Colorado Daily

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Colorado Daily – Washington

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October 20th – Game Day!

… CU in a few minutes … 

Steven Montez: “We have had something to prove since the season started”

From CUBuffs.com … One week after suffering their first loss of the season, the Colorado Buffaloes hit the field Saturday believing they have something to prove.

Standing in their way at Husky Stadium for Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. game (Fox) will be 15th-ranked Washington (5-2 overall, 3-1 Pac-12), a team with its own chip on its shoulder after last week’s overtime loss to Oregon.

The Buffs (5-1, 2-1) are coming off a 31-20 loss to USC. The defeat dropped the Buffs out of the Associated Press top 25 (from 19th) and from No. 18 in the USA Today Coaches poll to No. 25.

But more importantly, they are no longer in control of the Pac-12 South. A win over the Huskies would at least keep them in a contender’s role.

“We always have something to prove just because people don’t look at Colorado and think we are an elite college football team year in and year out,” Colorado quarterback Steven Montez said. “We have had something to prove since the season started. We just have to keep moving in a positive direction. I think we’ll prove what we want to prove. There is always something for this team, for sure.”

The Huskies present a tall order for Colorado. Since the Buffs joined the Pac-12, UW has won six in a row against Colorado, including a win in the Pac-12 title game two years ago and a victory in Boulder last season.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 19th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Full list of mid-season award lists for Shenault, Landman, Montez and MacIntyre

Press Release from CUBuffs.com … Sophomores Laviska Shenault Jr. and Nate Landman, junior Steven Montez and coach Mike MacIntyre this week were named to a variety of different midseason awards lists and national award watch lists.

Shenault was named a first-team Midseason All-American by most publications that produce such a list, including The Athletic, CBSSports.com, ESPN.com, Rivals.com and Pro Football Focus.  He was also named to the midseason All-Pac-12 teams by Pro Football Focus and Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News.

Landman made the cut for the Lott IMPACT Trophy as one of 20 players nationally on the quarterfinal list.  The award is given to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.   He was also named to the Pro Football Focus midseason All-Pac-12 team.

Montez was added to the Manning Award Watch List, one of 10 quarterbacks added to the list of 30 on the preseason list.  The Manning Award is sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl and is the only quarterback honor to take into account performance in the bowl games.

MacIntyre was named to his second watch list for National Coach of the Year.  Last week he was added to the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year midseason list and earlier this week he was added to the 2018 Paul “Bear” Bryant watch list.  He won the Bobby Dodd Trophy in 2016.

Shenault leads the nation in receiving (10.0 per game) and receiving yards (130.0 per game) with 60 catches for 780 yards through six games.  He has 11 total touchdowns, six receiving and five rushing, becoming just the second player in program history to record five rushing and receiving touchdowns in the same season (Mike Pritchard, 1990, 6 receiving, 5 rushing).  His 11 touchdowns through six games are the third most in program history behind Rashaan Salaam’s Heisman Trophy winning season of 1994 when he had 16 and College Football Hall of Famer Bobby Anderson’s total of 13 in 1969.

A deeper look inside Shenault’s numbers prove even more impressive. More than two-thirds of his yards have come after catch (521-of-780, 66.8 percent) and an astounding 35.3 percent (275 yards) have come after contact.  He’s made 12 defenders totally miss him and broken another 22 tackles on those 60 catches.  His rushing numbers are also impressive with 15 carries for 87 yards and five touchdowns.  On the ground, almost half his yards (41-of-87, 47.1 percent) have come after contact.  He’s made another three defenders miss and broken six more tackles on the ground.

On his 75 touches, he’s scored a touchdown on 11 of them, there was no tackle on six and he ran out of bounds six more times.  Of the 53 touches he was tackled on, he’s been tackled by one player just 14 times while it took two defenders to bring him down 19 times and he has been gang tackled by three or more players a total of 20 times. What’s more, he’s missed what equals one game of action after sitting out the fourth quarter of both the Nebraska and USC games and the second half against New Hampshire.

Montez has completed over 70 percent of his passes (141-of-200, .705) for 1,590 yards ith 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He also has four rushing touchdowns.  He’s on pace to break the school record for completion percentage, as well as many other school marks.  A deeper look inside the 59 incompletions he’s had in six games shows accuracy at an even higher rate.  He’s thrown away 11 passes, 13 have been broken up, six have been dropped and twice a receiver has fallen down on his route.  He’s had three passes intercepted and missed on just 24 of the other 197 passes, or just 12.2 percent of the time.

Landman’s numbers have also been impressive.  He leads the Buffs with 9.9 tackles per game, a total of 59 on the season.  He has one sack and seven total tackles for loss and three more for no gain.  He leads the squad with two interceptions and has five third down stops, two of which came on fourth down, one quarterback pressure, one forced fumble and one pass break-up.

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Washington may be out of the College Football Playoff race, but still has much to play for

From the Seattle Times … Not since the days of Marques Tuiasosopo and Rick Neuheisel have the Washington Huskies been to the Rose Bowl. That was 18 years ago.

No. 15 Washington, following its overtime loss at Oregon, has effectively been eliminated from consideration for a return to the College Football Playoff. There are still enticing postseason possibilities for the Huskies in the second half of the season.

“Guys understand there’s still a lot of football to be played and a lot to play for — a Pac-12 championship and hopefully a Rose Bowl,” senior linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven said. “Guys understand that we have to go out and keep doing our jobs and keep winning games. We have a lot of guys have been here through tough losses before, and we know what it takes to get back on track.”

The Pac-12 North is up for grabs, and four teams are jockeying for position in the race to the conference championship game. (Note on tiebreakers: If two teams are tied atop the division at the end of the regular season, the Pac-12 uses the head-to-head result as the first tiebreaker. If three or more teams are tied, the second tiebreaker in intra-divisional games; the third is record against the next-highest placed team in the division. More details here.)

Here’s a primer on the contenders in the North and predictions about what could be in store for the second half of the season:

… Continue reading story here …

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Neill Woelk: Friday’s Fast Five for Washington game

From CUBuffs.com … When the 2018 Pac-12 football schedule was released last fall, Colorado fans knew this two-week stretch would be the most difficult of the season.

On the road at USC, followed by another road trip to Washington. Two games in two weeks against the last two conference champions.

Now, after a 31-20 loss to the Trojans last week, Colorado heads to Washington on Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. matchup with the 15th ranked Huskies in hopes of picking up a split.

What must the Buffs do to leave Husky Stadium with a win? Our weekly Fast Five:

1. Stop the UW run game. This was one of our top keys last week — and while the Buffs accomplished the goal by limiting USC to a scant 51 yards on the ground, they still came up short.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 18th

… CU in a few minutes … 

CU has allowed a conference low five rushing touchdowns

From the Daily Camera … Although the Buffs (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12), who rank No. 25 in the Amway Coaches’ poll, lost to USC last Saturday, 31-20, Johnson and his line mates once again were impressive in the trenches.

Led by the line, CU’s front seven on defense has made a tremendous jump from 2017.

“As a whole, everybody is gaining a lot of confidence, especially the D-line,” senior linebacker Rick Gamboa said.

CU visits No. 15 Washington (5-2, 3-1) on Saturday and brings the Pac-12’s No. 4 rushing defense to Seattle. The Buffs are allowing just 136.8 yards per game on the ground and 3.8 yards per carry. USC had 51 yards on 26 carries. Most importantly, only five rushing touchdowns have been scored against the Buffs — the fewest allowed in the conference.

In addition to stopping the run, the Buffs’ front seven had contributed to the team’s 16 quarterback sacks — 5 ½ of those by Johnson.

So far, it’s been a complete turnaround from 2017, when CU allowed 208 rushing yards per game (10th in the Pac-12), 5.23 per carry (10th), 23 rushing touchdowns (seventh) and generated just 19 sacks (11th).

“I’ve been pleased with their play,” defensive coordinator DJ Eliot said. “We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us, but those guys have done some good things this year.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Former Buff tight end Daniel Graham to be inducted into Colorado Sports Hall of Fame

From CUBuffs.com … Former Mackey Award winner Daniel Graham has been selected as one of six individuals to be inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame at the 55th annual banquet, set for April 3.

Graham is joined by Missy Franklin, Todd Lodwick, Bob Smith, Marvin Kay and Tom Southall in the Class of 2019.

Graham played for Colorado from 1998-2001.  As a senior in 2001, he led the team with 51 receptions for 753 yards and six touchdowns.  He was a unanimous first-team All-American and won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end in helping the Buffs to a 10-3 record, Big 12 Championship and appearance in the Fiesta Bowl.

In his CU career, he had 106 receptions for 1,543 yards and 11 touchdowns, the first two numbers still a CU record for a tight end.  He came to CU from Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver where he was a tight end, linebacker, placekicker and long snapper.

After his CU career, he was drafted in the first round, 21st overall, in the 2002 NFL Draft to the New England Patriots.  He won two Super Bowls in New England from 2002-06.  In 2007, he came back home to the Denver Broncos where he was a captain through the 2010 season.  He also played for the Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints before retiring before the 2013 season.   In 11 pro seasons, 148 total games, he compiled 224 receptions for 2,490 yards and 25 touchdowns.

He was inducted into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.

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CU secondary vows to have a better game this week

From the Daily Camera … Colorado cornerback Chris Miller has spent a little extra time at practice this week working with position coach Ashley Ambrose.

After a game in which Miller and the CU secondary got stung a few times, the Buffaloes are hoping the extra work pays off.

During Saturday’s 31-20 loss to Southern California at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Buffs gave up three touchdown passes — taking away from what was otherwise a very solid overall effort defensively.

“Hats off to them,” CU safeties coach and defensive passing game coordinator ShaDon Brown said. “They threw the ball down the field on a couple deep balls and made plays. If you look at the overall game, that was the difference in the game on defense.”

Facing No. 15 Washington (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) this week, the Buffaloes (5-1, 2-1) know they have to be better against the pass.

The Huskies feature one of the Pac-12’s best quarterbacks, Jake Browning, and a pair of receivers — Aaron Fuller and Ty Jones — that have combined for 53 catches, 911 yards and seven touchdowns.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 17th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Washington offensive line that boasts five starters weighing at least 300 pounds

From CUBuffs.com … Halfway through the season, the Colorado Buffaloes’ defense continues to be one of the stingiest in the Pac-12.

Even after last week’s 31-20 loss, the Buffs are still third in the conference and 30th in the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 20.5 points a game — more than a touchdown per game less than last year’s 28.2 average. (CU’s average would still be below 20 this year had it not been for an interception return for a score by USC and another against New Hampshire.)

As head coach Mike MacIntyre noted last week, “You’re going to give up yards in today’s world. … You don’t worry about yards, you worry about points.”

But the Buffs are also in the upper half of the conference in the yards allowed categories: fifth in in total yards (351.5 per game), fourth in rushing defense (136.8) and fifth in passing defense (215.7). That rushing number was helped significantly by last week’s effort against USC, when CU held the Trojans to just 51 yards on the ground.

Colorado will need another stellar effort from its rush defense Saturday, when the 5-1 Buffs travel to Seattle for a 1:30 p.m. (MT) meeting with Washington at Husky Stadium (Fox). The Huskies are averaging 174 yards per game on the ground, and are coming off a 194-yard effort in last week’s 30-27 overtime loss to Oregon. Washington’s Myles Gaskin is one of the conference’s best backs with 623 yards and five touchdowns on 139 carries, while backup Salvon Ahmed adds a change of pace, with 319 yards and four touchdowns on 51 carries.

They run behind an offensive line that boasts five starters weighing at least 300 pounds.

“Their offensive line is big and powerful,” MacIntyre said. “The thing that they do different than a lot of people is their tight ends are excellent blockers. They’ve got big, athletic tight ends that are excellent blockers that bothered us a little bit last year in the run game.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Pro Football Focus mid-season All-American teams include Laviska Shenault and Nate Landman

From Pro Football Focus … The 2018 NCAA football season is quickly passing before our eyes as we’ve already reached the midway point of the year. With some impressive performances in hand, before we dive into the second half of the 2018 college season, we utilize PFF grades and data to look at which athletes have given us the top performances, week in and week out, at each position.

As always, our team of over 500 analysts has dissected and graded every snap of every game to bring you the most detailed and valid set of Midseason All-Americans that you can find anywhere.

Wide Receiver

Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado

2018 Grade: 91.2

The nation’s top playmaker, Shenault has caught 83.6% of his targets and his 535 yards after the catch lead the nation by over 100 yards.

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Nate Landman, Colorado

2018 Grade: 88.4

As for Landman, he’s done his best work in the run game with a 90.2 grade that ranks sixth, but he also has two interceptions and a pass breakup while allowing just three receptions in coverage.

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CBS mid-season All-American team includes Laviska Shenault 

… Laviska Shenault one of only six underclassmen, and one of only three players from the Pac-12 … 

From CBS Sports … Now that we are halfway through the college football season, our panel of our college football experts has reconvened to select the 2018 CBS Sports Midseason All-America team. As with the preseason team, there were three unanimous selections with Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver, Alabama offensive lineman Jonah Williams and Pittsburgh kick returner Maurice Ffrench standing out from their peers. Oliver was also a unanimous first-team selection on our preseason team.

In total, 20 programs are represented across the 27 players selected for the team. Alabama leads the way with four selections, LSU follows with three, and both Kentucky and Texas A&M boast two each. As such, 44.4 percent of the team hails from the SEC, which had 12 of 27 selections.

Five members of our midseason All-America team were also 2018 preseason selections.

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Kabion Ento ready to make his mark if Shenault and MacIntyre can’t go

From the Daily Camera … This wasn’t what Kabion Ento envisioned when he opted to take a redshirt season a year ago.

Ento figured the 2017 receiving corps that already included three experienced and decorated pass-catching seniors in Devin Ross, Shay Fields and Bryce Bobo didn’t necessarily need his services. With an eye on playing a bigger role in his final collegiate season, Ento ultimately decided to push his senior year to 2018.

So far, Ento hasn’t played much more than he did while redshirting a year ago. That could change this week, as a battered group of receivers attempts to regroup along with the rest of the Colorado Buffaloes ahead of Saturday’s visit to No. 15 Washington (1:30 p.m. MT, FOX).

If Ento is frustrated by compiling only two receptions for 14 yards through six games so far, it doesn’t show. Instead, he believes he is more than ready to contribute if his number is called Saturday.

“It’s not frustrating,” Ento said. “Of course I’d like to be out there more often. But I play on special teams, and whatever my job is I’ll do. That’s one thing I’ve always told myself — make sure you do your job. Of course I’d like to have big numbers and everything. But that’s just not how it is. Balls are going to come my way, and when they do I’ve got to make the most of them.

“It’s really not frustrating. It’s just part of the game. I understand it. Sometimes you just have to do your job and move on.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 16th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Mike MacIntyre Tuesday press conference – Laviska Shenault “day-to-day”

From YouTube, courtesy of BuffStampede.com:

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Laviska Shenault’s toe “still being evaluated”

From the Daily Camera … The Colorado football team doesn’t know the severity of Laviska Shenault’s injury – or at least isn’t saying anything publicly.

Shenault, who leads the country in catches and receiving yards per game and has been one of the most dynamic players in the country this season, skipped practice and wore a walking boot Monday.

The talented sophomore didn’t play the final 18 minutes Saturday after injuring a toe on his right foot.

“We haven’t found out anything on it yet,” MacIntyre said. “They’re still evaluating everything. We haven’t found out any total results or anything. He still has a sore toe, but we’ll see.”

… Continue reading story here …

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October 15th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Buffs may be swapping out Laviska Shenault and Jay MacIntyre for Juwann Winfree and Jaylon Jackson

From CUBuffs.com … Since fall camp began, depth at wide receiver has been considered to be one of the Colorado Buffaloes’ major strengths.

That depth could be a major factor this week when the 5-1 Buffs (2-1 Pac-12) travel to Washington (5-2, 3-1) for a 1:30 p.m. game Saturday at Husky Stadium (Fox).

Two of Colorado’s starting wide receivers left last weekend’s game against USC with injuries. Sophomore Laviska Shenault Jr. had a toe injury and senior Jay MacIntyre suffered a concussion. Shenault is undergoing further evaluation while MacIntyre is going through concussion protocol.

But while their status for Saturday’s game was unclear Monday morning, the Buffs will have at least one — and very possibly two — key returnees ready for the Huskies. Redshirt freshman Jaylon Jackson made his career debut Saturday against USC and senior Juwann Winfree could be ready to return after missing the last four games with an ankle injury.

Both were players who had outstanding fall camps and figured to be a key part of the Colorado passing game.

“We’re a little thin right now and I’m trying my hardest to make sure I’m back this week,” Winfree said after Monday morning’s practice. “There’s no guarantees, but I’m going to give it my all.”

After catching a touchdown pass against Colorado State in the season opener, Winfree had a five-reception game at Nebraska before a hit out-of-bounds in that game sent him to the sidelines with an ankle injury that has been slow to heal. He has now missed four games, and did not make the trip to Los Angeles last weekend for the USC game.

But he’s now as healthy as he has been since the Nebraska game and is hopeful of returning this weekend.

“I’m not looking at it like there’s pressure on me to get back — I think I can help the team, but there’s still a lot of ballers out there who can make plays,” Winfree said. “But at the same time, I want to get back as soon as possible. When I get my opportunity, I want to be able to go out there and give everything I’ve got to help us win some games.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Game time set for Oregon State

From Dave Plati … The Oregon State at Colorado football game (CU’s annual homecoming affair) on Saturday, Oct. 27, will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. MDT and will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.

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Mike MacIntyre post-practice talk with media (discussing injuries)

From YouTube, courtesy of BuffStampede.com …

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Laviska Shenault named to ESPN mid-season All-American team

From ESPN … Halftime of the 2018 college football season is upon us, and while it is true that no team has ever won a championship and no player has ever won the Heisman Trophy at the midway point of the season, that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate who have been the best players through the first half of the season.

We unveil ESPN’s 2018 midseason All-America team with a few of the usual reminders. This is not a list of the top NFL draft prospects, and it’s not a list of the players who were being touted as All-Americans before the season. It’s a list of the players who have played like All-Americans to this point.

Of note, only five of the players on our preseason All-America team — Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor, Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams, Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver, LSU linebacker Devin White and LSU cornerback Greedy Williams — find themselves on this list, so a lot can change by the end of the season.

WR: Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado

As a freshman, the 6-2, 220-pound Shenault averaged 24 yards per catch for the Buffaloes. He has been even more dynamic as a sophomore. He injured his toe Saturday in the loss to USC and had to leave the game, but has been one of college football’s most dynamic players during the first half of the season. Shenault leads the country with an average of 130 receiving yards per game and also has 11 touchdowns (six receiving and five rushing).

… Read full list here …

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Defensive lineman Jase Franke lost for the season

From the Daily Camera … Colorado might have to play the rest of the season without a key member of the defensive line.

Senior Jase Franke went down with a right knee injury during the first quarter of Saturday’s 31-20 loss to Southern California at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

CU will find out the extent of the injury on Sunday, but it is feared to be a season-ending ACL tear.

Throughout his career, Franke, who is from nearby Camarillo, Calif., has been a key part of the rotation up front.

“He’s meant a ton,” head coach Mike MacIntyre said. “This is really, really tough. This is his home area. Everybody in the family was here tonight. It’s a gut-wrenching loss for him and for our team. He’s such a great leader, he’s a good player.”

Franke has 12 tackles and two sacks in the first five games. If he is out for the year, MacIntyre said, “We’re going to miss Jace a lot.”

It was a rough night overall for CU.

Senior receiver Jay MacIntyre left the game with a concussion, sophomore receiver Laviska Shenault injured a toe and running back Travon McMillian went out a thigh bruise, coach MacIntyre said.

… Continue reading story here …

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October 14th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Neill Woelk: Ten Takeaways from loss to USC 

From CUBuffs.com … When Mike MacIntyre‘s Colorado Buffaloes get back to work Monday morning, they will begin the process of addressing the issues that hurt them in Saturday’s 31-20 loss to Southern California.

It won’t be a short list. The Buffs struggled on both sides of the ball at key junctures, and those issues were magnified by the fact that they were facing the most talented team they have seen in their six games thus far. The Trojans were more than capable of taking advantage of every miscue the Buffs committed, and they did so with a vengeance.

That kind of recipe — not playing well against a good team — will invariably produce such an outcome.

Next up? A Saturday matchup in Seattle (1:30 p.m., Fox) with the the No. 15 Washington Huskies, a team guaranteed to be in a bad mood after an overtime loss to Oregon. It will be CU’s first game against a ranked opponent this year and the Buffs’ first time as a heavy underdog.

What kind of things will Colorado’s coaches and players be working on this week as they prepare for their second straight week in the underdog role?

Our weekly 10 Takeaways:

… Continue reading story here …

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Mike MacIntyre: “I think we’re going to really erase this whole game” 

From the Daily Camera …  After each win this season, the Colorado football team has displayed the ability to move forward and focus on the next game.

Following their first loss of the season, the Buffaloes are hoping to do the same.

In the moments after a 31-20 loss to Southern California on Saturday night, the Buffs (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) were already eager to prepare for their next test. They will visit No. 15 Washington (5-2, 3-1) on Saturday in Seattle.

CU, ranked No. 19 a week ago, fell out of the Associated Press Top 25 — and down to No. 25 in the Amway Coaches’ poll -— with the loss.

“Guys in (the locker room) are down, but also their heads up,” sophomore linebacker Nate Landman said. “This game is over we’re now looking on to Washington. We’re going to watch the film and learn from our mistakes.”

… Continue reading story here …

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This post, about the Washington game, from the 2018 Season, is filed under Article.
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