Washington State vs. Colorado: Score and Twitter Reaction

The No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes came one step closer to clinching the Pac-12 South title Saturday, as they beat the No. 22 Washington State Cougars, 38-24, at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

Colorado improved to 9-2 overall and 7-1 in the conference, while the Cougars fell to 8-3 overall and 7-1 in Pac-12 play, breaking an eight-game winning streak in the process.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Colorado's win marked the continuation of its ascent from Pac-12 cellar dweller to conference juggernaut:

The Buffaloes racked up 603 total yards with a well-balanced offense led by senior quarterback Sefo Liufau, who threw for 345 yards and rushed for 108 yards and three touchdowns. Junior running back Phillip Lindsay added another 144 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as well.

Washington State junior running back Luke Falk may have helped his dark-horse Heisman Trophy candidacy with 325 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, but it wasn't enough to score a crucial road win.

Following a punt by Washington State on the opening drive of the game, the Buffs opened the scoring on a 12-play, 81-yard drive that took less than three minutes to complete.

Lindsay put Colorado on top 7-0 with a nine-yard touchdown run, but that lead was short-lived, as the Cougars struck back just over three minutes later.

A 32-yard run by junior running back Jamal Morrow got Washington State in to the red zone, and Falk finished it off with a 14-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Robert Lewis, as seen in this video courtesy of Fox College Football:

The teams traded gaffes on the next three possessions, as Lindsay lost a fumble for Colorado, Washington State missed a 51-yard field goal and the Buffs turned the ball over on downs.

Washington State started on its own 28-yard line, but it needed only two plays to find the end zone, as Falk hit Morrow with a perfect pass on a 46-yard score to make it 14-7 in favor of the Cougars, via Fox College Football:

While Lindsay's miscue nearly cost the Buffaloes, they stuck with their top offensive weapon and continued to pound him throughout the first half.

That resulted in Lindsay ending a six-year drought for Colorado with regard to 1,000-yard rushers, according to Patrick Graham of the Associated Press:

Lindsay wasn't the only one getting the job done with his legs for the Buffs, though, as Liufau proved difficult to stop on both designed and improvised runs.

Liufau tied the game with a three-yard touchdown run roughly midway through the second quarter, which prompted Neill Woelk of CUBuffs.com to marvel at his guts:

A 28-yard field goal by Erik Powell gave Washington State the lead back a few minutes later, and it carried it into halftime, as Colorado's Davis Price badly missed a 38-yarder in the closing seconds of the half.

Colorado didn't allow that miss to impact it coming out of the locker room, however, as it took the opening kickoff of the second half and orchestrated a surgical, 11-play drive capped by a seven-yard Liufau touchdown run to go up 21-17.

Washington State answered back a couple of drives later when Falk found senior wide receiver John Thompson from seven yards out, thus putting the Cougars back ahead by three, via Fox College Football:

The offensive explosion continued on the ensuing drive, as it was the Liufau and Lindsay show with Colorado's top two stars doing most of the work on a 75-yard scoring foray down the field.

Liufau once again put an exclamation point on the drive with a touchdown run, giving the Buffaloes a 28-24 lead they would never relinquish, as Fox College Football shows:

Colorado padded the lead with a 46-yard field goal by Chris Graham, but it was Lindsay who truly put the contest out of reach.

After forcing Washington State's high-powered offense into a three-and-out series, Colorado's offense continued to have its way.

The Buffs needed just over three minutes to go 63 yards, and Lindsay seemingly dragged most of the Cougars defense into the end zone with him on a 13-yard score to make it 38-24, as seen in this video from Pac-12 Network:

It was desperation time for Washington State at that point with just over four minutes remaining in the game, but Falk was sacked by senior linebacker Jimmie Gilbert, who forced a fumble and effectively ended the game.

By virtue of Colorado's victory and Utah's loss to Oregon, the Buffaloes need either a USC loss in the next two weeks or a win over the Utes next week to clinch a spot in the Pac-12 title game.

That represents a significant turnaround for a team that had struggled to find its footing since being accepted into the conference.

While Saturday's loss was disappointing for the Cougars, all is not lost, as a win next week against Washington will give it the Pac-12 North title and potentially set up a rematch with Colorado.

Little was expected of either team entering the season, but they both showed up to play Saturday, and the Buffaloes proved that their status as a top team in the nation may be for real.

Although Colorado will be hard-pressed to make the College Football Playoff even if it wins out, a Rose Bowl trip is a real possibility, which few could have predicted just months ago.

Postgame Reaction

Colorado's win Saturday was the latest accomplishment in a season full of proving doubters wrong, and head coach Mike MacIntyre's pride was apparent following the game.

MacIntyre even took a page out of President-elect Donald Trump's book when describing the importance of the victory, according to Yahoo Sports' Dr. Saturday:

Colorado football has been in the doldrums for years, but MacIntyre believes his team is helping bring the Buffaloes back to the sporting forefront, per Jake Shapiro of BSNDenver.com:

MacIntyre praised his players for plenty after the win, but his primary focus was on their togetherness and willingness to go into battle for each other:

The atmosphere was nowhere near as celebratory for Washington State, but head coach Mike Leach maintained a positive attitude with a Pac-12 title still within reach, according to Jessamyn McIntyre of 710 ESPN Seattle:

While Falk had a strong game statistically, he shouldered much of the blame for the Cougars' shortcomings Saturday:

Although uneven performances at this time of year can often sink seasons, Washington State is fortunate to have an opportunity to erase Saturday's loss if it can upset Washington next week.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.