Awuzie, Tupou Make It To Super Bowl With Cincinnati

BOULDER—Following an exciting divisional round of the playoffs, both conference championship games brought a similar level of exhilaration. Five former Colorado Buffaloes were a part of the teams involved.

The Cincinnati Bengals opened up the action again, as they faced the heavily favored Kansas City Chiefs. Former Buffs All-American running back and assistant coach Eric Bieniemy called the Chiefs offense, who put up 20+ points for the third weekend in a row. His offense went head-to-head with a Bengals defense that featured former Buffs cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. 

Awuzie played in every defensive snap and tied for the team lead with eight total tackles in the game. This Bengals defense had an answer for the Chiefs high-powered offense when it mattered most, as they kept them out of the end zone in the second half. This gave their offense a chance to mount an unprecedented comeback from an 18-point deficit, which sent the team to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1989. They won the game in overtime by the score of 27-24. Defensive lineman Josh Tupou has been a part of the Bengals defense for most of the season but did not play in this game. The AFC Champions also have former Buff Duke Tobin as their director of player personnel. 

The NFC Championship also came down to the wire, as the Los Angeles Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers  20-17. On the 49ers sideline as the tight ends coach and assistant head coach was former CU player, assistant head coach and head coach Jon Embree. 

Super Bowl LVI will feature three former Buffs, all members of the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals. 

Awuzie and Tupou will be the 64th and 65th CU players to play in the Super Bowl and the 94th and 95th appearance by CU players in the game.