’re extremely strong this year.” It took all of 34 seconds that Saturday for Stull and his Tigers to discover just how strong. On the first play of the game, Colorado quarterback Darian Hagan …

No. 21 Washington – Road trip to Seattle – Buffs dominate

//posted 9.30.1989

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— September 30th – at Washington No. 5 Colorado 45, No. 21 Washington 28 — The Colorado Buffaloes, inspired by the words of their fallen quarterback (see previous game recap), raised their season record to 4-0 with a dominant performance against Washington, handing the Huskies a 45-28 thrashing. In posting the highest point total by a Washington opponent at Husky Stadium in 15 years, Colorado ran over, through, and around Washington. The Buffs had six players run for over 40 yards apiece in accumulating 420 yards on the ground. The game was competitive …

No. 10 Illinois – Jeff George falls / A Farewell to Sal

//posted 9.16.1989

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— September 16th – Boulder No. 8 Colorado 38, No. 10 Illinois 7 — The University of Colorado served notice to the football world that the 1989 Buffs were for real, dominating No. 10 Illinois, 38-7. For the third straight game, the Buffs scored on their first possession. A 74-yard pass from Darian Hagan to wideout Jeff Campbell set up a one-yard scoring run by Eric Bieniemy to give Colorado the early lead, 7-0. After the Illini tied the score on a two-yard run by Howard Griffith, Colorado took the lead …

Colorado State – Bieniemy goes for three scores in comeback win

//posted 9.9.1989

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— September 9th – Boulder No. 9 Colorado 45, Colorado State 20 — The Colorado State Rams were 1-10 in 1988, and were 0-1 coming to Boulder to face the ninth-ranked Buffs. Still, Colorado State’s opening loss was a 17-14 heartbreaker at Tennessee, and nothing was being conceded by the Rams to their neighbors to the south. Colorado State, under new head coach Earle Bruce, raced out to a 14-7 first quarter lead against the heavily-favored Buffs. It would take an offensive explosion on the part of the Buffs in …