The home opener for the Colorado Buffaloes football team last fall should have been a glorious occasion.
And, in many ways, it was. Under a bright sky and a perfectly picturesque Boulder setting, the Buffs put together what arguably turned out to be their most complete performance of the 2015 campaign, amassing their best single-game rushing performance in 13 years (390 yards) while dominating the second half in a 48-14 thrashing of UMass.
It was, however, a costly victory.
Middle linebacker Addison Gillam and left tackle Jeromy Irwin both limped off the field that day with knee injuries that kept them sidelined the remainder of the season.