All year, University of Colorado football supporters have at least been able to harp on keeping it close against higher ranked Pac-12 opponents, but Saturday’s 56-28 loss to No. 22 Southern California left the Buffaloes little to be pleased with in defeat. In all phases of the game, CU was dominated.
Sophomore quarterback Sefo Liufau threw an interception on his first pass of the game after two long runs from senior running back Tony Jones, setting the tone for what was to come. The Trojans outscored CU 28-0 in the first quarter and didn’t look back.
Somewhat unexpectedly, USC dominated more through the air than on the ground. Junior quarterback Cody Kessler threw for a Southern California school record of seven touchdowns before sitting out the rest of the game in the third quarter. On too many occasions, Trojan receivers Nelson Agholor and Juju Smith either ran right by the CU secondary or found massive holes in the Buffalo coverage. The complete lack of quarterback pressure from the Colorado defensive line didn’t help, either.
Southern California’s star running back, Javorius “Buck” Allen, still had himself a quality game, as his 128 rushing yards were just two below his season average of 130. Justin Davis also had 97 yards on the ground for the Trojans. At the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, Colorado was simply outmanned.
CU running back Tony Jones was one of the few bright spots for the Buffs, averaging 5.6 yards-per-rush to gain 61 yards total on the ground. Jones proved he could gain yards after contact as well as using his speed to hit the holes quickly through the line of scrimmage.
As always, junior wide receiver Nelson Spruce put in a good effort. His 69 yards, 9 receptions, and 11th touchdown of the year will keep him near the top of national receiving statistics.
The backups for both sides took the field in the fourth quarter, at which point USC led 56-21.
Sophomore quarterback Jordan Gehrke scored his first college touchdown on a nine yard run from a read-option play. He proved he could be a mobile quarterback, but his throwing accuracy was spotty at best. Don’t expect him to replace Liufau any time soon, unless something dramatic happens. Gehrke threw for 71 yards on 7/13 passing.
The Buffs host UCLA for homecoming on Saturday, October 25th. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network at 12 p.m. MST.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jared Funk-Breay at Jared.Funkbreay@colorado.edu; @jaredfunkbreay
