The Colorado State Rams scored 24 unanswered points to close out a 31-17 come-from-behind victory over the Colorado Buffaloes in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Sports Authority Field.
Dee Hart rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns, while Treyous Jarrells added 121 yards and a score of his own for Colorado State (1-0). Garrett Grayson threw for 134 yards and a touchdown on 13-of-23 passing.
Sefo Liufau completed 24-of-39 pass attempts for 241 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the losing effort for Colorado (0-1). Nelson Spruce had 104 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches.
After stumbling on their first drive, the Buffaloes showed a spark on their second, as Liufau connected with Spruce for a 54-yard touchdown pass.
A 23-yard field goal from Will Oliver pushed the Buffaloes to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Despite struggling on offense for most of the first half, the Rams managed to enter intermission trailing just 10-7 thanks to an eight-yard touchdown run from Hart just before the break.
The Rams and Buffaloes traded touchdowns in the third quarter, with Liufau connecting with Spruce for a 12-yard score and Jarrells scoring on a three- yard touchdown run.
Colorado State took its first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter when Grayson tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins.
A three-yard rushing touchdown from Hart later in the period extended Colorado's advantage to 28-17.
The Rams really put the game out of reach on a 52-yard field goal from Jared Roberts with under three minutes to play.
Despite the win Colorado still leads the all-time series, 62-22-2.
[SportsNetwork.com]
