CU Buffs lose in wild double

Posted: 09/27/2014 06:24:31 PM MDT

Updated: 09/27/2014 06:25:45 PM MDT

BERKELEY, CALIF. - Shootouts may be fun for fans, but they don't make the losing team feel any better. Especially when the free-for-all goes into overtime.

Colorado got a school-record 521 passing yards and seven touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Sefo Liufau, including three to Nelson Spruce, but Liufau was stopped on a fourth-down keeper from the 1-yard-line in the second overtime Saturday and California rallied for a 59-56 double-overtime victory.

Both teams scored on touchdown passes in the first overtime. Colorado had the ball first in the second overtime. After the Buffs failed to score, California only needed a field goal for the victory and got it - a 34-yard field goal by James Langford.

California sophomore quarterback Jared Goff, who also passed for seven touchdowns, hit Chris Harper for a 40-yard TD with 2:29 remaining to put Golden Bears up 49-42. But Liufau marched the Buffaloes down the field and hit Bryce Bobo for a 30-yard touchdown with 21 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime.

A Memorial Stadium crowd of 39,821 watched California (2-2, 1-1 Pac-12) win its first Pac-12 game under second-year coach Sonny Dykes.

It also prevented Colorado (2-3, 0-2) from claiming its first Pac-12 road win under coach Mike MacIntyre, who also is in his second year in the league.

Colorado twice led by 14 points before halftime but couldn't build on its early lead and California dominated the third quarter to catch up.

It was the highest-scoring game in Cal history.

Usually dependable senior kicker Will Oliver missed three field-goal attempts for the Buffaloes. Langford missed a 42-yarder with 7:21 remaining that could have broken a 35-35 tie.

Down by two touchdowns to begin the second half, California reeled off scoring drives on its first three possessions of the third quarter to take its first lead of the game, 35-28.

In the process, the Golden Bears' up-tempo offense began to wear down CU's defense, which missed tackles that it had been making earlier.

Colorado retaliated with a nine-play, 68-yard drive capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Liufau to Spruce with 52 seconds left in the third quarter. Spruce finished with a school-record 19 receptions, breaking his own mark of 13 set a week earlier against Hawaii.

Colorado took a 28-14 halftime lead and the margin should have been wider. But usually dependable senior kicker Will Oliver missed two first-half field-goal attempts, both from 39 yards.

Liufau came out firing. By the end of the first quarter, Liufau already had 115 yards passing and three touchdowns.

Colorado jumped to a 21-7 lead, but California's offense is too explosive to keep down for long. The Golden Bears cut the deficit to a touchdown with the longest touchdown pass play in school history - a 92-yarder from sophomore quarterback Jared Goff to fleet running back Daniel Lasco down the left sideline and along the California bench.

Colorado's defense got sloppy on the play, which appeared to be a short gain. But three Buffs defenders overran the play, and then two others missed tackles for an improbable breakaway play.

CU jumped out to a historically hot start. The Buffaloes' three touchdowns in the first quarter provided the most points (21) scored by a Colorado team in an opening period since a 41-20 Buffs win over Texas A&M in 2005.

Tight end Sean Irwin, a sophomore, scored the Buffs' first touchdown when he found a seam down the middle of the field and nabbed a 22-yard spiral from Liufau. It was the first career score for Irwin, whose brother, Jeromy, starts at offensive left tackle for Colorado.

The Buffs finished the first half without two key starters who went out with injuries. Sophomore safety Tedric Thompson, who set up Colorado's first score with an interception, was replaced by Marques Mosley. And sophomore linebacker Kenneth Olugbode was replaced by Ryan Severson.

Olugbode returned for the second half but the Buffs felt the absence of Thompson.

Colorado hosts Oregon State next Saturday.

Tom Kensler: tkensler@denverpost.com or http://ift.tt/LkXITx

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