COLUMBIA, Mo. — Colorado’s defense looked like it was stuck in “Groundhog Day.”
For the second consecutive season, the CU defense gave up more than 50 points to Missouri. Last season, the Chase Daniel-led spread attack of the Tigers scored 55 points against the Buffaloes while gaining 596 yards.
Daniel led another assault Saturday on the CU defense to the tune of 58 points and 491 yards.
“We just got blistered,” Buffaloes coach Dan Hawkins said.
Coming into the game, the CU pass defense was ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference. But Daniel and the Tigers dissected the Buffs like a high school science project.
“We wanted to go out there and try to make a statement,” Daniel said.
“The thing that obviously helped them was that they got back to running the football and running the football well,” Hawkins said. “Chase was his usual lights-out self.”
A lasting image for CU defensive tackle George Hypolite might be something that happened after the game. As he walked off Faurot Field, a group of teenage boys heckled him. All he could do was hang his head in shame.
“They made a lot of big plays,” Hypolite said of the Tigers. “Chase Daniel hit a few coverages when we didn’t execute. When they got the ball inside our 40, they scored. That’s what offenses are supposed to do.”
Hawkins and his staff have faced Daniel and his high-scoring crew for three seasons. Colorado was given a blueprint by Oklahoma State and Texas on how to at least contain the Missouri offense. Yet the Buffs still gave up the most yards this season.
“Everything we watched on film, they did,” safety Ryan Walters said. “They just executed, and we didn’t.”
CU now prepares for a trip to College Station to take on Texas A&M.
“We’ve been beat worse than this. It’s not the end of the world,” Hypolite said, referring to a 70-3 loss to Texas in the 2005 Big 12 championship game. “After tomorrow, we’ll watch the film, improve, flush it and focus on Texas A&M.”
The only shining moment Saturday for CU’s defense was Walters intercepting a tipped Daniel pass, but that didn’t improve Walters’ mood.
“This is embarrassing,” Walters said.
True freshman starting QB debuts for Buffs
Date Quarterback Opponent Result
Oct. 18, 1980 Randy Essington at Missouri L, 45-7
Rushing: 4 carries, minus-19 yards, 0 TD. Passing: 11-of-22, 58 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT.
Nov. 22, 1986 Marc Walters at Kansas State W, 49-3
Rushing: 18 carries, 88 yards, 2 TDs. Passing: 4-of-4, 111 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT.
Oct. 17, 1992 Koy Detmer Oklahoma T, 24-24
Rushing: 9 carries, minus-22 yards, 0 TD. Passing: 33-of-50, 418 yards, 2 TDs, 5 INT.
Oct. 7, 2000 Craig Ochs at Texas A&M W, 26-19
Rushing: 6 carries, 6 yards, 1 TD. Passing: 15-of-25, 239 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT.
Oct. 25, 2008 Tyler Hansen at Missouri L, 58-0
Rushing: 16 carries, 30 yards, 0 TD. Passing: 12-of-16, 72 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT.
Source: University of Colorado
