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DENVER (Ticker) -- Colorado took two years of frustration out on its intrastate rival. Sparked by the running of Bobby Purify and Chris Brown and a strong performance by its defense, Colordao rolled to a 41-14 rout of 24th-ranked Colorado State in the first college game at Invesco Field at Mile High. Coming off a loss in their opener at home against Fresno State, the Buffaloes were more then prepared for the nationally ranked Rams, snapping a two-game losing streak against their rivals. Purify and Brown -- both sophomores -- led the ground assault, combining for 312 yards rushing. Purify carried 21 times for 191 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown run and Brown finished with 121 on 21 attempts with a pair of one-yard TD runs. Last season, the Buffaloes ranked 82nd nationally in rushing offense. They also were ineffective in the 24-22 loss to Fresno State, gaining just 66 yards on the ground. The defense also was a major factor for Colorado, combining to interecept inexperienced D.J. Busch and Bradlee Van Pelt four times while bringing back two of those picks for touchdowns. Donald Strickland returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown less than a minute into the game and Michael Lewis brought back an interception 41 yards for a score midway through the third quarter, giving Colorado a 24-7 lead. Colorado improved to 54-17-2 in the all-time series. The first college game at Invesco Field at Mile drew a crowd of 75,022. Breaking in a new quarterback this season following the depature of Matt Newton, the Rams found out just how tough it could be in the game's first minute. Busch, a sophomore, had his pass intercepted along the left sideline by Strickland, who raced untouched for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead just 56 seconds into the contest. It was a rough afternoon for Busch, who completed 15-of-31 passes for 137 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He also was sacked three times. On its first offensive possession, the Buffaloes also came up big, moving 75 yards in 11 plays. Puriify capped the march with an 18-yard run around left end for a 14-0 cushion with 6:56 left in the quarter. Late in the first quarter, Busch found some rare success, connecting with freshman tight end Joe Dreesen on a four-yard TD pass. But the Buffaloes restored a double-digit advantage on Jeremy Flores' 21-yard field goal with 6:07 left before halftime. The defense of the Colorado squashed any comeback hopes the Rams may have had in the third quarter. After heavy pressure up the middle, Busch threw a pass that Lewis stepped in front of down the left sideline. Lewis made one quick cut and raced untouched into the end zone, making it 31-7 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the quarter. Brown, who ran hard all afternoon, put the game out of reach, capping a six-play, 62-yard drive by barrelling over from one yards with 60 seconds left in the third quarter. Van Pelt tossed a seven-yard TD pass to Childs early in the fourth quarter for the Rams before Flores kicked a 41-yard field goal to make it 34-14 with 10:27 left. With the game well in hand, the Buffaloes went for it on 4th-and-goal with under five minutes left and Brown capped the scoring with a one-yard run. Colorado quarterback Craig Ochs was an efficient 15-of-18 for 95 yards. The Rams played without star running back Cecil Sapp, who had four 100-yard games last season and was out with a hamstring injury.
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