Mike MacIntyre's Colorado Buffaloes evened their record at 2-2 on Saturday when their defense allowed no touchdowns in a game for the first time in more than four years. The stout performance by the defense kept the Buffs in front for all except 17 seconds in their 21-12 win.
Even more impressive than holding the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors to four field goals was the fact that mistakes and misfires by the offense frequently gave Hawaii excellent field position.
(Photos by Mark Rubi) -- The Buffs and Rainbow Warriors meet at midfield following Colorado's 21-12 win at Folsom Field.
The Buffs' first play from scrimmage mirrored last week against Arizona State when they threw deep into triple coverage only to have the ball intercepted and returned into Colorado territory. After Hawaii drove to the Buff 21, standout cornerback Greg Henderson sacked the quarterback, stripped the ball, and recovered the fumble.
The teams punted back and forth several times before Hawaii successfully drove to the Colorado 16 for a first down. The D once again rose to the occasion and pushed Hawaii back to the 17 before they had to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
Following a nice 26 yard return by Freshman Phillip Lindsay, the Buffs once again went deep on the first play. This time, Nelson Spruce fought off the defender for the catch and ran 40 yards for the touchdown. The play went for 71 yards. The Buffs never trailed again.
The Buffs dominated the 2nd quarter and went in to halftime with a 21-6 lead. Their offense struggled throughout the rest of the game, but the defense continued to rise to the task and keep Hawaii at bay.
The Rainbow Warriors did have their chances to get back in the game. They took the kickoff for the 2nd half and promptly drove down the field. They had a 3rd and 1 at the Colorado 21, but the defense again knocked them back with a two yard loss. Hawaii had to settle for another field goal and trailed 21-9.
After trading punts, the Colorado offense once again turned the ball over on an interception. This time the ball was returned all the way down to the Colorado 7 yard line. It was the second time in the game that Hawaii was at Colorado's doorstep with a first and goal. Once again, however, the Colorado defense came up big and held Hawaii out of the endzone. The field goal by Hawaii made the score 21-12 with more than 3/4 of the second half left to play.
Although fans in the stands (and home on TV) were beginning to worry as Hawaii inched closer back into the game, the Buffs were able to keep Hawaii off the board for the rest of the game.
Nelson Spruce had a record setting day with 13 receptions for 172 yards. It broke the old record of 11 catches by numerous players.
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