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Same Song, Different Verse
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It’s not like we haven’t seen this before.
In the final two games of an otherwise magical season, the 2016 Colorado offense looked awful in falling to Washington in the Pac-12 championship game, then again a month later against Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl.
The Buffs looked just as bad in falling to No. 15 Washington State, 28-0, on a dark and stormy night in the Palouse.
Against the Cougars, the Colorado offense looked inept. The Buffs posted a grand total of 174 yards of total offense, the lowest since gaining only 163 against Washington in a humbling 41-10 defeat in the title game last December.
“That was the worst offensive performance we’ve had since I’ve been a coach here,” Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre said.
Who can argue?
To give credit where credit is due, Washington State did come into the game with the No. 7 passing defense in the country, and was ranked 10th in the nation in total defense.
But the Buffs made the Cougars look like world-beaters … a week after Washington State gave up 37 points to Cal.
What’s most frustrating for Buff fans, though, is that it hasn’t only been poor play by the offense which has left CU with a 4-4 record.
It’s that the offense and defense seem to be willing to take turns being ineffective.
For the past several weeks, the defense has been a sieve, giving out 569 yards of total offense to Arizona, then 569 yards of total offense to an awful Oregon State team.
This weekend, the Buff defense surrendered 212 yards passing to an offense which had been generating 381 yards passing a game (third in the nation). The Buffs gathered in two turnovers, and posted two sacks (after registering only two sacks total in the previous four Pac-12 games).
Not great, but enough to keep the Buffs in the game had the offense had even a modicum of success.
Instead, the offense generated only 13 first downs, and went a woeful 1-for-17 on third down attempts.
“We have to play an all-around good game,” said running back Phillip Lindsay. “Right now when the offense is doing good, the defense is struggling. When the defense is going good, the offense isn’t going anywhere. We’re going to keep having things like this until we all come together and decide not to take it anymore.”
The offense this year was supposed to be a dynamo. Nine of 11 starters were back. The wide receiver corps was listed as one of the top groups in the nation (No. 2, according to Athlon). Steven Montez was supposed to be a better version of Sefo Liufau. The offensive line, said Mike MacIntyre, was the best in his tenure in Boulder.
And now … Montez might not even finish out the season?
Mike MacIntyre, who inserted red-shirt freshman Sam Noyer into the lineup to start the second half, was non-committal.
“We’ll see what happens this week,” MacIntyre said when asked about who would be his starting quarterback going forward. “Who plays best this week and who plays best in the game. If they’re not playing well, I’ll pull the guy and put the other guy in. We’ve got to have more consistency on offense if we’re going to win anymore Pac-12 games.”
Deep down, Buff fans were prepared for a roller coaster season … it just wasn’t supposed to play out this way.
The Buffs were supposed to struggle on defense, with eight starters from the Pac-12 South division winners having graduated.
If the Buffs were going to lose to teams like Washington State, it was supposed to be 45-38 … not 28-0.
Still, the maddeningly frustrating 2017 Buffs still have the opportunity to salvage their season.
Buff fans can harp on what has been, or what is yet to come.
Yes, the Buffs have looked less than perfect in their four victories.
Yes, the Buffs have been dominated by the two Washington schools … the only ranked teams they have played.
And yes, the Buffs could have /should have beaten UCLA and Arizona, falling 27-23 to UCLA on the road, and losing 45-42 to Arizona at home.
Let’s take a moment, though, to review the opposition, both those teams which CU has played, and those teams remaining on the schedule.
Arizona was supposed to be looking for a new head coach by now, but is 5-2 after beating Cal in double overtime, 45-44.
UCLA was supposed to be looking for a new head coach by now, but is 4-3 after beating Oregon, 31-14, in the same venue (the Rose Bowl) where the Buffs were so close to victory in early October.
Looking ahead, there are opportunities.
Buffs will next face a California team which is much improved … but “much improved” is a relative term.
The Bears have the same record as Colorado … 4-4, 1-4. Cal, however, has a new coach, and is coming off of a 5-7 season. That gives outsiders the impression that the Bears are getting better, while the Buffs, coming off of a 10-4 season, are on the decline.
Fair enough.
The fact is … the Buffs should have every reason to believe they can play with – and, yes, beat – the Cal Bears at home.
Arizona State will be next. The Sun Devils are playing much better than expected, with a 4-3 overall record. Arizona State had a surprisingly easy win over Utah on the road Saturday, beating the Utes 30-10 in Salt Lake City.
While the road trip to play Arizona State now looks more daunting for the Buffs than it did two months ago, naysayers would also have to acknowledge that the road trip to Salt Lake City to play the Utes looks just a little bit easier than it did eight weeks ago. Utah is struggling at quarterback (where have we heard that before?), and are 4-3, 1-3 this fall (the only difference in records between CU and Utah is that the Utes still have to play Washington – on the road).
Between games against Arizona State and Utah on the road will be a home game against USC. The Trojans were a fashionable pick two months ago to be playing in the College Football playoffs, with quarterback Sam Darnold a leading candidate for the Heisman trophy.
Now? Not so much.
The No. 11 Trojans were humbled Saturday night by No. 13 Notre Dame, 49-14, ending any chance at a playoff bid before the calendar hits Halloween. How will the Trojans respond to such adversity? USC will play both of the Arizona schools before coming to Boulder on November 11th.
USC could rebound, and take control of the Pac-12 South division race … or they could be a dumpster fire.
Which is a long way of saying that the Buffs still have time to get their act together and make something of the 2017 season.
“We can beat everybody we have left to play, there’s no doubt about it,” MacIntyre said. “And we could lose to every one of them. We have to find a way to get it done.”
Can they?
Other than senior captain Phillip Lindsay, there are few bright spots to point to on the CU roster.
“Everybody needs to look at themselves in the mirror and man up,” Lindsay said. “We’re not out. We’re not done. We can still do some good things, go to a bowl game and have some success. But everybody has to come together as one. We have to play an all-around good game”.
Buff fans have heard that song before.
We’ll just have to hope that, in the final third of the season, the offense and defense can find a way to sing in unison.
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Stuart
Continue reading...
Same Song, Different Verse
—
It’s not like we haven’t seen this before.
In the final two games of an otherwise magical season, the 2016 Colorado offense looked awful in falling to Washington in the Pac-12 championship game, then again a month later against Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl.
The Buffs looked just as bad in falling to No. 15 Washington State, 28-0, on a dark and stormy night in the Palouse.
Against the Cougars, the Colorado offense looked inept. The Buffs posted a grand total of 174 yards of total offense, the lowest since gaining only 163 against Washington in a humbling 41-10 defeat in the title game last December.
“That was the worst offensive performance we’ve had since I’ve been a coach here,” Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre said.
Who can argue?
To give credit where credit is due, Washington State did come into the game with the No. 7 passing defense in the country, and was ranked 10th in the nation in total defense.
But the Buffs made the Cougars look like world-beaters … a week after Washington State gave up 37 points to Cal.
What’s most frustrating for Buff fans, though, is that it hasn’t only been poor play by the offense which has left CU with a 4-4 record.
It’s that the offense and defense seem to be willing to take turns being ineffective.
For the past several weeks, the defense has been a sieve, giving out 569 yards of total offense to Arizona, then 569 yards of total offense to an awful Oregon State team.
This weekend, the Buff defense surrendered 212 yards passing to an offense which had been generating 381 yards passing a game (third in the nation). The Buffs gathered in two turnovers, and posted two sacks (after registering only two sacks total in the previous four Pac-12 games).
Not great, but enough to keep the Buffs in the game had the offense had even a modicum of success.
Instead, the offense generated only 13 first downs, and went a woeful 1-for-17 on third down attempts.
“We have to play an all-around good game,” said running back Phillip Lindsay. “Right now when the offense is doing good, the defense is struggling. When the defense is going good, the offense isn’t going anywhere. We’re going to keep having things like this until we all come together and decide not to take it anymore.”
The offense this year was supposed to be a dynamo. Nine of 11 starters were back. The wide receiver corps was listed as one of the top groups in the nation (No. 2, according to Athlon). Steven Montez was supposed to be a better version of Sefo Liufau. The offensive line, said Mike MacIntyre, was the best in his tenure in Boulder.
And now … Montez might not even finish out the season?
Mike MacIntyre, who inserted red-shirt freshman Sam Noyer into the lineup to start the second half, was non-committal.
“We’ll see what happens this week,” MacIntyre said when asked about who would be his starting quarterback going forward. “Who plays best this week and who plays best in the game. If they’re not playing well, I’ll pull the guy and put the other guy in. We’ve got to have more consistency on offense if we’re going to win anymore Pac-12 games.”
Deep down, Buff fans were prepared for a roller coaster season … it just wasn’t supposed to play out this way.
The Buffs were supposed to struggle on defense, with eight starters from the Pac-12 South division winners having graduated.
If the Buffs were going to lose to teams like Washington State, it was supposed to be 45-38 … not 28-0.
Still, the maddeningly frustrating 2017 Buffs still have the opportunity to salvage their season.
Buff fans can harp on what has been, or what is yet to come.
Yes, the Buffs have looked less than perfect in their four victories.
Yes, the Buffs have been dominated by the two Washington schools … the only ranked teams they have played.
And yes, the Buffs could have /should have beaten UCLA and Arizona, falling 27-23 to UCLA on the road, and losing 45-42 to Arizona at home.
Let’s take a moment, though, to review the opposition, both those teams which CU has played, and those teams remaining on the schedule.
Arizona was supposed to be looking for a new head coach by now, but is 5-2 after beating Cal in double overtime, 45-44.
UCLA was supposed to be looking for a new head coach by now, but is 4-3 after beating Oregon, 31-14, in the same venue (the Rose Bowl) where the Buffs were so close to victory in early October.
Looking ahead, there are opportunities.
Buffs will next face a California team which is much improved … but “much improved” is a relative term.
The Bears have the same record as Colorado … 4-4, 1-4. Cal, however, has a new coach, and is coming off of a 5-7 season. That gives outsiders the impression that the Bears are getting better, while the Buffs, coming off of a 10-4 season, are on the decline.
Fair enough.
The fact is … the Buffs should have every reason to believe they can play with – and, yes, beat – the Cal Bears at home.
Arizona State will be next. The Sun Devils are playing much better than expected, with a 4-3 overall record. Arizona State had a surprisingly easy win over Utah on the road Saturday, beating the Utes 30-10 in Salt Lake City.
While the road trip to play Arizona State now looks more daunting for the Buffs than it did two months ago, naysayers would also have to acknowledge that the road trip to Salt Lake City to play the Utes looks just a little bit easier than it did eight weeks ago. Utah is struggling at quarterback (where have we heard that before?), and are 4-3, 1-3 this fall (the only difference in records between CU and Utah is that the Utes still have to play Washington – on the road).
Between games against Arizona State and Utah on the road will be a home game against USC. The Trojans were a fashionable pick two months ago to be playing in the College Football playoffs, with quarterback Sam Darnold a leading candidate for the Heisman trophy.
Now? Not so much.
The No. 11 Trojans were humbled Saturday night by No. 13 Notre Dame, 49-14, ending any chance at a playoff bid before the calendar hits Halloween. How will the Trojans respond to such adversity? USC will play both of the Arizona schools before coming to Boulder on November 11th.
USC could rebound, and take control of the Pac-12 South division race … or they could be a dumpster fire.
Which is a long way of saying that the Buffs still have time to get their act together and make something of the 2017 season.
“We can beat everybody we have left to play, there’s no doubt about it,” MacIntyre said. “And we could lose to every one of them. We have to find a way to get it done.”
Can they?
Other than senior captain Phillip Lindsay, there are few bright spots to point to on the CU roster.
“Everybody needs to look at themselves in the mirror and man up,” Lindsay said. “We’re not out. We’re not done. We can still do some good things, go to a bowl game and have some success. But everybody has to come together as one. We have to play an all-around good game”.
Buff fans have heard that song before.
We’ll just have to hope that, in the final third of the season, the offense and defense can find a way to sing in unison.
–
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...