A game that looked so promising at the outset turned into another chapter of the near-miss, disappointing losses for Coach Dan McCarney and his Iowa State Cyclones.

After leading Colorado 28-10 and playing probably their best football of the season, the team struggled to move the ball in the second half and stop the Buffalo attack before ISU fell to Colorado, 43-38.

This was the second straight year the Cyclones lost a high-scoring offensive shootout to Colorado by a single score.

In the first quarter, ISU seemed to do no wrong while racking up over 150 yards of offense, scoring twice and holding Colorado to just 13 yards of offense and one field goal.

“We couldn’t have played much better in the first half,” McCarney said. “They probably couldn’t have played a whole lot better in the second half.”

The Cyclone aerial attack was running wide open on the strength of quarterback Todd Bandhauer. On the opening drive, Bandhauer was 4 of 6 including a 27-yard touchdown toss to Daman Green.

“The pass game was great,” Green said. “I just try to go out and make plays and execute. I think this is the best we played in the first half this year. We got a little too comfortable with our lead. I think we just have to execute more and stay tight.

“It is a tough loss but we are not going to dwell on it. I don’t care who we have to play, we just need to go out and execute,” Green said.

ISU continued to execute after the Cyclone defense forced Colorado to punt after just three plays.

Following their second consecutive five-minute, 11-play drive, capped off by a 5-yard scoring run by Darren Davis, ISU squib-kicked off to Colorado’s Ben Kelly, the nation’s leading kick returner averaging over 37 yards a return, unveiling a Cyclone weakness.

Kelly scooped up the ball and raced through a seam of Cyclones, returning 54 yards and landing Colorado at the ISU 23-yard line.

“We have struggled with our kick coverage,” McCarney said. “We have a lack of team speed and that shows up first on special teams. We really need to do all we can to improve in that phase.”

However, ISU’s defense once again came out to squash any Buffalo attempt to move the ball. After a holding penalty and a tackle for loss by Jim Morse, Colorado nailed a field goal to get on the scoreboard.

In the second stanza, Colorado continued their comeback. Herchell Troutman scored from five yards out to narrow the margin to 14-10.

On the ensuing possession, the Cyclones drove to the Colorado 27-yard line where Kohl attempted a field goal.

He missed, but was run into, giving ISU a fourth and seven. Bandhauer found Tyrone Watley for a 17-yard completion continuing the drive. Two plays later, the tandem hooked up again from seven yards out for the score.

The high-powered Buffalo offense came roaring back before Dustin Avey made the biggest play of the game for the Cyclones. With Colorado on the 6-yard line, Avey picked off John Hessler’s pass and returned it 94 yards for the touchdown.

The third quarter was a total role reversal for the two teams. With the exception of a blitz by Dave Brcka, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Morse, and a scoring strike from Bandhauer to Watley, the quarter was dominated by Colorado.

The Buffaloes controlled the ball for the majority of the period scoring twice.

In the final period, Colorado continued their comeback. With nine minutes to go, the Buffaloes took a 37-35 lead, but the Cyclones weren’t done yet. With an injured Darren Davis on the sidelines, Jerome Heavens was forced to carry the load. Heavens carried the ball six times for 30 yards and caught one pass for 12 yards to set up a 24-yard Jamie Kohl field goal that put the Cyclones ahead 38-37 with just 2:54 to play.

Just when the Cyclones thought they had the game in hand, forcing Colorado into a fourth and 10 situation, they allowed a 16-yard completion which set up the Buffs’ game-winning score.

“That was the biggest play of the game,” linebacker Michael Cooper said. “We had held them for three plays and all we needed was one more. Hessler just stepped up and found a receiver.”

“I think it was just a lack of concentration,” Watley said of the team’s second half demise. “We didn’t do a good job in the second half executing our offensive scheme, like we were in the first half. We knew it was going to be an offensive shootout.”

The victory pushed the Buffaloes’ record to 5-4, while the Cyclones dropped to 1-8.