Colorado Buffaloes Win Rocky Mountain Showdown, 24-3

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Colorado Buffaloes Win Rocky Mountain Showdown, 24-3

Denver, CO (Sports Network) – Tyler Hansen passed for 192 yards and two scores, as the Colorado Buffaloes took care of the Colorado State Rams, 24-3, in a Rocky Mountain showdown at Invesco Field.

Hansen made good on 17-of-25 throws and added a touchdown on the ground for the Buffaloes (1-0), who are hoping to rebound from last year’s 3-9 performance. Scotty McKnight was his main target, as he finished with six receptions for 78 yards and a score. With the effort, McKnight became the school’s career receptions leader, surpassing Michael Westbrook’s record of 167 catches set from 1991-94.

Freshman Peter Thomas had a rough game under center for the Rams (0-1), as he completed 24-of-33 passes for 196 yards, but with three interceptions. CSU has now dropped 10 games in the row dating back to last season.

The Buffaloes began the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Hansen to Travon Patterson with just over six minutes left in the opening quarter.

Midway through the second quarter, Hansen extended Colorado’s lead with a 27- yard scoring strike to McKnight.

An Aric Goodman 28-yard field goal just over four minutes later gave the Buffaloes at 17-0 advantage at the intermission.

The lone score of the third quarter came from Hansen, who plunged one yard to paydirt.

Ben DeLine got CSU on the board with a 43-yard field goal with just under 10 minutes left in the game, but the Rams wouldn’t be heard from again.

The Buffaloes, who improved to 60-20-2 all-time versus the Rams, converted 5- of-13 third downs compared to a 1-of-12 effort by CSU.

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Tyler Hansen, Colorado Lead 24-0 Early In Fourth Quarter

Colorado continues to dominant the Colorado State Rams at Invesco Field. Behind sound passing from Tyler Hansen and workhorse running back Rodney Stewart, the Buffs marched down the field on an eight-play, 50-yard drive to take a 24-0 lead over the in-state rival Rams. Rodney Stewart has 16 carries for 69 yards and two receptions for 40 yards. Stewart has been the only Buffs running back to carry the ball today. Hansen has been solid, going 15-of-22 on the day for 187 yards and two scores. He also has the one-yard quarterback sneak.

Colorado State has really hurt themselves on third down behind the young quarterback Pete Thomas. Thomas has a decent stat line going 20-of-26, but has three interceptions with his squad only 1-for-9 on third downs.

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Colorado Blocks Late Colorado State Field Goal, Takes 17 - 0 Lead Into Half

Just when we thought Colorado State would get a little momentum going into half time, Colorado defensive lineman Will Pericak blocked a kick before half. CU leads 17-0.

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Tyler Hansen Throws Second Score To Scotty McKnight, Breaks Colorado Reception Record

Colorado has opened up a two-score lead on the Colorado State Rams via a sweet corner route connection from quarterback Tyler Hansen to WR Scotty McKnight. Not only do the Buffs hold a big two-score advantage but the reception for McKnight was his 167th in his illustrious career, passing former Buff great Michael Westbrook as the all-time school leader.

The offensive line really established some dominance on that drive, opening holes for RB Rodney Stewart on a nine-play, 82-yard drive. Tyler Hansen completed a nice third down pass to WR Toney Clemons before hitting McKnight on two straight passes.

Colorado leads 14 - 0 in the second quarter.

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Buffs Take Advantage Of Poor CSU Decision, Score First

Thank you, Pete Carroll. Former USC wide receiver Travon Patterson has already made his mark on the Colorado football team. The receiver who transferred from USC after the NCAA handed down sanctions against the Trojans, just scored from 18 yards out to give the Buffs a 7-0 lead. Colorado drove down the field after Colorado St. went for it on fourth down from their own 44 yard line. The Buffs stuffed the Rams and five plays later, CU hit pay dirt on 3rd and 15. Big start for the Buffs.

Update on Buffs safety Parker Orms. He is getting X-rays after hurting his knee on special teams.

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Colorado Makes First Big Play of the Game, Stops Rams on Fourth Down

After one possession each, Colorado State just went for it on fourth down from their own 44 yard line. The Colorado defense held strong and stopped the Rams giving them great field position at the 44 yard line. If the Buffs can capitalize on this drive, it could be the confidence boost needed for them to get going. Bad news for the Buffs, redshirt freshman S Parker Orms has been listed as doubtful for the rest of the game after injuring his knee on special teams. Tough break for a Colorado prep player expected to make a big contribution this year.

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The Gameday Money Is Coming In On the Rams Over The Buffaloes

When the odds makers first set the line for the annual Rocky Mountain Showdown at 13.5 points in favor of the Buffs, many thought that was too high for the rivalry game that is usually a very close battle. Throw in the fact that Colorado State beat the Buffs last year in Boulder, it was to be expected the line could very well come down leading up to the game.

Over the last week, the 13.5 point line has shrunk and now sits at 10, still a margin of victory all Buff fans would sign up for right now. But many have to start wondering if Colorado fans are in for another long day, this time at Invesco Field in Denver.

Colorado State starts a true freshman quarterback in Pete Thomas behind a revamped offensive line from a year ago. The Rams have talent at the running back position Raymond Carter so expect the team from Fort Collins to try to establish the ground game early. Colorado, on the other hand, has QB Tyler Hansen leading the charge, a junior who played in each of his first two years at Colorado. The key question is if Colorado will be able to move the ball against a tough front seven for the Rams led by LB Mychal Sisson and LB Ricky Brewer.

Stay tuned for updates throughout the day from the press box at Mile High Stadium.

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Colorado Buffaloes' Keys To The Game

Bob Bell of The Ralphie Report checks in with five keys to the game for the Buffaloes in today’s game against the Colorado State Rams. Here’s a peek at one of them:

Score Sevens, Not Attempt Threes

The Buffs’ special teams play has been horrid the last few years and to be honest with you, the only improvement may be in the return game. A field goal is never a sure thing so Colorado being effective in the redzone is a must in 2010. Protect the football and score seven.

Also, check out Jon Woods’ responses to five questions at the Mountain West Connection, and then have a look at Jeremy Mauss' responses on Colorado State at the Ralphie Report.

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Colorado Takes On Colorado State In The Annual Rocky Mountain Showdown

For more head over to The Ralphie Report and Mountain West Connection...

(Sports Network) - Two teams hoping to get off on the right foot in 2010 collide in Denver this weekend, as the Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams lock horns in a Rocky Mountain showdown at Invesco Field.

Colorado State head coach Steve Fairchild has high hopes for his club this year and considering how poorly the team closed out 2009, the only way to go is up for the squad. After winning three straight to open the campaign, beating the Buffs, Weber State and Nevada, the Rams hits the skids with nine straight losses and that means the program is tied with Washington State with the third-longest losing streak in the nation heading into the 2010 campaign. Needless to say, CSU went winless in Mountain West Conference action with eight setbacks in as many matchups.

As for the Buffaloes and head coach Dan Hawkins, they too struggled last year and managed just three wins overall as well. Victories over Wyoming, Kansas and Texas A&M did little to satisfy the CU fan base and that's why Hawkins is again on the hot seat. The squad played a couple of close games down the stretch, but still the Buffs ended with a three-game losing streak and dropped five of their last six overall as they finished 2-6 in the Big 12 Conference.

In terms of the all-time series, the Buffs own a commanding 59-20-2 advantage over Colorado State heading into this week's meeting. Colorado is 5-4 in games played in Denver, but last year with the meeting being played in Boulder, the Rams slipped by with a 23-17 victory to snap a two-game slide in the series.

Coach Hawkins had to make a very difficult decision heading into the new season, whether or not to stick with his son, Cody, as the starting quarterback or insert junior Tyler Hansen into the position. While it might not have been a popular choice around the Hawkins dinner table, the staff decided to go with Hansen after he threw for 1,440 yards and eight TDs last year. Hawkins will still see some action from time to time, but his 10 TDs against 11 INTs a season ago left many doubts as to his ability to lead the group on a consistent basis. Even though the passing attack had as many turnovers (18) as it did TDs, the real concern for the Buffs has to be the running game after it ranked 11th in the conference and 113th in the nation with a mere 87.9 ypg in 2009. Rodney Stewart returns as the leading rusher for the group after putting up 804 yards and scoring nine TDs, but after him the production dropped off severely a year ago and the coaching staff has to figure out a way to change all that.

Except for the shutout win against Wyoming early in the season, the defense for the Buffs was frequently beaten and battered by opponents. The run defense was ninth in the Big 12 and 80th in the nation overall with 161.2 ypg allowed, although a big chunk of that came from Toledo which ran up 305 yards and scored three times on the ground. Then again, the Buffs did hold Kansas to minus-eight yards rushing, so it all balanced out for the most part. The defensive line has just one senior in Marquez Herrod, the good news being that he led the team in sacks with six, and quarterback hurries last season with 10 and was very active on third-down plays for the unit. The pass defense was rather solid for the Buffaloes in '09, yielding just 201.8 ypg to rank fourth in the league and 34th nationally, but much of that was due to the fact that opponents found it easier to run on Colorado than anything else. Holding down the secondary will be senior cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown who combined for 25 pass breakups and will again be tested this year.

Coach Fairchild plans to shake things up right out of the gate as his team takes the field on Saturday, opting to go with freshman Pete Thomas as his starter at quarterback. Then again, with Fairchild saying he might insert as many as seven true freshmen into the game in one capacity or another, perhaps this decision isn't so unusual after all. Last year, the passing offense for the Rams ranked seventh in the MWC and 76th nationally, so there is clearly plenty of room for improvement. Running back Leonard Mason, who led the team in rushing last season with just over 75 yards per outing, has managed to get back onto the practice field after suffering a hamstring injury on the eve of fall practice, but he's still a few spots down on the depth chart that shows former UCLA running back Raymond Carter as the leader at the position heading into the opener. Some new faces at key receiving positions probably means fullback Zac Pauga, who was third on the team in receptions per game, will see significant action come his way.

According to the depth chart for the Colorado State defense, the starters are comprised of all upperclassmen except for Broderick Sargent at right end, which means this group should be improved over last year when they ranked eighth in the MWC and 87th in the nation in pass defense with 235.7 ypg allowed. A big part of the problem was that the front line wasn't getting enough of a push in the trenches and rarely did the Rams really challenge the opposition in the backfield. In fact, the team ranked sixth in the MWC and 94th nationally in tackles for loss with just under five per game. The group fared a bit better with two sacks per game (third in the MWC, 53rd nationally), but of their 24 quarterback takedowns, four came against Wyoming in the season finale and another four versus this same Colorado team in the opener, which means there was a lot of time in between when there was little, if no pressure applied. Mychal Sisson is back after leading the team in tackles, TFLs and sacks per game in '09, while Elijah-Blu Smith might be the player who gets the most attention at his free safety position.

For CSU, which lost four offensive linemen to the NFL after last season, keeping Thomas upright will be a big key to not only this game but the entire season. With so much riding on this season, expect coach Hawkins to pull out all the stops and try to get his young team heading in the right direction as the Buffs hound Thomas every chance they get.