A Gridiron History: UCLA vs. Colorado Football
The UCLA Bruins and Colorado Buffaloes have a football rivalry dating back to 1980. As USC and UCLA prepare for their final season in the Pac-12, it's worth revisiting the history of some of their most memorable games. This article explores the history between these two programs.
UCLA holds a 13-5 lead in the series against Colorado, and won the first four games these two teams played against one another. The most lopsided game in the series occurred at the beginning, resulting in a 56-14 victory for UCLA in 1980. The Bruins also boast the longest winning streak in the series, with five consecutive wins from 2011 to 2015.
The Colorado Buffaloes and UCLA Bruins are both members of the Pac-12 Conference but after this season; the Bruins will join the Big Ten and the Buffaloes will rejoin the Big 12 for the 2024 season. It is unlikely that these two schools will play each other in football after this upcoming game for a decent amount of time.
Let's delve into some of the most notable games in the UCLA-Colorado series:
Memorable Games
Oct. 2, 1982: No. 9 UCLA 34, Colorado 6
In their first season at the Rose Bowl, UCLA unveiled a new offensive identity under coach Terry Donahue. After six seasons without a Rose Bowl appearance, the Bruins started throwing the ball, and were quickly nicknamed UCLAir and Uncork Lots of Aerials. This shift was largely due to senior quarterback Tom Ramsey and a talented group of receivers. Colorado felt the impact of this new approach during the Bruins’ first trip to Boulder.
Read also: Finding Affordable Tuition in Colorado
A week after Ramsey led UCLA back from a 21-0 deficit in a 31-27 victory over Michigan, he enjoyed a relatively easy game against the Buffaloes. Ramsey completed 16 of 24 passes for 280 yards, making him No. 1 nationally in pass efficiency. The Bruins went on to win the Pac-10 and made their first Rose Bowl appearance under Donahue, beating Michigan in a rematch.
Sept. 6, 2003: No. 24 Colorado 16, UCLA 14
Karl Dorrell’s coaching debut at his alma mater gave Bruins fans a taste of what was to come: conservative offense, untimely mistakes and disappointment. Quarterback Matt Moore was knocked out of the game with a knee injury late in the first quarter, giving way to Drew Olson. Justin Medlock missed a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter, a pivotal play in a tight game. Finally, UCLA’s defense couldn’t make the plays it needed while holding a 14-10 lead with five minutes left in the game.
Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt drove his team 63 yards in less than three minutes during a drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown pass to Joe Klopfenstein. Dorrell’s offense could not muster a counter over the final 2 minutes 15 seconds, with Olson’s final four passes falling incomplete. Dorrell would compile a 35-27 record at UCLA, good enough for Colorado to hire him before the 2020 season. That stint didn’t go nearly as well, Dorrell going 8-15 with the Buffaloes from 2020-22.
Oct. 25, 2014: No. 25 UCLA 40, Colorado 37 (2 OT)
This game proved to be a tougher challenge than anticipated. Colorado, winless in Pac-12 play and with a 4-27 record in conference games since joining from the Big 12 in 2011, pushed UCLA to their limit. Despite UCLA holding leads of 17-0 and 31-14, the Bruins needed two overtimes to secure the victory.
The tension began when the Buffaloes outscored UCLA 17-0 in the fourth quarter. After both teams kicked a field goal in the first overtime, Colorado added another to take the lead in the second overtime. UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley then followed a 17-yard run with an eight-yard touchdown run through a large opening to secure the win. This was the second consecutive victory for the Bruins as part of a five-game winning streak that would see them rise to No. 8 before falling to Stanford and ending the season with a 40-35 victory over Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl.
Read also: Study Abroad with CSU: Semester at Sea
Oct. 31, 2015: No. 24 UCLA 35, Colorado 31
This was one of those games where you threw out the numbers … and the aesthetics. Colorado piled up 554 yards of offense while running 114 plays and holding onto the ball for 41 minutes 5 seconds in a 60-minute game. Colorado also lost. A UCLA defense that had bled yardage for most of the game, not to mention players to injury, finally started making stops. Bruins running back Soso Jamabo gave his team the lead with a two-yard touchdown run and then turned things over to the defense. Defensive end Takkarist McKinley harassed Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau into an inaccurate throw on fourth down to end one drive and defensive back Nate Meadors intercepted a pass with 51 seconds left to finish things off.
Sept. 30, 2017: UCLA 27, Colorado 23
There was no sugarcoating UCLA’s defense in coach Jim Mora’s final season. Anyone remember that the Bruins’ epic comeback against Texas A&M was necessitated by their surrendering 44 points in less than three quarters? Or that UCLA gave up 48 points against Memphis, only for that to feel like the good old days a week later when the Bruins surrendered 58 against Stanford? That was the backdrop in which UCLA finally played some defense against Colorado, getting a final stop to preserve the victory when Buffaloes quarterback Steven Montez’s final pass fell incomplete through the back of the end zone. Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen contributed 372 yards passing and one touchdown to go with one interception to help his team nudge itself above .500 in a season that would end with Chip Kelly on his way to Westwood.
The Bruins and Buffaloes in 2023
UCLA hosted Colorado, with the Bruins looking to win and stay in contention to play in the Pac-12 championship game.
UCLA entered the game with a 5-2 record, while the Buffaloes were 4-3. UCLA was the favorite to win the game, but Colorado has shown the ability to play well against good teams this season. The Buffaloes had a high-powered offense led by quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. Sanders has thrown for 2,420 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. The UCLA defense has been doing an outstanding job and should be able to limit the Buffaloes’ passing attack.
The Bruins had won the last two meetings between the two teams, and they were looking to extend their winning streak to three games. The Buffaloes were hoping to play spoiler and knock off the Bruins in Pasadena.
Read also: The history of Colorado Mesa
Key things to watch for in the game included Colorado’s offense and whether it could continue to roll. The Buffaloes have averaged 34 points per game this season, which ranks in the top 25 in the country. Sanders is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the Pac-12, and he has a number of talented weapons to work with, including wide receivers Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn Jr. who both have a combined 94 receptions this season.
Also important was whether Colorado’s defense could slow down UCLA’s offense. The Buffaloes have allowed 35.9 points per game this season, which ranks in the middle of the pack in the country. Colorado’s defense is led by two safeties in the secondary Trevor Woods and Shilo Sanders. Linebacker Jordan Domineck, leads the team in sacks, and safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig leads the team in interceptions. Colorado against Stanford did not look good but they had a bye week to work on making adjustments in preparation for the Bruin’s offense.
tags: #colorado #ucla #football #history
