The Sports Xchange
Sep 24, 2016
Colorado rallied to beat Oregon 41-38 in Pac-12 Conference football Saturday afternoon at Autzen Stadium.
The Buffaloes (3-1) scored the winning touchdown on a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Steven Montez to wide receiver Bryce Bobo with 8:53 left in the fourth quarter. Cornerback Akhello Witherspoon sealed the win with an interception in the end zone with 48 seconds left after Oregon drove to the 7-yard line.
Montez threw for 333 yards and three scores while running for 135 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Devin Ross had seven catches for 153 yards and a touchdown for Colorado.
Oregon (2-2) scored three touchdowns in the final eight minutes of the third quarter to turn a 33-17 deficit into a 38-33 lead.
Quarterback Dakota Prukop threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns while wide receiver Darren Carrington had five catches for 68 yards and two scores. Running back Tony Brooks-James ran 16 times for 120 yards and a score.
Colorado got a field goal at the end of the first half to take a 26-17 lead at halftime and scored on its first drive of the second half when Montez threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Ross to stretch the margin to 33-17.
Oregon safety Brenden Schooler intercepted Montez to set up Oregon's next score. Brooks-James scored on a 1-yard run to get the Ducks within 33-24 with 7:02 left in third quarter.
Oregon put together a 10-play, 74-yard drive near the end of the third quarter that cut CU's lead to 33-31 when running back Kani Benoit scored on a 3-yard run.
The Ducks took their first lead of the day at 38-33 in the final minute of the third quarter when Prukop tossed an 18-yard scoring pass to Carrington.
The Buffaloes responded when Montez tossed a 31-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Bobo and added the two-point conversion to go ahead 41-38.
Oregon went three-and-out on its opening drive before Colorado drove 80 yards for a touchdown. Running back Phillip Lindsay scored on a 1-yard run to put the Buffaloes ahead 7-0.
The Buffs forced another punt and pushed their lead to 10-0 when kicker Chris Graham connected on a 29-yarder.
Oregon answered with a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Taj Griffin to get within 10-7 midway through the first quarter.
Colorado answered with its third straight scoring drive to start the game when Montez found Shay Fields for a 7-yard touchdown pass that put the Buffs ahead 16-7 after the extra point was blocked.
The Buffaloes stretched the lead to 23-7 when Montez scored on a three-yard run early in the second quarter.
Oregon attempted a fake punt and linebacker Danny Mattingly ran for 29 yards and a first down. Two plays later, Prukop threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Carrington to get Oregon within 23-14.
Oregon got within 23-17 on a 41-yard field goal by kicker Aidan Schneider. Colorado's Graham booted a 33-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to put the Buffs ahead 26-17 at halftime.