Caleb Hanie’s near-perfect passing and Colorado State’s stingy defense led the Rams to a 14-10 win over Colorado on Saturday in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Invesco Field.
The season has started poorly for the in-state rivals. The Rams had three players and two former players arrested earlier this week in a bank-fraud investigation. The Buffaloes embarrassment came on the field. They lost their opener to Division I-AA Montana State.
The Rams’ fortunes improved Saturday thanks to a defense that limited Colorado to 28 yards in the second half and Hanie’s precision passing. He was 20-for-23 – with two throwaways and just one bad throw all day – for 233 yards and a touchdown.
It’s not like he had all day either; he was sacked six times, three times by Abraham Wright.
Hanie, who completed his first 14 passes and finally threw one away while under pressure with 8 seconds left in the third quarter, led CSU to a 14-10 halftime lead when he scored on a 3-yard keeper and threw a 3-yard TD strike to Kory Sperry.
Johnny Walker caught 10 passes for 158 yards, including a leaping, 32-yard grab at the Colorado 11 on third-and-8 with 2 1/2 minutes left to ice it as the Rams (2-0) avenged three consecutive last-minute losses to the Buffs.
Colorado has lost sixth straight for the first time in 26 years.
Colorado (0-2), which hasn’t endured a dry spell like this since starting out 0-7 in 1980, pulled a surprise by starting Bernard Jackson at quarterback in place of James Cox, who was dismal in coach Dan Hawkins debut last week.
Jackson quickly directed an opening scoring drive that covered 65 yards in nine plays, the payoff coming on his naked bootleg around the right side from 3 yards out for a 7-0 Buffs lead.
Jackson, however, didn’t keep it up, finishing 8-for-13 passing for 70 yards and rushing 18 times for 30 yards. Cox completed 1-of-2 passes for a yard in spot duty.
Colorado State tied it on Hanie’s 3-yard run, but the Buffs regained the lead after Damon Morton fumbled Matthew Dilallo’s 73-yard punt and Terrence Wheatley recovered at the Rams’ 26.
The Rams held and the Buffs settled for Mason Crosby’s 26-yard field goal and a 10-7 lead.
The Rams made great use a timeout in the second half.
As Crosby’s 61-yard field goal was sailing through the uprights by a good 15 yards, the officials were waving it off because the Rams had called timeout just a split-second before the snap.
After the timeout, Crosby had the distance but the ball sailed wide left.
The Rams had their own troubles with the kicking game. After an 18-play drive that lasted 9:17, Jason Smith missed a 34-yarder with 10 minutes left.
It ended up not mattering thanks to a dominant defense and Walker’s game-icing 32-yard grab with Wheatley all over him.