For Colorado's Jordan Murphy and Colorado State's Zack Golditch, the 87th meeting between the Buffs and Rams this Saturday isn't just another football game -- because after each survived the Aurora movie theater shooting of July 2012, there's no such thing.
The Associated Press reports that though Murphy and Golditch have never met, both were in the theater when James Holmes entered a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" and murdered 12 victims. Golditch was in an adjacent screening and was struck by a stray bullet that came through the theater wall, passing through the side of his neck.
"The surgeon said that had he moved 1/16th of an inch to the right, his carotid artery would've been severed," his father told the AP. "And had he moved 1/16th to the left, something else horrible would've happened. It's just a miracle that he wasn't hurt more than he was."
Murphy was in the the third row of the theater where Holmes opened fire. He escaped by crawling along the floor and making a dash for the exit.
"I wish I could've done something different, wish I could've tried to attack," Murphy said. "But at the time, you don't have a choice. The way he was positioned, there's nothing I could've done.
"That's a hard thing to swallow as a football player."
Murphy is a 22-year-old senior fullback and special teams standout for the Buffs, while Golditch has developed into the Rams' starting left tackle after a redshirt season in 2013 and four appearances in 2014.
"It's crazy that the two of us are playing in the same game after that," Murphy said. "You'll never be at peace with it. I don't have any flashbacks. I'll have an occasional nightmare, but it's very, very rare. I've put it behind me."
