CU Buffs beat Cal in OT for first win of season in interim head coach Mike Sanford’s debut

The Colorado football program will not be making history after all — at least not the bad kind.

Backup quarterback J.T. Shrout led the Buffs to a pair of touchdowns in the second half and overtime, and the defense stood tall at the goal line as CU beat Cal 20-13 before a packed Folson Field on Saturday.

With the win, the Buffs (1-5, 1-2 in Pac-12) avoided becoming the first CU team in school history to go winless for an entire season. The victory came in interim head coach Mike Sanford’s debut, two weeks after he took over for the since-dismissed Karl Dorrell.

Shrout completed 8 of 12 passes for 69 yards and one touchdown — the latter going to Montana Lemonious-Craig on an incredible toe-tap grab near the corner of the end zone in overtime. Shrout came on in relief of freshman QB Owen McCown, who threw for 104 yards on 13-of-21 passing with one interception in the first half.

Lemonious-Craig finished with 119 yards on eight catches. Running back Anthony Hankerson scored the Buffs’ first touchdown on a 1-yard run less than a minute into the third quarter to give CU a 10-7 lead.

The Buffs defense came up with two takeaways and limited Cal to just 35 yards on the ground.

The game finished with the Buffs keeping the Golden Bears out of the end zone on four straight downs after they reached the 10-yard line. After Jack Plummer’s last pass fell incomplete, the CU student section stormed the field.

This story will be updated.

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