BOULDER — Colorado safety Ryan Walters was taken to a Boulder hospital on a stretcher late in Saturday’s loss to Missouri after suffering the effects of an apparent concussion.
Colorado spokesman Dave Plati said after the game that tests on Walters were negative but the junior from Aurora would remain hospitalized overnight for precautionary reasons.
“He went out of the game in the third quarter, and it looked like he was passing out on the bench,” CU cornerback Benjamin Burney said.
Walters’ status for Saturday’s game at Iowa State will be determined this week, Plati said.
Cornerback Terrence Wheatley missed some plays with a sprained foot but returned to the lineup. Linebacker Brad Jones suffered a concussion and is listed as day-to-day.
Good start. At least Colorado gave its fans something to cheer about early.
Taking advantage of a Missouri turnover, Colorado got on the board first. CU junior defensive tackle George Hypolite grabbed a deflected pass for his first career interception on Missouri’s second play from scrimmage and returned it 6 yards to the Missouri 11.
Senior tailback Byron Ellis scored on a 2-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
“It was a big boost for our team,” Hypolite said. “But obviously it didn’t last.”
Coffman the hurdler. Chase Coffman caught three touchdown passes to up his career total to 19, breaking Justin Gage’s school record (1999-2002). But it was Coffman’s second TD, in which he leaped over a Colorado defender and broke through two Buffaloes into the end zone, that will end up on NFL scouting directors’ desks.
“I’ve been doing that because I’m tired of people diving at my knees,” the junior said.
Said Missouri coach Gary Pinkel when he saw it: “I’m thinking, ‘I played tight end.’ Looking at him I should’ve played guard.”
Talk about deep at tight end. Missouri’s other tight end, Martin Tucker, caught six passes for 60 yards for the season, breaking Coffman’s school mark of 58 set last season.
Oh, yes, Missouri is good at wide receiver, too. Jeremy Maclin had 108 yards receiving and 67 yards on returns for 1,670 all-purpose yards for the year, breaking tailback Devin West’s 1998 school mark of 1,621.
Even Pinkel is impressed. Why is Missouri 8-1? It’s simple: speed.
“This is the most perimeter athleticism I’ve ever had in coaching,” said Pinkel, in his 34th year in the profession. “And I’m talking about Washington when we went to Rose Bowls.”
Holding Charles. Colorado tailback Hugh Charles gained only 55 yards on 14 carries because Missouri had seen a pattern to his running.
“We knew Hugh Charles was a track guy and he was really fast,” linebacker Van Alexander said. “But we knew that he liked to bounce it to the outside and avoid tackles. As a defense we stressed to keep our leverage and keep everything contained, and I think it worked out well for us.”
Footnotes. Not a good sign: CU’s Matt DiLallo had a career-high 11 punts. … Missouri came 2 yards shy of becoming the first team to get 600 yards in offense against CU since the Tigers did it in 1984 (639). … The 1983 Tigers (59-20) had been the last opponent to score 50 points against CU in Boulder.
