Rumble in the Rockies

Rumble in the Rockies
History
First Meeting	October 3, 1903 Colorado 22, Utah 0
Last Meeting	November 25, 2011 Colorado 17, Utah 14
Next Meeting	TBD
All-Time Series	Colorado leads, 31–24–3
Colorado (31) 1903 1904 1905 1907 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1917 1923 1924 1934 1935 1936 1937 1939 1943 1943 1944 1945 1949 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 2011	Utah (24) 1906 1908 1915 1916 1919 1920 1922 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1940 1941 1942 1946 1947 1948 1961 1962
Ties (3) 1921 1938 1950

The Rumble in the Rockies is an American college football rivalry game played by the Colorado Buffaloes football team of the University of Colorado and the Utah Utes football team of the University of Utah. After nearly four decades of dormancy, the rivalry was revived in 2011 when both universities joined the Pacific-12 Conference and were placed in the Pac-12's South Division.

From 1903 through 1962, Utah and Colorado played each other nearly ever year. By 1962, they had played 57 games.^[1] At that time, it was the second-most played rivalry for both teams (Utah had played Utah State 62 times;^[2] Colorado had played Colorado State 61 times^[3]). After the 1962 meeting, however, Colorado and Utah stopped playing each other in football. As part of 2010–11 NCAA conference realignment, both Utah and Colorado were placed in the Pacific-12 Conference's new South Division. The first game since the realignment was played on Black Friday, and based on input from both schools' fans the name Rumble in the Rockies was chosen for the rivalry.^[4]

Prior to the resumption of the rivalry, Colorado played Nebraska on Thanksgiving weekend since the formation of the Big 12 Conference in 1996 in front of a national television audience while Utah played its annual Holy War against Brigham Young University. The Colorado-Nebraska rivalry was discontinued due to realignment where Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference, while the Holy War game was moved to earlier in the season. (Coincidentally, BYU also was part of the 2011 realigning of conferences as they left the Mountain West Conference to become a football independent.)

Despite the hiatus of nearly a half-century, the Utah-Colorado rivalry remains the fifth-most played rivalry in Utah's history, and the eighth-most played rivalry in Colorado's history.^[5][6]

Contents 1 History 1.1 1910–1947 1.2 1948–1962 1.3 2011–present 2 References

History

Colorado's history shaded █ black. Utah's history shaded in █ red.

1910–1947

For 38 years, Utah and Colorado were members of the same conference. From 1910 to 1937, they both played in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. And then from 1938 to 1947, they were both members of the Mountain States Athletic Conference. Of those 38 seasons, either Utah or Colorado won at least a share of the conference title 27 times (Utah won 12 outright, and 3 shared; Colorado won 11 outright, and 2 shared). The two schools shared the Mountain States Conference title in 1942.

The most notable meetings during this era occurred in 1936 and 1937:

The 1936 match-up may have featured the greatest gridiron performance of Colorado halfback Byron "Whizzer" White. White ran for one TD from scrimmage that day, and threw for another. But the future U.S. Supreme Court Justice was most dominant on special teams. As punter, White kept Utah's offense backed up all game. And as a kick returner, he also returned one kickoff and two desperate Utah punts for touchdowns. Although Utah had been favored to win, Colorado won convincingly, 31–7. ^[7] Utah's lone touchdown in the game was a kickoff return for a touchdown by Joseph Wirthlin.^[8]

In 1937, Colorado went into Salt Lake undefeated and unchallenged – having outscored opponents 162–6 en route to a 5–0 record. However, they found themselves trailing Utah at halftime, 7–0. But from there, Whizzer White took control of the game. White first got CU on the board with a third-quarter field goal. Then, in the fourth quarter, White returned a Utah punt 85-yards for a touchdown (white also kicked the extra point). Moments later, White sealed the win with a 57-yard touchdown run from scrimmage (and again kicked the extra point). Final Score: Colorado 17, Utah 7.^[7][9][10] The Frontiersmen finished the regular season 8–0, but lost to Rice in the 1938 Cotton Bowl. White was a runner-up on the 1937 Heisman Trophy ballot.^[11]

1948–1962

In 1948, Colorado left the Mountain States Conference and joined the Big Eight Conference (then known as the Big Seven Conference). But for the next fourteen years, Utah and Colorado played each other nearly every year as part of the teams' non-conference schedules. It was during this time, Colorado began to dominate Utah, winning nine of the thirteen games played during this era, including eight in a row from 1949 to 1958.^[1]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Utah	7	7	7	0	21
#8 Colorado	6	0	0	6	12

The 1961 meeting in Boulder is perhaps the most noteworthy game of the Utah–Colorado football rivalry, for two reasons: 1) the 1961 Colorado team was the most successful squad that either school had ever fielded; and 2) it was a monumental upset. #8 Colorado was the first to score, and they also added another touchdown in the final minutes. But Utah dominated the game in between Colorado's lone scores. Final score: Utah 21, Colorado 12.^[12] Colorado went on to finish the regular season with a 9–1 record, a #4 national ranking, a Big Eight Conference title, and a berth in the 1962 Orange Bowl. Utah, however, would have to settle for a 6–4 record.

Utah won again the following year in Salt Lake City, 37–21, the last time the two schools met in football until the series resumed in 2011.

2011–present

With Utah and Colorado joining the Pac-12 in 2011, the two teams will play each other once again. The first matchup was a Black Friday game, a day in college football reserved for rivalry matchups; Colorado has had a regular place on Black Friday since the 1980s, but normally played against then-division rival Nebraska, but the conference realignments will separate that rivalry at the same time the long-dormant Colorado–Utah rivalry is restarting. In the inaugural Rumble matchup, Colorado defeated Utah 17-14 at Rice-Eccles Stadium, ending their chance at a possible berth in the first Pac-12 Championship Game. Had the Utes won, they would have represented the South Division.

References

Colorado Buffaloes football Venues Folsom Field (1924–present) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games Nebraska Rocky Mountain Showdown (Colorado State) Rumble in the Rockies (Utah) Culture & lore Ralphie the Buffalo "CU Fight Song" University of Colorado "Golden Buffalo" Marching Band The Fifth Down Miracle in Michigan People Jon Embree (head coach) Eric Bieniemy (offensive coordinator) Greg Brown (defensive coordinator Seasons 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Future schedule National championship seasons in bold

Utah Utes football Venues Rice Stadium (1927–1997) Rice-Eccles Stadium (1998–present) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games Battle of the Brothers (Utah State) Beehive Boot (BYU, Utah State, Weber State) The Bowl (New Mexico) Holy War (BYU) Rumble in the Rockies (Colorado) Culture & lore Swoop "Utah Man" Pride of Utah People Head coaches Seasons 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Football rivalry games of the Pacific-12 Conference North Division Apple Cup (Washington–Washington State) Big Game (California–Stanford) Civil War (Oregon–Oregon State) Border War (Oregon-Washington) South Division Rumble in the Rockies (Colorado–Utah) Territorial Cup (Arizona–Arizona State) Victory Bell (UCLA–USC) Non-conference Battle of the Palouse (Washington State–Idaho) Colorado–Nebraska rivalry Holy War (Utah–BYU) Jeweled Shillelagh (USC–Notre Dame) Legends Trophy (Stanford–Notre Dame) Rocky Mountain Showdown (Colorado–Colorado State)