Boulder – He peeked.
Colorado coach Gary Barnett took a look at the scoreboard. He wants his team to earn its Big 12 championship berth, and for that to happen, either Nebraska or Iowa State had to win Saturday. He was relieved to see Iowa State got the job done.
It means CU’s 41-12 win over Missouri at Folsom Field reduced the Buffs’ magic number to one – one win sends Colorado to its third straight Big 12 title game.
And Colorado wants it to play out on the field.
“We want to earn everything we get,” quarterback Joel Klatt said. “We said in the locker room after (our loss) at Texas that we were going to have to earn the right to play that team again. So, we want nothing else than to earn our way. We want to go up there and win.”
“Up there” is Ames, Iowa, where the Buffs can clinch the Big 12 North Division by beating Iowa State, which has started to hit its stride at the right time. Officially, Colorado has to win only one of its last two games, but the Buffs insist dragging it out isn’t something they want to do.
“It keeps us hungry,” guard Brian Daniels said. “It keeps us goal-oriented, which we’ve been this whole year.”
Their chance was made possible in part by a CU defense that neutralized Missouri’s Brad Smith, one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the conference.
Executing a game plan that was simplified by defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz yet still implored its players to stay in rushing lanes, the Buffs held Smith to 16 yards rushing, far below his Big 12-leading 112.9 average.
“We just tried to contain him, and when he did scramble, stay on the receivers and don’t come up,” linebacker Brian Iwuh said. “We played great fundamental football.”
Smith had just 176 total yards. Colorado made Missouri a one-dimensional team, holding the Tigers to 59 yards rushing (and just a 2.0-yard average).
A large deficit also contributed to Missouri having to throw more, and that was forced by CU fullback Lawrence Vickers’ four-touchdown performance. The senior captain scored on runs of 1, 20, 2 and 7 yards. Vickers finished with a career-high 85 yards on 18 carries, taking the load with starter Hugh Charles on the sideline with an injured ankle.
“He really ran the ball north and south in typical Lawrence Vickers fashion,” offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. “He’s just a hungry runner.”
CU got on the board with a seven-play, 94-yard drive in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead, but it was quickly answered by Missouri’s 80-yard drive to make the score 7-6 after a missed extra point.
Then the Buffs pulled away with 17 unanswered points.
Vickers scored twice in the run, and a 56-yard Mason Crosby field goal with 2:33 left in the second quarter gave the Buffs a comfortable 24-6 lead.
Missouri came back to life a bit on a Jamar Smith 12-yard fumble return for a touchdown, but the Tigers’ offense couldn’t build on the momentum.
The Buffs ended the game with another 17-0 run.
“We know as a team if we play our game and execute our plan, we’re going to be a tough team to beat,” wide receiver Dusty Sprague said. “When we’re having fun and executing we can play with anybody.”
Road to Houston
Colorado can clinch the Big 12 North title with one win in its last two games, starting Saturday at Iowa State. Iowa State can clinch a division title with wins in its last two games. Here is what each team has left on its schedule.
COLORADO
Saturday at Iowa State
Nov. 25 vs. Nebraska
IOWA STATE
Saturday vs. Colorado
Nov. 26 at Kansas
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
