Colorado Daily – Washington

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Colorado Daily – Washington

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October 31st

… CU in a few minutes …

Latest CU Video – “Foundations”

The CU Video crew has put together a great six-minute piece to get you ready for Saturday’s game. Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/110419769

Construction update – 10/31/2014

Here is a link to the latest construction update video.

“We’re on schedule” is the best part of the piece, which runs for just over a minute.

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Deon Figures thanks Bill McCartney, Rick George, and Greg Brown on his induction

The Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame inducted nine new members on Thursday night. Included on the list of honorees (full story on all nine inductees can be found here) were two football players.

Herb Orvis, a Buff from 1969-71, had this to say at his induction:

He pointed to the poster on the wall and stated, “When that uniform was put on it, was all business.”  He proceeded to cite his coaches, in particular, “My number one coach, Dan Stavely, who had a wonderful influence on my life.  He took the pagan out of me.  And then there was my agent, Jack Mills, who guided me through a 10-year pro career.  This is a tremendous honor, but it belongs to a group of us.”  He then delivered the line of night: “I’ve been a Lion, I’ve been a Bear. I’ve been a Colt.  But being a Buffalo was my greatest accomplishment.”

Deon Figures, a Buff from 1988-92,

“Enjoy the moment.  I see a lot of my former teammates out there trying to make me nervous.  Okay, I’m nervous,” he joked.  He thanked his late parents, who died in the 1990s, but credited them with why he was at Colorado and their desire for him to earn a degree.  He spoke about an exchange he had with Darian Hagan, about how “Two kids from the streets of L.A. are now both in the Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame.”  He thanked the CU coaches for going to Compton to recruit him and coaching him in Boulder, citing in particular Bill McCartney, Rick George and Greg Brown.

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October 29th

… CU in a few minutes …

Washington loses safety for the season

From the Seattle Times … Sophomore strong safety Trevor Walker will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, Huskies coach Chris Petersen announced Thursday.

Walker suffered the injury in UW’s 24-10 loss to No. 14 Arizona State on Saturday night.

Walker has played in all eight games for the Huskies this season, starting two in the nickel package. He has 14 tackles and one fumble recovery.

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Food Drive set for Saturday’s game against Washington

From cubuffs.com … The University of Colorado Athletic Department will host a food drive presented by Safeway and WhiteWave Foods before the football game against Washington Saturday at Folsom Field.  The game will kickoff at 11 a.m., gates open at 9 a.m. and parking lots at 8 a.m.

Fans are encouraged to donate a canned food item to benefit Community Food Share and help fight hunger in Boulder and Broomfield counties.

Any factory sealed canned good is welcome but the most needed food items include:

• Peanut Butter
• Canned Meals
• Cold & Hot Cereal
• Canned Tuna/Chicken
• Canned Vegetables
• Pasta Sauce
• Pasta

CU student-athletes will staff donations bins on game day located in Ralphie’s Corral, at the southeast entrance by Franklin Field (Gate 6), the southwest entrance by the Buffalo Statue and at gates 15 and 19 by Dal Ward.

For questions or more information please call 303-492-4356.

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Deon Figures one of nine Buffs entering the CU Athletic Hall of Fame

From cubuffs.com … The 10th class that will be inducted into the University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame this October 30 will feature nine Golden Buffalo legends who left their indelible marks on the school with an impressive list of accomplishments.

The 2014 class will tie for the third-largest inducted into the Hall since it was conceived in 1998, as seven former Buffalo athletes, including two who went on to coach for the school, plus one legendary head coach will join 59 individuals and the entire 1959 ski team which have been enshrined to date (seven have been honored previously after their deaths).  Every decade between the 1930s and 1990s is touched upon in the class.

Athletic director Rick George announced that moving forward with this group, CU will now induct classes annually instead of every two years, which has been the case since the third class was inducted in 2000.

Two football players are being inducted. Herb Orvis, who played for the Buffs between 1969-71 (bio can be found here) and Deon Figures.

CU at the Game doesn’t go back far enough to cover the career of Herb Orvis, but there are many games in the Archives in which Deon Figures played a pivotal role, including the game against Washington in 1990 (That story can be found on the front page of the website, or by clicking here)

Deon Figures biography:

• 1992 consensus first-team All-American
• 1992 Jim Thorpe Award
• 1992 Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year
• 1993 first round NFL Draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers

A consensus first-team All-American as a senior in 1992 (Associated Press, United Press International, FWAA, Walter Camp, NEA, Football News and The Sporting News) … First-team All-Big Eight and the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year (1992) … Winner of the 1992 Jim Thorpe Award, presented to the nation’s top defensive back, when he allowed only six completions all season while intercepting six and deflecting 12 in over 400 snaps in man coverage … He was the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame’s co-College Athlete of the Year in the state for 1992 … His 27 pass deflections were the second most in CU history when he completed his career, and his 12 interceptions were and are still fourth … Not included in the pick count was an interception he made at the end of the ’91 Orange Bowl against Notre Dame (bowl stats don’t count in career totals): with 13 seconds remaining, he intercepted Rick Mirer’s pass at the CU 36, eliminating any chance of a last ditch Irish field goal try in the 10-9 win; he ran out the clock and signaled the start of the Buffs’ national championship celebration … He had four two-interception games … Second-team All-Big Eight as a junior in 1991, and was an honorable mention choice as a true freshman in ’88, when he was the league’s Defensive Newcomer of the Year … He had 176 career tackles, 128 unassisted, the 11th most among defensive backs at the time … Won the Lee Willard Award as CU’s outstanding freshman player (1988) … Returned punts for the first time as a senior, ranking 20th in the NCAA (11.4 per return); had 10 returns for 167 yards against Kansas State that year, both marks setting CU single game records … Played in the Hula Bowl (1993) … First-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1993 NFL draft (23rd player overall) … Played in 93 career NFL games with Pittsburgh (1993-96) and Jacksonville (1997-98), making nine career interceptions … Currently owns a cleaning business in Aurora.

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Mike MacIntyre Tuesday press conference quotes

From cubuffs.com …

General
“On Saturday: it was a hard fought game and exciting to the say the least. One thing I haven’t said looking back and just kind of thinking over the game a little bit, I thought the crowd in that fourth quarter and that overtime was pretty phenomenal. I noticed that when we were changing ends, they started moving. I kind of glanced for a second and saw everybody moving down. I thought the student section was really into it and our kids felt that. We’d love to have everybody out there again this Saturday. It’s going to be another gorgeous day for football. I don’t think there’s a prettier day on Saturday afternoons in Boulder, Colorado in October or November for games. It’s just been spectacular. Of course, it was a hard-fought loss, heartbreaking but our kids keep fighting and keep bouncing back. This week, it’s the University of Washington. I think their front seven, their defensive front, is excellent. That’s the strength of their football team. They cause a lot of havoc with those guys and they’re playing excellent on defense. I’m very, very impressed with what they do. Offensively, they’ve kind of been beat up a little bit at quarterback which is throwing them off kilter a little bit on offense as far as staying off the rhythm. I think they’re a very good football team. They have a gigantic offensive line and they’re starting to play Shaq Thompson at running back. He had a very good game last week. They’ve got speed at receiver. I think they’re a heck of a football team. It’s going to be  a tough test for us.”

On How Much Quarterback Sefo Liufau Has Grown Since A 59-7 Loss To Washington A Year Ago
“I think he’s gotten a lot better. He’s done pretty well and we still have four games left in our regular season. I think that he is well on his way to being an excellent quarterback. He’s been playing his heart out, playing through everything and fighting through everything, ups, downs, good things, bad things, everything. He just keeps pushing. It’ll eventually happen. As things keep getting better for our team, he’ll start having more and more accolades as we get to winning more football games.”

On His Team’s Slow Starts To Games And How To Remedy The Issue
 “We just have to come out and execute better at the beginning. I guess just be more focused at that point in time. Sometimes when you get out there with the speed of the game, things happen a little quicker and you’re just a little bit off and you kind of catch up with it. We have to do a better job of that. We’ve played well some games when we come out in the beginning and some games we haven’t. But, we have learned how to just keep playing though. I think that’s probably the biggest key for our football team, to just keep playing, playing, playing and eventually, things will work out in our favor. But, we do need to start out better, there’s no doubt about that.”

On Recruiting Visits
“We’ve had some during the fall season, it just gets hard. The thing that’s hard about during the season is: if the kid plays on Friday night and then flies in late or he gets in early Saturday morning, then you’re busy Saturday and then Sunday you’re preparing for the next ….. But, when they have an open date or a Thursday night game and are able to have a good weekend, then we’ve been able to try and do that. So, a lot of times its more logistics than it is just having a gorgeous day. So, we’ve had a few guys this year where we were able to work that out on that situation.”

On How Much Liufau’s Growth Has Benefitted The Team
 “I think that we’ve been able to compete offensively and basically move the ball on just about anybody. Every Saturday, we can move the ball and score points and do that. So, that gives us a fighting chance every Saturday. So, I think that he’s given us that. The offense and Sefo, the way he’s been playing, has given us a chance where every Saturday we can win the football game. When you’re not scoring at all or barely moving it, it gives you that life and that energy. When a team scores and you get the momentum or you make a big play, it really energizes you. I think that they’ve been able to do that for us.”

On The Amount Of Big Plays His Defense Has Given Up This Year
 “We’ve given up some big plays. We misaligned on that first play which we didn’t do all week in practice. That’s kind of one of things that I’m talking about. You have to come out and do the things right. He (UCLA running back Paul Perkins) made a good run. We have to play better on defense. We’ve shown some really good times on defense. I believe Saturday, if I’m not mistaken, I believe we made them punt nine times, we caused a turnover, so that’s ten stops, and we had a fourth down stop. So, we stopped them 11 times. We’ve never done that since I’ve been here against a top-25 team. So, I saw improvement there. Now, we can’t let them score 31 points in regulation. We stopped them in the first overtime, we have to find a way to stop them in the second overtime. So, we’re growing up, but we’re not quite grown up enough yet, if that makes sense.  So, I see positives there, but the 6.4 yards (per play the team is giving up) is tough. When you give up long pass plays or you give up long runs , then that happens. I think that’s kind of a microcosm of that game. We stopped them 11 times on 11 drives, but on four or five other drives, they scored. You’ve got to make them kick more field goals and that type of thing and not give up a couple big plays. So, that was definitely a tough thing to swallow on that first play. We make a big play and we have them backed up, but that’s the way it goes though.”

On Protecting Liufau In The Pocket From A Washington Pass Rush That Has Recorded The Second-Most Sacks In FBS Play In 2014
“They’ve got some really good defensive linemen who are going to cause us a little havoc. We’ve got to protect well that’s obvious. We’ve got to do some things to slow them down and there are different things in our game plan for us to try to do that. There’s different things you can do, the problem is: If you get in third and long or you get in a lot of third down situations that are longer than five or six yards, you have to hold the ball a little bit longer and that’s when those guys are able to ‘Lay their ears back and rush.’ They’re very good at it. So, we have to avoid those situations. We’ve got to keep our drives on track and keep them moving. We’ve been able to do that quite often this year. I think our offensive line has protected Sefo pretty well. We haven’t given up very many sacks. I know he gets hit a little bit, but all quarterbacks do especially in today’s world. So, I think they’ve done a good job, but this will be a big, big test for us. They’ve gotten after everybody basically. So, we just have to find a way to minimize it. Of course we want to completely stop it, but the way to do that is to not get in a lot of third and longs.”

On Injury Update On Safety Tedric Thompson
“Tedric is doing really well. They did the CT scan and everything on his neck and everything is great. He got concussed and he’s doing well and progressing. I don’t know what the situation is for this Saturday right now, but as far as any of our worst fears as we were watching the game, none of that is going to happen. So, he’s healthy as far as his spine and everything like that goes which is very encouraging because it was kind of nerve-racking.”

On The Job Chris Petersen Is Doing In His First Year At The Helm In Washington
“Chris Petersen is an excellent coach. We faced him one time when I was at San Jose State when he was at Boise (State). I can see a lot of the Boise offense and defense being utilized, I can see a lot of the things that they were trying to do in their offense that they were trying to do there. They’ve played really well in a lot of games. They’ve lost a lot of close games to some really good teams. I think that he’ll do a good job there. He knows what he’s doing, he’s got a good staff. He brought a lot of his staff from Boise over. He understands the recruiting world in the west because he recruited so long at Boise State. I see him making a good stamp on his program.”

On Keeping Team Morale High After So Many Hard Fought Losses
“First and foremost, I say it all the time and you probably get tired of it, you try to go 1-0 and you come back and you try to do it again. We truly look at every game as its own season. Both teams will come in with different guys available for the game, there’s different situations. You only get so many chances to play, so every time you get a chance to play, you have to give it all you have. I think that our young men have understood that and understand that. Each week, each guy’s role changes because they see that and understand when they have to step in or another guys steps in, they stay ready for their opportunity and their time. We show them and they see improvement. Definitely, we all want (wins) there’s no doubt about that whatsoever. But, I think if you can keep working on the process, keep working on your trade so to speak, you know success will come.  If you stop working on your trade or you give in at all, success will not come. It’s a process in anything in life, in anybody’s business and anybody’s life. So, they see that and understand that and that’s what we talk to them about. I think its process not only of winning football games, I think it’s a process as far as growing in your character and growing in your work ethic and growing in your attitude. Those are the things you can control. Then, the success eventually happens. If you don’t control those, then you don’t have a chance of ever having success and I think our kids are understanding that.”

On Freshman Safety Evan White’s Progress So Far This Season
“Evan has played really well for us I think, as you have seen, on special teams. He’s a big, athletic body. He’s played in different games for us at different times and done some good things. I think Evan is at the point where he’s kind of ready to go do it for a whole game, I really do. We’ve been able to kind of play him in packages and do all that and kind of let him get his feet wet. It’s really, really tough ….. To me, the two hardest places to play the quickest are quarterback and trying to play safety in this league because of all the mental aspect and the athletic aspect of it. They don’t just line up in one set, there’s things happening all the time with the run-action pass game and the speed of the receivers, and tackling excellent running backs in the open field. It’s a tough situation and a lot of it has to do with your mentality so that you can handle all that. I definitely think that he’s ready to do that. He’s a heck of an athlete and he’s an excellent young man. He’s doing well in school . I’ve been very, very pleased with Evan as a whole person in the whole process which I think has a lot to do with being able to step out there at a young age.”

On Comparing His 2011 San Jose State Team With This Year Colorado Squad
“I see similarities even from our first year at San Jose State. It’s a couple of years combined here. We just keep improving and we keep getting better and you fall short. Then, all of a sudden, you’ll get one or you’ll get a couple then, you’ll fall short and you’ll keep building on it. Like I said, it’s always a process of doing that. We’ve had a lot of similarities (with that 2011 team). We’ve even talked about that as a staff. A couple of the games have been really like ‘You remember that game? It seems just like the other one.’ Then, we’ll talk about games that we’ve won and different things and how it just flips. So, it’s a process. When you’re playing with freshmen and sophomores mainly in a bunch of spots as they kind of play thru this ….. Next year, they’ll be sophomores and juniors. They’ll be from 17 years old now to 18, or 18 to 19. So, I think there’s a big difference. Now, they’ve seen things a few times, so the same thing doesn’t happen to them and hurt them again. They understand how to react to it.

The thing that I’ve noticed as far as the question, ‘How do you keep them going?’ Well, it’s their work ethic, it’s their focus, it’s their intensity during meetings, during practice. I thought today ….. Like I said, I didn’t think a week ago yesterday was a very good practice, but I think yesterday’s was good and today was an excellent Tuesday practice. Sometimes Tuesdays are hard . You know, they’ve been in class, they’ve been doing everything, then on Tuesday you’re going in full pads, but they went out there and go after it. They did an excellent job in practice. I thought today was one of our best Tuesday practices the entire year which I think answers the question ‘How do you keep their spirits up?’ That’s how you do it. Anytime you’re down or depressed or worried about something, the best thing is to do what? Go back to work and get busy and try to find a way to fix it. I see these young men doing that. So, that’s exciting to me.”

On Playing Young And Inexperienced Defensive Backs Early On And Whether He Is Surprised That Offenses Try To Challenge Them Right Away
“There’s no doubt that you would try to do that. We played a couple freshmen safeties this year that had good times and bad times in that. But, I think this late in the year hopefully, they’re better than they would be the first or second game. They’ve seen more things, they’ve understood it, they’ve kind of gotten a better feel for it. Still, when they get out on the field and play 70-80 plays, it’s a lot different than playing 20. So, that’s the process of trying to stay focused and stay intense. You go up and make a big hit and you kind of get up and you go ‘Ok, here we go. I’ve got to get lined up.’ Then, the ball is snapped again. In our world, they don’t huddle and I think that’s where it makes it harder for a secondary player because you don’t have as much time to recognize formations or sets. It’s happening so fast that you’ve got to be really quick on your feet, so to speak.”

On What He Has Learned From This Team So Far
“My wife says I don’t have all the answers, so I don’t think coaches have all the answers. I think that there’s always a learning process for a coach too because you work on things and you do things and you find different ways to help it especially as the game kind of changes. You kind of see different things and learn from it. But, I do think it was kind of a microcosm of a team in the fourth quarter there.  We had the momentum and we overthrew the guy and they made the pick. Then, they go down, and we have to stop them. Against top teams in the past, somehow, someway we would have wilted and they would have scored. That’s a fact, that’s what has happened against top teams. In that series, we stopped them. And then we had a roughing the passer (penalty). I’ve seen us before just go ‘Uhhhh.’ They didn’t mean to, they just kind of did in their mind. They were still playing but in their minds ….. This time, they didn’t. They rose to the challenge and they stopped them on 4^th-&-1 which would have put the game away. Then, we take it the length of the field and score. To me, that was a team growing up. Now, we didn’t win the game, but I thought for sure when we stopped them in the first overtime, and I think everybody in the stands and you guys did too, I thought that we were going to win that game. Now, we didn’t, but I think that whole mindset, that whole attitude, that whole body demeanor, that whole everything showed a team grow up a little bit. I really believe that. Those are the things that I show them and we’re looking forward to. Now, when we play another double-overtime game or a triple-overtime game, which we’ll probably have another one for sure because around here there is going to be a lot of close ones, we’ve got to try to finish it. I think that gives them confidence to know that they can do it.”

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October 28th

… CU in a few minutes …

Buffs looking for a better first quarter this Saturday

From cubuffs.com … The simple truth: The Buffs are improving but they’re not yet capable of fully digging themselves out of first-quarter graves with fourth-quarter heroics. Those anemic starts over the past two weekends have helped put CU behind 93-45 in first-quarter scoring margin. Playing catchup doesn’t play into most offensive game plans.

Asked on Tuesday what’s needed for the Buffs to improve on finishing games, quarterback Sefo Liufau answered, “I think it’s kind of funny that you say ‘finish games.’ I think it’s more of a starting fast (thing).”

He cited USC’s and UCLA’s large early leads and said CU must “go in thinking that we can play with each team in the Pac-12 because after we spot the points to those teams, we either match their level as far as execution or we play above them.

“Against UCLA, we started slow and we fought our way back. But if we don’t have that mistake on me at the end of the half (clock mismanagement caused the Buffs to run out of time at the Bruins’ 4-yard line) and if we get something going offensively at the end of the game, then we’re put in a better position not to fight back and fight for a tie to go into overtime but to try and sustain a lead. So, I think obviously you want to finish the game well, but it’s also a matter of starting fast for us.”

Coach Mike MacIntyre agreed, saying the Buffs “do need to start out better, no doubt about that . . . but we have learned how to just keep playing though. I think that’s probably the biggest key for our football team.”

The Buffs remain winless (0-5) in Pac-12 play and at 2-6 overall need to sweep their final four games to become bowl eligible (6-6) for the first time since 2007. Washington visits Folsom Field Saturday (11 a.m., Pac-12 Networks) and is probably as glad as CU to put October in the rearview mirror.

While the Buffs were oh-for-October (0-3) the Huskies won once in three games. UW (5-3, 1-3) comes to Boulder on a two-game skid, having lost at No. 9 Oregon (45-20) and to No. 14 Arizona State (24-10).

CU’s best hope for its first Pac-12 win, said Liufau, is to finally put together a complete game: “It goes back to the other question of being able to finish or being able to start fast. I don’t think we’ve honestly played a complete game yet in any of our games. I think there’s been times where we’ve been up and down. I think we need to be more consistent throughout a game and play at a high level. I think we’re getting closer to doing that, but at the start of games, especially offensively, we haven’t been able to sustain drives. We’ve had a lot of three and outs, so we just have to be able to be consistent and be able to execute on offense.”

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Injury report lists five concussions; Mosley added to “out-for-the-season” list

From cubuffs.com …

OG – Kaiwi Crabb  – concussion – suffered late in the first half against USC (Oct. 18); not cleared for UCLA game but back practicing on limited basis DAY-TO-DAY

TB – Christian Powell – concussion – originally suffered against Cal (Sept. 27), symptoms returned after USC (Oct. 18); cleared but held out of UCLA game PROBABLE

SS – Terrell Smith – concussion – suffered on the next to last play of regulation against UCLA DAY-TO-DAY

SS – Tedric Thompson – concussion – suffered on the fourth play of overtime against UCLA; all tests for any other injury (neck, etc.) were negative DAY-TO-DAY

CB – Ahkello Witherspoon – concussion – suffered symptoms following USC game (Oct. 18), missed UCLA contest PROBABLE

Those who are out for the season:

S – Jered Bell – knee – suffered a torn ACL in practice (Aug. 15); underwent surgery and will petition for a sixth year from the NCAA SEASON-ENDING

WR – Elijah Dunston – knee – suffered a torn ACL and MCL in practice (Sept. 22); surgery date pending (week of Oct. 21) SEASON-ENDING

DE – Tyler Henington – knee – suffered a torn ACL and MCL in practice (Aug. 22); underwent surgery in early Sept. and is rehabbing SEASON-ENDING

FS – Marques Mosley – knee – suffered a torn ACL and MCL against UCLA (Oct. 25); surgery pending SEASON-ENDING

DT – John Paul Tuso – knee – suffered ACL and meniscus tears in practice (March 17), had surgery April 10 SEASON-ENDING

WR – Lee Walker – shoulder – suffered a subluxation in practice (Sept. 17); surgery set for Oct. 14 (was likely redshirting regardless) SEASON-ENDING

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Washington’s All-Conference linebacker may move to running back permanently

From the Seattle Times … Two days after Shaq Thompson’s most productive day as running back for UW, Petersen asked him Monday morning if he had a preference on where he wants to play. “If you had your druthers … ” UW’s first-year coach asked.

“Just tell me where I need to go,” Thompson told him.

Does UW’s struggling offense need him to play running back full time?

“That’s the million-dollar question right there,” Petersen said Monday at his news conference.

Thompson, pegged by one publication as the national defensive player of the year at the midpoint of the season, worked almost exclusively at running back in UW’s defeat Saturday night against No. 14 Arizona State. He had 21 carries for 98 yards — both career highs — in his fourth appearance on offense this season. He also had two catches for 15 yards.

“It felt good — normal,” he said after the game.

A three-sport star out of Grant High in Sacramento who was drafted by the Boston Red Sox, Thompson has been a starter on defense since his first UW game as a true freshman in 2012. As an outside linebacker, he has four defensive touchdowns this season, the most in college football by a defensive player in the past 10 years, according to ESPN.

The Huskies (5-3, 1-3 Pac-12) typically have had one series planned for Thompson on offense this season. Injuries last week to their top two running backs, Dwayne Washington and Lavon Coleman, pressed Thompson into more action on offense.

Thompson, a 6-foot-1, 228-pound junior, played only one snap at linebacker against Arizona State, and Petersen said he would prefer him to play one or the other — not part-time on both sides of the ball.

“I don’t want to set him up for failure on something like that,” Petersen said. “But everybody needs reps and you can’t just throw somebody in there. You just can’t. I think that’s what some people assume … (but) it’s not that simple.”

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Stats worthy of notice

The weekly statistics release always offers some numbers worth noting. The stats sheet can be found here, if you would like to take a look.

The good:

– Despite their 2-6 record, the Buffs are putting up some impressive numbers. Colorado is averaging 470.4 yards of total offense per game, 27th in the nation. The last time Colorado averaged as much as 400 yards per game in total offense was in 2001, when the Big 12 championship team averaged a “measly” 434.4 yards per game. This season’s average is a full 100 yards per game over what the Buffs generated last season (369.9 yards per game).

– Scoring is up considerably as well, with the Buffs averaging 31.9 points per game. While not necessarily cause for celebration, if CU keeps up this pace for the final third of the season, it will mark the first time since – you guessed it – 2001 that Colorado has posted an average of over 30 points per game (33.0).

The bad:

– Turnovers are still a problem. Colorado is a minus-four for the season, having turned the ball over 12 times, while gaining only eight from the opposition. Fumbles are good – CU only has one fumble on the season, while recovering five – but the interceptions are a concern. The Buffs have only three all year (all by safety Tedric Thompson, who may be out this week after suffering a concussion late in the UCLA game), while Sefo Liufau has thrown more interceptions (11) than any other Pac-12 quarterback.

– Through the first four home games, Colorado has averaged 37,970 per game. This amount is down from last season, when the Buffs averaged 38,296 per game, and that included the cancelled Fresno State / replaced by Charleston Southern game. Chances of that number spiking in the final two games are slim. The Washington game has an 11:00 a.m. kickoff (the morning after Halloween), while the Utah game will be played with the students home on Thanksgiving break. As a result, the attendance is likely to be the lowest since 1985, when the Buffs averaged 36,789 (next lowest, in case you were wondering, would be down to 1981, when the baby blue Buffs brought in an average of 34,871).

The ugly:

– Colorado’s penchant for falling behind early is well documented and well discussed. The Buffs have been out-scored 93-45 in the first quarter this fall overall, and a combined 76-7 in games against Arizona State (14-0), Oregon State (17-7), USC (28-0), and UCLA (17-0). Almost as awful, however, has been the third quarter. The margin in the first quarter, 93-45, is only slightly worse than the third quarter, in which the Buffs have been out-scored 89-45. In only one game all season (against UMass, with a 14-10 edge) have the Buffs out-scored the opponents in the third quarter.

– Tony Jones leads the Buffs in rushing, with 323 yards through eight games. The 40.4 yards per game pace would give Jones 485 yards for the season, marking the first time in 31 years in which Colorado did not have a single rusher with over 500 yards in a season (Lee Rouson, 494 in 1983) … That being said (since we want to end on a positive note), Colorado as a team in on pace to rush for over 2,000 yards, a feat not accomplished since 2006.

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October 27th

… CU in a few minutes …

Injury update

From cubuffs.com … After being taken to Boulder Community Hospital on Saturday, defensive back Tedric Thompson has been diagnosed with a concussion. That comes as a relief to many who may have feared the worst after Thompson collided with an opposing player’s knee then stayed on the Folsom turf for the better part of 10 minutes as he was being attended to by the CU medical staff before being carted off the field on stretcher.

“He’s doing good. They did the CT scan, there isn’t anything wrong with his neck which they were concerned about at the time,” MacIntyre said. “He has a concussion.”

Marques Mosley, who was also taken out of the game on Saturday, suffered a torn ACL and is expected to undergo surgery soon. He will miss the remainder of the season.

Addison Gillam battled the stomach flu last Saturday but was back at practice Monday and is expected to play against UW.

Christian Powell, who suffered a concussion during the USC game and missed the UCLA contest, is also expected to play on Saturday.

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Pac-12 schedule for November 8th announced

From the Pac-12 … The Pac-12 television schedule for next weekend has been announced, and, no surprise, Colorado will be on the Pac-12 Networks. The Buffs will take on the Wildcats of Arizona at 6:00 p.m., MT, next Saturday night.

Arizona State’s home game against Notre Dame gets the afternoon ABC time slot, while Oregon at Utah will be the ESPN evening game.

The November 8th schedule:

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Washington trying to avoid a three-game losing streak

From the Seattle Times … Hau’oli Kikaha was emphatic.

“No. No,” Washington’s senior defensive end said, when asked if after two consecutive losses there was concern that UW players were starting to lose faith, too. “Our guys are tight and we’ll stand by each other regardless of what happens. That’s not just lip service.

“In the past, that may have been a problem. But now, it’s really solid. It’s just … frustrating, obviously. But I do feel like we’re going to keep this thing together and moving forward. Progress has to be made, and we know that.”

The UW offense, limited by several key injuries, took another step back in Saturday night’s 24-10 loss to No. 14 Arizona State. Redshirt freshman quarterback Troy Williams, in his starting debut, committed three turnovers and led the offense to just three points while playing in severe wind and a steady rain that made passing (and punting) an adventure.

After losses to ranked foes Oregon and ASU, the Huskies (5-3, 1-3 Pac-12) hope to snap this dire streak in Saturday’s 10 a.m. game at Colorado: In every season since 2004, the program has had a losing streak of at least three games.

“As long as we stay together — offense, defense and special teams — then we’ll be able to get out of this rut and finish strong,” Kikaha said.

…. Overall, the Huskies managed just 3.3 yards per rushing attempt against ASU, which takes into account five sacks of Williams. The Huskies rank last in the Pac-12 in total offense, passing offense and 10th in scoring offense.

“I just know our run game needs to be more effective and efficient for us to do what we need to do on offense, which is score more points,” Petersen said.

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October 26th

… CU in a few minutes …

Washington a 5.5-point favorite over Colorado

According to vegasinsider.com, the Buffs are less than a touchdown underdog to the Huskies this weekend (11:00 a.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks). The line opened at four points, but quickly moved to 5.5 points Sunday afternoon.

Other Pac-12 games:

– No. 5 Oregon is a 11-point favorite at home against Stanford

– Oregon State is a four-point favorite at home against California

– USC is a 7.5-point favorite on the road against Washington State

– No. 25 UCLA is a 4.5-point favorite at home against No. 14 Arizona

– No. 15 Arizona State is a 4.5-point favorite at home against No. 18 Utah

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Cyler Miles expected to start against Buffs

From the Seattle Times … Cyler Miles is expected to return as the Huskies’ starting quarterback next week at Colorado.

A week after suffering a concussion, Miles did not play in Washington’s 24-10 loss to No. 14 Arizona State on Saturday night at Husky Stadium. Redshirt freshman Troy Williams made his first career start in Miles’ place.

“Cyler should be back,” UW coach Chris Petersen said. “We don’t want a guy to have to lose his position to an injury; that’s not the right thing.”

Petersen said Miles was available Saturday night after being cleared from his concussion, but Miles hadn’t practiced “a whole lot” during the week leading up to the ASU game.

It will be homecoming for Miles, a sophomore from Centennial, Colo., in his first year as UW’s full-time starter.

In UW’s eighth game of the season, Williams became the Huskies’ third starting quarterback. That’s the first that’s happened at UW since 2004.

The Huskies also used sophomore Jeff Lindquist for several plays against Arizona State. He didn’t attempt a pass but ran twice for 10 yards.

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Oregon moves up to No. 5 in latest poll; USC falls out

With the first Playoff top 25 due out on Tuesday, the Oregon Ducks are well positioned to make the Final Four. The Ducks moved up one spot, to No. 5, in the latest Associated Press poll, but three out of four teams ranked above them reside in the SEC West. Win out, and as Pac-12 champion, Oregon will be playing in the first national championship playoff.

The next best positioned team in the Pac-12 is Arizona, up one spot to No. 14 this week. The Wildcats traded places with Arizona State, which is the new No. 15 team (I guess putting up 59 points on Washington State is more impressive than holding Washington without an offensive touchdown).

Utah, which defeated USC at home this weekend, moved up one spot, to No. 18, while the former No. 20 Trojans dropped out of the poll.

The only other Pac-12 team ranked this week was No. 25 UCLA, which stayed right where it was after escaping Boulder with a 40-37 double-overtime win.

USC is now the No. 27 team in the poll, coming in behind No. 26 Colorado State. Stanford, which handled Oregon State, 38-14, to set up its showdown with Oregon, is No. 29 in the poll.

The complete rankings:

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UCLA post-game injury report 

– Linebacker Addison Gillam (flu) … to be re-evaluated Sunday … day-to-day

– Safety Marques Mosley (knee) … to be re-evaluated Sunday … officially day-to-day, but Mike MacIntyre told KOA radio after the game that it was a torn ACL, which would end Mosley’s season.

– Safety Tedric Thompson … all tests were negative at Boulder Community hospital, where he was taken for precautionary reasons. “If you’re a praying person, please pray for Tedric [Thompson],” said MacIntyre. “When they took him off he was moving, but he was really scared. Hopefully everything is going to be alright with him and Marques Mosley.” A  Daily Camera report confirmed MacIntyre’s post-game comments: Head trainer Miguel Rueda said Thompson was coherent and communicating on the field. “We just sent him to the hospital for precautionary reasons,” Rueda said. “He’s doing fine, he’s in good spirits, he looked good.”

– Defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon was not on the official injury report after the game, but was held out of the UCLA game after suffering a concussion against USC.

Older … Running back Christian Powell (concussion) and offensive guard Kaiwi Crabb (concussion) … Powell was held out of the UCLA game, and, while Crabb was on the participation chart, he was replaced in the starting lineup by red-shirt freshman Gerrad Kough … both are listed as day-to-day.

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October 25th

Huskies produce only one field goal on offense in 24-10 loss to Arizona State

From the Seattle Times … Taylor Kelly connected with Gary Chambers in the right corner of the end zone for a 7-yard, go-ahead touchdown with three minutes left in the game late Saturday, lifting No. 14 Arizona State to a 24-10 victory over the Huskies before an announced crowd of 64,666 on a cold, wet and windy night at Husky Stadium.

On a night when redshirt freshman quarterback Troy Williams made his starting debut in nearly impossible weather conditions, widespread injuries were too much to overcome for the Huskies (5-3, 1-3 Pac-12), who have lost two in a row.

“I have to take accountability on the offense,” Williams said. “I’m the leader. I just have to go out there and play hard, but obviously it wasn’t good enough.”

Williams, filling in for injured sophomore Cyler Miles, finished 18 for 26 passing for 139 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble.

“I feel bad for Troy,” UW coach Chris Petersen said, “being thrown into his first start and having to deal with winds that were tough.”

With a minute left, Williams made a desperation heave on fourth-and-25 that ASU’s Armand Perry intercepted and returned 60 yards for a touchdown to clinch the win for the Sun Devils (6-1, 4-1 Pac-12). On the play before, Williams had taken a sack on third-and-20.

Before the Sun Devils’ go-ahead drive, the UW offense had put its first points on the board with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter on Cameron Van Winkle’s 23-yard field goal. That tied score at 10-10 and capped off the Huskies’ best drive of the night — 15 plays, 82 yards, covering 5 minutes, 42 seconds.

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This post, about the Washington game, from the 2014 Season, is filed under Article.
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