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First World Problems
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Colorado was a 36 1/2-point favorite over Texas State.
The Buffs won the game, 37-3, holding a second consecutive opponent to a field goal, giving the CU defense its best start to a season (in terms of points surrendered) since 1958.
CU didn’t cover the point-spread, but still won the game by 34 points.
And the Buff Nation is wringing its collective hands.
“I still think we’re going to be really good. We’ve shown really good glimpses of it”, said an almost apologetic Mike MacInytre after the game. “We’ll put that together for the whole game and do some really good things. We’ll make some plays; we’ve got some really good players across the board”.
Colorado is 2-0, with Northern Colorado from the Big Sky Conference coming to Boulder to finish off the non-conference campaign. A 3-0 start to the season, the first for the Buffs since 2008, is all but guaranteed.
But the Buffs are not yet living up to expectations … at least offensively.
“I feel like we are in a good spot,” said running back Phillip Lindsay, who went for 87 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. “We will continue to improve. Our defense is doing a great job. We just have to have confidence to go out there and make plays. We want to make plays for the defense. Not everything is going to be pretty. It is football. You are not always going to score a hundred points. I think that is what people tend to forget”.
Was the 37-3 win over Texas State as “pretty” as it could have been? Certainly not.
It was only 14-0 at halftime, with the first touchdown coming courtesy of a huge break, with an Isaiah Oliver fumble on a punt return not only being recovered by the Buffs, but returned 55 yards by Laviska Shenault for a CU touchdown.
But complaining about the Buffs in their current state is certainly akin to complaining about “First World Problems“.
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The Buffs did struggle to put away the Bobcats, with the Buff faithful not feeling completely comfortable about the outcome until late in the third quarter.
Why this is a First World Problem … Being comfortable at any stage of any game is a step forward from previous years for the CU program.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Colorado bragged about being one of the few programs in the nation which had never scheduled a Division 1-AA/FCS opponent.
Starting in 2006, the Buffs jumped into the shallow end of the college football opponent pool … head first.
Against Montana State, Eastern Washington, and Sacramento State from the Big Sky Conference, the Buffs went 1-2, and needed two late scores (including a defensive touchdown) to claim the single victory.
Over the past decade, the Buffs have struggled in many a “gimme” game (and lost more than a few). Toledo, Central Arkansas, Hawai’i, UMass … no need to rehash all of those games, is there?
Point being, a 2011-14 Buff fan would have killed for a 37-3 win, even if it were an “ugly” win … Even if it came against Fairview high.
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Buff fans are most concerned about the offense. The unit has yet to find any sort of rhythm, a full eight quarters into the season.
“It takes a couple weeks to start clicking,” said Steven Montez, who went 19-of-31 for 299 yards and a touchdown. “I think we are just starting to get that chemistry going in the offense”.
Why this is a First World problem … Colorado, over its first two games, is averaging 27 points per game, with an average of almost total 390 yards per contest.
Not great, but not awful, either.
The Buffs did have two long touchdown drives against Texas State, one covering 96 yards in nine plays; the other covering 86 yards in seven. Where the Buffs are currently lacking is consistency. Converting only 4-of-15 attempts on third down won’t cut in in Pac-12 play.
Fortunately, thanks to a soft non-conference schedule, the Buffs still have time to work on the offense.
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While the offense is receiving most of the vitriol from the fan base, the defense is not without its detractors. The Buffs were “saved” by the referees from several long touchdown completions in the CSU game, and even Texas State had its share of big plays on offense.
The Bobcats opened the game against the Buffs with a 55-yard run. You know that play call was planned for well in advance, as the Texas State coaches must have seen on film a flaw in the Colorado defense they felt they could exploit.
On the second play of TSU’s opening possession of the second half, the Bobcats hit on a 45-yard pass. Again, this could likely have been the result of a halftime adjustment by the Texas State coaches.
If the Bobcats can find dents in the CU defensive armor, how hard will it be for teams with better personnel to do the same?
Why this is a First World problem … The above mentioned two plays went for 100 yards. Two other plays went for a total of 45. The other 61 plays run by the Texas State offense went for a total of 138 yards, or a total of 2.3 yards per play.
The Buffs did give their fans heart palpitations after the Bobcats’ first play went for 55 yards, but that drive ended in a missed field goal. Texas State went 2-for-15 on third downs during the game. After the Buffs went up 14-0 early in the second quarter, the Bobcats were never within a single score the remainder of the game.
While it was a nervous afternoon, the Buffs were never truly threatened.
And then there is this … Colorado wakes up this morning No. 2 in the nation in scoring defense. The only team ahead of the Buffs are down the road in Colorado Springs. Air Force opened the season with 62-0 win over VMI, and didn’t play in Week Two (the Cadets are heading to Ann Arbor to face Michigan in Week Three).
Barring an unforeseen collapse against Northern Colorado, the Buffs may head into their showdown against Washington with the No. 1 scoring defense in the country.
A nice problem to have.
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While Colorado may be 2-0 on the season, the consensus among the naysayers is that the Buffs will receive their comeuppance once Pac-12 play starts.
Why this is a First World problem … look around the rest of the Pac-12. Some teams are playing better than expected, but others are playing worse.
– Oregon State won four games last year, including three in the Pac-12. The Beavers were supposed to be the CU of 2017, rising from the ashes.
Instead, the Beavers are reverting to 2015 form. Oregon State was blown out by Colorado State, needed a last minute touchdown to beat Portland State, and were blasted by Minnesota at home Saturday night, 48-14.
– Both Arizona schools lost on Saturday night, at home, to Group of Five conference schools. Arizona lost to Houston, 19-13, while Arizona State fell to San Diego State, 30-20. Both Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez and Arizona State head coach Todd Graham will likely spend much of the 2017 season talking about their futures with their schools as much they will about future opponents.
– Utah got past BYU, 19-13, Cal was down, 20-17, to Weber State before rallying to win, 33-20, and Washington State overcame a three-touchdown fourth quarter deficit to defeat Boise State in three overtimes, 47-44. All three teams are undefeated, but none of their fans are making College Football playoff plans just yet.
How does CU’s future schedule look now, two weeks in?
— The Buffs should be 3-0 heading into Pac-12 play. Home games against Arizona and Cal continue to look winnable, and the road trips to Corvallis to play Oregon State and to Tempe to play Arizona State do not look as daunting as it did a few weeks ago;
— Washington and USC look good – as expected – but both do have to come to Boulder;
— UCLA looks better than expected (as least better than they did when they trailed Texas A&M 44-10 in the third quarter in the opener). Washington State and Utah on the road are daunting, but both teams have *****s in their armor as well.
Point being … it’s okay to fret over the slow start from CU’s offense in the first two games. It’s also okay to revel in how well the defense is playing (as well as the special teams, which have been a very pleasant surprise to date).
At the end of the day, Colorado is 2-0, second in the nation in scoring defense, and have another week to get their offensive issues resolved.
It’s nice to have First World problems for a change …
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Stuart
Continue reading...
First World Problems
—
Colorado was a 36 1/2-point favorite over Texas State.
The Buffs won the game, 37-3, holding a second consecutive opponent to a field goal, giving the CU defense its best start to a season (in terms of points surrendered) since 1958.
CU didn’t cover the point-spread, but still won the game by 34 points.
And the Buff Nation is wringing its collective hands.
“I still think we’re going to be really good. We’ve shown really good glimpses of it”, said an almost apologetic Mike MacInytre after the game. “We’ll put that together for the whole game and do some really good things. We’ll make some plays; we’ve got some really good players across the board”.
Colorado is 2-0, with Northern Colorado from the Big Sky Conference coming to Boulder to finish off the non-conference campaign. A 3-0 start to the season, the first for the Buffs since 2008, is all but guaranteed.
But the Buffs are not yet living up to expectations … at least offensively.
“I feel like we are in a good spot,” said running back Phillip Lindsay, who went for 87 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. “We will continue to improve. Our defense is doing a great job. We just have to have confidence to go out there and make plays. We want to make plays for the defense. Not everything is going to be pretty. It is football. You are not always going to score a hundred points. I think that is what people tend to forget”.
Was the 37-3 win over Texas State as “pretty” as it could have been? Certainly not.
It was only 14-0 at halftime, with the first touchdown coming courtesy of a huge break, with an Isaiah Oliver fumble on a punt return not only being recovered by the Buffs, but returned 55 yards by Laviska Shenault for a CU touchdown.
But complaining about the Buffs in their current state is certainly akin to complaining about “First World Problems“.
–
The Buffs did struggle to put away the Bobcats, with the Buff faithful not feeling completely comfortable about the outcome until late in the third quarter.
Why this is a First World Problem … Being comfortable at any stage of any game is a step forward from previous years for the CU program.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Colorado bragged about being one of the few programs in the nation which had never scheduled a Division 1-AA/FCS opponent.
Starting in 2006, the Buffs jumped into the shallow end of the college football opponent pool … head first.
Against Montana State, Eastern Washington, and Sacramento State from the Big Sky Conference, the Buffs went 1-2, and needed two late scores (including a defensive touchdown) to claim the single victory.
Over the past decade, the Buffs have struggled in many a “gimme” game (and lost more than a few). Toledo, Central Arkansas, Hawai’i, UMass … no need to rehash all of those games, is there?
Point being, a 2011-14 Buff fan would have killed for a 37-3 win, even if it were an “ugly” win … Even if it came against Fairview high.
–
Buff fans are most concerned about the offense. The unit has yet to find any sort of rhythm, a full eight quarters into the season.
“It takes a couple weeks to start clicking,” said Steven Montez, who went 19-of-31 for 299 yards and a touchdown. “I think we are just starting to get that chemistry going in the offense”.
Why this is a First World problem … Colorado, over its first two games, is averaging 27 points per game, with an average of almost total 390 yards per contest.
Not great, but not awful, either.
The Buffs did have two long touchdown drives against Texas State, one covering 96 yards in nine plays; the other covering 86 yards in seven. Where the Buffs are currently lacking is consistency. Converting only 4-of-15 attempts on third down won’t cut in in Pac-12 play.
Fortunately, thanks to a soft non-conference schedule, the Buffs still have time to work on the offense.
–
While the offense is receiving most of the vitriol from the fan base, the defense is not without its detractors. The Buffs were “saved” by the referees from several long touchdown completions in the CSU game, and even Texas State had its share of big plays on offense.
The Bobcats opened the game against the Buffs with a 55-yard run. You know that play call was planned for well in advance, as the Texas State coaches must have seen on film a flaw in the Colorado defense they felt they could exploit.
On the second play of TSU’s opening possession of the second half, the Bobcats hit on a 45-yard pass. Again, this could likely have been the result of a halftime adjustment by the Texas State coaches.
If the Bobcats can find dents in the CU defensive armor, how hard will it be for teams with better personnel to do the same?
Why this is a First World problem … The above mentioned two plays went for 100 yards. Two other plays went for a total of 45. The other 61 plays run by the Texas State offense went for a total of 138 yards, or a total of 2.3 yards per play.
The Buffs did give their fans heart palpitations after the Bobcats’ first play went for 55 yards, but that drive ended in a missed field goal. Texas State went 2-for-15 on third downs during the game. After the Buffs went up 14-0 early in the second quarter, the Bobcats were never within a single score the remainder of the game.
While it was a nervous afternoon, the Buffs were never truly threatened.
And then there is this … Colorado wakes up this morning No. 2 in the nation in scoring defense. The only team ahead of the Buffs are down the road in Colorado Springs. Air Force opened the season with 62-0 win over VMI, and didn’t play in Week Two (the Cadets are heading to Ann Arbor to face Michigan in Week Three).
Barring an unforeseen collapse against Northern Colorado, the Buffs may head into their showdown against Washington with the No. 1 scoring defense in the country.
A nice problem to have.
–
While Colorado may be 2-0 on the season, the consensus among the naysayers is that the Buffs will receive their comeuppance once Pac-12 play starts.
Why this is a First World problem … look around the rest of the Pac-12. Some teams are playing better than expected, but others are playing worse.
– Oregon State won four games last year, including three in the Pac-12. The Beavers were supposed to be the CU of 2017, rising from the ashes.
Instead, the Beavers are reverting to 2015 form. Oregon State was blown out by Colorado State, needed a last minute touchdown to beat Portland State, and were blasted by Minnesota at home Saturday night, 48-14.
– Both Arizona schools lost on Saturday night, at home, to Group of Five conference schools. Arizona lost to Houston, 19-13, while Arizona State fell to San Diego State, 30-20. Both Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez and Arizona State head coach Todd Graham will likely spend much of the 2017 season talking about their futures with their schools as much they will about future opponents.
– Utah got past BYU, 19-13, Cal was down, 20-17, to Weber State before rallying to win, 33-20, and Washington State overcame a three-touchdown fourth quarter deficit to defeat Boise State in three overtimes, 47-44. All three teams are undefeated, but none of their fans are making College Football playoff plans just yet.
How does CU’s future schedule look now, two weeks in?
— The Buffs should be 3-0 heading into Pac-12 play. Home games against Arizona and Cal continue to look winnable, and the road trips to Corvallis to play Oregon State and to Tempe to play Arizona State do not look as daunting as it did a few weeks ago;
— Washington and USC look good – as expected – but both do have to come to Boulder;
— UCLA looks better than expected (as least better than they did when they trailed Texas A&M 44-10 in the third quarter in the opener). Washington State and Utah on the road are daunting, but both teams have *****s in their armor as well.
Point being … it’s okay to fret over the slow start from CU’s offense in the first two games. It’s also okay to revel in how well the defense is playing (as well as the special teams, which have been a very pleasant surprise to date).
At the end of the day, Colorado is 2-0, second in the nation in scoring defense, and have another week to get their offensive issues resolved.
It’s nice to have First World problems for a change …
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—–
Stuart
Continue reading...