Oregon can't weather Colorado, 38-6
Buffaloes win Cotton on big plays
1/2/1996
Oregon coach Mike Bellotti had worried about the big-play potential of Colorado's offense. But the Buffaloes' defense contributed equally to the big plays Monday in a 38-6 victory over the Ducks in a miserably cold and wet Cotton Bowl Classic.
On a day when not much else worked on offense, Colorado used a 62-yard pass play from John Hessler to James Kidd and a 55-yard run by Herchell Troutman to set up short touchdown plays.
On the other side of the ball, Colorado reserve cornerback Marcus Washington returned an interception a Cotton Bowl-record 95 yards for another touchdown, and early in the second half the defense recovered three fumbles deep inside Oregon territory. The offense then responded to those gifts with two short touchdown drives that put the game out of reach, 32-6, with 5:42 to go in the third quarter.
"We were sluggish in the first half from an offensive standpoint, but the defense found a way to keep us in the game," said Colorado coach Rick Neuheisel, whose team finished 10-2. "We got into the second half and really took control and the defense dominated the game."
The game was played amid plunging temperatures and a steady drizzle that provided a bone-chilling reminder of one reason the Cotton Bowl wasn't chosen as one of the three Tier I bowls that are rotating the chance to put together a national championship game.
Some 58,214 tickets were sold for the game in the 68,252-seat stadium. That's the fewest sold since 47,000 were sold for the 1948 Cotton Bowl. But bowl officials estimated Monday that only 40,000 to 45,000 actually were present for the opening kickoff and that 5,000 to 10,000 left at halftime.
On the field, the game might have followed a different script if Oregon (9-2) had been able to exploit its own opportunities in the first half. Three times, the Ducks began drives in Colorado territory, and one other time they started at midfield. But two field goals for a 6-0 lead were all they could get out of those opportunities.
"It was a great week and a miserable day," said Bellotti. "I give Colorado credit for taking advantage of our mistakes. In the first half, we didn't get enough points for the way we dominated them. . . . Overall, defensively we played well, but the big plays hurt us."
Colorado's first score was set up by a third-and-19 pass that went 62 yards from Hessler to Kidd at the Oregon one-yard line late in the first quarter. Two plays later, on the first play of the second quarter, Hessler ran the final yard for the touchown, and Neil Voskeritichian's extra point gave Colorado a 7-6 lead.
The biggest play of the game came two possessions later, after Oregon had driven 40 yards to the Colorado nine-yard line. There, on second down, Ducks quarterback Tony Graziani threw under pressure into a crowd of black shirts. Washington, who started for only the second time this year as Colorado went with five defensive backs, picked off the pass at the five and ran untouched for a touchdown.
"I dropped into my zone, and the quarterback pretty much gave me a gift," said Washington. "I was happy he did."
That made it 13-6, and that's where it stayed for the rest of the first half because Voskeritchian was wide right on the point after touchdown kick, the first of four muffed PATs on the day by Colorado.
Bellotti said the interception and touchdown return was the turning point in the game. "Any time you're down with a chance to tie or go ahead, it hurts," said Bellotti. "It went the other way, and it was a two-touchdown swing of momentum. It was really tough on us."
Colorado then broke the game open early in the second half. On the second play of the half, Troutman bounced off a crowd at the line of scrimmage and ran 55 yards up the middle to the Oregon nine-yard line. Two plays later, Hessler found tight end Matt Lepsis of Frisco alone at the back of the end zone for a two-yard touchdown pass. After the PAT, Colorado led, 20-6.
Two possessions later, Colorado's All-America linebacker, Matt Russell, stripped the ball from Graziani, and Donnell Leomiti recovered for the Buffaloes at the Oregon 23. Six plays later, Troutman took a pitchout around left end six yards for a touchdown. After a bad snap prevented Voskeritchian from getting off a kick, it was 26-6.
The rout continued when Graziani fumbled again and Colorado defensive end Greg Jones recovered at the Oregon 32 and ran 15 yards to the 17. Three plays later, Hessler passed 12 yards to Phil Savoy for another touchdown to make it 32-6.
Colorado would score one more time later in the fourth quarter after a fake punt kept a 65-yard drive going and angered Oregon players.
"There's no question when you look at it from an Xs and Os standpoing, the defense was the key to the game," said Neuheisel. "We only had 313 yards of total offense today. That's way down. Conditions were a factor. But the defense really dominated the game."
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