Charlie Williams Catches Overtime Winner as Colorado Edges Kansas State 27-24

Colorado had lost five straight games, including a 27-24 heartbreaker against Utah two weeks ago. On Saturday at Folsom Field, the Buffaloes finally landed on the right side of a three-point game. Isaac Wilson found Charlie Williams for an 11-yard touchdown on third-and-9 in overtime, and Colorado beat Kansas State 27-24 for its first Big 12 win of the season.

It was Williams' only catch of the afternoon, and it ended a game Colorado looked to have won twice already. The Buffaloes led 21-14 for most of the fourth quarter and pinned Kansas State deep with under three minutes left. The Wildcats still marched 62 yards in 55 seconds and tied it when Blake Barnett hit Garrett Oakley for an 8-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal with six seconds left in regulation.

Kansas State took the first overtime possession and settled for a 25-yard Luis Rodriguez field goal. Colorado needed a touchdown and got one five plays later. The Buffaloes improved to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in conference play, while Kansas State fell to 4-4 and 1-4 with a second straight loss.

The ground game carried Colorado

Colorado's offense ran through Richard Young. The running back carried 24 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns, and Young's three straight carries opened the overtime possession for 14 yards. JaQuail Smith added 63 yards on eight carries, most of it on a 47-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and DeKalon Taylor ripped off a 30-yard run in the first half. As a team, Colorado ran for 222 yards on 43 carries.

That kept the pressure off Wilson, who completed 14 of 21 passes for 185 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Joseph Williams was the top target with five catches for 89 yards, including a 38-yard grab that flipped the field in the third quarter, and DeAndre Moore Jr. caught three passes for 60 yards.

How the game unfolded

Both offenses started slowly. Each team opened with a three-and-out, and Kansas State returner Brandon White fumbled a punt return that the Wildcats recovered.

Colorado broke through late in the first quarter. After Damon Greaves pinned the Wildcats at their own 6 with a punt, the Buffaloes took over at their 40 and needed only six plays to score. Young ran for 22 yards, Wilson hit Joseph Williams for 24 more, and Young finished it with a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:42 left in the quarter. Colorado led 7-0.

Kansas State had a quick chance to answer when White returned the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to the Wildcats' 49. That drive ended with Rodriguez missing a 49-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

Colorado then let a chance at a two-score lead slip away. On an eight-play drive, Taylor broke a 30-yard run all the way to the goal line. Kaleb Patterson knocked the ball loose, it rolled through the end zone, and Kansas State took over on a touchback with 9:32 left in the half. It was the only turnover of the game.

The Wildcats made the most of it. Kansas State put together an 11-play, 80-yard drive that took 7:07 off the clock, helped by a roughing-the-passer penalty on Colorado. Barnett capped it with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Josh Manning with 2:25 left in the half, and the teams went to the locker room tied 7-7.

A back-and-forth third quarter

The third quarter started as a field-position battle, with a sack on each side, including one by Gideon Lampron on Barnett. White muffed a Colorado punt, but Kansas State fell on it at its own 13.

Colorado struck from long range on its next possession. The Buffaloes went 71 yards in four plays, finished by Smith's 47-yard touchdown run, and led 14-7. Kansas State answered just as quickly. Barnett found Linkon Cure for 25 yards, then went back to Cure for a 33-yard touchdown with 2:14 left in the quarter. The play stood after a replay review, and it was 14-14.

The best drive of the day belonged to Colorado. Starting at its own 4, the Buffaloes went 96 yards in 10 plays and 4:44. Wilson's 38-yard strike to Joseph Williams late in the third quarter moved Colorado into Kansas State territory, and Young broke a 22-yard touchdown run at 12:27 of the fourth quarter to make it 21-14.

Kansas State's late rally

Kansas State had a chance to tie it right away. The Wildcats put together a 12-play, 50-yard drive, but it stalled and Rodriguez missed a 43-yard field goal with 6:52 left. Colorado went three-and-out, but Lampron dropped Barnett for an 11-yard loss, forcing another punt.

Simon McClannan's punt pinned Colorado at its own 4 with 2:51 left. The Buffaloes moved 21 yards on five plays, then punted, and Kansas State took over at its own 38 with 55 seconds to go and no margin for error.

Barnett went to work. Barnett found Manning for 23 yards and then 5 more, and Jaron Tibbs hauled in a 31-yard catch to the Colorado 3 with 30 seconds left. A run by Barnett went nowhere, a spike stopped the clock, and a delay-of-game penalty pushed Kansas State back to the 8. On fourth-and-goal, Barnett fired over the middle to Oakley for a touchdown with six seconds left. The score held up on review, and Rodriguez's extra point tied it 21-21. Colorado took a knee to send the game to overtime.

Overtime

Kansas State got the ball first and moved to the Colorado 7. Rodney Fields Jr. ran for 6 yards and Barnett found Oakley for 6 more on third-and-4 to keep the possession alive. Two straight Barnett passes were then broken up, and Rodriguez hit a 25-yard field goal for a 24-21 lead.

Colorado gave the ball to Young three straight times, and Young gained 9, 4 and 1 yards to reach the Kansas State 11. Logan Bartley and Gabe Powers stopped Smith for no gain on second down, setting up third-and-9. Wilson then found Charlie Williams over the middle for the 11-yard touchdown that sent Folsom Field into celebration.

Lampron leads the Colorado defense

Colorado's defense spent much of the afternoon in the Kansas State backfield. Lampron finished with 15 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss, and both of Lampron's sacks came at key moments in the second half. Yamil Talib added eight tackles and two sacks, and Immanuel Ezeogu had seven tackles. The Buffaloes sacked Kansas State quarterbacks five times and recorded nine tackles for loss.

Kansas State's defense was led by Bartley, who made nine tackles and was in on several of the key stops in overtime. Powers and Travis Bates added five tackles apiece.

The Kansas State numbers

Barnett finished 18 of 28 for 224 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, and added 40 rushing yards on 16 carries. Manning caught six passes for 73 yards and a score, Tibbs had five for 54, Cure had three for 65 and a touchdown, and Oakley caught three for 25 yards, including the touchdown that forced overtime. Fields led the Wildcats on the ground with 65 yards on 12 carries.

The kicking game told the story for Kansas State. Rodriguez made the 25-yarder in overtime and all three extra points, but missed from 49 and 43 yards in regulation. McClannan was outstanding, averaging 53.7 yards on six punts with two inside the 20. Kansas State ran for only 121 yards on 39 carries.

The take

For Colorado and Deion Sanders, this was a win the Buffaloes badly needed. The losing streak had included a 57-24 loss at Oklahoma State a week ago, covered in our Oklahoma State recap, and a one-score loss to Utah. This time, Colorado ran the ball with authority, protected it after the first-half fumble, and made the final play.

For Kansas State and first-year coach Collin Klein, the margin was a pair of missed field goals and a few yards in overtime. The Wildcats showed real resilience to tie the game in the final minute, a week after a 28-17 loss at Arizona State covered in our Arizona State recap. But Kansas State is now 1-4 in the Big 12 with four games left.

What's next

Colorado plays at Arizona State on Saturday, Nov. 7. Kansas State hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nov. 7.

For the full numbers, see the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab).

Sources: ESPN box score, play-by-play and team schedules. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: Thelastcanadian/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), file photo.