The unending debate on whether the Rocky Mountain Showdown is viable in downtown Denver or better on-campus received a twist Friday night.
It was the most-attended Colorado-Colorado State game in Denver in 13 years.
The attendance in CU’s 44-7 blowout victory was announced as 69,850, the highest since 76,219 showed up to watch the game in 2003. Friday’s crowd was late-arriving, but finally did file in and give Sports Authority Field a decent look.
The game itself caused much of the crowd to file out well before the end of the contest.
The news for Colorado State was even better. CSU fans gobbled up 31,167 seats, which marked the fourth consecutive year attendance has gone up for Rams fans.
In the end, their team didn’t keep those fans happy.
The rivalry game is scheduled to be played in Denver through the 2019 season. In 2020, the game is expected to be played at CSU’s new on-campus stadium. Beyond that, the series between the two schools appears in jeopardy as CU athletic director Rick George has openly questioned whether the Buffs would sign off on playing the game annually after that.
Second-time a charm for Bauta. His first stint was a quick yank-back. Faton Bauta is a change-of-pace quarterback, a senior with legs that can hurt a defense. Only, when he was first inserted into the game as it was getting away from Colorado State in the first half, his appearance only reinforced more of the same struggles for the Rams offense.
He was pulled after one drive, a three-and-out, featuring a badly missed throw on a third-and-6.
His second stint was a complete turnaround.
Re-inserted into the game in the third quarter, Bauta led Colorado State’s only scoring drive. It covered 65 yards in 10 plays and led to a touchdown, a Bauta pass to flanker Marcus Wilson. Bauta ran for 30 yards on the drive, including a 24-yard scamper that put the Rams on the CU 10-yard line. Bauta finished with 71 total yards of offense in just over a quarter of action.
O-lineman hitting paydirt. Senior center Alex Kelley saved CU’s first drive of the game when he dove on a loose ball in the end zone, scooping up a fumble by quarterback Sefo Liufau for a touchdown.
Not only did it give CU an early lead and cap off an 11-play, 73-yard drive, it was the first time in a long time that a Buffs offensive lineman scored a touchdown. The last time it happened was Oct. 28, 1995, when Heath Irwin recovered a fumble in the end zone in a 44-21 loss to Nebraska.
Productive Hunt. Colorado State has one of the best punters in the nation in senior Hayden Hunt, and he showed why. Hunt boomed a 57-yard punt as part of a busy day in which he averaged 43.3 yards per kick.
Game balls
CU offensive and defensive lines:
Whether it was stifling the CSU running attack, getting after the Rams quarterback or opening up holes for Buffs running backs, the lines on both sides of the ball set the tone for CU.
CB Chidobe Awuzie:
The senior cornerback was all over the field, impacting plays in a variety of ways. He ran through a block to tackle a receiver for a loss on a wide receiver screen pass. He intercepted another and had eight tackles on the night.
RB Phillip Lindsay:
Colorado wanted to impose its will on the Rams from the start and Lindsay helped the Buffs get that done with tough runs on the first drive. He accounted for 50 of the Buffs’ 73 yards on the first drive and had five first downs in the game’s first 10 minutes. Overall, Lindsay finished with 95 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. He had 118 yards of total offense.