BOULDER — It was a lot like the Oregon game. Even the halftime score was the same. So was the final result, another sad one for Colorado.
Seeking to end a Pac-12 losing streak that extends back to November of 2013, the Buffs were tied with Arizona 17-17 at intermission Saturday night, but a pair of backbreaking touchdowns late ruined homecoming as they absorbed their 14th consecutive conference loss, 38-31. Oregon won here two weeks ago, 41-24.
CU (3-4, 0-3) led 24-17 going into the fourth quarter but Arizona (5-2, 2-2) scored twice in 4:37 to take command of the game before a crowd of 39,666.
“I thought our kids played extremely hard, just came up a little bit short again,” said CU coach Mike MacIntyre. “Going back in that locker room with those guys, man, I love those kids, I’m proud to coach them. They give everything they have, and it hurts to look in their eyes after a game like that.
“You can almost taste it. That one definitely hurt.”
A stagnant Arizona offense came to life in the fourth quarter when coach Rich Rodriguez pulled starting quarterback Anu Solomon and replaced him with Jerrard Randall. CU’s defense held Arizona scoreless in the second and third quarters despite missing its top three inside linebackers to injury, but Randall reeled off some big runs and got CU off-balance, turning the game around.
“It definitely was a turning point,” MacIntyre said. “We had practiced for that. He’s a good football player. We didn’t adjust quick enough on the field. He made us miss a couple times, bounced outside, cut inside. We knew that he would run the ball more. We just didn’t execute as well as they executed against us.”
CU led 24-17 when Randall entered the game on the first play of the fourth quarter. He took Arizona 97 yards on six plays, including quarterback keepers of 18 and 12 yards. Randall finished the game with 81 yards rushing on 11 plays.
“Anu was off a little bit,” Rodriguez said. “We weren’t executing well. The way they were playing us, we thought it fit Jerrard’s skill set a little bit. He gave us a lift.”
CU answered with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Sefo Liufau to Shay Fields, their second TD connection in the game, with 2:19 left to make it 38-31. Fields had a monster game with 168 yards on eight catches, including a 72-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter, but he was injured on his second TD catch. And the way he limped off the field meant bad news for the Buffs.
“They’re X-raying him right now,” MacIntyre said at his postgame press conference. “I just saw his dad outside. It’s hard on a parent.”
CU later announced his injury was a high ankle sprain.
The Wildcats had 616 total yards and CU 468. Liufau finished the game 27-of-42 for 340 yards, two touchdowns passing and two running without a turnover. Having been sacked eight times last week at Arizona State, he was sacked only twice in this game, both coming late
“I thought he made a lot of plays and did some good things for us,” MacIntyre said. “We’ve got to play better defense. You can’t give up 600 yards. That’s not very good.”
One reason Colorado was in the game was the revival of its running game, which sputtered the past two weeks in losses to Oregon and Arizona State after feasting on nonconference foes. Phillip Lindsay gained 93 yards on 23 carries.
But it went down as yet another loss, another game the Buffs were in position to win.
“It sucks,” Liufau said. “We just have to go out there and finish the game. It’s as simple as that.”
John Meyer: jmeyer@denverpost.com or @johnmeyer
Game Balls
CU wide receiver Shay Fields: Eight catches for 168 yards, with touchdowns of 72 and 30 yards.
CU quarterback Sefo Liufau: Threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, ran for two more touchdowns, and had no turnovers.
Arizona running back Jared Baker: Rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns, including a 79-yarder, and had 40 yards receiving including a 25-yard touchdown catch when CU left him uncovered out of the backfield.
