BOULDER — Nick Fisher had played all of 39 snaps during Colorado’s first 10 games of the season.
Yet there CU’s sophomore defensive back was in the fourth quarter of the biggest game at Folsom Field in 15 years, pressed into action after one starting safety (Afolabi Laguda) was ejected for targeting and the other one (Ryan Moeller) went out with an injury.
There he was on fourth down, with Washington State knocking on the door of a go-ahead score.
Cougars quarterback Nick Falk found receiver Kyle Sweet in the flat, and Sweet turned toward the orange first-down marker resting at the CU 14-yard line.
“I was just looking at the quarterback and I saw a guy come underneath,” Fisher said. “No one was covering him so my first instinct was to go shoot (at the receiver). He threw the ball and I made sure I wrapped up because coach is always saying, ‘Don’t miss a layup.’ ”
Fisher didn’t miss. He pulled Sweet down 1-yard short of the marker, giving CU the ball. Washington State wouldn’t score again, and coach Mike MacIntyre called the tackle by Fisher the play of the game.
“The crowd roars and it’s a great feeling,” Fisher said. “All the hairs on your back stand up. It was so energetic.”
Mr. Third Down. About a month ago, Jay MacIntyre suffered through one of the toughest games of his career, muffing two punts and suffering a concussion during a win over Arizona State.
MacIntyre answered with perhaps the best game of his career Saturday.
The sophomore caught seven passes for a career-high 90 yards. Four of those passes came on third down, including two that helped extend scoring drives for the Buffs in the second half.
“We allowed too much space,” Washington State coach Mike Leach said.
MacIntyre found that space all night, including a tightrope walk on the sideline in the fourth quarter that kept a drive alive. The Buffs also got a huge game out of wide receiver Devin Ross, who caught eight passes for 121 yards.
Defense finishes strong. It took more than 57 minutes, but CU extended its nation-leading streak of games with a takeaway to 24 after Jimmie Gilbert sacked Luke Falk and forced a fumble, which Addison Gillam recovered for the Buffs.
The was an exclamation point on a superb defensive effort in the second half. The high-flying Cougars managed only seven points after halftime and came up empty on their final four drives of the game.
“Our guys are battle-tested and hardened,” MacIntyre said. “They’ve just been through it so much. We do not blink. They just keep swinging and they don’t worry about anything else.”