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Even Ugly Wins Count
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The statistics tell the story:
— Four turnovers;
— A total of 12 penalties – including eight personal fouls – for a total of 128 yards;
— Four trips to the red zone by the offense, with only one touchdown to show for the effort.
In year’s past … Hell, last year … this would have been the post-mortem of yet another close loss. The Buffs, at times in the very recent past, played well enough to win Pac-12 games, but turnovers, missed opportunities, and self-inflicted wounds kept the team from posting “W’s”.
Against UCLA, however, the team found a way to win, coming away with a 20-10 victory before a Thursday night Blackout crowd of 43,761.
The Buffs did, in large part, thanks to a defense which is setting new records every weekend. The UCLA offense, coming off of a 45-point effort against Utah, was stymied the entire evening. The Bruins were held to 210 yards of total offense, with a total of 25 yards in 30 carries … an absurd 0.8 yards per carry average. UCLA was held to 14 first downs in the game – with four of those coming by way of penalty.
How good is the Colorado defense? The Bruins became the fourth opponent to post less than 250 yards of total offense against the Buffs in the first nine games of the 2016 season. The last time Colorado had a defense to hold four opponents under 250 yards in an entire year? Back in 1998.
There are plenty of reasons for concern, of course …
— Penalties —
Colorado came into the game with the lowest penalty/game average in the Pac-12, at 40.8 yards per game. Against UCLA, the Buffs had 50 yards in penalties … in the first quarter. The 12 penalties for 128 yards was a ridiculous number, especially when most of the penalties were for personal fouls. “We can’t have penalties”, said running back Phillip Lindsay. “That was a sloppy showing of Colorado football. That’s not who we are so we need to go back and get it changed”.
By the same token, UCLA was having its share of issues with the officials. Coming into the game, Colorado opponents were averaging only 42.8 yards per game, also a conference low. And yet the Bruins were flagged 13 times for 96 yards. The Buff offense picked up six of its 24 first down by way of yellow flags, so the sloppy play cut both ways.
— Sefo Liufau —
Much will be written and said about the Buffs’ starting quarterback between now and the Arizona game. Against Stanford, Liufau was 12-for-25 passing for 135 yards and five sacks. Against UCLA, Liufau was 19-for-30 for 143 yards, two interceptions, a fumble, and four sacks. The Buff passing game failed to produce a single “explosion” play (a pass going for over 20 yards) in either game.
Does that mean it’s time to put Steven Montez back in as the starting quarterback? I’m going with “no”. While Liufau has struggled with some of his passes, you have to also attribute some of the problems to the offensive line – nine sacks allowed in the past two games – and to the quality of the defenses the Buffs have faced.
Then there is the intangible factor … leadership. When the Bruins were getting chippy, it was Liufau who was more than willing to take them on. Liufau had 58 yards rushing against UCLA, and many of those were hard-fought yards after contact.
“He’s a warrior,” said Steven Montez. “That’s exactly how I describe him. He takes a shot, gets up, and just brushes it off. I know he’s hurting ‐ and he doesn’t let anybody see it. He’s just a warrior”.
And yet Liufau has no issue shouldering the blame for the recent failures of the Buff offense. “Like I keep saying, it starts with me”, said Liufau. “I will take all the blame, all the fire. It’s not the coaches’ fault. It’s not the O‐Lines fault. It’s my fault.”
Words you’d expect from CU’s first time three-year captain since the 1890’s.
— Red zone offense —
This is a real issue.
Against Stanford, the Buffs had two opportunities inside the Cardinal 20-yard line, and came away with no touchdowns and one field goal.
Against UCLA, the Buffs had four opportunities inside the Bruin 20-yard line, and came away with one touchdown and two field goals.
Six chances in the past two games … and one touchdown.
“We can sit here and give excuses all day, but we just didn’t handle business,” said Phillip Lindsay. “We just didn’t go out there and play Colorado football … We’re not executing, period. I had that fumble, that’s a missed touchdown. We have to go back and correct those things and that comes from discipline.”
There will be much hand-wringing over the failures of the Buff offense the past two games. And yet, we’re still talking about a road win over Stanford and a home victory over UCLA.
If red zone offensive production is all the Buff Nation has to worry about, it’s been a pretty good season.
Which leads us to …
— National respect —
During the bye week, the national media was forced to deal with the reality that the University of Colorado was in first place in the Pac-12 South division. What had been a “feel good” story was now turning into a legitimate opportunity for the Buffs to play for the Pac-12 title.
Pundits (here’s looking at you, Jerry Palm at CBS Sports) who had earlier failed to list Colorado in their bowl projections, were now penciling the Buffs in as a possible Rose Bowl participant.
Rose Bowl?
Are you freakin’ kidding me?
Many of us, two months ago, were trying to figure out a way for the Buffs to get to six wins and a bowl berth … and now we’re talking about the Rose Bowl?
Think about it. In August, Colorado was facing a schedule which included four road games against teams which were ranked in the preseason top 25 poll – Michigan (No. 7), Oregon (No. 24,), USC (No. 20) and Stanford (No. 8). Considering that the Buffs hadn’t beaten a ranked team on the road since 2002, those were four assumed losses. Throw in a game against No. 16 UCLA, and home games against two teams just outside the polls (Utah and Washington State) and it appeared that the Buffs were facing an uphill climb to a bowl berth.
Now, two months later, the Buffs have road wins against Oregon and Stanford in their pockets, along with a home win against UCLA. The Buffs, with five Pac-12 wins in their first five seasons in the Pac-12 (5-40) have already posted five Pac-12 wins in 2016.
This is a team which had gone winless in Pac-12 play against Oregon, Arizona State, Stanford and UCLA, and now owns wins over all of them (the only two conference rivals left for the Buffs to conquer … USC and Washington).
The grand plan for Thursday night was for the Buffs, freshly-minted as the No. 15 team in the nation in the first College Football Playoff rankings, to take out the Bruins in dominant fashion. After weeks of playing in obscurity on the Pac-12 Networks, Colorado would have a national audience (albeit on FS1) to show that they were truly a player, not only in the Pac-12 South race, but in the race for the Rose Bowl, and, dare we say it, the College Football Playoffs?
After all, didn’t Ohio State rise from a similar position in the initial playoff rankings in 2014 to the national title? Didn’t the 2001 Buff team go into its game against Nebraska as the No. 14 team in the country, only to take out the Cornhuskers and Texas Longhorns in successive weeks to come within a decimal point of qualifying for the national championship game? Didn’t the 2016 Buffs, with successive games against ranked opponents in Washington State, Utah, and Washington, have the same chance to make runs as Ohio State in 2014 and Colorado in 2001?
Sure.
But then the Buffs, on national television, posted 304 total yards and 20 points against a 3-5 UCLA team, committing 12 penalties along the way.
Not exactly showcase stuff. Depending on how the other teams ranked around Colorado perform this weekend, the Buffs could actually drop in the rankings when they are released next week.
But … you know what?
Who cares?
I like the idea that the Buffs have secured a winning season with their seventh win … and are pissed about it.
I like the idea that the Buffs will travel to Tucson to take on a struggling Arizona team next weekend … with something to prove.
Good teams are like that. They find a way to win … and still have room to grow.
“We worry about ourselves ‐ Colorado football”, said offensive lineman Tim Lynott. “That’s the only thing that’s stopping us. That’s the only thing that’s ever going to stop us. Tonight, we stopped ourselves. We still got the win. It was a sloppy win. Once we play loose, we are the team that we’ve been the past seven weeks.”
What was the quote from Florida head coach Jim McElwain a few weeks ago, after a 13-6 win over Vanderbilt?
“A wise man once said, ‘you even have to bring your ugly babies home from the hospital,’ and that was ugly,”
It was an ugly 20-10 win for Colorado over UCLA.
But it also clinched the first winning season in 11 years.
Let’s take it home and cherish it …
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...
Even Ugly Wins Count
—
The statistics tell the story:
— Four turnovers;
— A total of 12 penalties – including eight personal fouls – for a total of 128 yards;
— Four trips to the red zone by the offense, with only one touchdown to show for the effort.
In year’s past … Hell, last year … this would have been the post-mortem of yet another close loss. The Buffs, at times in the very recent past, played well enough to win Pac-12 games, but turnovers, missed opportunities, and self-inflicted wounds kept the team from posting “W’s”.
Against UCLA, however, the team found a way to win, coming away with a 20-10 victory before a Thursday night Blackout crowd of 43,761.
The Buffs did, in large part, thanks to a defense which is setting new records every weekend. The UCLA offense, coming off of a 45-point effort against Utah, was stymied the entire evening. The Bruins were held to 210 yards of total offense, with a total of 25 yards in 30 carries … an absurd 0.8 yards per carry average. UCLA was held to 14 first downs in the game – with four of those coming by way of penalty.
How good is the Colorado defense? The Bruins became the fourth opponent to post less than 250 yards of total offense against the Buffs in the first nine games of the 2016 season. The last time Colorado had a defense to hold four opponents under 250 yards in an entire year? Back in 1998.
There are plenty of reasons for concern, of course …
— Penalties —
Colorado came into the game with the lowest penalty/game average in the Pac-12, at 40.8 yards per game. Against UCLA, the Buffs had 50 yards in penalties … in the first quarter. The 12 penalties for 128 yards was a ridiculous number, especially when most of the penalties were for personal fouls. “We can’t have penalties”, said running back Phillip Lindsay. “That was a sloppy showing of Colorado football. That’s not who we are so we need to go back and get it changed”.
By the same token, UCLA was having its share of issues with the officials. Coming into the game, Colorado opponents were averaging only 42.8 yards per game, also a conference low. And yet the Bruins were flagged 13 times for 96 yards. The Buff offense picked up six of its 24 first down by way of yellow flags, so the sloppy play cut both ways.
— Sefo Liufau —
Much will be written and said about the Buffs’ starting quarterback between now and the Arizona game. Against Stanford, Liufau was 12-for-25 passing for 135 yards and five sacks. Against UCLA, Liufau was 19-for-30 for 143 yards, two interceptions, a fumble, and four sacks. The Buff passing game failed to produce a single “explosion” play (a pass going for over 20 yards) in either game.
Does that mean it’s time to put Steven Montez back in as the starting quarterback? I’m going with “no”. While Liufau has struggled with some of his passes, you have to also attribute some of the problems to the offensive line – nine sacks allowed in the past two games – and to the quality of the defenses the Buffs have faced.
Then there is the intangible factor … leadership. When the Bruins were getting chippy, it was Liufau who was more than willing to take them on. Liufau had 58 yards rushing against UCLA, and many of those were hard-fought yards after contact.
“He’s a warrior,” said Steven Montez. “That’s exactly how I describe him. He takes a shot, gets up, and just brushes it off. I know he’s hurting ‐ and he doesn’t let anybody see it. He’s just a warrior”.
And yet Liufau has no issue shouldering the blame for the recent failures of the Buff offense. “Like I keep saying, it starts with me”, said Liufau. “I will take all the blame, all the fire. It’s not the coaches’ fault. It’s not the O‐Lines fault. It’s my fault.”
Words you’d expect from CU’s first time three-year captain since the 1890’s.
— Red zone offense —
This is a real issue.
Against Stanford, the Buffs had two opportunities inside the Cardinal 20-yard line, and came away with no touchdowns and one field goal.
Against UCLA, the Buffs had four opportunities inside the Bruin 20-yard line, and came away with one touchdown and two field goals.
Six chances in the past two games … and one touchdown.
“We can sit here and give excuses all day, but we just didn’t handle business,” said Phillip Lindsay. “We just didn’t go out there and play Colorado football … We’re not executing, period. I had that fumble, that’s a missed touchdown. We have to go back and correct those things and that comes from discipline.”
There will be much hand-wringing over the failures of the Buff offense the past two games. And yet, we’re still talking about a road win over Stanford and a home victory over UCLA.
If red zone offensive production is all the Buff Nation has to worry about, it’s been a pretty good season.
Which leads us to …
— National respect —
During the bye week, the national media was forced to deal with the reality that the University of Colorado was in first place in the Pac-12 South division. What had been a “feel good” story was now turning into a legitimate opportunity for the Buffs to play for the Pac-12 title.
Pundits (here’s looking at you, Jerry Palm at CBS Sports) who had earlier failed to list Colorado in their bowl projections, were now penciling the Buffs in as a possible Rose Bowl participant.
Rose Bowl?
Are you freakin’ kidding me?
Many of us, two months ago, were trying to figure out a way for the Buffs to get to six wins and a bowl berth … and now we’re talking about the Rose Bowl?
Think about it. In August, Colorado was facing a schedule which included four road games against teams which were ranked in the preseason top 25 poll – Michigan (No. 7), Oregon (No. 24,), USC (No. 20) and Stanford (No. 8). Considering that the Buffs hadn’t beaten a ranked team on the road since 2002, those were four assumed losses. Throw in a game against No. 16 UCLA, and home games against two teams just outside the polls (Utah and Washington State) and it appeared that the Buffs were facing an uphill climb to a bowl berth.
Now, two months later, the Buffs have road wins against Oregon and Stanford in their pockets, along with a home win against UCLA. The Buffs, with five Pac-12 wins in their first five seasons in the Pac-12 (5-40) have already posted five Pac-12 wins in 2016.
This is a team which had gone winless in Pac-12 play against Oregon, Arizona State, Stanford and UCLA, and now owns wins over all of them (the only two conference rivals left for the Buffs to conquer … USC and Washington).
The grand plan for Thursday night was for the Buffs, freshly-minted as the No. 15 team in the nation in the first College Football Playoff rankings, to take out the Bruins in dominant fashion. After weeks of playing in obscurity on the Pac-12 Networks, Colorado would have a national audience (albeit on FS1) to show that they were truly a player, not only in the Pac-12 South race, but in the race for the Rose Bowl, and, dare we say it, the College Football Playoffs?
After all, didn’t Ohio State rise from a similar position in the initial playoff rankings in 2014 to the national title? Didn’t the 2001 Buff team go into its game against Nebraska as the No. 14 team in the country, only to take out the Cornhuskers and Texas Longhorns in successive weeks to come within a decimal point of qualifying for the national championship game? Didn’t the 2016 Buffs, with successive games against ranked opponents in Washington State, Utah, and Washington, have the same chance to make runs as Ohio State in 2014 and Colorado in 2001?
Sure.
But then the Buffs, on national television, posted 304 total yards and 20 points against a 3-5 UCLA team, committing 12 penalties along the way.
Not exactly showcase stuff. Depending on how the other teams ranked around Colorado perform this weekend, the Buffs could actually drop in the rankings when they are released next week.
But … you know what?
Who cares?
I like the idea that the Buffs have secured a winning season with their seventh win … and are pissed about it.
I like the idea that the Buffs will travel to Tucson to take on a struggling Arizona team next weekend … with something to prove.
Good teams are like that. They find a way to win … and still have room to grow.
“We worry about ourselves ‐ Colorado football”, said offensive lineman Tim Lynott. “That’s the only thing that’s stopping us. That’s the only thing that’s ever going to stop us. Tonight, we stopped ourselves. We still got the win. It was a sloppy win. Once we play loose, we are the team that we’ve been the past seven weeks.”
What was the quote from Florida head coach Jim McElwain a few weeks ago, after a 13-6 win over Vanderbilt?
“A wise man once said, ‘you even have to bring your ugly babies home from the hospital,’ and that was ugly,”
It was an ugly 20-10 win for Colorado over UCLA.
But it also clinched the first winning season in 11 years.
Let’s take it home and cherish it …
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...