University of Colorado football fell to No. 2 Oregon on Saturday, with a final score of 57-16. The Buffs picked up their second loss of the season, bringing their record to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in the Pac-12.
During halftime, the Buffs honored former head coach Bill McCartney (1982-1994), a recent inductee to the College Football Hall of Fame. It was the first time a CU coach joined the elite group.
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Wide receiver Paul Richardson caught his 100th career reception in the first minute of play off a 55-yard pass from quarterback Connor Wood, marking the 12th time in school history that a receiver has completed the feat. By the end of the day, that number rose to 104, with 5 receptions against the Ducks for a total of 134 yards.
Wood had 205 yards passing and threw two interceptions.
The Buffs scored first, with a 33-yard field goal by Will Oliver in the first three minutes of play. Colorado gained its first lead of the game, 3-0. The Ducks responded with a two-yard touchdown by quarterback Marcus Mariota and a 2-point conversion by Pharaoh Brown, bringing the score to 8-3.
The Buffs responded with a 75-yard reverse pass from Paul Richardson to D.D. Goodson , giving Colorado its second and last lead of the game. The Buffs are the first team to have two different leads on the Ducks in one game this season.
By the end of the first quarter, the Ducks led 29-10. The Buffs failed to score after the beginning of the second quarter and trailed Oregon 43-16 at the half.
“Coach Mac emphasized us to play aggressive and never give up and keep fighting,” cornerback Greg Henderson said. “He wanted us to dive in and play hard from the start, and that’s what we tried to do. Especially against a team like Oregon, because they’re an aggressive team. We did what we were supposed to do, but we didn’t capitalize on some things.”
During the second half, the Buffs couldn’t contain the Ducks and in the end, Oregon handed Colorado its second-worst defensive game in school history as they powered past the Buffs with 757 offensive yards.
“I was pleased with how hard we played,” head coach Mike MacIntyre said. “I was pleased with our fight and I was pleased with our aggressiveness. I thought we did some good things. I thought we could have scored on a few more points, but we just missed out on some things here and there. Of course, we got beat 57-16, and we’re not happy about that one bit, but I am happy about them going out there and fighting from the very beginning.”
As a team, the Buffs are ready to put this loss behind them and prepare for their next match up.
“Obviously, everyone is upset and disappointed, but you can’t dwell on that too much and let that bring you down,” sophomore tailback Christian Powell said. “We’re upset but we’re ready to move forward for our opponent next week.”
The Buffs return to the field next Saturday, October 12, at Arizona State. The Buffs will take on the Sun Devils at 8:00 p.m.
Contact CUIndependent staff writer Allisa Noe at Alissa.Noe@colorado.edu.
