MIAMI — Needing a mistake-free afternoon of football to stay with No. 12 Miami, the University of Colorado instead submitted one that saw the Buffaloes mostly do whatever it took to lose.

From its first offensive possession to its last, CU's shining moment in the South Florida sun and the national spotlight degenerated into an error- and penalty-riddled 23-3 defeat before 51,228 in the Orange Bowl and ABC's split national television audience.

"We made a lot of mistakes," understated Buffs coach Gary Barnett. "We didn't play our best game in an environment where we had to have it . . . "

Heading CU's day of disconcerting numbers was this: The Buffs were whistled for a season-most 16 penalties (104 yards), the second-most in school history. Only the 1950 CU team, which finished 5-4-1, saw more flags in a single game — 18 in a 27-21 loss at Kansas.

"I'm proud of the way our team handled a lot of things . . . But we also shot ourselves in the foot (and) we don't have any reason for it," Barnett said.

Miami coach Larry Coker called the victory "a good win when we needed it . . . But (CU) made us earn everything. We got nothing easy."

That might be debatable in Boulder. CU made only five of 18 third-down conversion attempts, suffered two interceptions and lost a fumble as Miami (2-1) won for the 59th time (two losses) against an unranked opponent at home.

The Buffs fell to 11-20 against top 25 teams, including 2-8 in the past two seasons, during Barnett's five-plus season tenure. CU's last victory against an Associated Press top 15 team was 35-31 against No. 13 Kansas State in 2002 in Boulder.

On the bright side, if they could see it, the Buffs (2-1) avoided being shut out for the first time in 200 games when Mason Crosby showed his leg strength at sea level by kicking a 58-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

But it was little consolation for a CU team that lost for the first time in 2005 and clearly has a lengthy to-do list before beginning its Big 12 Conference schedule next weekend at Oklahoma State.

The Buffs finished with 331 yards of total offense (228 passing, 103 rushing) while the 'Canes totaled 394 (271 passing, 123 rushing). Miami converted only three of its 14 third-down attempts, but with CU's on-going penchant for mistakes, the 'Canes hardly needed to operate at maximum efficiency.

Miami quarterback Kyle Wright completed 20 of 39 passes for 264 yards and a 53-yard touchdown to Sinorice Moss, one of two big plays yielded by a CU defense that otherwise played effectively. Of Miami's 123 rushing yards, 38 came on one run by fullback Quadtrine Hill.

CU quarterback Joel Klatt completed 25-for-41 for 228 yards with two interceptions, and tailback Hugh Charles ran 19 times for 82 yards. Tailback Byron Ellis gained 30 yards on eight carries.

Trailing 13-0 at halftime, the Buffs could reflect on the first 30 minutes as a bittersweet experience. They played decent defense, allowing the Hurricanes only six points on three red zone excursions.

Successful field goals of 34 and 20 yards bracketed a 37-yard miss by Miami kicker Jon Peattie and gave the 'Canes a 6-0 lead. His second field goal was set up by cornerback Marcus Maxey's 32-yard interception return with a Klatt pass intended for Patrick Williams.

But at that point, CU at least should have been on the scoreboard, having marched to the Miami 7-yard line on the game's first possession. Once there, the Buffs offense started a trend that filtered through the rest of the afternoon.

Having first-and-goal at the Miami 7, CU promptly lost 4 yards on a first-down run by Charles, then found itself facing fourth-and-goal following a pair of Klatt incompletions.

Onto the field trotted Mr. Reliable, Crosby, to attempt a 28-yard field goal — a comforting thought for the Buffs given Crosby's perfect career statistics (19-for-19) from 40-yards or closer.

Oops . . . A low snap was fielded and put in place by holder Nick Holz, but Crosby's rhythm appeared off and he pushed the kick wide right.

The Buffs' opportunity to make a dramatic opening statement to themselves, the 'Canes and the Orange Bowl crowd was gone, and Miami — generally held in check by the CU defense — added to its lead on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Wright to Moss, whose stop-and-go sideline route scammed Buffs corner Lorenzo Sims Jr. and pushed the 'Canes ahead 13-0 with eight minutes left in the half.

CU marched as far as the Miami 35-yard line, where on third-and-four — after strategic timeouts by both teams — the Buffs attempted a Klatt-to-Evan Judge receiver screen that was slow developing and lost 5 yards.

There went any chance of summoning Crosby for CU's first three points.

Nine first-half penalties cost CU 59 yards and untold embarrassment after the Buffs defense lined up offsides four times — twice in the 'Canes' final possession. Miami, meanwhile, was flagged once for 15 yards before intermission and finished with five for 75 yards.

Peattie also opened the second-half scoring, kicking a 33-yard field goal six plays after safety Brandon Meriweather intercepted Klatt. Miami's lead climbed to 16-0, and given the ineffectiveness of the Buffs offense, the 'Canes undoubtedly felt comfortable carting that advantage into the final quarter.

With 8:44 remaining, Miami put the outcome out of reach with its longest sustained drive — a nine-play, 80-yard march capped by Wright's 2-yard dive into the end zone.

Peattie's PAT pushed the 'Canes ahead 23-3, and many in the Orange Bowl began filing out, looking for other places to spend a sunny Saturday.

ETC.: Crosby's kick was the sixth of his career from 50 yards or longer. It tied the longest ever kicked against Miami; Arkansas' Kendall Traynor booted one of that length in 1988 . . . After being sacked 14 times in the two previous games, Wright wasn't sacked once Saturday . . . Senior CU tight end Quinn Sypniewski was prepared to play offensive tackle — he would have switched from No. 45 to No. 71 — but wasn't called on in that role . . . No. 4 quarterback Bernard Jackson returned one kickoff for 25 yards. Offensive coordinator/QB coach Shawn Watson said Jackson needed to be on the field more and was vague about the sophomore's future at quarterback. Jackson was moved to receiver last season, then back to QB last spring . . . Saturday's temperature at kickoff was 86 degrees, with 70 percent humidity . . . CU injuries/status: Probable — DE Alex Ligon, ribs; V-back Lawrence Vickers, elbow; C Mark Fenton, shoulder; Klatt, toe. Questionable — LB Thaddaeus Washington, foot. Day-to-day: G Jack Tipson, ankle; T Tyler Polumbus, ankle.

brooksb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5466

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