What's new
AllBuffs | Unofficial fan site for the University of Colorado at Boulder Athletics programs

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Prime Time. Prime Time. Its a new era for Colorado football. Consider signing up for a club membership! For $20/year, you can get access to all the special features at Allbuffs, including club member only forums, dark mode, avatars and best of all no ads ! But seriously, please sign up so that we can pay the bills. No one earns money here, and we can use your $20 to keep this hellhole running. You can sign up for a club membership by navigating to your account in the upper right and clicking on "Account Upgrades". Make it happen!

Looking ahead to 2015

Buffnik

Real name isn't Nik
Club Member
Junta Member
Since we've got a bye week, this isn't a bad time to speculate on stuff a little bit.

Special teams will need to replace both our Punter and Kicker. That will lead to a lot of question marks heading into next season. As we've seen, even Alabama has its hopes killed when there are issues in the kicking game. Recruit Alex Kinney (Rocky Mountain HS in FoCo) is having a senior year that gives some confidence in what he can bring to the 2015 team. Through 6 games, Kinney has gotten touchbacks on 32 of 33 kickoffs, 19/19 on XPs, 7/9 on FGs (including a 57 yarder), and punting stats that suffer from the 2nd game when he had 6 for a 28 yard average but for the year he's at 38.9 including a 47.7 average this week on 3 punts against Fairview.

Defense:

We lose Henderson at CB, Parker at DT and Greer at OLB. Besides that, it's mostly a loss of depth guys led by Daigh and including TSmith and KT who are doing most of their work on special teams. Frankly, that's about as little as we'll ever see a defense lose to graduation and it's less than what was expected since it now looks like we'll have Bell in 2015 due to a medical hardship waiver gaining a 6th year. This is a unit that is poised to make huge strides in 2015 based on the experience that players are gaining in 2014. Where the recruiting class could make a big impact is with LB depth. Watanabe showing up in January recovered from the foot fracture and in shape would be a big deal. Closing on some targets like Bartlett would also be huge.

Offense:

We've got some significant losses to our OL and WRs, as we'll lose Munyer, Crabb, McCulloch and Goodson. TJ has also been a significant contributor at RB this season and Slavin has made a few plays at a very thin TE position. Returning, we'll have both of our starting OTs and our starting C. I think most people expect Callahan and Huckins to move into the starting OG spots and be at least as good as what we have in 2014. OL should be better, especially with its third year in this offensive system. WR projection is very much keyed to whether Spruce is back for his senior year or if the NFL comes calling. From the quick slot, DLee should take over for DD without problem as he's already getting his run plays and seems at least as capable catching the ball. From the big slot, McCulloch is playing both the 4 WR role and the split TE role. Irwin should continue to improve as a traditional TE and only get better as a blocker and receiver. Bobo should be able to replace the production when it's 4 wide. The hope is that Keeney comes off his redshirt year ready to replace the production when it's a split TE. He'll be a guy I'll be watching closely in the Spring Game. At RB, Adkins' performance the rest of this season will go a long way to telling us whether we've got a front-line guy at RB or whether it's an inconsistent committee that leaves us hoping Gordon can come in as a true frosh and be special. Finally, at the all-important QB position the Buffs will have a 2-year starter returning for his junior season backed up by 3 players who were recruited for this system.

Bottom line: Buffs won't be young in 2015 and they won't lack for experience at any position. This will be a junior and senior dominated 2-deep on both sides of the ball. With CSU and 7 of our 9 Pac-12 opponents replacing QBs and the other 3 games being against Hawaii, UMass & Nicholls State, 2015 sets up as a breakout year for the Buffs.
 
I am excited about 2015. Depth wise I think we will have the best depth in years.


CB- Crawley, Whitherspoon, Wright, Walker will be okay even though we lose Henderson.
OL- Hopefully Callahan and Wiefels or Huckins can step in.
DL- Hopefully Leo Jackson is elligible and Robbins makes an impact. Solis and Topou and Lopez will be okay.

I am a goal oriented person.

Things to work on.

1. Get stronger mentally and physically. It will be unacceptable if Gillam doesn't add atleast 15 pounds before the start of 2015. The extra weight will help his durability. I want to see everyone get stronger.
2. Continue the work on learning the playbook. Bobo looked like he didn't understand where to lineup against Cal and Arizona State.
3. Get better defending the run, and get better running the football. I want to see a tough football team.
 
Last edited:
Remember the years when we looked at the spring depth chart that rested in the limbo between graduation and the new freshmen arriving on campus and were absolutely horrified? We're in a spot where we are still playing guys younger than desirable but won't have to rely on so many true freshmen to start. That is a wonderful thing. I would expect the end of spring 2015 2-deep to look very similar to the team we have this year because most of our 2014 backups at WR, RB, all across the DL, and DB are currently getting playing time. Biggest weaknesses to depth in the spring will be OL and LB. Need some immediate Juco help there if possible.
 
agreed, things do look positive for the Buffs in 2015. Should go bowling, need some blue chip recruits that some success could bring in, and this program could get rolling. Facilities will be much improved too.
 
I just don't see Kinney handling both kicks and punts. I think it's pretty rare that a guy is successful at both. Sounds to me like kicking is his best skill, so, assuming he kicks, who punts? Get ready for the rugby punt.

Must, must, MUST start 4-0!

is the rule to go bowling, we must win 7 because of the 13 game schedule?
 
Last edited:
5 away Pac games is unfortunate. Along with the home games vs Pac powers
 
I think we also lose Spruce, but we have depth and talent at WR. We have some 2015 freshmen who will be able to make an impact. I see 2015 as a 7 win season and a bowl game.
 
Pac schedule does us no favors. We simply have to beat CSU and win at Hawaii to have any hope of reaching a bowl.
 
I cannot see Spruce going pro after this season. But, hey, I'm no expert.
 
If all goes well, we add Samson Kafolau back on defense for his RJr year and RSoph Devin Ross on offense for 2015.
 
Some great posts here. Thanks Nik. Our cupboard is not bare for 2015. I am really enjoying watching this team grow, and very much excited about 2015! Let's become a spoiler in a couple of games this year before more artillery arrives next year. Oh yes, and beat the fri k out of the lambs next year. I want that one for starters.
 
I think we also lose Spruce, but we have depth and talent at WR. We have some 2015 freshmen who will be able to make an impact. I see 2015 as a 7 win season and a bowl game.

a day like yesterday may turn off some NFL scouts on Spruce ...
 
Yesterday wasn't his best day. OSU did a good job of covering him but in the process left some other things open, part of why McColloch had a big day.

With that though Spruce was not creating the kind of space he normally does. He also had trouble holding on to some balls that he normally catches.

The good news is that we saw some other guys step up. Bobo, Lee, Fields all had strong moments. I especially liked Lee fighting to make the first down in a mass of traffic, showed a lot of what it takes to win
 
I think that we are less likely to lose guys to the NFL this year for the big reason that guys can look forward finally to coming back to a team that has a chance to be good.

If I were a player with a chance to get paid I wouldn't have been to excited to come back in the past few years. the entire attitude of the team was losing and expectations were for losing, not a lot of fun.

I think that this team, based on what we have seen this year, believes that they are on the verge of something good happening. Lot easier to come back if you expect it to be fun and winning is fun.
 
I think the rosy outlook on the defensive front seven is a bit over the top. Experience only goes so far.
 
I think the rosy outlook on the defensive front seven is a bit over the top. Experience only goes so far.

We absolutely have to find some answers at OLB because we don't have it now.

DE is getting better but is still impressively bad.

I think we will be much better at DE next year but that still doesn't mean we will be good, just less bad.
 
I think that we are less likely to lose guys to the NFL this year for the big reason that guys can look forward finally to coming back to a team that has a chance to be good.

If I were a player with a chance to get paid I wouldn't have been to excited to come back in the past few years. the entire attitude of the team was losing and expectations were for losing, not a lot of fun.

I think that this team, based on what we have seen this year, believes that they are on the verge of something good happening. Lot easier to come back if you expect it to be fun and winning is fun.

No offense, but that's crazy talk. Foregoing millions of dollars and living out a dream because we might have a good shot at a bowl game next year?? That is insane.
 
I think the rosy outlook on the defensive front seven is a bit over the top. Experience only goes so far.

I'm not sure it's "rosy". I question how high the ceiling is. But I have no doubt that we'll have a bigger, stronger and smarter DL next year. Plenty of depth, too. They'll compete.
 
I'm not sure it's "rosy". I question how high the ceiling is. But I have no doubt that we'll have a bigger, stronger and smarter DL next year. Plenty of depth, too. They'll compete.

I think we'll have a solid DL, but still questionable depth. LB is a big WTF right now as I see it.
 
No offense, but that's crazy talk. Foregoing millions of dollars and living out a dream because we might have a good shot at a bowl game next year?? That is insane.

It's always hard to turn down the money but these things are never that simple. Players have to ask themselves things like do they have a better chance of making the league if they stick around another year, when will they make more money, can they improve their measurables by sticking around, etc.

At the same time what they think of the next season's team does matter. We are talking about life changing decisions. If a kid is balancing the advantages of one year against another it can make a huge difference what they think the year will be like staying.
 
On offense, Keeney could be the X Factor. Like how it's shaping up there.

Special teams hopefully has a new coach who makes an immediate impact.
 
IF this team cannot win a single PAC 12 game this year, CU needs to part ways with MacIntyre ASAP at the end of this year. With 1-17 in the PAC 12 in two years, poor recruiting, very bad and declining attendance and a staff full of WAC level coaches, there is no point in continuing this charade if he cannot win a single game in the conference in his second year. One the JE recruits are largely gone, in 2016, I am very worried about this team really dropping off again, if MacIntyre is still the coach, which I doubt will be the case.

IMO, he is likely gone either the end of this year or next. Much more likely next. But, why wait, given the very substandard recruiting? I trust Rick George to hire a real BCS-level coach this time around.
 
Back
Top