CU Football: Where’s the defense?

The University of Arizona Wildcats earned a 56-31 victory over the Buffs at their home stadium on Saturday with the magic touch of sophomore running back Ka’Deem Carey.

Carey sealed the victory for Arizona with 366 yards and five touchdowns. His yardage set the new Pac-12 Conference record, surpassing Rueben Mayes of Washington State’s 357 yards against Oregon in 1984.

With the loss, the Buffs’ record drops to 1-9 on the season and 1-6 in the Pac-12.

Quarterback Nick Hirschman scrambles to find an open receiver Oct. 22, 2011 against Oregon. On Saturday Hirschman started when the Buffs fell to the Arizona Wildcats in Tuscon 56-31. (James Bradbury/CU Independent File)

Sophomore Nick Hirschman was the starting quarterback for CU; sophomore Connor Wood later replaced him after Hirschman sustained a head injury.

Freshman tailback Donta Abron scored his first touchdown of the season for the Buffs. Another first for Colorado was Wood’s first career passing touchdown, a 71-yard touchdown catch by junior tight end Scott Fernandez.

The Wildcats recorded 574 total yards on offense, including 438 rushing yards. CU had 225 yards rushing, a season best. Freshman fullback Christian Powell carried 32 times for two touchdowns and 137 yards.

The Buffs got their first lead since Sept. 22 against Washington State University on a fumble recovery by junior linebacker Derrick Webb. After the recovery, Powell ran in for a touchdown (7-0). The offense seemed to be running well for the Buffs, but the lack of defensive stops prevented them from moving forward.

Arizona soon tied the game at 7 after Carey’s 10-yard touchdown run. With a field goal, the Buffs regained the lead at 10-7. Arizona took the lead again 14-10 with a 13-yard run by Carey. Soon after, Hirschman threw an interception, allowing the Wildcats to go up 21-10. CU was able to put another seven points up before halftime after Powell’s touchdown. However, Arizona quickly answered back, making the score 28-17 at the half.

The second half was no better than the first for the Buffs. The Wildcats took a commanding lead at 42-17, and there was no stopping them. Arizona scored again on a 10-yard run by quarterback B.J. Decker, and from there, the Wildcats just kept running up the score. The Buffs were never able to recover, eventually dropping the game 56-31.

The Buffs end their season with two home games, against the University of Washington on Nov. 17 and against the University of Utah on Nov. 23.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jessica Malknecht at [email protected]