After jumping out to a 29-0 halftime lead, Colorado appeared to be in prime position to secure a runaway victory over Pac-12 bottom-feeder Stanford on Friday.
However, the Buffaloes were unable to hold off a furious comeback from the Cardinal, which outscored Colorado 46-14 across the second half and a pair of overtimes to pull off a stunning 46-43 victory at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo. Friday's wild game marked the largest blown lead in the history of Colorado's football program and Stanford's largest comeback ever.
A couple minutes into the 3rd quarter last night, Colorado converted a 3rd & 2 for a first down while holding a 29-0 lead.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 14, 2023
ESPN Analytics gave them a 99.8% chance to win at that point.
Instead, the Buffs suffered their largest blown lead in program history, losing in 2OT. pic.twitter.com/r2dDxJMFsK
All appeared well for Colorado heading into halftime, with the Buffaloes boosted by the return of wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, who missed CU's last three games with a lacerated kidney, and a hat trick of touchdowns from wide receiver Xavier Weaver. The Buffaloe defense was also rolling with little resistance, holding the Cardinal to just 115 yards entering the break.
From there, however, it was all Stanford.
A two-yard touchdown run from wide receiver Bryce Farrell with 9:01 remaining in the third quarter got the ball rolling for the Cardinal. Sophomore wide receiver Elic Ayomanor took over the game from the point forward, tallying a pair of third-quarter touchdowns — including a 97-yard catch-and-run score — to pull the Cardinal within 10 entering the fourth frame.
After a touchdown run from Cardinal quarterback Justin Lamson to cut the deficit to 29-26, Hunter extended Colorado's lead back to 10 with 11:18 remaining in regulation. Stanford scored 10 unanswered points to close out regulation, including a game-tying 46-yard field goal from Joshua Karty to send the game to overtime.
Colorado scored on their opening drive of overtime, with quarterback Shedeur Sanders finding Javon Antonio for a four-yard touchdown. Ayomanor quickly responded with a ridiculous catch over Hunter for a 30-yard score to send the game to a second overtime.
ELIC AYOMANOR OVER TRAVIS HUNTER IN OT #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/5odnyQrttn
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 14, 2023
In the second overtime, Sanders quickly moved the Buffaloes to the Stanford goal line, but an interception on third-and-goal spelled disaster for Colorado. After a trio of keepers from Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels, Karty booted the game-winning 31-yard field goal to complete the massive comeback.
Ayomanor led Stanford's come-from-behind efforts with 13 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns, while Daniels threw for 396 yards and four scores. Sanders threw for 400 yards and five touchdowns, alongside his costly overtime interception, and Hunter hauled in 13 receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
The Buffaloes fell to 4-3 in the loss and will need to scrape out two wins across their final five games — four of which come against currently-ranked opponents — in order to obtain bowl eligibility.
