#Pac12AfterDark reigns supreme in Colorado's loss to Hawai'i
Five turnovers, four fumbles (including a muffed punt), a near-safety, a two-point conversion, and a 79-yard touchdown pass.
And that was just the first half.
#Pac12AfterDark was in full force late Thursday evening/Friday morning, but Colorado was unable to overcome the craziness in a 28-20 loss to Hawai’i that ended when the ball inadvertently hit Hawai'i linebacker Benetton Fonua as the refs hurried to get the ball back to the line of scrimmage at the Rainbow Warriors’ 6-yard line as time expired.
Here's the final play Colorado was unable to get off:
I tried to Vine the Colorado/Hawaii finish but the ref took too long and the Vine recording clock ran out. So here: pic.twitter.com/RPWshkutZK
— Kevin Zimmerman (@KZimmermanAZ) September 4, 2015
With the final tick going off the clock at around 3 a.m. MT Friday, the Buffs kept themselves in the game despite shooting themselves in the foot on multiple occasions. Although Sefo Liufau was picked off in the red zone and Shay Fields fumbled a punt he shouldn’t have tried to scoop up, the Buffs found themselves down just 18-14 at the half in large thanks to the ground attack.
Colorado running back Michael Adkins II steadied the ship by rushing for two touchdowns in the second quarter, breaking tackles and bursting through holes created by an offensive line that had its struggles protecting Liufau in the passing game. Adkins finished the game with 90 yards on 22 carries and those two scores. Phillip Lindsay also had some impressive runs, ending the night with eight carries for 35 yards.
Despite taking better care of the ball in the second half and outgaining the Rainbow Warriors 373-302, the Buffs were never able to get over the hump. Cutting an 11-point deficit to 28-20 late in the fourth quarter, Colorado had one more chance to even the score but fell eight yards short and a two-point conversion away of forcing overtime.
Another close loss for a team that suffered so many in 2014.