Boulder – Before the game, Colorado sophomore running back Hugh Charles was so nervous about his first collegiate start, he climbed into bed between his mother and his grandmother for comfort.
But it wasn’t until after Colorado State had built a 21-10 lead in the second quarter Saturday and Hughes had fumbled the ball away late in the third that he finally got comfortable with CU’s new wide-open offense.
The timing couldn’t have been better as Charles, after a slow start, rushed for 101 yards on 15 carries and scored the two most important touchdowns of the season-opening game, breaking away on fourth-quarter runs of 29 and 23 yards to set the stage for CU’s 31-28 victory at Folsom Field.
The game was tied 21-21 when Charles gave CU the lead with 1:30 left on a 23-yard scamper over the left guard. He broke to the sideline after getting free past the line of scrimmage.
“It was an inside play,” he said. “The hole opened up. I thought I was going to run it outside, but I went inside, had to make a little jump cut to get by the defender and then I just turned on the jets and headed for the end zone.”
Before a late surge triggered by a couple of CSU interceptions, the Buffs struggled on offense. Penalties on six plays brought back gains totaling 90 yards. CU committed three turnovers, including two fumbles.
“It was really a frustrating day offensively, even though we ended up getting a lot of yards and ended up scoring some points there at the end,” said CU quarterback Joel Klatt. “We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot.
“Those holding calls came on big plays, first downs, touchdowns. So we need to eliminate those mistakes and if we do that, we feel like we’ve got some weapons.”
The Buffs’ best weapons in the passing game were tight ends Joe Klopfenstein and Quinn Sypniewski, but it was Charles who was the highlight.
“Speed,” Klatt said. “I mean, he gets a little crack in the middle of the line and all of a sudden, he gets one-one-one on the safety, and if he gets by it, you see what happens. Hugh did a fantastic job.
“He struggled a little bit, fumbled the ball, and I just told him, ‘Hey, you’re the guy, you’re going to make a big play, and he did. He made two.”
The fumble was not nervousness, Hughes said. The ball just got knocked – by CSU’s Jahmal Hall – one play after CU had intercepted the ball.
“I really don’t let those things get to me. I wasn’t really worried about that fumble. I put it behind me and scored after that,” Charles said.
The nervousness was “back at the hotel this morning,” he said. “I couldn’t eat breakfast. So I just laid in bed with my mom and my grandma and they helped me a lot. At the beginning, I started kind of slow. I had to get used to it. But in the end, I saw the holes, my reads were great and I just took off.”
Unable to protect a 28-21 lead in the last 90 seconds, the Buffs won the game after CSU squib-kicked to Stephone Robinson at the 10. Robinson returned it to CU’s 40. Klatt hit a couple of passes to put the Buffs at the CSU 30 and CU All-America kicker Mason Crosby nailed the winning field goal from 47 yards out.
The squib kick was a huge play, Klatt said. “We were just going to take a knee and take a home-field overtime. But once we got the ball out there, I ran up to coach (Gary) Barnett and asked him, ‘Where do you need it,’ and he said, ‘Try to get to the 50.’ So that was the mark I was trying to get to for maybe a 65-yard field goal.
“Obviously not a high percentage. But Pat (Williams) made a big play and after that, it was just about not taking a sack, and making sure that Mason was loose and ready to go.”
If the Buffs get their offense running smoothly, Crosby might have to start taking second billing to Charles.
Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
