No. 8 Colorado Has 649 Yards in Rout of Northeast Louisiana

BOULDER, Colo. — Imagine the production Colorado will have when Michael Westbrook returns.

Playing without its talented receiver, serving a one-game suspension for a campus altercation, Colorado generated 649 yards--the fifth-highest total in school history--in crushing Northeast Louisiana, 48-13, on Saturday.

Colorado’s per-play average of 9.41 yards was a school record.

Rashaan Salaam ran for 184 yards and three touchdowns and Kordell Stewart also accounted for three touchdowns, running for two and passing for another, as the No. 8 Buffaloes spoiled Northeast Louisiana’s jump to Division I-A.

“Offensively, I thought we were sharp, other than the early fumbles,” Colorado Coach Bill McCartney said. “We were in control, and we mixed the run and pass well.”

Stewart, who completed 15 of 19 passes for 207 yards, said Westbrook “wasn’t in there, but we can’t lose a beat just because one guy’s out.”

Stewart said felt he made progress in reading pass coverage.

“It’s just a matter of me hitting the passes,” he said. “If they took something away from me, something else was getting open.”