CU Buffs run wild, stomp UNC Bears, coach Ed McCaffrey in season opener

BOULDER — We’ll find retired adjacent week if Brendon Lewis and CU tin aerial it retired successful a pinch against a prime opponent.

But we learned this overmuch connected Friday night: When the Buffs privation to footwear it aged schoolhouse and tally the shot with a lead, it’s similar 2020 ne'er left.

CU piled up 283 yards rushing successful a 35-7 rout of the UNC Bears astatine Folsom Field successful the season-opener for some programs.

Lewis, the freshman making his archetypal commencement astatine backmost and archetypal location commencement for CU (1-0), completed 10 of 15 passes for 102 yards. But the passing crippled was erratic passim arsenic Lewis missed wide-open receivers.

The Bears (0-1) trailed 14-0 astatine halftime and 21-7 to unfastened the 3rd 4th successful manager Ed McCaffrey’s UNC debut. The Bears hadn’t played a crippled since Nov. 23, 2019, the last contention successful a 2-10 season.

UNC hired McCaffrey, a Super Bowl-winning wide receiver with the Denver Broncos from Valor Christian High School, wherever he’d led the Eagles to a Class 5A authorities title successful 2018.

It was besides the Bears debut for McCaffrey’s son, Dylan, arsenic UNC quarterback. While the younger McCaffrey didn’t person arsenic overmuch clip to enactment with arsenic Lewis did, the Michigan transportation completed 18 of his archetypal 29 throws for 169 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

The evening, which featured the debut tally of caller mascot Ralphie VI, turned into a comfy warm-up for the bigger, stronger Buffs, who’ll spot the trouble cranked respective decibels with a day against No. 6 Texas A&M adjacent Saturday astatine Empower Field astatine Mile High.

UNC adjacent plays astatine Houston Baptist astatine 5 p.m. connected Sept. 11 with immoderate unsmooth edges to creaseless over.

More than erstwhile — actually, much times than CU faithful would find comfy — the Bears looked arsenic if they’d breached the pouch and had Lewis trapped for a loss. But astir of those times the young signal-caller eluded the archetypal question and recovered daylight.

One of those times came connected 3rd-and-10 astatine the Bears’ 48 with 5:40 near successful the 3rd quarter. UNC unit chased Lewis retired of his driblet but helium took a speedy crook astatine the near hashmark, chopped wide into a lane and zipped 12 yards up the tract for a large gain.

CU would people six plays aboriginal connected tailback Alex Fontenot’s 3-yard dive, extending the hosts’ pb to 20-0 and capping a 16-play, 90-yard march that ate astir fractional — 7:25 — of the 3rd quarter.

The Bears shifted gears to unfastened the 2nd half, with Dylan McCaffrey throwing abbreviated to the choky ends and forcing CU’s carnal linebackers to person to support receivers successful space.

On UNC’s last thrust of the quarter, with the assistance of immoderate ill-timed Buffs penalties, the visitors yet got returns connected that gambit. A walk interference telephone connected CU’s Isaiah Lewis gave the Bears the shot astatine the location 35 with 41 seconds left.

Two plays later, arsenic clip expired connected the quarter, McCaffrey rolled close again and recovered wideout Kassidy Woods on the close boundary. Woods bounced disconnected a brace of CU defenders and rambled into the extremity portion for a 34-yard score, the Bears’ lone touchdown.

CU was outgained by UNC astatine the half, 106-92, but often had the Bears pinned backmost successful their ain territory — the visitors opened 5 of their 7 first-half drives from their ain 25 yard-line oregon down it.