BOULDER
Brett Hundley threw for 330 yards and two scores last weekend in a win at California. Ho-hum.
The UCLA junior quarterback also scrambled his way for 94 more yards and another score. Yawn.
See, Hundley’s been so consistently stellar that No. 25 UCLA almost reaches the point where the team anticipates those kinds of gaudy numbers each and every week.
“Our expectations of him are maybe a little unrealistic, off the charts,” UCLA head coach Jim Mora said. “We just kind of take them for granted.”
Hundley definitely will have the attention of Colorado (2-5, 0-4 Pac-12) when the Bruins (5-2, 2-2) travel to Folsom Field on Saturday. The Buffaloes know all too well what Hundley can do if given the chance.
After all, Hundley threw for two scores and ran for two more in a 45-23 win over the Buffaloes last season.
“He’s just very, very explosive,” Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre said. “He makes it all go, there’s no doubt about that.”
Hundley is closing in on the school’s career record for passing touchdowns. He’s two away from tying Cade McNown at 68.
For Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau, it’s all about getting his confidence back. He took last weekend’s 56-28 loss to USC exceptionally hard, saying he played one of his worst games. Liufau finished with 143 yards passing, two touchdowns and two interceptions before giving way to backup Jordan Gehrke.
“It was just frustrating, but you’re going to have that sometimes,” Liufau said. “Not even the pros have a good game every week.”
MacIntyre appreciates that kind of caring from Liufau, that he takes losses to heart.
“I’m glad he’s not the other way where he’s blaming everybody else and saying this and that,” MacIntyre said. “Taking blame for it to understand it ... and going from there, I think is good for all of us.”
Saturday’s game is the 100th homecoming game in Colorado history.
H H H
Back in high school, Jordan Payton was a safety and sometimes was assigned to cover Nelson Spruce. Now a receiver for the Bruins, Payton gladly will leave that responsibility to someone else. Spruce has had quite a season for the Buffaloes, leading the nation in catches (71) and touchdowns (11).
“He’s been haunting me for years,” Payton said. “He’s always been a phenomenal player.”
H H H
The Buffs will wear decals on their helmets with the initials “DQ” to honor David Quessenberry, who played for MacIntyre at San Jose State and was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in June while in camp with the Houston Texans. It’s a way to honor Quessenberry and raise awareness.
Quessenberry’s younger brother, Scott, is a sophomore guard for the Bruins. He has another brother, Paul, who’s a senior defensive end at Navy.
MacIntyre said David Quessenberry is in his seventh round of chemotherapy.
“He’s got a long fight ahead of him, but if anybody can beat it, I know David can,” MacIntyre said.
H H H
For Marcus Rios to seal last weekend’s win at Cal with a juggling interception in the final minute was an emotional moment for Mora.
Rios missed all of last season after contracting a rare fungal infection that hospitalized him for more than two months. He lost more than 50 pounds and was told by doctors he may not survive. But he recovered and returned to the field this summer.
“I’m not going to lie to you; it was one of those great moments that make college football so special,” Mora said. “It meant a lot to a lot of people.”
H H H
Colorado needs four wins in its final five games to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2007.
“That’s not something we talk about at any length,” MacIntyre said. “We know that if we put an amount of games together and keep winning games, then we’ll be in a bowl.
“Of course, we want to be in one, there’s no doubt about that. I’m not downplaying that, but that’s not something where we go out and say, ‘Hey, we need to win this one or we’re not going to a bowl.’”
H H H
The UCLA offense is 25-for-25 inside the redzone, with 18 touchdowns. That’s tied for the best percentage in the nation this season.
Even more, the Bruins are 11-4 in true road games under Mora.
“They’re a heck of a football team, and they’re going to be a tough test for us,” MacIntyre said.
