Huskies are just too much for the Buffaloes

(Boulder, Co.) - Keith Price threw a career-best five touchdown passes and Washington overcame a slow start to whip hapless Colorado 38-3 on Saturday for the Huskies' fourth straight win.

Bishop Sankey atoned for a first-half fumble at the 1 by running through Colorado's defense for 139 yards and collecting 48 more on four receptions as the Huskies (7-4, 5-3 Pac-10) won consecutive road games for just the second time in the last decade.

The Huskies can secure their first eight-win season since 2001 with a win at Washington State next week.

After committing five costly turnovers in this one, the Buffaloes (1-10, 1-7) will have to beat Utah on Friday to avoid the worst record in school history and their first winless season at home since 1920.

Price completed 22 of 29 passes for 248 yards with no interceptions.

The Buffaloes held an opponent scoreless in the first quarter for the first time this season but still trailed 7-0 at halftime after running their own scoreless streak at Folsom Field to eight quarters.

Two big blunders by the Buffs led to 14 quick points and ended hopes of an upset in a stadium that was mostly empty with the campus on Thanksgiving break and the program in a downward spiral under second-year coach Jon Embree.

A punt hit Colorado's Nelson Spruce, and Will Shamburger recovered for Washington at the Colorado 35 after a save by teammate Kevin Smith as the ball was bouncing out of bounds. Three plays later, Price found Kasen Williams in the end zone for a 17-yard TD.

Huskies tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, playing defensive end on third downs with Washington's defensive line riddled with injuries, then recovered a fumble after Josh Shirley's sack-strip of Colorado's Jordan Webb. Fifteen seconds later, Price hit Kendyl Taylor for a 23-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead.

Marques Mosley returned the ensuing kickoff 59 yards, setting up Will Oliver's 37-yard field goal that snapped the Buffs' home scoring drought, which had dated to the first half of a game against Arizona State on Oct. 11. They were subsequently shut out 48-0 by Stanford.

The Huskies responded with a 17-point blitz that included TD passes from Price of 3 yards to Seferian-Jenkins and 18 yards to Jaydon Mickens.

Sophomore Connor Wood got his first start for the Buffs but was replaced by Webb, who started the first nine games, after throwing two interceptions in five drives that netted 50 yards.

Things didn't get much better - Webb ran a quarterback sneak on first down in an apparent mis-communication from the sideline.

The Huskies caught the first big break of the game when Marcus Peters pressured Wood into a poor pass that Shaq Thompson intercepted at midfield. After reaching the Colorado 13, however, the drive stalled and on fourth-and-10, Travis Coons banged the ball off the left upright.

He later was good from 25 yards out.

Later, Buffs linebacker Doug Rippy stripped Sankey at the 1 and Jon Major recovered for Colorado.

Wood quickly followed with his second interception, this one picked off by safety Sean Parker. Price found Cody Bruns with a 3-yard TD toss with 1:02 left in the first half for a 7-0 halftime lead.