BOULDER — Colorado found a different way to lose a Pac-12 football game Saturday. For the first time in more than a month, the Buffaloes got off to a good start in a conference game. Even that didn’t help.
Becoming prone to make turnovers, CU lost its early momentum in the third quarter and remained winless in league play with a 38-23 loss to Washington at Folsom Field.
After scoring on its opening possession, Colorado (2-7, 0-6 Pac-12) held the upper hand throughout the first half, taking a 10-point lead on three occasions. As if somebody burst a balloon, all that fun disappeared during a disastrous third-quarter stretch of three turnovers and a punt within four Colorado possessions. The Buffs couldn’t recover.
Before Saturday, Colorado had lost just one fumble all season. The Buffs lost three against the Huskies, including two by Phillip Lindsay, a redshirt freshman from Denver South High School.
“Washington definitely won the game, but I also feel like we gave them the game,” Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre said. “That was very disheartening for our guys.”
PHOTOS:
A crowd of 35,633 watched Washington (6-3, 2-3) finally take its first lead of the game, at 24-23, with 5:38 remaining in the third quarter when Huskies sophomore quarterback Cyler Miles connected with freshman receiver Dante Pettis down the left side for a 28-yard touchdown.
Then, on the second play of Colorado’s ensuing possession, Buffs quarterback Sefo Liufau looked left and apparently didn’t see Travis Feeney in the flat. Feeney darted in front of a CU receiver for an easy interception and could almost jog the 30 yards to the end zone. Suddenly, it was 31-23 Huskies.
Liufau passed for 314 yards but can’t seem to get through a game without a costly interception.
“Based off what I was reading, I thought (Feeney) was taking care of the inside slant,” Liufau said. “But you can’t just assume. It was a bad read.”
If that weren’t bad enough for Colorado fans, Pettis returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to make it 38-23. Washington scored the game’s final 21 points.
Colorado is now 1-4 this season when leading at halftime. The Buffs have lost 22 of their past 23 Pac-12 games.
The chances of CU winning a conference game appear to be dimming by the week. The Buffs will finish out the season with road games against Arizona and Oregon and a home game against Utah. Each of the three is ranked among the nation’s top 25 in the College Football Playoff standings.
Colorado’s defense had to manage without two of its top players. Sophomore strong safety Tedric Thompson suffered a concussion the previous week during the double-overtime loss to UCLA. Linebacker Addison Gillam, another sophomore, also did not play. He is recovering from flulike symptoms.
Even short-handed, Colorado was able in the first half to slow about everybody not named Thompson. A highly regarded linebacker by trade, Thompson (6-foot-1, 228 pounds) was moved to running back because of injuries and looks like a natural.
In the first half alone, Thompson amassed 151 yards rushing and had a 41-yard reception. He finished with 174 ground yards.
“In the first half, we didn’t roll-tackle the big back like we had worked on in practice,” MacIntyre said. “In the second half, we did.”
After having been outscored 62-7 in the first quarter of the past three Pac-12 games, Colorado finally took its first early lead in a Pac-12 game since going up 21-7 at California on Sept. 27.
California eventually prevailed in double overtime in that game, and the Buffs also let this one get away.
“Previously, it was the problem of not starting fast,” said CU sophomore running back Michael Adkins II, who netted 109 yards on 13 carries. “It’s just (needing) the mind-set of putting it all together.”
For Colorado in 2014, if it’s not one thing, it’s another.
Tom Kensler: tkensler@denverpost.com or
Game balls
1. Shaq Thompson, RB, Washington — The linebacker turned rusher netted 174 yards on the ground and caught two passes for 41 more.
2. Cyler Miles, QB, Washington — A Coloradan who played at Mullen, the sophomore proved you can go home again with 206 yards passing and two TDs.
3. Nelson Spruce, WR, Colorado — With a pro-prospect cornerback on him for much of the afternoon, Spruce nabbed 13 passes for 138 yards.
Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
