Playing its first game as an unranked team since 2009, Oregon shrugged off a shaky start and pulled away in the second half.

Running back Royce Freeman rushed 27 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday night as the Ducks posted a weather-delayed 41-24 Pac-12 Conference win over Colorado at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo.

Freeman's 3-yard run with 10:03 left in the third quarter snapped a 17-17 tie as Oregon (3-2, 1-1) bounced back from a stunning 62-20 home loss to Utah last week. Running back Taj Griffin, who added 110 yards on 11 rushes, made it 31-17 on a 2-yard run with 2:12 to go in the quarter.

The Buffaloes (3-2, 1-1) drew within 31-24 on a 7-yard scoring run by quarterback Sefo Liufau with 10:29 left in the game, but the Ducks responded with a 43-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Taylor Alie to wide receiver Jalen Brown with 8:43 remaining.

Alie completed 4-of-9 passes for 83 yards, and starter Jeff Lockie was 8-of-11 for 54 yards and an interception. Vernon Adams, who started Oregon's first four games, sat out with a broken finger.

Liufau connected on 25-of-42 passes for 231 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but Colorado had a three-game winning streak snapped.

The game was delayed just over an hour before the opening kickoff because of a thunderstorm.