Boulder, CU – Utah scored 28 unanswered points in the second half, ending Colorado’s undefeated season at Folsom Field.
Colorado’s 38-21 loss took them out of the race for the Pac-12 South title. A win against Utah along with UCLA beating USC would have brought them to the Pac-12 title game for the first time since 2016. Unfortunately, neither result occurred since UCLA also lost.
“We had an opportunity to control destiny, and we didn’t do it,” said CU head coach Karl Dorrell.
Despite losing 38-21, Colorado had a four-point lead heading into the second half thanks to an 81-yard punt return by freshman receiver Brendan Rice, son of Hall of Famer and legend receiver Jerry Rice.
Rice became the first Colorado player in history to return a punt for a touchdown and receive a touchdown in the same game after senior quarterback Sam Noyer dumped it off to Rice in the third quarter, who took it in for a 61-yard touchdown. This was Colorado’s final touchdown for the game.
Utah took advantage of a costly interception by Noyer midway through the third quarter and scored a touchdown off a 20-yard pass from senior quarterback Jake Bentley to freshman receiver Britain Covey.
Utah’s defense continued to hold Colorado’s offense as their last four drives ended in punts and turnover on downs. While Utah ended their last three drives with a 43-yard field goal from field goal kicker Jadon Redding, a 66-yard rushing touchdown from freshman running back Ty Jordan, and finally a 38-yard field goal from Redding.
Running Back Jarek Broussard fell short of a hundred yards for the first time in a game this season. The sophomore running back finished with 14 carries for 80 yards. But despite the low rushing numbers compared to his previous performances, Broussard had the best start in the first five games for an FBS rusher since 2005 with a total of 813 yards and three touchdowns.
Colorado also suffered a couple of injuries including, senior linebacker Nate Landman and junior offensive lineman Will Sherman.
It was announced early Sunday that the 4-1 Colorado Buffaloes are set to play the Oregon Ducks next Saturday at USC for a kick-off time of 7:00 p.m.
