Head coach Mike MacIntyre and the Colorado Buffaloes make their way onto the field to start the second half of the 2014 Rocky Mountain Showdown on Friday, August 29. (James Bradbury/CU Independent)
The Colorado Buffaloes captured their first win of the year Saturday, beating the University of Massachusetts in Foxborough, 41-38. It wasn’t an easy victory, and the Buffs were down as many as 11 points in the third quarter. CU went on to score 21 consecutive points and didn’t relinquish the lead.
Takeaways
- New week, same problems. Against CSU last week, the Buffs couldn’t stop the run and settled for field goals instead of touchdowns. Despite the win this week, it was much the same story for Colorado, especially in the first half. The tackling was still mediocre and the offense sputtered too often when driving in UMass territory.
- Spruce is the truth. Highlighted by a go-ahead 70-yard catch in the third quarter, junior wide receiver Nelson Spruce is making the case that he’s CU’s best player. He recorded 10 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns. It was his second consecutive 100+ yard, two-touchdown game. Sophomore quarterback Sefo Luifau and Spruce have shown great chemistry so far this season.
- This win is nothing to write home about. UMass is not very good. This is only its third year in the FBS, and it has only mustered two wins in that time span. On paper, this was Colorado’s easiest game of the season, and things will only get more difficult with the Buffs hosting No. 17 Arizona State next Saturday. The Minutemen’s 38 points against the Buffs are the most ever scored by the team as an FBS school.
This article previously stated that CU was playing Arizona on Saturday, Sep. 13. They are playing Arizona State.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jared Funk-Breay at Jared.funkbreay@colorado.edu.
