American college football season
The 1971 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season . Led by ninth-year head coach Eddie Crowder , the Buffaloes were 9–2 in the regular season (5–2 in Big 8, third),[3] [4] and played their home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado .
Invited to the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl against host Houston , seventh-ranked Colorado defeated the #15 Cougars 29–17 to finish at 10–2,[5] outscoring their opponents 320–220. The Buffs climbed to third in the final AP poll , behind Nebraska and Oklahoma , also of the Big Eight (and their only two losses, both on the road).[6]
Colorado's next bowl win came nineteen years later . This was the first season of artificial turf at Folsom Field; natural grass returned 28 years later in 1999 .
In his only season in Boulder, Jerry Claiborne was the defensive coordinator ,[2] previously the head coach for a decade at Virginia Tech .[1] He left to become head coach at Maryland for a decade, then at his alma mater Kentucky for eight years.
Schedule [ ]
Date Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 11 at No. 9 LSU * W 31–2170,099
September 18 Wyoming * No. 12 W 56–1340,729
September 25 at No. 6 Ohio State * No. 10 W 20–1485,538
October 2 Kansas State No. 6 Folsom Field Boulder, Colorado W 31–2147,740
October 9 at Iowa State No. 5 W 24–1431,535
October 16 at No. 2 Oklahoma No. 6 L 17–4561,826
October 23 Missouri No. 11 Folsom Field Boulder, Colorado W 27–745,129
October 30 at No. 1 Nebraska No. 9 Memorial Stadium Lincoln, Nebraska (rivalry )ABC L 7–3167,776
November 6 at Kansas No. 13 W 35–1435,299
November 13 Oklahoma State No. 12 Folsom Field Boulder, Colorado W 40–640,211
November 20 Air Force * No. 10 Folsom Field Boulder, Colorado W 53–1746,362
December 31 vs. No. 15 Houston * No. 7 ABC W 29–1754,720
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
Roster [ ]
1971 Colorado Buffaloes football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
RB
8
Rich Bland
WR
23
Cliff Branch
Sr
WR
42
Larry Brunson
TE
89
J.V. Cain
So
RB
26
Charlie Davis
QB
10
Joe Duenas
OL
77
Greg Horton
RB
Jon Keyworth
OL
63
Bill Kralicek
OL
61
Chuck Mandrill
RB
41
Bo Matthews
So
OL
50
Bill McDonald
QB
7
Ken Johnson
TE
82
Bob Masten
WR
S. Mendez
WR
39
Willie Nichols
RB
32
John Tarver
RB
L. Thomas
WR
Marv Whitaker
OL
79
Jake Zumbach
Defense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
DL
85
Stu Aldrich
DB
16
Cullen Bryant
LB
64
Lenny Ciufo
DL
73
Mark Cooney
LB
51
Billie Drake
DB
18
Brian Foster
LB
15
Randy Geist
DL
49
Chris Havens
DL
Rick Kay
LB
71
Bud Magrum
LB
58
Dave Orvis
DT
88
Herb Orvis
DB
27
Lorne Richardson
DL
55
John Stavely
DB
John Stearns
DL
Carl Taibi
Special teams
Pos.
#
Name
Class
K
J.B. Dean
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Roster
Source: [7]
Season summary [ ]
Ohio State [ ]
Colorado Buffaloes at Ohio State Buckeyes
at Ohio Stadium , Columbus, Ohio
Date : September 25, 1971Game time : 1:30 p.m.Game weather : Cloudy, 64 °F (18 °C)Game attendance : 85,586Box Score
Game information
First quarter
COL – Ken Johnson 6-yard run (kick failed), 6:51. Colorado 6–0. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards.
Second quarter
COL – Cliff Branch 68-yard punt return (J.B. Dean kick), 10:49. Colorado 13–0.
Fourth quarter
OSU – Don Lamka 1-yard run (Fred Schram kick), 4:28. Colorado 13–7. Drive: 7 plays, 43 yards.
COL – Ken Johnson 39-yard run (J.B. Dean kick), 3:30. Colorado 20–7. Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards.
OSU – Rick Middleton 14-yard pass from Don Lamka (Fred Schram kick), 2:11. Colorado 20–14. Drive: 5 plays, 77 yards.
Top passers
COL – Ken Johnson – 4/9, 97 yards, 2 INT
OSU – Don Lamka – 20/33, 255 yards, TD
Top rushers
COL – Charlie Davis – 18 rushes, 135 yards
OSU – Don Lamka – 23 rushes, 60 yards, TD
Top receivers
COL – Willie Nichols – 2 receptions, 61 yards
OSU – Dick Wakefield – 11 receptions, 172 yards
Oklahoma State [ ]
Charles Davis 342 rush yards (conference record)[8]
NFL draft [ ]
Two Buffaloes were selected in the 1972 NFL Draft
References [ ]
External links [ ]
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold