Miami – Colorado’s keys to an upset victory Saturday over Miami at the Orange Bowl looked something like this: Play mistake-free football, capitalize on red-zone opportunities, slow the Miami running game and don’t give up the big play.
Other than partial credit on the Miami running game, the buffs whiffed.
As a result, CU was saddled with its first loss of the season, 23-3, to the No. 12 Hurricanes.
“We didn’t play our best game in an environment and against a team that you have to play your best game, or come close to it,” CU coach Gary Barnett said. “We made a million mistakes and shot ourselves in the foot too many times.”
This is how those keys turned out.
Mistakes: CU committed a near school-record 16 penalties for 104 yards, and added three turnovers.
Red zone: CU went 0-for-2 in the red zone.
Miami running game: The ‘Canes rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.2 yards a carry.
Stop the big plays: Miami scored on a 53-yard pass play and had a 38-yard run, and the receivers averaged 12.9 yards per catch.
Mason Crosby’s leg saved CU from its first shutout since Nov. 12, 1988 (7-0 at Nebraska), but sloppy play couldn’t save the Buffs from the ugly truth that multiple mistakes cost games.
In the Buffs’ case, the game at least could have been more competitive with a bit more focus and attention to detail. All the more puzzling is that the miscues occurred after CU had two weeks to prepare for Miami, which was coming off a draining, emotional win over Clemson a week earlier.
“Some of the penalties were just stupid,” defensive lineman James Garee said. “The defensive offside penalties, those were really discouraging. So many penalties, so many turnovers, the (CU) defense didn’t get one turnover. We didn’t play the way we needed to play.”
Two plays into the game, CU had the appearance of a team ready to take a step up and play Miami toe-to-toe. A 29-yard run by running back Hugh Charles on the game’s opening play was followed by a 18-yard pass from quarterback Joel Klatt to tight end Quinn Sypniewski. Just like that, the Buffs had 47 yards of offense and the ball on the Miami 7-yard line.
But the drive stalled. And to make matters worse, a bad snap might have led to Crosby missing an 28-yard field goal, and CU’s opening drive netted no points.
“I’m disappointed about that because that would have gotten us out to a good start,” Crosby said. “I feel like we really needed that. I can’t be missing those kinds of kicks.”
After that drive, CU netted just 23 more yards of offense in the first quarter on 13 plays and sputtered the rest of the game, sometimes stringing together a few good plays, but ultimately not doing much. The Buffs’ points came on Crosby’s 58-yard field goal, which was set up by a four-play drive that gained just 4 yards.
“We came in here and really thought we had a good chance to win, really confident about our team,” Klatt said. “They did a nice job in key situations, and it turned out to be the ballgame.”
Miami didn’t set the world on fire with its play, but it did the things necessary to win. Its 394 yards of offense were highlighted by quarterback Kyle Wright’s 264 yards passing with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also ran for a score. Wide receiver Sinorice Moss caught five passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
“I was really pleased,” Miami coach Larry Coker said. “We had a little swagger, a little attitude.”
CU SIDELINES
KEY BREAKDOWN
Penalties. The Buffs’ lack of focus resulted in 16 penalties for 104 yards. Many stopped CU drives or kept Miami drives going.
KEY PLAY
Mason Crosby’s missed field goal in the first quarter. After getting off to a hot start, CU’s offense stalled inside Miami’s 10-yard line and then came up with nothing when Crosby missed a 28-yard attempt. It was a frustrating moment for a Buffs team hoping to take an early advantage.
TURNING POINT
Miami’s 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter. Miami quarterback Kyle Wright scored at a point when CU still had a chance to get back in the game. Wright’s touchdown and the subsequent PAT upped the lead from 16-3 to 23-3 with just more than eight minutes left, putting the Buffs away.
KEY STATISTIC
4-of-5 – Miami’s production in the red zone. Although CU’s defense played well, when the Hurricanes had a chance to score inside the CU 20-yard line, they did. Conversely, the Buffs were 0-for-2 in red-zone scoring.
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
