Utah Utes vs Colorado Buffaloes Box Score on Nov 26, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Nov 27, 2016

BOULDER, Colo -- Sefo Liufau threw for 270 yards and a touchdown and No. 9 Colorado forced four turnovers to knock off the No. 22 Utah Utes 27-22 on Saturday night.

The Buffaloes (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12) reached 10 wins in a season for the first time since 2001 and clinched the Pac-12 South title after finishing last a season ago. Colorado will face Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday after snapping a four-game losing streak to the Utes.

Troy Williams threw for just 160 yards, a touchdown and a pair of interceptions for Utah while Joe Williams added 97 yards on 26 carries. The Utes (8-4, 5-4 Pac-12) could not overcome an inability to hold onto the ball or finish drives in Colorado territory.

Utah had chances to go ahead in the third quarter, but could not get any production in the red zone. The Utes drove inside the Colorado 10 three times and came away with just six points.

A 30-yard catch by Cory Butler-Byrd set up Utah at the Colorado 9 on its first drive of the quarter. The Utes moved down to the Buffaloes' 3 on a 6-yard run from Joe Williams but were forced to settle for a 22-yard field goal from Andy Phillips.

Utah reached the Colorado 14-yard line on the team's second 3rd-quarter drive. Joe Williams fumbled at the end of a long run and the Buffaloes recovered at their own 2-yard line to prevent a possible go-ahead touchdown.

The Utes got another chance when Chase Hansen stripped the ball from Liufau near midfield and Chris Hart pounced on the ball. Butler-Byrd gained 41 yards on a reverse to get Utah inside the Colorado 10 again, but the Utes' offense stalled again. Phillips tacked on another 22-yard field goal to make it 13-13.

Colorado took advantage of Utah's failure to finish. Shay Fields hauled in a 5-yard pass on a fade route to put the Buffaloes back up 20-13. Kyle Fulks set the Utes up in a perfect position to tie it up when he returned the ensuing kickoff to the Colorado 3. Once again, Utah could not move the ball and settled for a 23-yard field goal from Phillips.

Kenneth Olugbode slammed the door on Utah's comeback effort when he stripped the ball from Joe Williams and returned the fumble 10 yards to put Colorado up 27-16 with 10:56 remaining. Tedric Thompson intercepted Troy Williams -- his second of the game -- on Utah's next possession to keep the Utes from seriously threatening the lead in the final minutes.

Utah closed to 27-22 on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Troy Williams to Demari Simpkins with 1:34 left. Colorado recovered the subsequent onside kick and ran out the clock.

Utah struggled to move the ball on offense throughout the first half. The Utes totaled just three yards on their first two drives. A promising third drive ended with Andy Phillips missing a 45-yard field goal attempt.

Colorado gave Utah plenty of chances to take control early. Kavika Luafatasaga stripped the ball from Liufau on the Buffaloes' opening drive and Pita Taumoepenu recovered it at the Colorado 40. Then, Utah forced a 3-and-out on Colorado's next drive and Boobie Hobbs took the punt back 55 yards for the Utes' first touchdown.

The Buffaloes settled down before the end of the quarter. Liufau connected with Devin Ross on a 42-yard bomb and raced 12 yards on the next play to get Colorado into the red zone. From there, the senior quarterback punched it in on a 2-yard run to tie it up at 7-7.

Colorado tacked on a pair of field goals from Chris Graham to go ahead 13-7 in the second quarter. The second one, a 19-yarder, came after the Buffaloes stuffed Joe Williams for no gain when Utah went for it on fourth-and-1 at its own 34-yard line. Colorado had a golden opportunity to score a touchdown to cap off the drive, but George Frazier dropped a wide open pass on third-and-goal.

NOTES: Utah totaled 86 yards on offense in the first half. ... RB Phillip Lindsay is Colorado's first 1,000-yard rusher since Rodney Stewart in 2010. Lindsay entered the contest with four 100-yard games in his last five contests. ... Boobie Hobbs' 55-yard punt return in the first quarter marked the first touchdown that Utah scored on a punt return this season. ... QB Sefo Liufau eclipsed 2,000 passing yards for the third consecutive season.