TOLEDO, OHIO — Colorado senior cornerback Cha’pelle Brown said earlier in the week that Friday night’s game at Toledo would give the Buffaloes an opportunity to work against a spread formation similar to the ones that CU will see often in the Big 12.
Now there’s a scary thought.
The Buffs come home 0-2 after Friday night’s 54-38 loss to the Rockets of the Mid-American Conference.
No, this UT wasn’t Texas. And don’t look for Rockets quarterback Aaron Opelt to be included in Heisman Trophy talk. But the Buffs sure let him look like a prime-time player. Opelt produced six touchdowns (four passing, two rushing) and finished with 428 total yards (319 passing).
And once again on national TV, CU appeared almost inept at times.
“We gave up too many big plays, that’s for sure. It’s a little bit of a ‘getting adjusted in the game’ issue,” CU coach Dan Hawkins said. “We’ve got so many young guys up front on both sides of the ball, that’s part of it.”
Toledo (1-1), a member of a league that loves to upset teams from bigger conferences, led 23-3 at halftime and kept scoring.
The Rockets lost 52-31 six days earlier to a rebuilding Purdue squad. This time, Toledo didn’t even call on its punter until midway through the third quarter. By then, Toledo led 30-3.
Colorado showed some life and scored two touchdowns in the third quarter, when a TD catch by Jason Espinoza was followed by a CU fumble recovery at the Toledo 4 on the ensuing kickoff. But Opelt, a dropback passer who rarely runs, scooted 61 yards on a draw on the second play of the fourth quarter to make it 44-24.
At that point, Toledo already had five plays of longer than 40 yards and 10 of 20 or more.
The real backbreaker came on a 27-yard run by Opelt with 36 seconds left before the break.
“He’s a nice player and does a good job. And he can run,” Hawkins said.
CU’s defense, blitzing and pass rushing from the edges, evidently failed to account for a quarterback keeper. But the Buffs should have learned. A play earlier, Opelt scrambled for 8 runs on third-and-7 to keep the chains moving.
“Nobody is crying. Nobody is ready to end the season,” CU cornerback Benjamin Burney said. “We definitely have the talent to be a good defense.”
Colorado junior Cody Hawkins draws criticism from fans for his lack of arm strength but, ironically, his problem in the first half was overthrowing receivers.
The most costly was just missing tailback Darrell Scott for what would have been a 30-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. Scott, sprinting down the left side, made a diving attempt for the pass but could not reach it.
Hawkins finished with 356 yards on 30-of-64 passing with four touchdowns and three interceptions. He was sacked three times. His 64 attempts are a school record.
Scott was used more this time. After just one carry in the season opener, Scott was the primary ballcarrier Friday night, finishing with 85 yards on 12 carries. He also had eight kickoff returns for a school-record 204 yards. His 290 all-purpose yards (including a 1-yard catch) ranks fourth all-time in school history.
But nothing seemed to go right for Colorado.
Toledo struck first, moving 84 yards in eight plays with its first possession. The bulk of the yardage came on a 60-yard completion to the CU 14 on third down, with Opelt finding 5-foot-10, 165-pound Eric Page down the right sideline.
Five days earlier vs. CSU, Colorado’s defense was burned by the big play, with five going for 215 yards. Apparently, that problem was not fixed because an even longer “gasher,” as Dan Hawkins calls them, was yet to come.
It was Page’s turn again, this time on a 70-yard touchdown reception. The freshman speedster ran by the Colorado defense, along the left hash mark, and was open by almost 10 yards when he caught Opelt’s spiral.
Colorado, meanwhile, stumbled around and at times couldn’t seem to get out of its own way. The Buffs punted away their first two possessions, but did miss a potential long gainer when senior tight end Riar Geer got behind the Toledo defense but dropped a perfect throw by Cody Hawkins.
When scoring the Buffs’ final touchdown, Hawkins took a hit to the helmet and may have suffered a concussion.
“Cody’s a little rocked,” said CU receiver Scotty McKnight, who tied a school record with 11 catches and finished with a 114 yards. “Cody is trying to figure out where he is right now.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
Swagger flagging
Three questions the Buffaloes had heading into Friday night’s game against Toledo:
1. Can Colorado shake off the bitter loss to Colorado State and regain some swagger?
Answer: Swagger? Colorado needs to show it can win a football game. Up next is a Sept. 19 home game against Wyoming.
2. Will tailback Darrell Scott become a focal point of the offense?
Answer: He tried. With Rodney “Speedy” Stewart sidelined by a lingering hamstring problem, Scott carried the load. In the first half he rushed 12 times for 85 yards, a 7.1-yard average.
3. Can the CU defense avoid being beaten on big plays?
Answer: A resounding no. Toledo wide receiver Eric Page, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound freshman, had 130 yards with two catches in the first half. Another Rockets receiver, Kenny Stafford, had a 46-yarder. And two running plays went for 27 yards — all in the first half. Then Stafford caught a 26-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive of the third quarter.
Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
Key stat
130: Yardage on two receptions by Toledo freshman receiver Eric Page in the first quarter, including a 70-yard touchdown catch.
Key play
After Colorado finally showed some spunk with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to pull to 37-24, Toledo senior quarterback Aaron Opelt took off up the middle and couldn’t be caught before crossing the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown on the second play of the fourth quarter.
