# 1971 Colorado Buffaloes football team

The 1971 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Eddie Crowder, the Buffaloes were 9–2 in the regular season (5–2 in Big 8, third), and played their home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
Invited to the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl against host Houston, seventh-ranked Colorado defeated the #15 Cougars 29–17 to finish at 10–2, outscoring their opponents 320–220. The Buffs climbed to third in the final AP poll, behind Nebraska and Oklahoma, also of the Big Eight (and their only two losses, both on the road).
Colorado's next bowl win came nineteen years later. This was the first season of artificial turf at Folsom Field; natural grass returned 28 years later in 1999.
In his only season in Boulder, Jerry Claiborne was the defensive coordinator, previously the head coach for a decade at Virginia Tech. He left to become head coach at Maryland for a decade, then at his alma mater Kentucky for eight years.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 11 | at No. 9 LSU* | | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA | | W 31–21 | 70,099 |
| September 18 | Wyoming* | No. 12 | Folsom FieldBoulder, CO | | W 56–13 | 40,729 |
| September 25 | at No. 6 Ohio State* | No. 10 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | | W 20–14 | 85,538 |
| October 2 | Kansas State | No. 6 | Folsom FieldBoulder, CO (rivalry) | | W 31–21 | 47,740 |
| October 9 | at Iowa State | No. 5 | Clyde Williams FieldAmes, IA | | W 24–14 | 31,535 |
| October 16 | at No. 2 Oklahoma | No. 6 | Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK | | L 17–45 | 61,826 |
| October 23 | Missouri | No. 11 | Folsom FieldBoulder, CO | | W 27–7 | 45,129 |
| October 30 | at No. 1 Nebraska | No. 9 | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE (rivalry) | ABC | L 7–31 | 67,776 |
| November 6 | at Kansas | No. 13 | Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS | | W 35–14 | 35,299 |
| November 13 | Oklahoma State | No. 12 | Folsom FieldBoulder, CO | | W 40–6 | 40,211 |
| November 20 | Air Force* | No. 10 | Folsom FieldBoulder, CO | | W 53–17 | 46,362 |
| December 31 | vs. No. 15 Houston* | No. 7 | Houston AstrodomeHouston, TX (Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl) | ABC | W 29–17 | 54,720 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||||

## Roster

    Source:

## Game summaries
### Ohio State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colorado | 6 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Ohio St | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
* Date: September 25, 1971
* Game time: 1:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy, 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 85,586
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
COL – Ken Johnson 6-yard run (kick failed), 6:51. Colorado 6–0. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards.
Second quarter
COL – Cliff Branch 68-yard punt return (J.B. Dean kick), 10:49. Colorado 13–0.
Fourth quarter
OSU – Don Lamka 1-yard run (Fred Schram kick), 4:28. Colorado 13–7. Drive: 7 plays, 43 yards.
COL – Ken Johnson 39-yard run (J.B. Dean kick), 3:30. Colorado 20–7. Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards.
OSU – Rick Middleton 14-yard pass from Don Lamka (Fred Schram kick), 2:11. Colorado 20–14. Drive: 5 plays, 77 yards.
Top passers
COL – Ken Johnson – 4/9, 97 yards, 2 INT
OSU – Don Lamka – 20/33, 255 yards, TD
Top rushers
COL – Charlie Davis – 18 rushes, 135 yards
OSU – Don Lamka – 23 rushes, 60 yards, TD
Top receivers
COL – Willie Nichols – 2 receptions, 61 yards
OSU – Dick Wakefield – 11 receptions, 172 yards :

### Oklahoma State

* Charles Davis 342 rush yards (conference record)

## NFL Draft

Two Buffaloes were selected in the 1972 NFL draft
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | Franchise |
| Herb Orvis | Defensive tackle | 1 | 16 | Detroit Lions |
| Cliff Branch | Wide receiver | 4 | 98 | Oakland Raiders |