Last Gasp Goes to Buffaloes

The altitude sucked the wind out of the UCLA football team in the waning moments Saturday afternoon, and Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt, sensing the Bruins’ vulnerability, went right for their heart.

Orchestrating a hurry-up offense that would have made John Elway proud, Klatt drove the Buffaloes 63 yards in 11 plays in less than three minutes and hit Joe Klopfenstein with a six-yard scoring strike with 2 minutes 15 seconds remaining to lift No. 24 Colorado to a 16-14 victory over UCLA before 48,584 in Folsom Field.

Spoiling Coach Karl Dorrell’s UCLA debut were 12 Bruin penalties for 107 yards, including a critical roughing-the-passer call on linebacker Dave Ball on the Buffaloes’ winning drive, an ineffective running game that netted only 38 yards, a crucial dropped pass by Junior Taylor that cost UCLA a touchdown in the first quarter, a missed 35-yard field goal by freshman kicker Justin Medlock in the third, and a potentially devastating injury to quarterback Matt Moore.

“This is the worst, man,” UCLA cornerback Matt Ware said. “It’s one thing to get blown out, to turn the ball over a bunch of times, but to lose like that on the last drive? This is tough.”

No Bruin felt worse than Moore, who spent several months this summer mastering a playbook he admittedly neglected in the spring and weeks beating out Drew Olson in training camp for the starting job he so coveted, only to be knocked out of the game with 1:23 left in the first quarter.

After releasing the ball on a 17-yard gain to Marcedes Lewis, Moore was struck in the left knee by the helmet of Colorado tackle Brandon Dabdoub. The knee was hyper-extended, and Moore said the pain was “immediate, excruciating.”

The sophomore was diagnosed with a sprained knee. X-rays were negative, and Moore will undergo an MRI test today or Monday, but the initial prognosis was that he will be out for at least a few weeks.

“There was a lot of pain, and it was throbbing,” Moore said. “Hopefully, I won’t be out for too long. I know I won’t be out for the season.... I was almost in tears because the pain was so bad. It’s definitely upsetting.”

Olson came out of the bullpen, and after overthrowing receivers on two of his first three passes, the sophomore hit Craig Bragg racing down the right sideline for a 42-yard touchdown pass that, along with Medlock’s extra point, tied the score, 7-7, with 13:04 left in the second.

Mason Crosby’s 40-yard field goal 34 seconds before halftime gave Colorado a 10-7 lead, but Olson countered in the third by teaming with Lewis, who had six catches for 96 yards.

On a third-and-30, Olson was flushed out of the pocket before finding Lewis for a 38-yard completion. Then they combined for a 13-yard scoring play to put UCLA ahead, 14-10, with eight seconds left in the third.

Olson converted two clutch third-down plays on UCLA’s next possession, with a 10-yard pass to Bragg and an eight-yard scramble, but when the drive stalled and Chris Kluwe shanked a 27-yard punt, Colorado took over on its 37 with five minutes left.

The Bruins stifled the Buffaloes for much of the afternoon, limiting a team that amassed 504 yards in last week’s victory over Colorado State to 245 yards Saturday, but they couldn’t contain Klatt when it counted most.

UCLA also provided an assist when Dave Ball was cited for roughing the passer on the second play of the drive, a 15-yard penalty that gave Colorado a first down on the Bruin 45.

“If you watch the film, on the plays before that, I took two, three steps before hitting the quarterback,” Ball said. “On that play, I took one step [before hitting Klatt], so you figure it out.... This is not a very good feeling. I feel like a loser.”

On third-and-seven from the 42, Buffalo receiver Derek McCoy made a diving catch for an eight-yard gain and a first down. Four plays later, on third-and-three from the 17, Klatt threw a quick slant to D.J. Hackett, who, with Ware draped over his back, made a diving catch for a 10-yard gain.

“I thought it hit the ground first,” Ware said. “I got my hand on it, and it felt like it hit the ground. It was a close call. They made the call they felt was right.”

Replays confirmed the catch. Two plays later, Klatt rolled right on a naked bootleg and found Klopfenstein, who made a sliding catch in the back of the end zone for his first Colorado touchdown.

After a blocked extra point, the Bruins could have won the game with a field goal, but a bobbled kickoff gave them poor field position. Olson threw four incomplete passes on UCLA’s final possession and Colorado ran out the clock.

The Buffaloes had the ball for 10:10 of the fourth quarter, compared to the Bruins’ 4:50.

“We got worn down in the fourth quarter,” Dorrell said. “With the altitude, we started cramping a little bit. Our defense was on the field probably more than they should have been.... But they fought all the way to the end. I’m proud of them.”

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KEYS TO THE GAME

Mike DiGiovanna’s keys to the game, and how the Bruins measured up:

Prevent the big play: UCLA fared well; the longest run the Bruins gave up was a 19-yard reverse by Jeremy Bloom, and the longest pass they allowed was Klatt’s 18-yard completion to D.J. Hackett.

Quarterback efficiency: Matt Moore completed four of seven passes for 41 yards before leaving with an injury, and backup Drew Olson completed 13 of 23 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns.

Make that kick: Freshman kicker Justin Medlock missed his only field-goal attempt, a 35-yarder that was wide left in the third quarter. That was the difference in a 16-14 Bruin loss.

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Open Minded

Recent UCLA coaches in season openers:

BOB TOLEDO: 7 seasons (1996-02), Debut: Lost to Tennessee, 35-20, First season: 5-6; Openers: 5-2; Overall: 49-34

TERRY DONAHUE: 20 seasons (1976-95), Debut: Defeated Arizona St., 28-10, First Season: 9-2-1; Openers: 13-7; Overall: 144-69-8

DICK VERMEIL: 2 seasons (1974-75), Debut: Tied Tennessee, 17-17, First season: 6-3-2; Openers: 1-0-1; Overall: 15-5-2

PEPPER RODGERS: 3 seasons (1971-73), Debut: Lost to Pittsburgh, 29-25, First Season: 2-7-1; Openers: 1-2; Overall: 19-12-1

TOMMY PROTHRO : 6 seasons (1965-70), Debut: Lost to Michigan St., 13-3, First Season: 8-2-1; Openers: 5-1; Overall: 41-18-2

BILL BARNES*: 6 seasons (1959-64), Debut: Tied Purdue, 0-0, First season: 5-4-1; Openers: 4-1-1; Overall: 31-34-3

GEORGE DICKERSON: Three games (1958), Debut: Lost to Pittsburgh, 27-6, Team’s season: 3-6-1; Openers: 0-1; Overall: 1-2

RED SANDERS: 9 Seasons (1949-57), Debut: Defeated Oregon St., 35-13, First season: 6-3; Openers: 8-1; Overall: 66-19-1

* also coached last 7 games of the 1958 season