BOULDER — Sefo Liufau’s UCLA nightmare came alive at Folsom Field.
The Colorado senior quarterback hadn’t thrown an interception all season heading into Thursday’s key Pac-12 matchup. But the Bruins had tormented him before, intercepting him a combined four times during back-to-back heartbreaking losses for CU in 2014 and 2015.
He nearly matched that turnover total in the first half. Liufau threw two interceptions and also lost a fumble after being hit by blitzing Takkarist McKinley in the second quarter. Liufau was slow to get up from that hit, and he was replaced by Steven Montez on CU’s next drive.
“It starts with me,” Liufau said. “I’ll be the first one to say that. I’ll be the first one to take the blame because the quarterback has the ball every play, and on most plays is a big deciding factor on the outcome.”
So careful with the ball for much of this season, Liufau was picked off during Colorado’s opening drive of the game, prime field position squandered when Tahaan Goodman corralled a tipped pass deep in UCLA territory.
The play broke a streak of 152 passes without an interception by Liufau, the longest streak in school history. But the miscues by the senior quarterback weren’t finished.
With the game tied 7-7 early in the second quarter, Liufau had Bryce Bobo coming open on a crossing route, but the quarterback’s pass was thrown right into the hands of linebacker Cameron Judge, who was sitting underneath. The turnover resulted in a field goal that gave the Bruins a 10-7 lead.
Liufau recovered to lead CU on its best drive of the game, but he was hit just before a throw at the UCLA 32-yard line. Jayon Brown pulled the floating fumble out of the air and returned it 49 yards to the CU 18-yard line. Chidobe Awuzie blocked the ensuing field-goal attempt to avoid any damage.
Liufau made his 35th career start, tying Darian Hagan (1989-91) for the most in school history. He had been playing the most efficient football of his career, and that was due largely to his preservation of the football.
That all came to an end Thursday night, adding serious anxiety to a game the Buffs needed to win to keep their dreams of a Pac-12 championship rolling along.
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Olugbode strikes again. Kenneth Olugbode has demonstrated an impeccable sense of timing during his career season.
With Stanford driving toward the end zone in the fourth quarter two weeks ago, threatening to seize a lead the Buffaloes had worked so hard to protect, the senior linebacker alertly spotted the fumbled snap by quarterback Ryan Burns and darted forward to recover it.
Olugbode entered Thursday night’s game against UCLA with a team-leading 86 tackles, with a penchant for making a big play when the Buffs need one the most.
So it was in the first quarter. CU had squandered prime field position on its opening drive. UCLA answered by driving into Buffs territory, propelled by the 15-yard targeting penalty that led to the ejection of CU’s top pass rusher, Jimmie Gilbert.
But on the next play, Olugbode jumped a crossing route thrown by UCLA quarter Mike Fafaul and returned it deep into Bruins territory. Phillip Lindsay finished the ensuing drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give CU a 7-0 lead.
The interception by Olugbode gave CU a takeaway in its 22nd consecutive game, extending the longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Uncharacteristic mistakes. The Buffs entered Thursday as the least-penalized team in the Pac-12, drawing only 40.8 yards in flags per game.
CU surpassed that total midway through the first quarter. The Buffs were called for three 15-yard penalties, including Gilbert’s targeting call for his hit on a sliding Fafaul. The play was upheld after review, disqualifying Gilbert, who entered Thursday with 6½ sacks. Two unsportsmanlike penalties on CU followed in the first quarter.
CU committed a third unsportsmanlike penalty and added a 15-yard illegal block in the second quarter and finished with 78 penalty yards in the first half. The penalties — there were a combined 25 in the game — kept coming in the second half.
“We can’t have penalties,” CU running back Phillip Lindsay said. “That was a sloppy showing of Colorado football. That’s not who we are so we need to go back and get it changed.”
Lindsay stars again. The CU offense struggled against UCLA, but Lindsay was a welcome exception.
The junior caught 11 passes, a school record for a running back, for 76 yards. He often provided a safety valve for Liufau, who was often under heavy pressure. Lindsay also had 73 yards rushing and a touchdown.
“Since (UCLA) didn’t want to go out there (in the flat), I just kept feeding Phil the ball,” Liufau said. “He’s a great playmaker, can make people miss. He’s been playing at a high level on a consistent basis. It’s great to see.”
Notable guests. The lone spotlight of a Thursday night game made Folsom Field a destination for a number of notable guests.
Representatives from the Alamo Bowl, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott and 32 scouts from 21 NFL teams were among those taking in the game Thursday.
The Alamo Bowl, which is played in San Antonio, has the first pick of Pac-12 teams after the Rose Bowl. That bowl has been a common projection for the Buffs by national publications.