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No fifth down needed: No. 9 Colorado edges Missouri

 
Published Oct. 9, 1992|Updated Oct. 12, 2005

Pat Blottiaux kicked two field goals Thursday night as No.

9 Colorado overcame a cold drizzle and stubborn Missouri 6-0 in the Big Eight Conference opener for both.

Colorado (5-0) extended its unbeaten streak to 23 games against Big Eight teams and also made it 12 consecutive victories on the road against conference opponents.

Missouri (1-4), which has lost nine of its past 10, was held to 187 yards.

The first-ever night game at Missouri was played in a steady rain and gusting winds and the temperature was 46 degrees. The Buffs committed four turnovers and were far off their season average of 36 points.

It was the Buffaloes' first game at Missouri since the infamous fifth-down game of 1990.

Gators' Houston may

miss rest of year

GAINESVILLE _ Florida coach Steve Spurrier said junior Harrison Houston, the team's leading receiver, may sit out the rest of the season with an injured ankle.

"He twisted his ankle a little bit during the Mississippi State game (Oct. 1)," Spurrier said. "We'll see how it is Saturday."

Spurrier said the Gators likely will know Saturday against LSU whether Houston will be able to return this season. If he can't, UF may apply for a medical redshirt.

Meanwhile, starting guard Jim Watson missed practice with a strained hamstring, but Spurrier said he likely will play Saturday. Watson, a junior from Gulf High in New Port Richey, was injured during Tuesday's practice and missed practice Wednesday. If Watson is unable to play, sophomore Craig Carey will start in his place.

UF announced that freshman linebacker James Bates, who has a bad back, will be redshirted.

Baker, Shiver will see

equal time at center

TALLAHASSEE _ Although FSU coach Bobby Bowden said senior center Robbie Baker will start Saturday against North Carolina, redshirt freshman Clay Shiver will continue to get on the field.

"We'll play them both equally," Bowden said. "In fact, Shiver could end up playing more because of Baker's conditioning."

Baker had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Sept. 18.

Linebacker Marvin Jones returned to practice after sitting out two days with a knee contusion. Safety John Davis returned after sitting out Wednesday with a neck sprain. Both should play Saturday.

Elsewhere

Illinois: Senior quarterback Jason Verduzco has lost his starting job to senior Jeff Kinney for Saturday's game with Ohio State. Verduzco had started every game since the start of the '90 season.

Tennessee: Jack Sells, fired in the summer of 1991 from his job as an assistant, has sued T.J. Kinkos Inc. for $3-million. Sells claims Kinkos invaded his privacy, damaged his reputation and destroyed his career. He said that happened because a Kinkos employee interrupted Sells from faxing copies of Tennessee plays to a Florida assistant before last year's Tennessee-Florida game. The lawsuit said the employee also told the UT athletic department about the faxes. The Southeastern Conference cleared Sells and UF of any wrongdoing.

_ Correspondents Keith Niebuhr and Jim Vertuno contributed to this report.