Big Eight Roundup : Mistakes by Colorado Help Colorado St. to Upset Win

Workhorse fullback Steve Bartalo rushed for 145 yards in 39 carries and scored a third-quarter touchdown to spark Colorado State to a 23-7 upset victory over Colorado Saturday at Boulder, Colo.

The Rams, winning for the first time since this rivalry was renewed in 1983 after a 25-year hiatus, turned two Colorado fumbles into 10 quick third-quarter points to take a 13-0 lead.

CSU linebacker Dale Carr, a standout performer on a damp afternoon, forced a fumble by Colorado halfback Sam Smith at the Colorado eight-yard line to set up Bartalo’s touchdown run with 8:34 left in the third quarter.

Two plays later, Carr recovered an option pitch by Colorado quarterback Mark Hatcher, setting up Steve DeLine’s 38-yard field goal with 6:13 to go in the third quarter.

DeLine, outkicking his brother, Colorado placekicker Dave DeLine, also made a 25-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. Carr then capped the Rams’ scoring, intercepting a Hatcher pass and returning it 38 yards for a touchdown with 3:10 remaining.

Colorado, a two-touchdown favorite, averted a shutout with an 80-yard drive in the closing seconds, culminating on Mike Marquez’s two-yard run with 29 seconds left. It would have been the Rams’ first shutout since 1976.

Hatcher completed 4 of 15 passes for 67 yards. His backup, Alan Strait, hit on 4 of 4 for 46 yards. Ram quarterback Kelly Stouffer completed 15 of 30 for 156 yards with two interceptions.

Bartalo recorded his 20th 100-yard game and became the school’s scoring leader with 186 points. It also gave Bartalo a head start in pursuit of an unprecedented fourth Western Athletic Conference rushing title.

Oklahoma St. 21, SW Louisiana 20--Hart Lee Dykes caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Ronnie Williams with eight seconds to play at Lafayette, La., to cap the Cowboys’ 18-point, fourth-quarter rally.

Williams and Dykes also hooked up on a 45-yard scoring play, and Bobby Riley returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown as the Cowboys averted a major upset in the opener for both teams.

Southwestern Louisiana was making its debut under Coach Nelson Stokely.