The 1994 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder as a member of the Big Eight Conference during the 1994 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by Bill McCartney in his 13th and final season as head coach, the Buffaloes compiled an overall record of 11–1 in a mark of 6–1 in conference play, placing second in the Big 8. Colorado was invited to the Fiesta Bowl, where the Buffalos defeated Notre Dame. The team was ranked No. 3 in the final AP poll and the final Coaches Poll. Colorado played home games at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.
Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam won the Heisman Trophy as college football's most outstanding player. The Buffaloes offense scored 439 points while the defense allowed 235 points.
Colorado's only loss of the season came on the road against eventual consensus national champion Nebraska. The Buffaloes, ranked No. 2 at the time, was in line to play for the national title as part of the Bowl Coalition. They were leapfrogged in the polls by the Cornhuskers, who had been ranked No. 3. Colorado finished regular season ranked No. 4. The problem of scheduling bowl match-ups for top-ranked teams led to the dissolution of the Bowl Coalition and the creation of the Bowl Alliance. No. 2 Penn State was not eligible as a member of the Big Ten Conference to Nebraska. Notre Dame, playing as an independent, had its own agreement with the Bowl Coalition, which allowed the Fiesta Bowl to choose the Fighting Irish as an at-large opponent over more highly ranked teams.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|
| September 3 | 12:00 pm | Northeast Louisiana* | No. 8 | | | W 48–13 | 48,114 |
| September 17 | 7:45 pm | No. 10 Wisconsin* | No. 7 | | ESPN | W 55–17 | 53,457 |
| September 24 | 1:30 pm | at No. 4 Michigan* | No. 7 | | ABC | W 27–26 | 106,427 |
| October 1 | 1:30 pm | at No. 16 Texas* | No. 5 | | ABC | W 34–31 | 77,809 |
| October 8 | 12:00 pm | at Missouri | No. 5 | | PSN | W 38–23 | 38,901 |
| October 15 | 7:30 pm | No. 22 Oklahoma | No. 4 | | ESPN | W 45–7 | 53,199 |
| October 22 | 5:30 pm | No. 19 Kansas State | No. 2 | | ESPN | W 35–21 | 52,955 |
| October 29 | 1:30 pm | at No. 3 Nebraska | No. 2 | | ABC | L 7–24 | 76,131 |
| November 5 | 12:00 pm | Oklahoma State | No. 7 | | | W 17–3 | 51,059 |
| November 12 | 12:00 pm | at Kansas | No. 7 | | PSN | W 51–26 | 35,000 |
| November 19 | 12:00 pm | Iowa State | No. 7 | | PSN | W 41–20 | 46,113 |
| January 2 | 2:30 pm | vs. Notre Dame* | No. 4 | | NBC | W 41–24 | 73,968 |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Mountain time
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[1][2][3]
Rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes | Week |
|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
|---|
| AP | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 (1) | 5 (3) | 4 (4) | 2 (15) | 2 (16) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
|---|
| Coaches | 7 | | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 (1) | 5 (1) | 4 (1) | 3 (9) | 3 (9) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
|---|
Game summaries
Northeast Louisiana
Northeast Louisiana at Colorado
| Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Indians |
3 |
3 | 0 | 7 |
13 |
| • No. 8 Buffaloes |
7 |
21 | 14 | 6 |
48 |
- Date: September 3
- Location: Folsom Field
- Game attendance: 48,114
Scoring summary |
| Q1 | | NLU | Miller 36 yard field goal | NLU 3–0 |
|
| Q1 | | COL | Salaam 1 yard run (Voskeritchian kick) | COL 7–3 |
|
| Q2 | | NLU | Miller 43 yard field goal | COL 7–6 |
|
| Q2 | | COL | Salaam 9 yard run (Voskeritchian kick) | COL 14–6 |
|
| Q2 | | COL | Stewart 6 yard run (Voskeritchian kick) | COL 21—6 |
|
| Q2 | | COL | Kidd 44 yard pass from Stewart (Voskeritchian kick) | COL 28–6 |
|
| Q3 | | COL | Stewart 58 yard run (Voskeritchian kick) | COL 35–6 |
|
| Q3 | | COL | Salaam 15 yard run (Voskeritchian kick) | COL 42–6 |
|
| Q4 | | COL | Troutman 13 yard run (kick failed) | COL 48–6 |
|
| Q4 | | NLU | S. Williams 10 yard pass from Philyaw (Miller kick) | COL 48–13 |
[4]
Wisconsin
Michigan
Colorado at Michigan
| Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 7 Buffaloes |
7 |
7 | 0 | 13 |
27 |
| No. 4 Wolverines |
0 |
9 | 17 | 0 |
26 |
Scoring summary |
| 1 | | COL | Rashaan Salaam 2-yard run (Voskeritchian kick) | COL 7–0 |
|
| 2 | 11:34 | MICH | Remy Hamilton 33-yard field goal | COL 7–3 |
| 7:54 | COL | Michael Westbrook 27-yard pass from Kordell Stewart (Voskeritchian kick) | COL 14–3 |
| 1:14 | MICH | Tim Biakabutuka 4-yard run (pass failed) | COL 14–9 |
|
| 3 | 10:43 | MICH | Tyrone Wheatley 6-yard run (Hayes pass from Collins) | MICH 17–14 |
| 7:40 | MICH | Hamilton 20-yard field goal | MICH 20–14 |
| 2:43 | MICH | Amani Toomer 65-yard pass from Todd Collins (run failed) | MICH 26–14 |
|
| 4 | 2:16 | COL | Rashaan Salaam 2-yard run (Voskeritchian kick) | MICH 26–21 |
| 0:00 | COL | Westbrook 64-yard pass from Stewart | COL 27–26 |
The Miracle at Michigan refers to the final play that occurred during the game played on September 24, 1994, between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The game was decided on Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart's 64-yard Hail Mary pass to Michael Westbrook, which gave the play its name.[5][6][7][8][9]
Texas
Missouri
Oklahoma
Kansas State
Nebraska
Colorado at Nebraska
| Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Buffaloes |
0 |
0 | 7 | 0 |
7 |
| • No. 3 Cornhuskers |
7 |
10 | 7 | 0 |
24 |
Scoring summary |
| 1 | | NEB | Cory Schlesinger 14-yard run (Tom Sieler kick) | NEB 7–0 |
|
| 2 | 9:01 | NEB | Sieler 24-yard field goal | NEB 10–0 |
| 0:36 | NEB | Clinton Childs 2-yard run (Sieler kick) | NEB 17–0 |
|
| 3 | 10:42 | NEB | Eric Alford 30-yard pass from Brook Berringer (Sieler kick) | NEB 24–0 |
| 1:06 | COL | Rashaan Salaam 6 run (Neil Voskeritchian kick) | NEB 24–7 |
Oklahoma State
Kansas
Iowa State
Fiesta Bowl
Colorado vs. Notre Dame
| Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 4 Buffaloes |
10 |
21 | 3 | 7 |
41 |
| Fighting Irish |
3 |
7 | 7 | 7 |
24 |
Roster
| 1994 Colorado Buffaloes football team roster
|
| Players
|
Coaches
|
| Offense
|
Defense
|
Special teams
| Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
| K
|
17
|
Neil Voskeritchian
|
Jr
|
| P
|
21
|
Ron Mayer
|
Sr
|
|
- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
 Injured Redshirt
Roster
|
Awards and honors
Players drafted in the 1995 NFL draft
[13]
References
- ^ "1994 Colorado Buffaloes Schedule and Results". College Football @ Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ "1994 Football Schedule". University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ "Colorado Football 2024 Record Book" (PDF). University of Colorado Boulder. p. 64. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ Ocala Star-Banner. 1994 Sep 04. Retrieved 2018-Nov-17.
- ^ "On the Wing of a Prayer, Colorado Shocks Michigan". The New York Times. September 25, 1994. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- ^ "COLORADO STUNS MICHIGAN: MIAMI'S STREAK ENDS". The Washington Post. September 25, 1994. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- ^ "Colorado Rides on Stewart's Rocket". Los Angeles Times. September 25, 1994. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- ^ "'I Just Heaved It'". Sports Illustrated. October 3, 1994. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "Joy and pain: The Miracle at Michigan". ESPN. September 23, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- ^ "Who Has Rushed for over 2,000 Yards in a Season?". Archived from the original on December 1, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
- ^ "Heisman.com - Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on September 16, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
- ^ "Football". Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
- ^ "1995 NFL draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.
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National championship seasons in bold |