COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Pacific 10 Roundup : Stanford Run Over by Colorado

Three Stanford defenders finished with 20 tackles apiece Saturday, a statistic that was more a reflection of the time the Cardinal defense spent on the field rather than their individual prowess.

Colorado ran 89 plays to Stanford’s 54, held a 473-279 advantage in total yards and controlled the ball nearly twice as long. The result at Boulder, Colo., was a 31-17 victory for the Buffaloes.

Stanford Coach Jack Elway appeared shell-shocked after the game.

“Colorado ran the ball at will against us,” Elway said. “What did they have--2,000 or 3,000 yards?”

Actually, the Buffaloes had 413 yards rushing, their highest total since going to the wishbone in 1985. Colorado alternately operated out of the wishbone and from a double slotback formation.

“I think you saw the potential of our young backs today,” Colorado Coach Bill McCartney said.

The Cardinal played without three starters, including tailback Brad Muster, an All-Pacific 10 Conference selection who has an ankle injury. Stanford finished with just 72 yards rushing.

Colorado is 1-1, Stanford 0-2.

Minnesota 32, California 23--At Minneapolis, Jason Bruce and Darrell Thompson each scored from 1 yard out in the fourth quarter and Thompson also had a 52-yard touchdown run to rally the Golden Gophers from a 14-3 halftime deficit to the win in the nonconference game.

Thompson, a sophomore who led the Big Ten in rushing last year, gained 156 yards in 18 carries. Chris Richards had 101 yards in 20 carries for California, which lost for the second time in three games under first-year Coach Bruce Snyder.

Minnesota improves to 2-0.

Arizona 20, New Mexico 9--Quarterback Bobby Watters threw a pair of touchdown passes, including a school-record 94-yard completion to Alonzo Washington, as the Wildcats (1-1) won the nonconference game at Tucson.

New Mexico, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, is 0-3.

Oregon State 36, San Jose State 34--Sophomore Troy Bussanich kicked a 27-yard field goal with 21 seconds remaining at Corvallis, Ore., to give the Beavers a nonconference victory that also snapped the Spartans’ 11-game winning streak, tied with Oklahoma for the best in the nation.

Lavance Northington’s interception of a Mike Perez pass at the Spartan 29-yard line with 2:09 to play set up the winning kick. Oregon State (1-1) scored nine points in the final 3:28.

Perez, who led Division I teams in total offense last year, threw for three touchdowns, two to Guy Liggins, and ran for another, but he was intercepted three times.

San Jose State is 2-1.

Arizona St. 31, Pacific 12--Fullback Channing Williams rushed for 93 yards and scored 3 touchdowns, and quarterback Daniel Ford threw for another score as the 15th-ranked Sun Devils won easily in the nonconference game at Tempe, Ariz.

Arizona State is 2-0, Pacific is 1-2.