Nelson Spruce and Greg Henderson aboveboard off in convenance during the anniversary and allotment the spotlight on Saturday.
Spruce bent a academy almanac 13 passes for a career-best 172 yards and Henderson led a alive aegis that kept Hawaii out of the end area in Colorado's 21-12 win Saturday over the belligerent Rainbow Warriors.
Henderson, a chief cornerback and four-year starter, joked that Spruce, whose big day included a 71-yard TD catch, can't get accessible adjoin him during the week.
"Maybe already in a while I let him get accessible to advice his confidence," Henderson said.
"He said that?" Spruce said with a chuckle. "I've consistently said I anticipate 'Hendo' is one of the best corners in the Pac-12. Activity adjoin him day afterwards day I anticipate that affectionate of sharpens both of us. We get afterwards it in practice.
"I can't accept he said that, I'll accept to get afterwards him in convenance this week."
So, who absolutely gets the bigger of the other?
"I'd say it's about 50-50," Colorado drillmaster Mike MacIntyre. "They absolutely attempt well."
It paid off Saturday for both of them.
Behind the accent and tone-setting Henderson, the Buffs (2-2) didn't acquiesce a touchdown for the aboriginal time in 51 games, activity aback to a 24-3 win over Colorado State in the 2010 opener.
They captivated the Rainbow Warriors (1-3) to acreage goals on four trips central the 20-yard line.
"I accede that 100 percent stops in today's football, I absolutely do," MacIntyre said.
Hawaii's drives adjourned on Colorado's 16, 1, 20 and 5.
"It was actual frustrating," said Hawaii active aback Steven Lakalaka, who rumbled 123 yards on 19 carries. "We've got to accomplishment in the red zone. That's all that matters. In the red zone, we accept to score."
Spruce's 13 catches bankrupt the mark of 11 able nine times, including four times by Paul Richardson. Spruce additionally set a academy almanac by communicable a TD canyon in his sixth beeline game, breaking the mark of bristles set by Rae Carruth in 1996.
"I attending advanced to him breaking every almanac there anytime was at Colorado over the abutting two years," MacIntyre said.
Spruce's day didn't alpha off well, however. He was the advised ambition aback Sefo Liufau threw into amateur advantage on the game's aboriginal breeze and Ne'Quan Phillips best off the abysmal pass.
The Rainbow Warriors accomplished the Colorado 21 but Henderson, a chief cornerback, got the trifecta: a sack, band and bollix recovery.
Then, it was Spruce's turn.
He lined up on the larboard ancillary the abutting time he went abysmal and hauled in a 71-yard touchdown canyon aback arresting aback Dee Maggitt confused to the accommodation at the 30 afterwards flailing at the throw. That fabricated it 7-3.
The Buffs took a 21-6 advance into the locker room, but the aegis had to accomplish it angle up as Colorado's breach sputtered admitting eight added catches for 74 yards by Spruce in the additional half.
Colorado's seven second-half drives concluded in six punts and an interception afore the Buffs lined up in achievement formation.
"Our aegis played lights out in the additional half," Spruce said. "We got the win. Obviously, the win's the important thing. But we would accept admired to accomplishment out the bold able offensively."
Hawaii switched quarterbacks at halftime with chief lefty Jeremy Higgins replacing an abortive Ikaika Woolsey, but Higgins went to the locker allowance backward in the fourth division with an ice blanket on his larboard hand. Chief Taylor Graham came in and threw the game-sealing interception to Tedric Thompson at midfield.
Together, Hawaii's QBs were 17 for 46 for 155 yards, admitting Liufau accomplished 29 of 45 for 287 yards.
"I anticipate we've had three moral wins already, which we're annoyed of," Hawaii linebacker Julian Gener said of abutting calls adjoin two added Pac-12 schools, Washington and Oregon State. "We charge wins in the win category."