Emotional Buffs get first win of season

The Colorado Buffaloes are riding an emotional high right now.  There is almost no words that can describe the feeling for the team to get the monkey off their back, especially following the recent harassment the team has been getting.  ESPN had rated the CU football program as the worst of the worst in after week three following the losses to FCS Sacramento St. and a 69-14 throttling by Fresno St.  Much turmoil was starting to cloud the program throughout the week leading up to the first PAC-12 game of the season.. There were murmurs floating amongst CU faithful that this may be a team that goes winless this season...

Understanding how frustrating it is to get a win, the Buffs remember being in this position all too well of being apart of a disappointing defeat.  November 6th, 2010, Colorado travels to Lawrence to take on the Kansas Jayhawks, where dealing with the first season following several good years under Mark Mangino and at this point, had nothing to play for while CU still had hopes of getting to that six win mark and become bowl eligible.  Start of the fourth quarter, CU is up 45-17 and just had to run the clock out to preserve the win.  Long story short, CU ends up losing this game 52-45, eventually leading to the firing of then Head Coach Dan Hawkins.

Fast forward roughly two years, CU still is trying to regain respectability amongst the FBS as being a "worthy opponent" on any given week.  Loss after loss, dealing with constant anguish, and seeing "new lows" for the program roll through, this most recent loss was a tipping point for this program.

Players and coaches all understood that they had become the "laughing stock" of D-I football.  It was going to take some action for someone or something to wake this program up and show that the loss to CSUS and FSU were flukes.  Mostly reserved OT David Bakhtiari stood up and made a statement.  The Denver Post got Bakhtiari in what he said from the heart to the rest of his teammates.

"I told them that these coaches know how to win. They're the best coaches I've ever played for. I was completely distraught that we cannot execute what they set out for us. I told them, 'Look. If you're not willing to give 100 percent, to do exactly what they tell you, buy into this program, be a Buffalo, then I don't want you coming to practice, I don't want you suiting up, I don't want any of that.' "

 The Buffs fought valiantly and showed "grit" as they grind through the game against the Washington St. Cougars.  This is obviously a team that lacks talent to keep up on a "week in-week out" basis to run with the rest of the PAC-12.  After a field goal by the Cougars early in the fourth quarter, CU found themselves down 31-14 and on the verge of another crushing defeat.  CU rose to the occasion, and it started with Jordan Webb, who was 29 of 42 for 345 yards, 4 total TD's and 1 INT, connecting with TE Nick Kasa for a 70 yard TD catch and run.

CU found themselves on the other end of a crushing defeat, this time...being the ones that dishes out the pain, and the comeback effort was on.  Later in the fourth, Webb was forced to come out of the game due to new rules by the NCAA that should your helmet come off during play, you must sit out for the next play.  Webb comes out and in comes backup Nick Hirschman.  Handoff right side, a few good blocks, and RB Tony Jones gone up the right sideline for a 84 yard TD run.  The defense played well for the fourth quarter, slowing down the aggressive and pass happy offense led by Mike Leach.  On the first three drives of the quarter, the Buffs D buckled down surrendering only 61 total yards, and those three drives resulted in a interception, FG and a punt.

After forcing the Cougars to punt the ball, the Buffaloes found themselves down six points with just over three minutes of play left.  The offense moved down the field using a good balance of runs with Tony Jones and Fullback coverted to Tailback Christian Powell, with the arm of Jordan Webb, and a little help from the officials, the Buffs scored on a Webb QB keeper to cap a 12 play-70 yard drive to go up one, leaving only several seconds for Wassu to mount a "comeback" of their own.  And just like that, the Buffaloes end a day that showed another possible low of low to showing the raw emotion players were displaying throughout the comeback in the fourth, seeing the will of the players to come back and win this game 35-34. Following the game, Tony Jones explained the comeback effort the Buffs mounted to get their first win of the season.

"We told each other to just stay in it."  "We definitely weren't going to let go. We stayed up, stayed up. The offense was cheering on the defense, and the defense was cheering on the offense."

Following the game, in the locker room, the players show the passion of CU football that is there within the CU locker room, the pride is there with this program as they look to get back to the ranks of the elite in college football.