Cal Bears Snatch Victory From Colorado Buffaloes In OT
BOULDER Colo. (CBS/AP) -- Tyler Hansen passed and ran his way into the Colorado record book. He would have preferred a win over a place in history.
Hansen threw for a school record 474 yards and receiver Paul Richardson had 11 receptions for 284 yards — also a school record — but Colorado lost a 36-33 overtime thriller to California on Saturday.
Hansen had 26 yards rushing to finish with 500 yards of offense, tying the Colorado record set by quarterback Mike Moschetti on Sept. 11, 1999.
"I'd rather have the win," Hansen said. "I'd be OK throwing for 20 yards and getting the `W.'"
Richardson's performance easily eclipsed the Colorado record of 222 yards set by Walter Stanley in 1981 and matched by Rae Carruth in 1996.
It could've been even more, but Richardson was overthrown on several occasions after breaking free of coverage.
Richardson's biggest catch came late in the third quarter, when he took a pass from Hansen, shed a tackler and raced 66 yards for a TD to pull the Buffaloes to within 23-20. He added a 78-yard score to give the Buffs a 27-23 lead.
"Paul Richardson is a star in the making, and we're seeing it," Colorado coach Jon Embree said. "We have to give him in a little bit better shape so he doesn't get gassed. Terrific kid."
Hansen and Richardson's big games weren't enough to stop California from rallying when Keenan Allen hauled in a 5-yard TD pass in overtime from his half brother, Zach Maynard. Maynard lofted a pass into the corner for Allen, who easily beat Colorado defensive back Parker Orms to set off a wild celebration by the Bears (2-0) near the goal line.
The catch by Allen came moments after Will Oliver connected on a 22-yard field goal in overtime for Colorado, his fourth of the game. Oliver also nailed a 32-yarder with 30 seconds remaining to extend the game for the Buffaloes (0-2).
"We continually find a way not to finish," Embree said.
Colorado's offense gives the team something to build on heading into next week's game against intrastate rival Colorado State.
"There was a lot of good to take out of this. We did lose but we won, actually, because we know what our offense can do now," Richardson said. "We played a lot better than we did last week and we made more plays than we did last week. We benefited from this a lot."
Richardson's 11 catches ties a school record accomplished by five other players.
"He has this kind of look during a game or a practice where you just know he's in a zone, and you've got get him the ball because he's going to do something special," Hansen said. "He had that look again today."
The game won't count in the Pac-12 Conference standings because it was scheduled as part of a home-and-home series before the Buffs bolted from the Big 12. But it may have just given the Buffs an early preview of what may be in store during league play.
Cal, making its first trip to Folsom Field since 1982, was outgained 582-370.
"We started looking like an offense," Embree said. "We started looking like a team that knew what they were doing. That's the Tyler Hansen I expected to see last week."
Big tight end Anthony Miller caught two of Maynard's four TD passes, and C.J. Anderson scored on a 19-yard scamper in the fourth quarter.
The Bears faced a first-and-30 at the 35 in overtime, but Maynard completed a pass to Allen near the goal line. Two plays later, the tandem hooked up again for the game winner.
Once Anderson's score gave the Bears the lead back with 9:55 remaining, Cal cornerback Steve Williams found a way to bottle up Richardson, knocking down two crucial passes late in the contest.
Hansen became the first quarterback to throw for more than 400 yards against the Bears since Alex Brink of Washington State had 421 yards on Oct. 22, 2005.
The Buffaloes opened the second half with a long scoring drive, culminating with tight end Ryan Deehan's 37-yard TD catch on a coverage breakdown by the Bears.
To keep the drive going, Colorado converted a fourth-and-1 at its own 29 on Hansen's QB sneak.
Oliver staked Colorado to a 3-0 lead after connecting on a 27-yard field goal in the first quarter. In five previous meetings, the team that scored first never relinquished the lead. But that trend was quickly halted Saturday.
Cal jumped right back in front when Maynard marched the Bears down the field and hit fullback Nico Dumont for a 2-yard score. Giorgio Tavecchio's extra point was blocked.
Just before halftime, Miller hauled in a one-handed grab in the end zone to help the Bears to a 16-6 lead.
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