Jarek Broussard rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns, Sam Noyer passed for 257 yards and a TD, adding 64 yards on the ground with another score, as the host Colorado defeated UCLA 48-42 in the season opener for both teams Saturday night.
Jaren Mangham ran for a touchdown, Brady Russell had five receptions for 77 yards with a TD and Dimitri Stanley had six catches for 66 yards for the Buffaloes, who won Karl Dorrell’s debut as head coach.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson had 303 yards passing for UCLA with four touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for 109 yards and another TD but could not complete a late comeback.
Demetric Felton rushed for 57 yards and a score and caught a TD pass, while Greg Dulcich, Keegan Jones and Mike Martinez also had touchdown catches for the Bruins, who had four turnovers.
Colorado took advantage of two early turnovers to take a 14-0 lead on a pair of TD runs by Broussard just 6:59 into the game. Thompson-Robinson hit Felton for a 28-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-7.
Colorado restored its 14-point lead on Noyer’s 12-yard TD pass to Russell, Broussard scored from 1 yard out after a Felton fumble and Mangham’s 2-yard run put the Buffaloes ahead 35-7 late in the first half.
The Bruins cut into the lead with two big plays. Late in the second quarter, Thompson-Robinson threw a 52-yard TD pass to Dulcich. On the opening drive of the third quarter Thompson-Robinson scored on a 65-yard run to make it 35-21.
After a Buffaloes punt, Thompson-Robinson’s 41-yard pass to Dulcich set up a 15-yard TD run by Felton.
Noyer answered with a quarterback sneak for a score and a 42-28 lead with 6:41 remaining in the third quarter. But the Bruins answered right away when Jones scored on a 26-yard pass from Thompson-Robinson with 5:19 left in the third quarter.
Evan Price kicked field goals of 45 and 36 yards, after taking over for James Stefanou, to give Colorado a 48-35 lead with 9:26 left in the game. Thompson-Robinson threw a touchdown pass to Martinez with 1:45 but the Buffaloes recovered an onside-kick attempt and ran out the clock.
–Field Level Media