Colorado stops last-minute drive to upset No. 17 Kansas

BOULDER — Cha’pelle Brown broke up a pass in the end zone as time expired, and the Colorado Buffaloes held on for a 34-30 upset of No. 17 Kansas on Saturday night. Students rushed the field and celebrated with players after no flags fell on the play.

Despite 400 yards passing by Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing, the Buffs managed to outscore KU thanks to early turnovers and a strong performance from new starter Tyler Hansen. Although his numbers weren’t near Reesing’s — 11-of-25 for 175 yards, one touchdown and one interception — Hansen showed a level of athleticism Colorado hasn’t seen under center for some time. His feet helped him extend plays, turning what normally would be sacks or incompletions into first downs.

“Sometimes he thinks his running ability is a little bit of a curse,” said Dan Hawkins of Hansen’s play, “but I told him, ‘You’ve gotta play ball. Play ball how you know how to play, and whatever style that is we’ll live with.’ ” Hansen finished with 34 yards rushing on 11 attempts, counting lost yardage on three sacks. He also had a rushing touchdown, the first of his career.

What excites the Buffaloes faithful most about this win is the way Hansen engineered the go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter. Down 30-27, Hansen led Colorado through three third downs as part of a 76-yard scoring possession. Rodney Stewart rushed for the winning touchdown from 13 yards out.

Kansas then had two chances to regain the lead and each time got inside the Colorado 20. Its first attempt ended when Jimmy Smith broke up a Reesing pass on fourth-and-goal, giving CU the ball with 4:23 to play. The Buffs ran the clock to just over a minute remaining before being forced to punt. At its own 25-yard line, Kansas drove to the CU 19 via three big Reesing passes but couldn’t finish it off before time ran out.

The drama would’ve been unnecessary had Colorado not made so many mistakes in the second half. The offense that scored 24 points in the second quarter (a record for the Dan Hawkins era) stalled in the third, fumbling on two consecutive possessions. Each set up a Kansas field goal, allowing the Jayhawks to get back into a game that was 24-3 at one point.

Colorado gained this lead through a strong defensive effort. Early on, its pass rush kept Reesing and his receivers out of sync and caused a fumble that gave CU the ball on the Kansas three-yard line. Brown also returned a Reesing interception for 35 yards, running out of bounds at the one and setting up another Stewart rushing touchdown. The Buffs’ run defense was extremely good as well, holding the Jayhawks to minus 8 yards on the ground.

Stewart kept the offense balanced for CU, rushing for 108 yards on 24 attempts and two touchdowns. The back is emerging as the featured starter. Darrell Scott, Demetrius Sumler and Brian Lockridge combined for a handful of carries but produced only six yards.

“If you keep feeding the ball to Speedy, a lot of good things are going to happen,” Hawkins said.

Such a big win instantly changes the complexion of this year’s season, but Hawkins and players were noticeably muted in post-game interviews. After being asked, “Are you always this giddy after a win?” Hawkins explained:

“We have to know how to handle a victory; you take it in and enjoy it. But after tomorrow, it’s over, and you have to move on to the next one. That’s how it has to be.”

Colorado will move on to face Kansas State next week in Manhattan.

Editor’s note: Comments have been turned off on football stories involving CU to meet the university’s requirement for giving media credentials to Web site reporters and photographers.