The Colorado Buffaloes won the Pac-12 South championship on Nov. 26, 2016, defeating Utah 27-22 in front of a sold-out crowd of 52,301 at Folsom Field.
The No. 9 Buffaloes forced four turnovers against the No. 22 Utes and earned their first Pac-12 Championship Game appearance under coach Mike MacIntyre. Colorado finished conference play 8-1 after going 1-8 the previous season.
Defense delivers in the fourth quarter
Colorado led 20-16 when linebacker Kenneth Olugbode recovered a Joe Williams fumble and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown with 10:56 remaining. The score extended Colorado’s lead to 27-16 and proved to be the deciding score.
Utah added a late touchdown pass to Demari Simpkins, then failed on its two-point attempt. Colorado recovered the ensuing onside kick to secure the victory.
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Safety Tedric Thompson intercepted two passes, while Colorado held Williams to 97 rushing yards on 26 carries. The defense repeatedly limited Utah to field goals after the Utes got into scoring range.
Sefo Liufau led Colorado’s offense
Quarterback Sefo Liufau completed 23 of 44 passes for 270 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown to Shay Fields that put Colorado ahead 20-13 late in the third quarter. Liufau also scored on a 2-yard run, and Devin Ross led Colorado’s receivers with nine catches for 94 yards.
The victory completed a 10-2 regular season and sent Colorado to face Washington for the Pac-12 conference championship.
Honorable mention: Byron ‘Whizzer’ White’s 1937 win
Another notable Colorado victory over Utah came on Nov. 6, 1937, when Byron “Whizzer” White scored every Buffaloes point in a 17-7 win in Salt Lake City.
White scored twice in the fourth quarter and rushed for 187 yards on 23 carries. The victory helped Colorado earn its first Associated Press ranking at No. 16.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Remembering Colorado football’s 2016 Pac-12 South clinching Utah win