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Friday Fast Facts
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The 2016 season in review – Awards
The Colorado football program enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2016. With success comes recognition, and the Buffs collected numerous awards throughout the year.
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Head Coach Mike MacIntyre
The CU head coach received numerous awards in taking the Buffs from a 4-9 record in 2015 to a 10-3, Pac-12 South division winning record in 2016.
— Associated Press national Coach-of-the-Year … MacIntyre received 109 points and 25 first-place votes from the AP college football poll panel, beating out Penn State’s James Franklin in second with 98 and 16. Alabama’s Nick Saban was third with 57 and 13.
— Walter Camp national Coach-of-the-Year … MacIntyre is the second Colorado coach (Bill McCartney, 1989) and the fifth from the Pac-12 to earn the honor. MacIntyre joins Chip Kelly (2010, Oregon), Bruce Snyder (1996, Arizona State), McCartney and Frank Kush (1975, Arizona State) as Walter Camp Coach of the Year recipients. The only other head coach from the Mountain and Pacific time zones to win the award in its 50-year history was Fisher DeBerry (Air Force, 1985).
— Home Depot national Coach-of-the-Year
— CBS national Coach-of-the-Year Award … When a coach is rebuilding a program, like MacIntyre has done at Colorado, he’s got to sell a vision to his players. That requires a steadfastness and patience, and even after losing 27 of 37 games in his first three seasons with the Buffs, there was nothing to shake MacIntyre. After leading Colorado back into the top 10 of the polls in November and showing up in the Pac-12 title game with a group of upperclassmen that bought into MacIntyre’s vision, now he can sell results.
— SB Nation national Coach-of-the-Year Award
— American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) national Coach-of-the-Year … finalist. Perhaps the most coveted of the national awards, MacIntyre is a finalist for the AFCA award, which will be given out on January 10th. MacIntyre is already the 2016 Region 5 Coach of the Year. Did you know? … This would be the second national AFCA award for MacIntyre. In 2009, as defensive coordinator under David Cutliffe, MacIntyre was named the AFCA national Assistant Coach-of-the-Year.
— Bobby Dodd national Coach-of-the-Year Award … finalist.
— Eddie Robinson national Coach-of-the-Year Award … finalist.
— Paul “Bear” Bryan national Coach-of-the-Year … finalist. To be announced January 11th.
— Maxwell Football Club George Munger Collegiate Coach-of-the-Year … finalist. To be announced December 29th.
— Pac-12 Coach-of-the-Year … as voted on by both the media and fellow Pac-12 coaches.
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Defensive Coordinator Jim Leavitt
— Frank Broyles Award for national Assistant Coach-of-the-Year – Finalist … Jim Leavitt was nominated for the 2016 Award along with Alabama’s Defensive Coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, Clemson Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables (winner), Michigan’s Defensive Coordinator Done Brown, and Pittsburgh Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback’s Coach Matt Canada.
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Co-offensive coordinators Brian Lindgren and Darrin Chiaverini
— Football Scoop Offensive Coordinator(s)-of-the-Year … Finalists … Now in its ninth year, the FootballScoop Coach of the Year awards program presented by ProGrass are the only coaching awards chosen entirely by their peers. Coaches must be nominated by a fellow coach to be eligible for an award and winners are chosen by the prior winners of each award.
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Linebacker Jimmie Gilbert
— Associated Press All-American, third team … Associated Press All-Pac-12, first team … Coaches All-Pac-12, first team … Ranked third in the Pac-12 in sacks (10 by CU’s count, 9.5 by press box stats that the Pac-12 uses; CU uses coaches film for defensive stats) … his six forced fumbles are the second-most in CU single-season history, rank in a tie for the second-most forced by any player in the country this year and are the most by any Pac-12 player since Arizona’s Scooby Wright III also had six back in 2014 … led the team in multiple categories including tackles for a loss with 12.0 (includes sack figure), third-down stops with 19, quarterback hurries with 13 and quarterback chase downs with six.
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Linebacker Kenneth Olugbode
— All-American, second-team – Pro Football Focus … Olugbode’s 135 tackles (by CU’s count, which tracks defensive statistics off of coaches film not press box stats that the NCAA utilizes) is the third-most of any FBS defender this season.
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Quarterback Sefo Liufau
— Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award … The award is presented annually to the most outstanding Polynesian college football player that epitomizes great ability and integrity. Liufau, a native of Tacoma, Wash. (Bellarmine Prep), is of Samoan ancestry. He is the son of Joe and Heather Liufau and is also the nephew of inaugural Polynesian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2014) inductee Jack “The Throwin’ Samoan” Thompson.
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Defensive back Chidobe Awuzie
— Associated Press All-Pac-12, first team … Coaches All-Pac-12, second team … Marquee player in CU’s secondary that ranked fourth in the FBS in pass efficiency defense and 22nd in passing defense, both categories that topped all Pac-12 teams … finished the year with 54 tackles (44 solo), four sacks (the most by any CU defensive back), 13 pass breakups and two forced fumbles … also had one interception and 17 third-down stops, ranking second on the team in that category … he became CU’s all-time quarterback sacks leader – among defensive backs – over the course of the season and now stands with nine in his career … played in 771 snaps on defense, ranking third on the squad … led CU in special teams points with 26.
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Defensive back Tedric Thompson
— CBS All-American, second team … Associated Press All-Pac-12, first team … Coaches All-Pac-12, second team … Led the Pac-12 in interceptions with seven on the season, a mark that tied for the most in CU single-season history … his seven picks were also the second-most in the country in 2016 … by CU’s count (school uses coaches film for defensive stats), his 25 total passes defended (18 pass breakups plus his seven interceptions) led all FBS players … his 18 pass breakups tie for the fifth-most in CU single-season history … ranked third on the team with 72 tackles (44 solo and two for losses) … was credited with 15 third-down stops and three quarterback pressures … twice collected Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors (for games at Stanford, versus Utah) – he was one of only two Pac-12 defenders to earn the award twice on the season (joined by Stanford Solomon Thomas) … he played in 776 snaps on defense, ranking second on the team.
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Defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon
Associated Press All-Pac-12, second team … Led the nation in pass breakups with 22 on the year, which tied Ben Kelly’s single-season school record that he set back in 1998 … also ranked second in the nation in total passes defended with 23, trailing only teammate Tedric Thompson (25) … his lone interception on the year was one of CU’s biggest plays of the season, as his pick in the end zone at Oregon when the Ducks had the ball inside the Buffalo 10-yard line with under a minute to play sealed CU’s 41-38 victory to open Pac-12 play … was credited with a pass breakup in 12-of-13 games on the season, including seven games with multiple pass breakups (high of four versus Utah in regular season finale) … finished the year with 24 tackles and nine third-down stops … played in 719 snaps on defense.
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Defensive Back Ryan Moeller
Coaches All-Pac-12, first team, special teams contributor … Moeller ranked third on the team in special teams points with 20. His nine total tackles on specials teams were second on the team (six solo and three assisted tackles), he forced six fair catches, was credited with being the first down field (on a kickoff or punt that altered return path) three times and he downed one punt.
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Offensive Tackle Tim Lynott
— USA Today Freshman All-American Team
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Colorado had players named as Pac-12 Players-of-the-Week nine times … more than any other school in the conference this season, and more than CU earned in the first five years in the Pac-12 combined
— Quarterback Sefo Liufau … (September 2, Offensive vs. Colorado State: 33-23-0, 318, 1 TD passing; 14-66 rushing; 384 yards total offense; 17 FDE)
— Quarterback Steven Montez … (September 24, Offensive at Oregon: 32-23-2, 333, 2 TD passing; 21-135, 1 TD rushing; 468 yards total offense; 23 FDE in first career start)
— Kicker Davis Price … (October 1, Special Teams vs. Oregon State: 2-2 FG (54 &, 22 yards), 5-5 FG, 11 points, 8 KO/4 TD; longest FG by a freshman in school history)
— Tailback Phillip Lindsay … (October 15, Offensive vs. Arizona State: 26-219, 3 TD rushing; 4-20 receiving; 10 first downs earned)
— Safety Tedric Thompson … (October 22, Defensive at Stanford: 12 tackles (four solo), two interceptions-returned 30 yards, one third down stop, one touchdown save)
— Cornerback Isaiah Oliver … (November 3, Special Teams vs. UCLA: 5-124, 1 TD punt returns; longs of 68 (TD) and 42, first CU punt return for a TD since 2005)
— Quarterback Sefo Liufau … (Nov. 19, Offensive vs. Washington State: 41-27-0, 345, 1 TD passing; 23-108, 3 td passing; 453 yards total offense; 22 FDE)
— Cornerback Nick Fisher … (Nov. 19, Defensive vs. Washington State: 4,2—6 TT, 4 third down stops (one on fourth down), 1 PBU)
— Safety Tedric Thompson … (November 26, Defensive vs. Utah: 4 tackles (four solo), two interceptions, four third down stops (one fourth), four PBU’s)
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