Dorrell era begins on a strong note as Buffs defeat Bruins

After 344 days without Colorado football due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting schedule changes, the Buffaloes outlasted the UCLA Bruins 48-42 Saturday night at Folsom Field. Senior safety-converted-quarterback Sam Noyer threw for a touchdown and added another on the ground, while running back Jarek Broussard averaged six yards a carry and found the end zone three times. The Buffs, under their third head coach in three years, survived a late surge of offense by the Bruins and held on for the victory. Karl Dorrell, who coached the Bruins from 2003 to 2007 and led them to five bowl games, earned his first victory as Colorado’s head coach against his former team.

Playing in front of 900 people, mostly consisting of family members and close friends, the Colorado defense looked extremely disciplined in the first half, forcing UCLA’s dynamic offense led by head coach Chip Kelly off the field seven out of the first nine drives, along with four turnovers. The offense capitalized on the good field position, and the Buffs broke out to an early 14-0 lead, extending it to 35-14 at halftime, with all three of Broussard’s touchdowns coming in the first two quarters. UCLA came out firing with three touchdowns in the third quarter, as their third-year-quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson showed off his dual-threat capabilities with a 65-yard touchdown run, the longest play of the game. The Bruins eventually made it a one-score game twice in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 35-28 and 42-35, but Evan Price kicked two late field goals, ultimately sealing the victory. This is Colorado’s sixth straight season opening with a victory, looking for this year to be one they can continue to build on success after three consecutive losing seasons.

The Buffaloes leaned heavily on the run, racking up 264 rushing yards, just over half of their total offense. Jarek Broussard led the backfield with 31 carries for 187 yards, along with his three scores. Broussard seemed to be bouncing off tackles all evening, and was impossible to stop, especially in the red zone. With three returning starters on the offensive line, Colorado was able to dominate from the point of attack early and often.

“They really did a good job tonight opening up the holes, you know if a hole is that big it’s not that hard to run through it,” Broussard said as he shouted out his offensive line, who along with dominating the run only allowed one sack.

Sam Noyer rushed for 64 yards helping him display his athleticism. In his first start at quarterback, the fifth-year-senior filled the role, throwing for 257 yards and a touchdown. 

“We are just excited to play, I think you saw that with the energy on the sideline tonight,” said Noyer, who beat out junior Tyler Lytle over the offseason to win the starting job. “With a great O-line like we have and great weapons that we have, it really helps the quarterback and helps me feel a lot more comfortable out there.”

On the other side of the ball, Colorado’s defense looked strong in the first half, forcing and recovering three fumbles and picking off Dorian Thompson-Robinson, resulting in the Buffaloes’ early lead. They completely controlled the trenches and time of possession, as the Bruins were on offense for only 20 minutes throughout the entire game. Fifth-year senior safety Derrion Rakestraw had a huge impact on the defense with a forced fumble and recovery. Leading the team with six total tackles, Rakestraw said “missed assignments and guys not being where they need to be” is an easy fix for next week’s matchup against Stanford. 

Senior defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson had the only sack on the night for the Buffs. Although they showed the potential and ballhawk traits on defense in the first half, Dorrell knew they let their guard down in the second half and will need to play a full 60 minutes in the future.

 “We won the game not playing our best football,” said Dorrell. “It was a W. Obviously some things to fix. But I’ll take it.”

Colorado will hit the road for the first time this season as they head to Palo Alto, California to take on Stanford Saturday afternoon. The Cardinal will be looking to bounce back after their season-opening loss to Oregon. The game will kick off at 1:30pm Mountain Time, and will be nationally televised on ESPN2. Stanford is currently favored by a touchdown.