CORVALLIS, Ore. – A midseason coaching change provided the jolt Colorado needed to rise up and get its first win of the season on Oct. 15.
Itap clearly going to take a lot more than a staff shakeup to get the program rolling, however.
On Saturday night, Oregon State became the latest in a long line of teams to steamroll the Buffaloes, 42-9, at Reser Stadium.
In interim head coach Mike Sanford’s second game at the helm, CU (1-6, 1-3 Pac-12) was routed for the sixth time this season, while Oregon State (6-2, 3-2) secured bowl eligibility for the second year in a row.
“First off, hats off,” Sanford said. “Oregon State’s a very good football team. I knew that coming in. I think they’re in the upper echelon of the Pac-12 Conference and what you learn as a team in games like this, we had our opportunities, but the margin is so small. The margin of giving yourself an opportunity to win, as we know, is small and some of those things obviously caught up to us.”
Following an embarrassing 0-5 start to the season, CU fired head coach Karl Dorrell and defensive coordinator Chris Wilson on Oct. 2. Sanford injected some energy and fun into the program and that led to a 20-13 overtime win against California at an electric Folsom Field on Oct. 15.
What the Buffs learned on Saturday is that Oregon State isn’t on Cal’s level. And Reser Stadium – even with half of the building under construction – isn’t quite as friendly as Folsom.
Freshman Damien Martinez ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns, while freshman Ben Gulbranson threw two touchdown passes to lead OSU to the relatively easy win.
“It was very tough,” said CU freshman receiver Jordyn Tyson, who led the team with three catches for 92 yards. “I feel like we didn’t do enough as a team to come out with that W, even though we really wanted it. I feel like we brought good energy this whole week and had good practices. Itap tough.”
CU caught an early break, when Oregon State fumbled on its first offense snap of the night. Terrance Lang recovered the fumble and CU took over at the OSU 46-yard line just 94 seconds into the game.
Three plays later, however, the Buffs had their own fumble, as Anthony Hankerson lost control of the ball and OSU recovered at the CU 40. To make matters worse, Hankerson was banged up on the play and didn’t play the rest of the night.
Five minutes after the Hankerson fumble, Martinez scored his first touchdown. By late in the second quarter, the Beavers led 21-3.
CU made a push for a score just before intermission, but consecutive dropped passes by Daniel Arias and Tyson ended the threat.
“That drop hurt me. I felt like I let the team down,” Tyson said. “Fourth and (10), I’ve got to make that catch, even though I slipped on my break. Thatap on me and the team’s gonna fix (those issues).”
Oregon State needed just four plays in the second half to score again, as Gulbranson connected with tight end Jack Velling, who broke a tackle and went 60 yards for a touchdown.
One play later, cornerback Alex Austin picked off a JT Shrout pass and returned it 40 yards for another score. That gave OSU a 35-3 lead, essentially putting the game away.
Shrout, making the start for an injured Owen McCown, completed 13-of-29 passes for 206 yards and two interceptions. Shrout was off the mark early in the game and then wasn’t helped by several drops.
“We’ve got to continue to help around him,” Sanford said. “I thought he did some good things. I thought he responded well to adversity and did make some explosive plays down the field. I think JT, just continuing to get him in a rhythm because you can see the wow throws; they’re there. You can see the pocket presence, the demeanor. He’s a guy that I think will continue to get better as the year goes on as he gets into a groove and a rhythm, and we’ll see what happens with Owen.”
Quarterback play was hardly the only reason for CU’s struggles on this night. The Buffs finished with only 290 yards of total offense and had four turnovers. Meanwhile, OSU racked up 472 yards, including 270 on the ground.
“They know what they want to do and they do it very, very, very well,” CU linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo said. “Thatap probably one of the best stretch teams I’ve played against in my five years of college football. Great backs; O-line, they really know how to block. Itap not really personnel with them. Itap more so plug and play.”
For CU, itap not that easy, but with five games still to play, they insist they won’t hang their heads after leaving Corvallis.
“I saw a lot of examples of fight as we were a little dinged up and banged up,” Sanford said. “Guys were fighting and continuing to find some fun in the game of football, even in the fourth quarter and the huddle offensively as we moved the ball. I was really proud of how the offense continued to respond. We’ve just got to take care of the football and obviously, the outcome and the score of the game would be drastically different.
“I was pleased with our energy. I just think that the minute details of execution is ultimately what let this game get away from us.”
Oregon State 42, Colorado 9
Play of the game: CU’s best play came early in the fourth quarter when linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo stuffed OSU short-yardage specialist Jack Colletto for no gain on a fourth-and-1 run at the CU 20-yard line.
Turning point: Although down 21-3 late in the first half, CU had a shot to get back into the game with a nice drop into Oregon State territory. JT Shrout had two nice throws, but receivers dropped both to end the threat with 18 seconds to play in the first half. OSU then began the second half with two touchdowns in the first 2 minutes, 41 seconds to put the game away.
Top 3 Buffs of the game
1. LB Josh Chandler-Semedo: Continues to be CU’s best and most consistent defender, with 11 tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
2. RB Jayle Stacks: In his first true opportunity to run the ball consistently, he finished with 50 yards and his first career touchdown on eight carries.
3. WR Jordyn Tyson: Despite a key drop in the first half, Tyson keeps making plays. He finished with three catches for 92 yards, including a 58-yard reception that was CU’s longest play of the season.
