Colorado Daily – Wash. State

—

Colorado Daily – Washington State

—

November 19th – GameDay!!

… CU in a few minutes … 

Drew Litton on Washington State

From the Daily Camera …

—

Buffs “enjoying the moment”

From the Daily Camera … As the 12th-ranked Buffaloes spent this week preparing for the program’s biggest game in more than a decade, Saturday at home against No. 20 Washington State, MacIntyre saw a change in the eyes of his players.

“I have noticed a confidence in their eyes, a sense of wanting to accomplish something,” MacIntyre said. “You can kind of tell. There’s a brightness. There’s a focus.

“They understand what’s at stake and they’re enjoying the moment.”

CU (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12 South) enters Saturday’s game against Washington State (8-2, 7-0 Pac-12 North) in sole possession of first place in the South division. For the first time since 2005, the Buffs have a chance to win a conference championship.

… “I think it’s awesome,” senior linebacker Kenneth Olugbode said. “The further we go, the better each game gets and the more fun they get, too.”

If the eyes are the true barometer for MacIntyre, he would have been pleased to see the eyes of his players light up this week when they were asked about the opportunity in front of them.

“Who’s not excited to cover that? Who’s not excited to play in it?” quarterback Sefo Liufau said. “We’re 8-2 and to finally get over the hump and we’re not losing all the time, and we’re playing for something in November … the November games matter.

“It’s an exciting time. We’re just excited to play. It’ll be a big game on Saturday, and I’ll be excited for everyone to come out and witness a good football game.”

… Continue reading story here …

—

CU inducts 12 athletes into Athletic Hall of Fame

From CUBuffs.com … One of the most diverse classes in the University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame history was inducted at a Friday banquet, with 12 athletes representing eight sports and seven decades of Buffaloes celebrated for their achievements.

A full house was on hand to honor the induction of Dale “Pete Atkins (baseball, CU Class of 1943), Bill Brundige (football, 1970), Ted Castaneda (track and field/cross country, 1974), Sara Gorton Slattery (track and field/cross country, 2005), Jerry Hillebrand (football, 1962), Chris Hudson (football, 1994), Bob Justice (wrestling, 1969), Bob Kalinowski (golf, 1994), Jim Miller (track and field, 1966), Fran Munnelly Griffin (soccer, 2006), Shaun Vandiver (basketball, 1991) and Michael Westbrook (football, 1995).

“The foundation that you have created for our current student athletes is phenomenal,” CU athletic director Rick George told the newest Hall members. “I want to thank all of you for being here — particularly so many great Buffs.”

… Continue reading story here (along with bios of all of the new Hall of Fame inductees) …

—–

November 18th

… CU in a few minutes ... 

Buffs ready for the challenges Washington State presents

From CUBuffs.com … “The farther we go, the better each game gets and the more fun they get,” said linebacker Kenneth Olugbode, one of the CU seniors who has endured three (or more) difficult years to reach this point. “It’s just a matter of all of us going out there and doing their job. Everybody’s on the same page. We have one goal mind and everyone wants to reach it.”

It won’t be easy. Not only do the Cougars have what Leach’s teams always have — a high-powered offense — they also have a defense this year. While the Cougars have been scoring points as they always do (44.3 points per game), their defense has been giving up just 24.3 per game.

In short, it has all the signs of a nail-biter, the kind that could keep what is expected to be CU’s biggest home crowd of the year in its seats until the end.

One recurring theme all week during CU’s practices was that the Buffs control their destiny. If they win their last two games, they win the Pac-12 South.

“We’ve got to do everything in our power to be prepared to go out there and basically play for a Pac-12 championship,” quarterback Sefo Liufau said. “Basically everything is in our hands right now and if we let it go who knows what will happen.”

CU’s defense will no doubt be tested by a Cougars offense that begins with the arm of quarterback Luke Falk, the Pac-12’s leading passer. But the Cougars also have a running game, meaning Jim Leavitt‘s CU defense has been busy throughout the week preparing for a new wrinkle in the Cougars’ attack.

“Washington State’s known for the Air Raid, and they like to move things around a little bit trying to get you caught off guard,” outside linebacker/safety Ryan Moeller said. “You really have to start there, figuring out the different steps and different areas of where we think they’re going to attack us. And then it all comes down to communication out there for us.”

… Continue reading story here …

—–

November 17th 

… CU in a few minutes …

Tweet of the Day … From Brian Howell at the Daily Camera … “At the close of business on Thursday, #cubuffs had sold nearly 47K tickets for Saturday’s game vs. Washington State”

—

Neill Woelk’s Friday Five Keys to Washington State game

From CUBuffs.com … It’s been awhile since the Colorado Buffaloes played a game with this kind of significance in Boulder.

It makes Saturday’s matchup between the No. 12 AP/No. 10 CFP Buffs (8-2 overall, 6-1 Pac-12) and No. 20/22 Washington State (8-2, 7-0) exponentially more interesting. It’s not only the first meeting between two ranked teams at Folsom Field since 2002, it’s also a meeting of the two Pac-12 division leaders, meaning whoever walks out of Folsom with a win will be one step closer to playing in the Pac-12 championship game.

… This year, WSU comes to Boulder riding the wave of Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense, an attack that boasts the Pac-12’s second-leading offense, (517.5 yards per game), leading pass offense (385.5), second-leading scoring offense (44.3 points per game) and leading quarterback (Luke Falk). The Cougars are averaging more than 50 pass attempts per game and have not attempted fewer than 41 in any game this season.

The Buffs, meanwhile, are tied for the Pac-12 lead in scoring defense (17.9 points per game allowed), first in total defense (308.4) and first in pass defense (176.9).

Something has give — and here’s what the Buffs must do to get a win Saturday and set up a Pac-12 South showdown with Utah:

… Continue reading story here …

—

CU secondary excited for the challenge of taking on Washington State passing attack

From the Daily Camera … Coming into this season, the Colorado secondary knew it could be pretty good.

Shutting down the passing offenses of Colorado State and Idaho State in the opening two weeks gave the Buffaloes a bit more confidence.

It took several weeks of dominance for senior cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon to fully comprehend the special nature of this secondary, however.

“As you progress through the season, you start to get more confident in terms of, ‘OK, we really can do this. This is actually what we’re about,'” Witherspoon said.

… “I think they’re excited about playing against Washington State,” CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said of his secondary. “If you watch (the Cougars) on film, they’re excellent at what they do. It challenges you to be at the top of your game, and I know (the Buffs) are excited about that challenge.”

… “We’re excited to show what we can do facing a real passing offense that can move the ball around to different receivers,” Witherspoon said. “They’re great across the board and Falk can throw the ball well. We’re just ready to step up to the challenge and see how we compare with them.”

—–

November 16th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Uniform combination for Washington State

Silver helmets, black uniforms, silver pants …

—

Joel Klatt: “Learning how to win can be even more difficult than actually winning”

From CUBuffs.com … Former Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt, now the lead college football analyst for Fox Sports, has always looked forward to the day he would return to CU and call a game from Folsom Field.

But he admits he didn’t think the day would come so soon.

“To say that I expected to be back this year would be a lie,” Klatt said Wednesday afternoon with a laugh. “It’s something I have looked forward to and hoped the day would come — but it’s come much sooner than I expected.”

Klatt and Fox cohorts Gus Johnson and Shannon Spake will be on hand Saturday at Folsom Field for the Pac-12 showdown between division leaders Colorado (8-2 overall, 6-1 Pac-12) and Washington State (8-2, 7-0).

Klatt admits it will be a special feeling to be sitting in the Folsom Field press box for the game.

“I can’t wait,” Klatt said. “It’s a place I’ve always loved and still feel very much a part of. I can’t wait to be there and be back in an environment that’s so familiar.”

… A Q&A with Klatt can be found here …

—

ESPN: Turnaround at Colorado described as “stunning”

… A nice piece going back to Mike MacIntyre’s father’s resurrection of the Vanderbilt program, and how Mike MacIntyre progressed from Duke to San Jose State to Colorado …

From ESPN … MacIntyre admits now that he had a very poor understanding of the situation he was getting into from a talent perspective. Based on the results and the limited opportunities he had to see the team play, he knew there was an uphill climb ahead, but to what degree was mostly unknown.

“Once I saw us practice the first week of spring practice, I knew it would be tough,” he said. “And then I said, ‘Well, here we are. We’re going to get this done.'”

After that first spring, Bohn, the man responsible for hiring him, was forced out and Rick George, then the chief operating officer of Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers, was brought in to replace him. George has an extensive football background, having played at Illinois and having been a part of legendary Colorado coach Bill McCartney’s staff for four years. That first stint in Boulder included the 1990 national championship season, when he was the assistant athletic director for football operations.

MacIntyre was stunned by the change, but he hit it off with George right off the bat. The idea that a new athletic director might want to bring in his own guy is valid, but that’s not the approach George took. It became apparent to George right away, based on his own observations and conversations he had with people he respects, that the program was in good hands with MacIntyre.

Maybe more important, George’s background allowed him to recognize just how devoid of talent the program was. There would be no quick fix. Not with those players, not in the Pac-12 South.

“We didn’t have as a good of talent as our opponents,” said George, who occasionally watches film of players Colorado is recruiting. “Coaching is great, but if you don’t have the talent, you’re not going to win many games.”

… Continue reading story here …

—

Washington State gets expelled defensive tackle back … just in time for CU game

From ESPN … Washington State senior defensive tackle Robert Barber will be allowed to return to the football team after a Whitman County Superior Court judge granted a motion to stay his suspension.

The university’s conduct board levied the suspension because of Barber’s involvement in a fight at an off-campus party in July.

The terms of the stay prevent Barber from contacting the student he injured, consuming alcohol, using drugs or attending alcohol-related functions.

“We respect today’s decision by the Whitman County Superior Court and immediately will reinstate Robert Barber as a student at Washington State University in good academic standing,” WSU president Kirk Schulz said Wednesday in a statement. “We look forward to a final decision by the court early next year.

“With his reinstatement as a student, the athletic department will determine Mr. Barber’s status as an active member of the Cougar football team.”

—

Coach MacIntyre post-practice talk with media

From YouTube, courtesy of CUSportsNation.com:

—–

November 15th

… CU in a few minutes …

Coach MacIntyre Tuesday press conference 

From CUBuffs.com …

Opening Statement
“Our guys are excited about this game to say the least. Coach Mike Leach does a phenomenal job at Washington State. And offensively that’s exactly what they’re known for, he’s done a great job there. But defensively to me they’ve made big gains and that’s made them won eight in a row. Offensively they’ve done a great job. [Luke] Falk, the quarterback, does a phenomenal job of understanding of what Mike wants of him. Looks to me that he’s checking about 50 percent of the plays and they have a really good idea of what they want to do. Gets them in the right play a lot [of the time]. We’re going to have to play really well that’s obvious. But we’re going to have to tackle in space. They spread you out horizontally. And how we tackle in space will be a big key in how we will be able to slow down their offense. Defensively they have a good front that stunts a lot, they have a lot of tackle for losses and harass the passer. Our offensive line will have to do a good job of handling that so it’s going to be a great game and we’re excited about playing Saturday afternoon, it’s going to be fun.”

On Defensive Identity Preparing For Washington State’s Offense
“Their philosophy and how they do it, they all tweak it a little bit according to each game. But the whole key is being able to tackle the receivers in space. One thing they’ve done a better job of is that they have three really good running backs. And they’ve been able to run the ball better which keeps you off balance. So we’re going to have to be able to stop the run and tackle those guys. Again we’re just going to have to be able to play really well and aggressive at times. And hopefully we’re able to make more plays than their receivers are able to make and their running backs.”

On Stopping The Run
“With this week it’s completely differently. [Luke] Falk never runs. He’ll run and slide a little bit but he can sit in the pocket like Tom Brady and pick you apart. It seems like he has the calmness. Dawkins was really fast and we knew it. Similar to [Colin] Kaepernick, he can just take off running and make plays. He bounced outside of us a couple times and hurt us and we fixed that at the beginning of the second half. We thought we had that fixed at the beginning of the game but his speed and being able to bounce like number ten, we bounced outside us one time. So we were able to corral that a little bit. [Washington State] is a little different. They will run some stretch plays; they will call it. And there running backs will hit it well. It depends what front we’re in and what hold they’re going to it. So our guys will need to know where to fit it up. So hopefully we’ll be stout enough against the run to eliminate that hopefully.”

On Jimmie Gilbert‘s Evolution As A Pass Rusher
“It does help the defense, he’s able to beat guys one-on-one. He’s able to blitz them. He has eight and a half sacks right now I believe and he missed a whole game basically. Which we needed him in that game. But he’s done a good job. It helps because they’ve got to know where he is, their offensive line. It helps us in coverage.”

On Challenge To Become Great
“I do look into their eyes and I see their practice effort. When you’re talking to them as a team, they’re looking at you, they’re engaged they understand what’s going on. You’ve worked this hard, you just need to push the extra step. That’s not a pressure situation at all just keep working and doing what you’re doing and enjoy it. Really enjoy the moment. Then it’s not an overwhelming feeling for you and our guys are excited about it.”

… Continue reading Coach MacIntyre’s comments, along with those of Derek McCartney, Sefo Liufau, and Ryan Moeller here …

—

Ryan Moeller: “We aren’t getting carried away, but we have a certain swagger”

From CUBuffs.com … The Buffs already have raised eyebrows nationally with their 8-2 overall record and steady climb in the weekly polls. But inside their locker room there’s steadiness and resolve, not jaw-dropping surprise.

“It’s easy to see where we could get carried away with the different stories this season,” junior safety Ryan Moeller said Tuesday. “I think that our coaches have done a good job of humbling us and I definitely don’t see any problems with anyone around. I don’t see people getting carried away personally or in any aspect.  So personally I think that everything’s just going on as it would as if we’ve been here before.”

Even though he and his teammates haven’t experienced this kind of heady environment in November, Moeller contended, “It’s business as usual for us – kind of a theme I’ve felt with the team is a sort of swagger.  We aren’t getting carried away, but we have a certain swagger.  You can see it and feel it in how we’re kind of carrying ourselves around.

“When you go through a couple of seasons where you’re just getting worked over by everybody, you can feel it.  That feels like there’s a big cloud over you, and that cloud is gone now.  Everyone is happy and they want to celebrate.  But we haven’t done anything just yet.  We still have the rest of the season to play, and then the postseason as well.  I would say that the swagger and the jump in our step is a big thing that’s helped kind of keep us going and not letting us settle.”

Quarterback Sefo Liufau put it this way: “We’ve done something, but I don’t think we’ve done anything really.  I think that a lot of people haven’t had high expectations for us this year.  But in this building and in the locker we have very high goals for ourselves.  We’ve done very well up to this point, even though we wish we could have done better.

“But 8-2 is a good spot to be sitting at and we’ve got two very important games and one very good opponent coming in this week in WSU.  So we’ve got to do everything in our power to be prepared to go out there and basically play for a Pac-12 championship.  Basically everything is in our hands right now and if we let it go who knows what will happen.”

… Continue reading story here …

—

Derek McCartney named to AllState AFCA Good Works Team

From CUBuffs.com … Derek McCartney had little idea of the difference he might make when he missed a couple of days of spring football practice last March to donate peripheral blood stem cells.

Eight months later, the difference is clear to him – as well as a deeply grateful and still anonymous recipient.

All “D-Mac” knows at this point is that his blood stem cells went to a male in his 50s or 60s. But he knows this with certainty: He helped save a life, and on Tuesday he was honored for his giving spirit by being named to the 11-member Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

“The first thing I thought is that it was a real blessing that someone was able to be helped by something like this,” he said. “I got the chills when I first read (the letter from the recipient) because it was so cool. I didn’t know what to expect when I read it. It’s just such a blessing to see how I could help somebody else.”

Standing before his University of Colorado teammates at the conclusion of Tuesday morning’s practice, McCartney was presented an AFCA Good Works Team trophy. Also attending the practice were McCartney’s mom, Kristy, and his grandfather, Bill, the legendary former Buffaloes coach.

Derek McCartney later attended a news conference that preceded CU coach Mike MacIntyre‘s weekly briefing. McCartney called the AFCA award “a great honor . . . the coolest part about it is really the reason I got the award. I got to donate blood stem cells to a man with cancer and recently received a letter that he’s cancer free now.”

… Continue reading story here …

—–

November 14th 

… CU in a few minutes …

Phillip Lindsay: “We’re still the same. We just know that we have to handle our business”

From the Daily Camera … Starting with Saturday’s showdown against No. 20 Washington State (8-2, 7-0) at Folsom Field, the Buffs have no margin for error if they are to complete their season-long quest for the Pac-12 championship.

“It is a playoff mentality for us,” junior running back Phillip Lindsay said. “We don’t want to lose. We’ve worked so hard for this opportunity here.”

… “Our intensity has to go up a level,” Lindsay said. “We’re about to play a real good team; a real good team. Defensively, they’re going to be one of the best defenses we’ve played this year. Offensively, they move the ball just like us. All of us are going to have to do it.

“Our intensity has picked up. It’s picked up because we’ve got two more games to define where we want to be. We’re so close, so we have to stay focused and we’ve got to stay intense.

“We’re not playing tight. We’re still the same. We just know that we have to handle our business.”

… Continue reading story here …

—

Mike MacIntyre post-practice talk with media

From YouTube, courtesy of CUSportsNation.com:

—

Game time set for regular season finale against Utah

From CUBuffs.com … The Nov. 26 Utah at Colorado football game will kickoff at 5:30 p.m. MST and will be televised nationally on FOX.

—–

November 13th

… CU in a few minutes …

Colorado opens as a 4.5-point favorite over Washington State

From VegasInsider.com … No. 12 Colorado has opened as a 4.5-point favorite over No. 20 Washington State (1:30 p.m., MT, Fox Sports).

Other Pac-12 games:

— No. 15 USC is a 10.5-point favorite on the road against UCLA;

— No. 11 Utah is a 10.5-point favorite at home against Oregon;

— No. 7 Washington is a 24.5-point favorite at home against Arizona State;

— Stanford is a 12.0-point favorite on the road against Cal;

— Oregon State is a 9.0-point favorite at home against Arizona.

—

Washington State loses second-leading receiver to a torn ACL

From CougCenter.com … Our worst nightmare appears to have been confirmed: River Cracraft has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, bringing his WSU career to an end, Cougfan.com is reporting.

The play itself looked fairly innocuous; Cracraft caught a pass over the middle, as he has done about 150 times in his career, and was tackled in what looked like a fairly typical manner. There was no direct contact to the knee, which means it’s hard to know exactly what happened.

Not that it really matters, at this point. All that really matters is that one of the great receiving careers at WSU has come to an unceremonious end. Cracraft, who missed about a half dozen games over the past two seasons because of injuries, was enjoying a renaissance as a senior: 53 receptions, 701 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Three of those TDs came last night before the injury.

… Cracraft finishes his career second on the school’s all-time receptions list (218) and sixth in both yards (2,701) and touchdowns (20).

—

Colorado faced Arizona with a patchwork offensive line

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado and Washington State will square off Saturday in Boulder in late November in a game featuring the Pac-12 division leaders.

Savor that for just a minute — then consider what the Buffs accomplished on a day when the football gods were casting about all manner of complications for teams around the nation.

For starters, the Buffs got their offense moving back in the right direction. Quarterback Sefo Liufau threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran for 56 yards and another score. Running back Phillip Lindsay notched his third 100-yard game this season, finishing with 119 and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Shay Fields caught six passes for 108 yards and a pair of scores and fellow wideout Jay MacIntyre had a 40-yard touchdown reception, the longest of his career.

“It was good to get the offense back on track,” Fields said. “We did some good things. We still made some mistakes, but we did what we have to do.”

Even more impressive was that the offense did it behind a patchwork line. Starting left tackle Jeromy Irwin, who was sick all week, did not play — but senior Shane Callahan stepped in and performed admirably. Starting right tackle Sam Kronshage didn’t play because of a shoulder injury, but redshirt freshman Aaron Haigler filled the bill in his stead. Starting left guard Gerrad Kough went out with an ankle injury and his replacement, Jonathan Huckins, also went out briefly with an injury before returning.

… “Our young men have taken us from good to really good,” MacIntyre said. “Now they have a chance to take us to great.”

Already, the Buffs have accomplished more than most people believed possible when the season began. But no one in the CU locker room is ready to pronounced the mission accomplished.

“We’re one step closer,” Liufau said. “Now Washington State is the biggest game for us. They just keep getting a little more important every week.”

For the older players on team, those who have been through two or three years of difficult times, games such as Saturday’s win are simply another reminder of where they’ve been and how far they’ve come. They came into the game having lost four straight to the Wildcats; now UA is just the latest team to see such a win streak against Colorado come to an end.

“We’re getting closer to that complete game,” Liufau said. “We needed the offense to come around and help the defense out. Our special teams played well. We know we can play better; we just have to go out and do that next week.”

—–

This post, about the Washington State game, from the 2016 Season, is filed under Article.
You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment.