BOULDER — One of football’s long-held adages is that quarterbacks get too much credit for a team’s success and too much blame for its failures.
In that sense, while it may not be true that Colorado’s 34-30 victory Saturday over Kansas was entirely due to the switch to Tyler Hansen, it would be hard to find a better starting point.
When all seemed to be falling apart for the Buffs — the team had blown a 27-10 third-quarter lead and trailed 30-27 early in the fourth period — it was Hansen who steadied the ship.
The sophomore, making his first start of the season, led the Buffs (2-4, 1-1 Big 12) on a 10-play, 76-yard march that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown run by Rodney Stewart.
At that point it was up to the CU defense. Things looked bleak when, on a third-and-29, Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing, who spent much of the day pirouetting more than a prima ballerina at the Bolshoi, scrambled about and found Dezmon Briscoe on a 43-yard completion.
What seemed to be the go-ahead touchdown for Kansas (5-1, 1-1) was negated by an offensive interference penalty. Eventually, the Jayhawks were faced with a fourth-and-goal from the CU 6; a pass from Reesing to Briscoe was broken up in the end zone.
Kansas got the ball again, taking possession on its own 25 with 59 seconds to play. The visitors moved all the way to the Colorado 19, facing a third down with three seconds left.
On the final play of the game, a pass for Briscoe was broken up in the end zone by Cha’pelle Brown, giving the Buffs the victory and sending the joyous crowd of more than 51,000 rushing the field.
Kansas entered the contest perfect in its first five games this season and with a seven-game winning streak overall, but early on, it was the Buffs who had a noticeable pep to their collective step.
The Buffs put up 24 points in the second quarter, with Hansen running for a TD, throwing for one, and Stewart dashing in from the 4. That output was the most points scored by Colorado in a quarter in six years.
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
