Halloween Escape in Boulder: Colorado Blows a Late Lead, Then Wins 27-24 in OT for Its First Big 12 Victory

By Cam Sutton, RF Sports Radio Colorado voice

Buffs fans, I said there were no more excuses, and Colorado did just enough to avoid needing one. It was not pretty, it should not have gone to overtime, and Coach Prime said exactly that. But the losing streak is over, and the first Big 12 win is finally on the board.

The facts

Isaac Wilson threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Charlie Williams in overtime, his only catch of the day, and Colorado beat Kansas State 27-24 on Saturday at Folsom Field, per the Associated Press. The Buffaloes held K-State to a 25-yard field goal on the first overtime possession, with safety Boo Carter breaking up an end-zone pass, per CUBuffs.com.

Colorado led 21-14 in the fourth quarter before Kansas State tied it with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Blake Barnett to Garrett Oakley with two seconds left in regulation, per K-State's box score. Barnett was 18-of-28 for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Dillon Duff, who started for the Wildcats, was 1-of-1 for 2 yards.

Richard Young, an Alabama transfer, ran 24 times for 120 yards and his first two touchdowns as a Buffalo, and Colorado rushed for 222 yards, the most of Sanders' tenure, per CUBuffs.com. JaQuail Smith added a 47-yard touchdown run. The defense had a season-high five sacks. A DeKalon Taylor fumble at the goal line in the first half went for a touchback.

"It should have never gotten to overtime, I feel, but we allowed it," Sanders said, per CUBuffs.com. "We allowed some crazy things to happen, but in all, we got the victory." The win snapped a five-game losing streak. Colorado is 3-5, 1-4 in the Big 12, and Wilson earned his first win as Colorado's starter. The Buffs play at Arizona State on Saturday, Nov. 7, on ESPN2, per CUBuffs.com and Buffaloes Wire.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: the running game is the story, and it might be the story for the rest of the year. Two hundred twenty-two yards against a Big 12 defense is not a fluke. When Colorado runs it like that, Wilson does not have to be a hero, and Sanders said so himself.

But let us be honest about the last two minutes of regulation. Giving up a tying touchdown with two seconds left to a quarterback who did not even start the game is the kind of thing that has defined this season. Colorado got away with it this time.

And that fumble at the goal line was a 14-point swing waiting to happen. Ball security has haunted this team all year.

Still, a win is a win, and this locker room needed one. Now go do it on the road in Tempe.

What to watch next

Watch Arizona State week and whether Young stays the lead back. For our pregame look at K-State's quarterback situation, read our Oct. 31 K-State-Colorado preview, and follow the Buffs on our Colorado Football page.

Radio question: is the 222-yard rushing day a turning point for Colorado, or did the Buffs just survive a short-handed opponent?

Sources: AP News - Colorado beats Kansas State 27-24 in OT on Wilson's TD pass to Charlie Williams; CUBuffs.com - Buffs win Halloween overtime thriller against K-State; K-State Athletics - Box score, Kansas State at Colorado; Buffaloes Wire - Colorado vs. Arizona State kickoff time, TV info; CUBuffs.com - Game center: at Arizona State, Nov. 7.