The losing streak continued for Arizona football as it fell to No.16 Colorado, 49-24 at Arizona Stadium. Arizona fell to 2-8 on the season, extended its losing streak to seven games and remained winless in Pac-12 Conference play.
After Colorado forced a defensive stop on Arizona’s first possession, the Buffaloes methodically drove down the field for a score.
The matchup between Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre and Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez had been a one-sided affair during their tenures. Rodriguez was 4-0 against the Buffaloes during his tenure against Colorado but that streak was snapped Saturday night.
After falling behind 7-0, Arizona answered back with a scoring drive of its own. Samajie Grant capped off the drive with a three-yard touchdown run for Arizona.
On the next drive, Arizona cornerback Dane Cruikshank briefly left the game with an injury. Colorado took advantage and targeted his backup which that led to a 47-yard catch by Shay Fields Jr. Phillip Lindsay would then run it in for his second touchdown of the game to make it 14-7, Colorado.
A 47-yard run by Grant set up an Arizona field goal to cut Colorado’s lead to 14-10 but Colorado wasn’t finished.
Colorado scored two touchdowns in four minutes to get a cushion on Arizona. Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau connected with Fields again for a 15-yard score and then connected with Jay MacIntyre from 40 yards to extend the lead, 28-10.
The second half saw Colorado score another touchdown after a missed field goal from Josh Pollack.
Liufau went 19-27 for 213 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Fields was Colorado’s biggest threat in the receiving game with six catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
Brandon Dawkins got the start at quarterback for Arizona but would be replaced by Anu Solomon in the third quarter. Dawkins finished the night 9-19 for 107 yards and no touchdowns while adding 81 yards on the ground.
Grant carried the ball 16 times for 113 yards for two touchdowns and averaged 7.1 yards per carry in the senior’s first 100-yard game as a running back.
While Arizona was able to drive down the field, the Wildcats left empty-handed on multiple drives. Pollack missed three kicks against the Buffaloes including one right before halftime.
Next week Arizona travels to Corvallis, Oregon to take on the 2-8 Oregon State Beavers. Each team is currently in last place in their Pac-12 division.
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