Colorado rallies past Missouri

BOULDER, Colo. -- Prior to the game, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said Colorado punt returner Roman Hollowell "can break a game open instantly. Boy, what a good player he is."

On Saturday, Pinkel got to experience it up close.

Backup quarterback Bobby Pesavento brought Colorado back from a 14-0 deficit with two touchdown passes. Running backs Cortlen Johnson and Bobby Purify kept the Buffaloes slightly ahead.

Then Hollowell applied the clincher, returning a punt 69 yards for a score as No. 25 Colorado beat stubborn Missouri 38-24 on Saturday.

Colorado (7-2, 5-1 Big 12) kept its conference title hopes alive by rallying from the 14-point deficit with 17 points in the final 1:55 of the first half.

After an exchange of scores in the second half, Hollowell broke it open with 9:46 remaining on his third career punt return for a TD.

"Was that play huge?" Colorado coach Gary Barnett said. "It was just a fabulous play. He's got to be leading the country by now."

Hollowell said he "saw a seam, hit it as hard as I could and just ran to the pylon. My 'destroyers' did a good job blocking. I knew I was going to score once I got through that first wave. Once I got going straight ahead, it seemed like I was running downhill."

Kirk Farmer passed for one TD and ran for another for the Tigers (3-5, 2-4).

Pinkel felt his team recovered from Colorado's rally late in the first half.

"We have a very fragile confidence," Pinkel said. "I tried to rally them, and I thought we did."

But Pinkel said his team just wasn't able to overcome its multiple mistakes.

"Mental errors, penalties, kicking-game mistakes," Pinkel said. "Good football teams don't make that many errors.

"We don't want Missouri to beat Missouri. When you do those things to Colorado, it is very difficult to recover."

Pesavento completed 17 of 22 passes for 257 yards. Johnson and Purify ran for 102 and 92 yards, respectively, and tight end Daniel Graham had six catches for 103 yards as Colorado generated 499 total yards to Missouri's 356.

Farmer hit on 17 of 35 passes for 185 yards.

Missouri's Zack Abron, who had rushed for 100 yards in each of the previous three games, departed with a sprained right ankle in the second quarter and finished with 69 yards rushing.

With a flurry of scoring, the teams combined for 31 points in the final 6 minutes of the first half, including Farmer's 3-yard TD pass to tight end Dwayne Blakley and safety Kevin Johnson's 59-yard interception return for a TD.

Pesavento, making his second start of the season in place of the injured Craig Ochs (ankle), then sparked the Buffaloes' comeback.

He capped an 82-yard drive with a 25-yard scoring pass to Matt Brunson with 1:55 left in the half.

Following a punt and Hollowell's 23-yard return, Colorado needed just 12 seconds to score again. Pesavento threw a 21-yard screen pass to Johnson and a 36-yard scoring pass to Graham, the latter with 30 seconds remaining.

On the next play from scrimmage, safety Michael Lewis stripped the ball from tailback Tyrone Roberson, giving Colorado possession at the Tigers 17. Jeremy Flores kicked a 36-yard field goal with 2 seconds left.

Purify's 31-yard touchdown run put the Buffs ahead 24-14 early in the third period, but the Tigers wouldn't quit. Farmer scrambled 20 yards for a score, capping a 79-yard drive.

After Missouri's Brad Hammerich missed a 40-yard field goal, Colorado drove 78 yards -- entirely on the ground -- for a TD. Johnson carried six times for 65 yards, including a 15-yard scoring run for a 31-21 lead.

Farmer's 25-yard pass to Justin Gage set up Hammerich's 32-yard field goal early in the final period.

Barely 2 minutes later, however, Hollowell darted up the middle on his punt return.

Colorado outgained Missouri 160-54 in the first quarter but couldn't capitalize as Flores missed on 37- and 30-yard field-goal attempts. Missouri failed to take advantage of a fumble recovery near midfield.

Midway through the second quarter, Missouri's Keith Wright recovered a fumble at Colorado 44. The Tigers scored in four plays, on Farmer's TD pass to Blakley. Johnson scored on his interception return 1:31 later.

Missouri freshman defensive end Nick Tarpoff apparently injured his neck and was removed from the field on a stretcher late in the third quarter. Tarpoff had movement in his legs and hands.

"Nick has a bruise in the back of his neck," Pinkel said. "I know he was moving his arms and legs. That's good."