BOULDER — As Isaiah Oliver fielded the punt, skirted a would-be tackler, and burned down the Folsom Field grass on the way to a fourth-quarter touchdown, only one feeling remained.
“It was just relief,” Oliver said.
Anger, frustration and bewilderment had already been used up before Oliver’s 68-yard punt return for a touchdown finally sealed No. 21 Colorado’s 20-10 mistake-filled victory that clinched the Buffaloes’ first winning season since 2005.
CU improved to 7-2 and 5-1 in the Pac-12, maintaining its first-place position in the South division while matching its total number of combined league victories from its first five seasons in the Pac-12.
The foundation for Colorado’s dream season had been laid with discipline and execution, poise and toughness. But nearly all the ingredients that had cooked up a Pac-12 championship dream disappeared Thursday night. Yet somehow, someway, the title hopes will keep rolling. When all else failed, grit remained.
“We still didn’t blink,” CU coach Mike MacIntyre said. “And we had a lot of chances to blink tonight.”
An avalanche of penalties — many of the 15-yard variety — and one turnover after another threatened to derail “The Rise,” CU’s fancy marketing slogan that has become a rallying cry. The Buffs seemed determined to wreck their own chances with repeated boot stomps to their own feet.
“If you want to be a Pac-12 championship team, you can’t be doing that stuff,” said Liufau, who threw his first two interceptions of the season and also lost a fumble in the second quarter. “As a team, we can’t let other people get under our skin.”
“That’s not us,” linebacker Kenneth Olugbode added.
MacIntyre was so incensed by his team’s “selfish” play that the main message of his halftime radio interview was kept short and simple.
“I’m going to get after ’em,” he said.
As to what he told his team in the locker room?
“That’s between me and them,” MacIntyre said after the game.
The miscues didn’t stop in the second half — CU finished with 12 penalties for 128 yards — but neither did a CU defense that continues to play at a championship level. The Buffs limited UCLA to 140 total yards, only 30 of which came on the ground. The Bruins began the game 3-of-4 on third down. They went 1-of-11 after that.
With everything melting down around the Buffs, the defense prevented the problem from reaching critical mass.
“It’s a testament to their hard work over the summer,” Liufau said of CU’s defense. “They are very good now. They are doing really well at carrying the team right now. It’s great, but if the offense can fire on all cylinders we’ll make it a lot easier.”
The defense suffocated the Bruins, even without the help of top pass rusher Jimmie Gilbert, who was ejected in the first quarter after being called for a targeting hit on UCLA quarterback Mike Fafaul. Chidobe Awuzie picked up the slack. The star senior defensive back blocked a punt, had a drive-killing sack and generally created chaos for UCLA’s offense.
“That’s what we’ve come to expect of Chido,” Oliver said. “Whenever you need a play, you know he’s there.”
CU needed everything it got from the defense because the Buffs kept getting in their own way.
To wit:
— After a fumble sailed over the head of Fafaul on the Bruins’ opening drive, CU took over after the ensuing punt at the UCLA 30-yard line. Seven plays later, Liufau’s pass was tipped, and intercepted by Tahaan Goodman.
— Trailing 10-7 in the second quarter, CU was finally on the move and reached the UCLA 33-yard line. But Liufau was tattooed by blitzing pass rusher Takkarist McKinley. The ball popped into the arms of linebacker Jayon Brown, who returned it 49 yards to the CU 18-yard line. Awuzie blocked the ensuing a field-goal attempt to keep the deficit at three points.
— After finally sustaining a lengthy drive early in the third quarter, CU faced third-and-goal at the 1-yard line. The Buffs fumbled the exchange between Liufau and running back Phillip Lindsay. CU recovered but had to settle for a 21-yard, game-tying field goal.
— CU was knocking on the door of a go-ahead touchdown at the end of the third quarter after Liufau rushed to the 1-yard line. But as the play ended, receiver Bryce Bobo was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty that cost the Buffs a shot at the end zone. They settled for a 37-yard field goal by Graham and a 13-10 lead.
“We struggled on offense,” Liufau said. “It starts with me, and I’ll be the first one to say that. I’ll be the first one to take the blame. As an offense, we need to be better.”
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It all left the Buffs needing a big play to melt all the anxiety away. They got it from unexpected source.
Special teams have haunted CU all season, but Oliver wasn’t thinking of any of that when he fielded the fourth-quarter punt. He already had set up a score with a 44-yard punt earlier in the second half.
This time, he finished it off.
“The first time I smiled all night,” Liufau said of Oliver’s return.
The Buffs won ugly. The rise, even after some heavy turbulence, keeps going up.
Game balls
Phillip Lindsay, RB, Colorado. The junior set a school record for receptions by a running back with 11, totaling 76 yards. He also rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Chidobe Awuzie, DB, Colorado. The senior defensive standout blocked a field goal, had a drive-killing sack and generally caused chaos for UCLA’s offense.
Isaiah Oliver, DB, Colorado. The sophomore’s 68-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter helped seal the deal for the Buffaloes.
