BOULDER — Backup quarterback Marshall Lobbestael hit a wide-open Marquess Wilson for a 63-yard TD with 1:10 left to lift Washington State over Colorado, 31-27, in the Buffaloes’ historic first Pac-12 Conference game.
The Buffaloes (1-4) blew a 27-17 lead in the last five minutes as Rodney Stewart rushed for 132 yards and Tyler Hansen threw for two touchdowns.
However, they couldn’t stop the nation’s most productive receiver when it counted most. Starting from their 10-yard line with 1:50 left after forcing a punt, the Cougars (2-2) worked their way to the 37.
Wilson, who came in averaging 143 receiving yards a game, had only 36 entering the fourth quarter despite a bevy of converted offensive players in the Colorado secondary. On first-and-10 from the 37, Lobbestael found Wilson all alone behind cornerback Greg Henderson and safety Anthony Perkins at about the 20 and Wilson strolled in for the winning score with 1:10 remaining.
“They ran a double move and we got beat,” Perkins said. “It doesn’t matter, they ran a double move and we got beat. We lost the game.”
Colorado’s Paul Richardson fumbled at the Cougars’ 39 with 55 seconds left to essentially end the game.
“We don’t expect to win,” Colorado coach Jon Embree said. “Obviously we don’t. It’s on me. I get that. It starts with Jon Embree.”
The Cougars started their comeback with a 19-yard TD pass to Isiah Barton with 2:35 left to make it 27-24 Colorado.
Before 51,228 fans on a brilliant sunny day, Colorado looked like the power running team first-year coach Jon Embree promoted. Stewart pounded the middle of Washington State’s line most of the day and broke off a 52-yard run to the 21 in a key fourth-quarter drive.
Stewart gave the Buffaloes some breathing room at the end of the 11-play drive when he bulled in from the 1 for a 27-17 lead with 5:11 left.
Washington State came into the season having gone 5-32 in Paul Wulff’s three-year rebuilding program. However, the Cougars have 17 returning starters, are coming off a strong second half of last season and had the No. 6 offense in the country (539.67 yards per game), albeit against two weak opponents.
“We were picked to finish 13th, so right now we’re proving everyone right,” Embree said. “It’s a good league, but I don’t see us being the worst team in the league. This isn’t the league to be in learning by trial and error.”
After another slow start, Colorado got untracked in the second quarter and started having its way. The Buffaloes opened the second half with a 9-play, 79-yard drive, with Hansen hitting Toney Clemons on a 4-yard fade route for a 20-10 lead.
WSU came right back with an 80-yard, 10-play drive. Lobbestael, in since the opener with starter Jeff Tuel out with a broken collarbone, hit 6-of-7 on the drive. Lobbestael culminating it by hitting wide-open fullback Jarel Byers on the right flat and he ran in untouched to make it 20-17.
Colorado continued its honored tradition of slow starts. The Buffaloes have scored on their first drive only three times since the beginning of last season and have been outscored in the first quarter and a half in that period, 55-6.
Washington State led 7-3 after one quarter, scoring on an 81-yard drive with Lobbestael hitting wide-open receivers against Colorado’s depleted secondary. Tailback Carl Winston scored untouched from the 2 for a 7-0 lead and it could’ve been worse.
WSU failed on two fourth-down tries, once on junior safety Ray Polk’s first career interception in the first quarter and another when middle linebacker Doug Rippy stuffed Winston for a 4-yard loss in the second.
“We’ve been losing for the past five years,” Rippy said. “You walk around campus, you’ve constantly got people coming up to you asking, ‘What happened in the game?’ “
The Cougars’ aggressiveness got them in trouble. Two straight unnecessary roughing penalties put Colorado on the 17 and two plays later, Tyler Hansen threw a pretty fade to Paul Richardson for a 9-yard TD and a 10-7 lead.
WSU could’ve gone into the locker room tied, 10-10. Ignoring Colorado was 120th out of 120 teams in kickoff returns, the Cougars tried a squib kick with 21 seconds left but it wound up at the Buffs’ 49.
Hansen hit tight end Ryan Deehan for 21 yards to the 31 and Will Oliver kicked his second 48-yard field goal of the game for a 13-10 halftime lead.
John Henderson: 303-954-1299, jhenderson@denverpost.com, .
