Colorado comes up short against Oregon, 41-24

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Colorado is inching closer to the elite of the Pac-12. It just didn't happen Saturday night.

Royce Freeman rushed for 163 yards and scored twice, third-string quarterback Taylor Alie tossed a clinching touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and Oregon beat Colorado 41-24 on a soggy Saturday night.

It was Oregon's fifth straight win over Colorado (3-2, 0-1) since the Buffaloes joined the conference in 2011 - and by far the closest. The Ducks won the previous four meetings by an average of 43.5 points. They entered this game just a touchdown favorite.

"The gap closed a lot compared to the last two years," Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre said. "Those games were over by halftime."

Colorado made this a fourth quarter game after Sefo Liufau's seven-yard touchdown run with 10:29 remaining cut it to 31-24. The Buffaloes had a chance to force a punt on a third-and-3 from near midfield but wide receiver Bralon Addison gained 11 yards on a reverse.

Alie's 43-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Brown on the next play restored the 14-point cushion.

"That was a good call by them on the reverse," MacIntyre said. "I thought we'd have them but we didn't."

Taj Griffin finished with 110 yards rushing and a score, Addison threw a TD pass on a trick play to help the Ducks (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) rebound from a 62-20 home loss to Utah last weekend.

There was a moment of silence before kickoff for the people who died in the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, which is about 70 miles from Eugene. The Ducks also wore a sticker on their helmets to honor the victims.

Oregon's beleaguered defense forced three turnovers and sacked Sefo Liufau five times.

Liufau finished 25 of 42 for 231 yards and a touchdown. Oregon has won six in a row overall against Colorado.

"This team, there's a different feeling about it," wide receiver Nelson Spruce said. "We feel like we can be competitive in every game."

Colorado got off to a rocky start with two early drives resulting in a Liufau interception - his first since the season opener - and a fumble by Phillip Lindsay. The Buffaloes finally got things turned around, scoring on three straight drives at one point and went into the locker room tied at 17.

It was a feat in itself considering that entering this game, the Buffaloes were outscored 164-19 by the Ducks in the opening half since 2011.

"I don't think at one time did we feel we were outmatched by them," Spruce said. "We turned the ball over and we didn't run the ball too well."

Jeff Lockie started at quarterback for the Ducks with Vernon Adams Jr. bothered by a broken right index finger. Lockie struggled early and Alie stepped in. Lockie and Alie split time in the second half.

Alie finished 4 of 9 for 83 yards, while Lockie was 8 of 11 with an interception.

Addison threw one of the best spirals of the night, taking a handoff from Freeman and tossing a 39-yard TD strike to fellow wideout Charles Nelson on a razzle-dazzle play.

Freeman scored on a 3-yard run early in the third quarter and Griffin added another TD moments later to give the Ducks a 14-point lead.

This day didn't start all that well for the Ducks as about 14 players got stuck in an elevator at the team hotel. Several tweeted out photos with fire men who came to the rescue.

The game was delayed for nearly an hour because of lightning in the area. At 9:08 p.m. MT, it was the latest kickoff in Folsom Field history and finished at 12:31 a.m.