EUGENE, Ore. -- Steven Montez threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start and Colorado held off Oregon 41-38 on Saturday, the Buffaloes first victory over the Ducks since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.Ahkello Witherspoon intercepted Dakota Prukops pass to Darren Carrington in the end zone on Oregons final drive to preserve the win for Colorado (3-1).The Buffaloes had retaken the lead following a controversial 31-yard touchdown from Montez to Bryce Bobo. After review, the officials ruled Bobo had control of the ball in his right hand when his right foot came down in the end zone -- but the crowd at Autzen Stadium booed in disagreement.The Buffaloes led from the start and went up 33-17 following Montezs 48-yard TD pass to Devin Ross to open the second half.But Kani Benoit scored on a 3-yard touchdown to pull Oregon (2-2) within 33-31. Troy Dyes interception on Colorados subsequent possession led to Prukups 18-yard go-ahead TD pass to Carrington late in the third quarter.The Buffaloes led 21-7 against Michigan last weekend but also fell behind to lose 45-28. Oregon was coming off a 35-32 loss at Nebraska last weekend.Both teams were without key playmakers.Oregon running back Royce Freeman, who left the game against the Huskers after five carries with a leg injury, watched from sidelines although he warmed up in pads with the team. Kani Benoit made his first career start in Freemans place.The Buffaloes didnt have senior quarterback Sefo Liufau, who left the game at the Big House with an ankle injury after throwing for 246 yards and three touchdowns.THE TAKEAWAYColorado: The Buffaloes showed surprising toughness on defense despite missing one of their top defensive players, linebacker Derek McCartney, who tore his right ACL and is out for the season. They also were resilient on offense in the absence of Liufau. Ross finished with seven catches for 153 yards.Afterward Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre had tears in his eyes as he embraced his son, receiver Jay MacIntyre.Oregon: It was anticipated that the Ducks would come out with zeal following the disappointing loss to the Huskers but they sputtered from the start, allowing Colorado to jump out to an early 22-7 lead in the opening half. The Ducks appeared to gain some momentum when Danny Mattingly ran 29 yards on a fake punt and Oregon went on to score on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Prukop to Carrington but still struggled against the Buffaloes.ABOUT THOSE TWO-POINT CONVERSIONS: After Colorado took a 10-0 lead early, Taj Griffin scored on a 1-yard run for Oregon. The Ducks looked as though they were lining up for a two-point conversion, drawing strident boos from the crowd at Autzen. But Aidan Schneider ran out to kick the PAT.Last weekend against Nebraska the Ducks went for the two-point conversion five times, and were successful just once. The tactic was questioned in the aftermath of the loss.UP NEXTColorado: After two straight on the road, the Buffaloes return home to host Oregon State. The Beavers (1-2) hold a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series, but Colorado won the last one, 17-13. Oregon State fell 38-24 at home to Boise State earlier Saturday.Oregon: The Ducks head north for a game against Washington State in Pullman. The Cougars (1-2) have a bye this weekend. While Oregon has a 47-34-6 advantage in the all-time series, Washington State pulled off an 45-38 upset in double overtime last year in Eugene. Custom Anaheim Ducks Jerseys . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Wholesale Custom Hockey Jerseys .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. http://www.customjerseyshockey.com/ . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Clearance Custom Hockey Jerseys . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Custom Hockey Jerseys Store . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. Canada versus Team USA, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)United States: It is painfully simple for Team USA: Win, and its hope of advancing in the World Cup of Hockey lives for another day or two. Lose in any fashion to powerful Canada, and Thursdays preliminary-round game against the Czech Republic will be meaningless, a painful reminder of the failure of this team to come together in any fashion when it mattered most. Derek Stepan of the New York Rangers likened the situation to a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup playoffs.For some of these players the faceoff against their historic rivals to the north may be the last chance internationally to establish a meaningful legacy in the face of a new generation of talented young American players -- several of whom are playing in this tournament for Team North America. Already dogged by skepticism about the makeup of their team, the U.S. players must now confront a Canadian squad that has won the past two Olympic gold medals and is a heavy favorite to win this tournament for a second consecutive time, dating back to 2004. Although the Americans did split two pre-tournament games with Canada, they will have to exponentially ramp up their intensity after a curiously dispassionate 3-0 loss to Team Europe on Saturday, but they must do so without losing their cool, which may be difficult given the stakes.Its a great spot for the Americans to be in, that type of situation, in that type of atmosphere, Team USA head coach John Tortorella insisted. If you cant get motivated to do your best in this type of situation, with the environment thats going to be there Tuesday night, theres something the matter with you. Then weve got the wrong guy. But I dont think weve got the wrong guys.One game into this highly anticipated tournament, the evidence suggests otherwise. But thats the beauty of what awaits this American team: a chance, in the space of 60 minutes on Tuesday night, to rewrite the story of this tournament and maybe their own legacy.?-- Scott BurnsideCanada:?His teams 6-0 opening win over the Czech Republic was pretty darn impressive, but not perfect, said Canada head coach Mike Babcock on Monday. He knows that his players can still pick things up a notch. For sure another level, he said. They had five looks at our net in the first six minutes. Four of them were on specialty teams, and one was on the line change. So weve got to fix that up, for sure. Other than that, I thought we played well; we played with some pace. We didnt have pace early in the exhibition, but were starting to get a little more comfortable.The question is whether Team Canada can manufacture the same kind of desperation level that Team USA will naturally have on Tuesday in a do-or-die situation. The natural rivalry that exists between both teams, on display in two meaningless-yet-feisty pre-tournament games, should ensure Canadas emotional investment. After all, you know that the Canadians would relish that chance to inflict the knockout punch to their rivals, even if they insist thats not their focus.[Were] just playing our game, veteran center Ryan Getzlaf?said.dddddddddddd Were trying to build something here. I think we have to make this whole focus about us and not really buy into the whole do-or-die thing for them. Its a matter of us just going out and playing our game and continuing to get better throughout this tournament.Look for Team Canada to try to create turnovers in the U.S. zone with an aggressive forecheck, as tight, five-man units give Team USAs blueliners little room for transition. Its what worked so well against the Czechs in the opener. There were no lineup changes for Canada at practice on Tuesday, which likely means that?Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux will sit out again. The forward lines and defense pairings were also the same, meaning the U.S. has to brace for that Brad Marchand-Sidney Crosby-Patrice Bergeron unit, which brought the Czechs to their knees in the opener. -- Pierre LeBrunFinland versus Sweden, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN)Finland: North America, the team loaded with talented players 23-and-younger, completely dismantled Finland 4-1 in its first World Cup game on Sunday. Meanwhile, Sweden defeated Russia 2-1. Finland needs to muster a major response against the Swedes on Tuesday. Both teams practiced on Monday, but the Finns worked on every aspect of their game in an attempts to figure out why theyre playing so poorly. The biggest issue for Finland to fix is its compete level. It was not there against the kids on Sunday, and now that its biggest rival is on deck, Finland needs to play a 200-foot game. Defensively, the Finns were brutal in front of their own net, so that was a point of emphasis during practice. Finlands defensive-zone coverage needs to improve, especially against a potent Swedish offense.Sweden: For the Swedes, its much of the same. Their depth was key against Russia. Sweden has the ability to roll all four lines, and its defensive core stifled Russias dangerous attack. Sweden was able to exploit Russias weak defense. In order to have success against Finland, it has to follow the same game plan.Line watch:?This game wont be won by one single line or power-play unit. It will come down to goaltending. Both teams were in a bit of a pickle after Mondays practices because of their respective goaltending situations. Swedens Henrik Lundqvist missed Sundays game with the flu. He participated in the teams full practice and showed no ill effects on Monday. While Lundqvist was optimistic after practice about his chances to play against Finland, it was a bit strange when he reiterated numerous times that it would be a coachs decision. Its possible that this could be Lundqvists final tournament for Swedens national team, so if hes healthy I cant imagine a scenario in which he wouldnt play against Finland. At the other end of the ice, its unclear whether Finland will stick with?Pekka Rinne?or switch and go with Tuukka Rask. During practice, it appeared Rask would be the starter. --?Joe McDonald ' ' '