Five rushing touchdowns and two second-half takeaways powered Colorado’s first victory over a top-15 opponent since 2007.
BOULDER — Colorado had spent much of the season searching for offensive consistency. Friday night against No. 14 Houston, the Buffaloes finally found the explosive plays they had been missing.
Behind 249 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground, Colorado overcame a 13-point second-quarter deficit to defeat Houston 42-32 at Folsom Field.
“We’ve been searching for explosiveness on offense,” Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said afterward. “Everybody showed up.”
The Buffaloes trailed 20-7 late in the second quarter before two big runs changed the game.
DeKalon Taylor broke free for a 67-yard touchdown, and JaQuail Smith added a 32-yard scoring run with 15 seconds remaining before halftime, giving Colorado a 21-20 lead.
Richard Young, who opened Colorado’s scoring with a 38-yard touchdown run, finished with 99 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
“We always preach in our running room, when one person eats, we all eat,” Young said. “So we just feed off of each other.”
Colorado’s defense contributed to the turnaround.
Randon Fontenette forced a fumble on a sack of Houston quarterback Conner Weigman, setting up Isaac Wilson’s 53-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Williams. Boo Carter later intercepted Weigman as the Buffaloes held Houston scoreless in the third quarter.
Freshman quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne also made his mark, entering for an injured Wilson and scoring on a 14-yard run on his first snap.
Houston cut the lead to nine points in the fourth quarter, but Young’s second rushing touchdown gave Colorado the separation it needed.
Wilson finished with 217 passing yards and a touchdown, while Colorado totaled 466 yards of offense.
The victory improved the Buffaloes to 4-6, keeping their hopes of reaching a bowl game alive with two regular-season contests remaining.
“Everybody’s counting us out when they say we can’t win two games in a row to make a bowl game,” Williams said. “But why can’t we?”
Colorado travels to Cincinnati on November 21 before closing the regular season against UCF.
For one night at Folsom Field, the Buffaloes looked like a team that had finally found some answers.
