Plati-'Tudes Shorts: Top Game 6's/Homecoming
May 23, 2020 | Football
Plati-'Tudes Short No. 6 ... The sixth installment of CU's best or most exciting football games in its history as to when they occurred in week six of any season. We're running these over the second half of the spring season -- many are obvious, a few obscure, and no doubt some up for debate. Since homecoming is usually around the sixth game of the season, I selected three of these games (sorry, no review of the 1990 Missouri game; that's been reviewed to death). So here are the best game sixes/homecoming games in our history in my humble opinion:
GAME 6's / HOMECOMING GAMES
#1— 1981: Colorado 11, Oklahoma State 10 in Boulder.
Through the years, Colorado and Oklahoma State had some crazy affairs, and this one was definitely among them. The season started off well enough with a 45-27 trouncing of Texas Tech at home; in week two, the Buffs led 10-0 over Washington State with just under three minutes to play but would lose on a fumble advance for a score followed by a blocked punt return for another. Three more losses to BYU, UCLA and Nebraska had CU reeling at 1-4, while OSU came in at 3-1. The game was tied at 3-3 at halftime but OSU would score quickly on its first possession of the second half. Trailing 10-3 with 1:28 remaining, the Buffaloes took over on their own 8-yard line. Redshirt freshman QB Steve Vogel engineered a 10-play, 92-yard drive in 1:22, and completed passes for a touchdown and a two-point conversion as five different players had a hand in the drive, which actually covered 96 yards after a penalty on the first play. Here's the play-by-play of the winning drive:
Colorado (1:28)
C 8 1-10 PENALTY: Colorado illegal procedure
C 4 1-14 Steve Vogel passes incomplete, intended for Charles Davis
C 4 2-14 Steve Vogel passes complete to Derek Singleton for 10 yards
C 14 3- 4 Steve Vogel passes incomplete, intended for Brad Parker
C 14 4- 4 Steve Vogel passes complete to Derek Singleton for 17 yards
C 31 1-10 (0:47) Steve Vogel throws the ball out of bounds to stop the clock
C 31 2-10 (0:42) Steve Vogel passes complete to Rickey Ward for 27 yards
O 42 1-10 (0:25) Steve Vogel passes complete to Rickey Ward for 12 yards
O 30 1-10 (0:18) Steve Vogel passes complete to Dave Hestera for 21 yards
O 9 1- G (0:11) Steve Vogel passes complete to Brad Parker for 9 yards and a touchdown. Time remaining: 0:06.
Steve Vogel passes complete to Derek Singleton for two points.
COLORADO 11, Oklahoma State 10.
Thus CU had one of its most memorable and challenging comebacks with the win, but tragedy struck one of the participants later in the week. In an Ames hotel ahead of CU's next game against Iowa State, Derek Singleton fell ill with what would be diagnosed the following Monday as a severe meningitis infection. He would fight the illness the remainder of the year, but succumbed on New Year's Day 1982 at the age of 19. The last time he touched the ball was the winning two-point conversion.
Runner-Up—1991: Colorado 55, Missouri 7 in Boulder.
Missouri entered the game with a 2-1-1 record; the Buffaloes at 2-2 and ranked 25th, needing a win to keep their modest streak of 40 straight weeks among the nation's top 25. But CU also had a score to settle, after listening to a year of complaining about the "Fifth Down" game (despite the fact that several never seem to grasp that if the Buffs had known it was fourth down, they're not going to spike the ball to stop the clock instead of a running a play). So much so, that CU donned its all black uniform look, chosen specifically for big games. A 21-yard touchdown pass from Darian Hagan to Michael Westbrook on CU's first possession opened the scoring, and for intents and purposes, the game was almost already over. Colorado built a 24-0 lead at halftime and added 24 more points in the third quarter, as the Buffs would outgain MU 656-257 on the day. That included 502 rushing yards, still the fourth-most in team history, with Lamont Warren gaining 110 of those and Hagan adding 101. The Tigers averted being shutout with a cosmetic score early in the fourth quarter; there were some rumors at the time that CU was going to punt on third down but the last two possessions ended with a fumble and a knee taken at the MU 6. The popular rumor had it that postgame CU would have said, "Here, have your extra down back," but that was never verified and Bill McCartney was too classy to ever approve that occurring in the first place.
Honorable Mention—2001: Colorado 31, Texas A&M 21 in Boulder.
At 4-1 with four straight wins, CU entered the game ranked for the first time in 2001 at No. 20; Texas A&M came in undefeated (5-0) and ranked 25th. Two Jeremy Flores field goals, the second from 51 yards out, gave CU a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter; A&M countered with back-to-back touchdowns later in the quarter for a 14-6 advantage. With 12 seconds left before the half, Craig Ochs connected with Derek McCoy on a 7-yard TD pass and the same duo for the 2-point conversion, thus tying the game at 14. Flores nailed a 39-yard field goal late in the third to put the Buffs back ahead going into the final 15 minutes. Cortlen Johnson scored on a 2-yard run with 11:40 left to give CU a 24-14 lead, but the Aggies cut it to three, two plays after an interception and with 5:06 remaining. The Buffs earned one first down but were then forced to punt, but Jeremy Flores pinned the Aggies at their own 9-yard line with 2:16 on the clock, with the kick covering 53 yards, the second-longest of his career. A&M wasn't deterred however, driving to the CU 35 in just five plays with just over a minute remaining. CU then "linerbackered" the game away, with Kory Mossoni busting through to sack quarterback Mark Harris, forcing a fumble that Joey Johnson scooped up and raced 52 yards for the clinching score. CU's affable longtime sports information director and associate AD Fred Casotti passed away the day before, prompting assistant coach John Wristen to say afterward, "You know that fumble at the end? Thank you, Fred." Terrence Wood also starred on defense, subbing for two injured players ahead of him and made two interceptions.
GAME 6's / HOMECOMING GAMES
#1— 1981: Colorado 11, Oklahoma State 10 in Boulder.
Through the years, Colorado and Oklahoma State had some crazy affairs, and this one was definitely among them. The season started off well enough with a 45-27 trouncing of Texas Tech at home; in week two, the Buffs led 10-0 over Washington State with just under three minutes to play but would lose on a fumble advance for a score followed by a blocked punt return for another. Three more losses to BYU, UCLA and Nebraska had CU reeling at 1-4, while OSU came in at 3-1. The game was tied at 3-3 at halftime but OSU would score quickly on its first possession of the second half. Trailing 10-3 with 1:28 remaining, the Buffaloes took over on their own 8-yard line. Redshirt freshman QB Steve Vogel engineered a 10-play, 92-yard drive in 1:22, and completed passes for a touchdown and a two-point conversion as five different players had a hand in the drive, which actually covered 96 yards after a penalty on the first play. Here's the play-by-play of the winning drive:
Colorado (1:28)
C 8 1-10 PENALTY: Colorado illegal procedure
C 4 1-14 Steve Vogel passes incomplete, intended for Charles Davis
C 4 2-14 Steve Vogel passes complete to Derek Singleton for 10 yards
C 14 3- 4 Steve Vogel passes incomplete, intended for Brad Parker
C 14 4- 4 Steve Vogel passes complete to Derek Singleton for 17 yards
C 31 1-10 (0:47) Steve Vogel throws the ball out of bounds to stop the clock
C 31 2-10 (0:42) Steve Vogel passes complete to Rickey Ward for 27 yards
O 42 1-10 (0:25) Steve Vogel passes complete to Rickey Ward for 12 yards
O 30 1-10 (0:18) Steve Vogel passes complete to Dave Hestera for 21 yards
O 9 1- G (0:11) Steve Vogel passes complete to Brad Parker for 9 yards and a touchdown. Time remaining: 0:06.
Steve Vogel passes complete to Derek Singleton for two points.
COLORADO 11, Oklahoma State 10.
Thus CU had one of its most memorable and challenging comebacks with the win, but tragedy struck one of the participants later in the week. In an Ames hotel ahead of CU's next game against Iowa State, Derek Singleton fell ill with what would be diagnosed the following Monday as a severe meningitis infection. He would fight the illness the remainder of the year, but succumbed on New Year's Day 1982 at the age of 19. The last time he touched the ball was the winning two-point conversion.
Runner-Up—1991: Colorado 55, Missouri 7 in Boulder.
Missouri entered the game with a 2-1-1 record; the Buffaloes at 2-2 and ranked 25th, needing a win to keep their modest streak of 40 straight weeks among the nation's top 25. But CU also had a score to settle, after listening to a year of complaining about the "Fifth Down" game (despite the fact that several never seem to grasp that if the Buffs had known it was fourth down, they're not going to spike the ball to stop the clock instead of a running a play). So much so, that CU donned its all black uniform look, chosen specifically for big games. A 21-yard touchdown pass from Darian Hagan to Michael Westbrook on CU's first possession opened the scoring, and for intents and purposes, the game was almost already over. Colorado built a 24-0 lead at halftime and added 24 more points in the third quarter, as the Buffs would outgain MU 656-257 on the day. That included 502 rushing yards, still the fourth-most in team history, with Lamont Warren gaining 110 of those and Hagan adding 101. The Tigers averted being shutout with a cosmetic score early in the fourth quarter; there were some rumors at the time that CU was going to punt on third down but the last two possessions ended with a fumble and a knee taken at the MU 6. The popular rumor had it that postgame CU would have said, "Here, have your extra down back," but that was never verified and Bill McCartney was too classy to ever approve that occurring in the first place.
Honorable Mention—2001: Colorado 31, Texas A&M 21 in Boulder.
At 4-1 with four straight wins, CU entered the game ranked for the first time in 2001 at No. 20; Texas A&M came in undefeated (5-0) and ranked 25th. Two Jeremy Flores field goals, the second from 51 yards out, gave CU a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter; A&M countered with back-to-back touchdowns later in the quarter for a 14-6 advantage. With 12 seconds left before the half, Craig Ochs connected with Derek McCoy on a 7-yard TD pass and the same duo for the 2-point conversion, thus tying the game at 14. Flores nailed a 39-yard field goal late in the third to put the Buffs back ahead going into the final 15 minutes. Cortlen Johnson scored on a 2-yard run with 11:40 left to give CU a 24-14 lead, but the Aggies cut it to three, two plays after an interception and with 5:06 remaining. The Buffs earned one first down but were then forced to punt, but Jeremy Flores pinned the Aggies at their own 9-yard line with 2:16 on the clock, with the kick covering 53 yards, the second-longest of his career. A&M wasn't deterred however, driving to the CU 35 in just five plays with just over a minute remaining. CU then "linerbackered" the game away, with Kory Mossoni busting through to sack quarterback Mark Harris, forcing a fumble that Joey Johnson scooped up and raced 52 yards for the clinching score. CU's affable longtime sports information director and associate AD Fred Casotti passed away the day before, prompting assistant coach John Wristen to say afterward, "You know that fumble at the end? Thank you, Fred." Terrence Wood also starred on defense, subbing for two injured players ahead of him and made two interceptions.
???? Games for Week 6??
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) May 23, 2020
Each exactly 10 years apart. Which is your favorite? @DavidPlati tells us his: https://t.co/XP2VT4lwPW