10-09-2005, 04:59 AM
Joel Klatt headlined a big night of offense for Colorado, throwing for 211 yards in the first quarter Saturday en route to a 398-yard, three-touchdown game and a 41-20 win over surprisingly overmatched Texas A&M.
Klatt connected with Hugh Charles for a 51-yard touchdown to open the scoring less than 2 minutes into the game. The Buffs (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) scored on their next two possessions and had a 21-0 lead after the first quarter.
Colorado finished with 559 yards against Texas A&M (3-2, 1-1), which came into the game ranked last in the Big 12 in passing yards allowed and 11th overall.
Indeed, the Aggies showed signs they might be in for a struggle this season when they almost allowed Baylor its first Big 12 road win in 37 tries before pulling out a 16-13 win last week.
And while this hardly ranked with A&M's 77-0 loss at Oklahoma two years ago, it was much uglier than anyone expected from a three-point underdog — a non-competitive effort that certainly will ratchet up the hand-wringing over Dennis Franchione's team in College Station.
It was bad right from the start for the Aggies.
On their second play from scrimmage, Reggie McNeal connected with DeQawn Mobley, who slipped behind Buffs cornerback Lorenzo Sims. Mobley made the catch and looked like he'd score. Instead, he fumbled and the Buffs recovered. The turnover went down as a 60-yard gain, which helped make A&M's rough night on offense look a little better on the stats page.
McNeal, the multiple-threat quarterback the Buffs stressed about all week, didn't get the Aggies into the end zone. Their two touchdowns were purely cosmetic, both coming late with the second- and third-teamers on the field. McNeal finished with 146 yards passing and a minus-14 yards rushing after averaging 227 passing and 92 rushing over the first four games.
Adding this to their 34-0 win over Oklahoma State last week, the Buffs have won two straight against the Big 12 South after nine consecutive losses. The win might be enough to put CU in the top 25 for the first time since Sept. 7, 2003. Next week, the task gets much tougher — a game at No. 2 Texas.
Before that, though, CU can enjoy this highlight-reel of a game.
Klatt, a senior, finished 28-for-36 with no interceptions. This was his third 300-yard game. He was well on the way to his third 400-yard performance, but coach Gary Barnett gave him the night off after he hit Quinn Sypniewski for a 36-yard score and a 41-6 lead midway through the third.
Charles added to his stellar start this season, finishing with 67 yards rushing, 85 receiving and a 4-yard touchdown run to go with his long scoring catch.
Lawrence Vickers had 48 yards and also scored twice. Tight end Joel Klopfenstein had five catches for 99 yards, including a one-handed grab on a pass thrown behind him for a seven-yard gain in the second quarter. Seven plays later, Vickers scored from a yard for a 28-3 lead.
Klatt connected with Hugh Charles for a 51-yard touchdown to open the scoring less than 2 minutes into the game. The Buffs (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) scored on their next two possessions and had a 21-0 lead after the first quarter.
Colorado finished with 559 yards against Texas A&M (3-2, 1-1), which came into the game ranked last in the Big 12 in passing yards allowed and 11th overall.
Indeed, the Aggies showed signs they might be in for a struggle this season when they almost allowed Baylor its first Big 12 road win in 37 tries before pulling out a 16-13 win last week.
And while this hardly ranked with A&M's 77-0 loss at Oklahoma two years ago, it was much uglier than anyone expected from a three-point underdog — a non-competitive effort that certainly will ratchet up the hand-wringing over Dennis Franchione's team in College Station.
It was bad right from the start for the Aggies.
On their second play from scrimmage, Reggie McNeal connected with DeQawn Mobley, who slipped behind Buffs cornerback Lorenzo Sims. Mobley made the catch and looked like he'd score. Instead, he fumbled and the Buffs recovered. The turnover went down as a 60-yard gain, which helped make A&M's rough night on offense look a little better on the stats page.
McNeal, the multiple-threat quarterback the Buffs stressed about all week, didn't get the Aggies into the end zone. Their two touchdowns were purely cosmetic, both coming late with the second- and third-teamers on the field. McNeal finished with 146 yards passing and a minus-14 yards rushing after averaging 227 passing and 92 rushing over the first four games.
Adding this to their 34-0 win over Oklahoma State last week, the Buffs have won two straight against the Big 12 South after nine consecutive losses. The win might be enough to put CU in the top 25 for the first time since Sept. 7, 2003. Next week, the task gets much tougher — a game at No. 2 Texas.
Before that, though, CU can enjoy this highlight-reel of a game.
Klatt, a senior, finished 28-for-36 with no interceptions. This was his third 300-yard game. He was well on the way to his third 400-yard performance, but coach Gary Barnett gave him the night off after he hit Quinn Sypniewski for a 36-yard score and a 41-6 lead midway through the third.
Charles added to his stellar start this season, finishing with 67 yards rushing, 85 receiving and a 4-yard touchdown run to go with his long scoring catch.
Lawrence Vickers had 48 yards and also scored twice. Tight end Joel Klopfenstein had five catches for 99 yards, including a one-handed grab on a pass thrown behind him for a seven-yard gain in the second quarter. Seven plays later, Vickers scored from a yard for a 28-3 lead.