—
October 20th – at Seattle No. 15 Washington 27, Colorado 13
—
Colorado, down a number of starters and playing the back half of a tough road swing, was in the game until the midway point of the fourth quarter, eventually falling to No. 15 Washington, 27-13. The Huskies out-gained the Buffs, 351 yards to 263, in a game controlled by the defenses.
The Huskies were led by quarterback Jake Browning, who went was held to 150 yards passing, but also contributed 25 yards rushing on scrambles. Buff quarterback Steven Montez went 17-for-28 for 144 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, but was harried all afternoon by the Washington defensive line. Travon McMillian led the Buffs in rushing, with 25 carries for 86 yards.
Notably, all of CU’s points were scored by true freshman. With star wide receiver Laviska Shenault out with a toe injury, CU’s touchdown was scored by true freshman wide receiver Daniel Arias, who turned his first career catch into a 37-yard touchdown. The Buff field goals were posted by true freshman kicker Evan Price, who was good from 37 and 26 yards. Price was in for James Stefanou, out with a hip injury.
“I thought our kids played hard,” CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said. “We had our chances and Washington had their chances. But it all boils down to they converted their fourth downs and we didn’t. That was the meat and potatoes of the game.”
–
—
Game Story … Despite being down several key players, the 17-point underdog Buffs opened the game playing with confidence.
After forcing a punt from the Washington offense to open the game, the Colorado offense took at their 20-yard line. An 11-yard completion from quarterback Steven Montez to true freshman wide receiver Dimitri Stanley, collecting the first reception of his career, got the Buffs their first first down. Four straight runs by Travon McMillan, covering 30 yards, put the ball at the Washington 37 yard line.
Montez then connected with another true freshman wide receiver, Daniel Arias, who also made his first career catch. The completion was good for 37 yards and a Buff touchdown with 9:20 to play in the first quarter.
The teams then exchanged punts before the Washington offense got down to business.
Taking over at the Husky 16-yard line, the Washington offense rattled off successive gains of 17, 14, 11 and 13 yards. The Buff defense then stiffened, forcing a fourth down-and-three at the CU 22 yard line. On the first play of the second quarter, the Huskies converted the fourth down on a pass interference call against CU safety Nick Fisher. The next play was a seven-yard touchdown by running back Salvon Ahmed, tying the score at 7-7.
The Buff offense, though, was not intimidated. Red-shirt freshman tight end Brady Russell collected the first two catches of his career (for 11 and four yards) sandwiched between a 23-yard run by Travon McMillan. The drive stalled at the Washington 20-yard line, with yet another freshman, Evan Price, called on to for a 37-yard field goal attempt. Price, in for kicker James Stefanou (out with a hip injury), was true on his first career attempt, making it a 10-7 game with 11:03 to play in the first half.
Then it was the Huskies’ turn, with the Washington offense marching smartly down the field, covering 75 yards in ten plays. The Buffs did force another fourth down, this time a fourth-and-one at the CU 39-yard line, which was easily converted. The drive was finished off with a 15-yard touchdown run by Kamari Pleasant. Washington 14, Colorado 10, with 5:39 to play before halftime.
A quick punt by the Buffs gave the Huskies the chance to widen its lead, but Washington quarterback Jake Browning was intercepted by Buff safety Nick Fisher, who returned the interception 30 yards to the Husky nine yard line.
The Buffs were unable to gain a yard in three plays, however, with Evan Price brought in for the second field goal attempt of the quarter and his career. Price was good from 26 yards, making it a 14-13 game in the final minute before the break.
Halftime score: No. 15 Washington 14, Colorado 13
The Colorado offense featured the running ability of Steven Montez on its first drive, with Montez carrying the ball three times for 19 yards. The drive stalled, meanwhile, near midfield, with the Buffs punting the ball back to the Huskies.
The Buff defense forced a three-and-out on Washington’s first possession, with the CU offense taking over at its 46 yard line. Four plays later, including three Travon McMillian runs up the middle, and the Buffs turned the ball over on downs at the Washington 45 yard line.
Given good field position and the momentum, the Washington offense took advantage. The Huskies made it as close as the Buff six yard line before an offensive pass interference call stalled the drive. With 3:07 left in the third quarter, Washington kicker Peyton Henry hit a 31-yard field goal, making it a 17-13 game.
A quick three-and-out from the Buff offense, followed by an 11-yard shanked punt by Davis Price, gave Washington the chance to take control of the game. The Buffs appeared to have forced a three-and-out of their own, but a defensive holding call against Trey Udoffia kept the drive alive.
It appeared that the Buff defense was about to allow its first fourth quarter touchdown of the season when wide receiver Chico McClatcher took a Jake Browning inside the CU five yard line. Instead of a first-and-goal at the CU one-yard line, McClatcher was tackled by Nick Fisher, with linebacker Nate Landman punching the ball out. The fumble went out of the end zone, giving the ball back to to the Buffs on a touchback.
Two completions from Montez to K.D. Nixon, covering 21 yards, gave CU’s next drive a spark. The drive seemed to come to an end after a holding call resulted in the Buffs in punt formation. A penalty against Washington, though, for leaping over the punt defenders, gave CU 15 yards and a first down. The Buffs couldn’t take advantage, though, punting the ball away five plays later.
The Huskies then took off on a game-clinching drive. Washington held the ball for 12 plays, covering 84 yards to put the game away. The drive took 5:49 off of the fourth quarter clock, but was almost a three-and-out before a Jake Browning scramble for 12 yards on a third-and-eight kept the drive alive.
Later, the Huskies faced a fourth-and-five at the CU 26 yard line. Going for it, Jake Browning hit Aaron Fuller for a 26-yard touchdown. CU’s first surrendered fourth quarter touchdown of the season made it a 24-13 game with 3:50 to play.
Two plays later, Washington had the ball back again. Steven Montez was intercepted by Washington linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven, who returned the pick to the Buff 15 yard line.
The Huskies did not manage a first down against the Buffs, but did pick up points, with kicker Peyton Henry hitting a 30-yard field goal to make it a 27-13 game with 2:06 to play.
Final score: No. 15 Washington 27, Colorado 13
—
“I thought we ran the ball well on that first drive,” said Steven Montez, who finished with a 17-for-28 day for 144 yards, a touchdown and an interception. “But they tightened it up in the middle a little and started bringing their safety down. Penalties also got us.”
Despite the final score, the Buffs were within one score of the 15th-ranked Huskies until the final four minutes of the game. The game could have turned on the Washington fumble into the endzone early in the fourth quarter, giving the Buffs the ball back at the 20-yard line, down 17-13, with most of the fourth quarter yet to play.
“We were right in it there,” Montez said after the touchback. “We got the ball, we’re driving, we’re doing well — and then we get a holding penalty that puts us behind the sticks. We don’t capitalize on that drive. We just shot ourselves in the foot again. You can’t do that and expect to win on the road, especially against a team like Washington.”
—
Game Notes …
— The win gave Washington a 12-5-1 advantage in the all-time series, with nine straight wins (including all seven games with Colorado a member of the Pac-12 conference);
— The loss was the 29th consecutive for the Buffs on the road against ranked teams, dating back to a 2002 win over UCLA;
— Washington’s touchdown with 3:50 remaining in the game represented the first fourth quarter touchdown by an opponent against Colorado all season;
— True freshman wide receiver Dimitri Stanley earned the first start of his career (three receptions for 24 yards);
— In all, five freshman started for Colorado against Washington (Stanley; DE Israel Antwine; CB Chris Miller; C Colby Pursell; and LT Will Sherman). It was the highest total for freshman starters since six freshman started against Arizona State in 2015;
— Tight ends Brady Russell (four catches for 23 yards) and Chris Bounds (one reception for 15 yards) had the first catches by tight ends on the season (eight catches in all of the 2017 season);
— True freshman wide receiver Daniel Arias became the 16th player in CU history to turn his first touch into a touchdown (joining Jay MacIntyre, Laviska Shenault and Kabion Ento from the current roster);
–
—–
29 Replies to “No. 15 Washington 27, Colorado 13”
Teams with better lines are going to win most of the time – that’s how football is. I think the story of the game was that Washington’s defensive front was able to stop our running game without them putting any extra guys in the box. Montez had about 2 seconds to pass the ball when Washington was rushing only 3 guys. I’m not sure what kind of offensive plays are going to be successful when that is going on.
Yeah, there were some questionable calls by Chiv, but just because a play doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean that it’s a bad call. There’s a whole bunch of other stuff that can go wrong too. CU’s lines were beat because the other team was better. Play calling is important, but it’s something that is going to matter more as the Buffs get the more fundamental issues (i.e., recruiting) sorted out.
Have to disagree somewhat. A lot of play stratagey has to do with outsmarting your opponent. I never saw any evidence of that in this game. Often in the first 4 games it was quite prominent. Uptempo, usage of the qb as a runner, and trickeration plays. Those factors have disappeared.
I just disagree with the “outsmarting the opponent” theory. Trickery is what inferior teams aattempt to use against superior opponents, usually with limited success.
Again, we are talking about coaches who watch hours and hours of film every week. They know what their opponents are going to throw at them. Sure, there are wrinkles and surprises. In fact Petersen said the Buffs’ game plan surprised them. Then they adjusted and let their top ranked defense do their thing.
That isn’t to say coaching doesn’t matter, but look at the husky d. How many nfl dudes are there? How many are seniors, so not only do they have nfl talent, but they also have four or five years of experience? That matters.
Look at CU. Some nfl talent, for sure. Mostly in their underclassmen. That matters. Our young studs are not ‘bama’s young studs.
Against inferior opponents, the coaches look brilliant. Against superior opponents we get the last two games.
Does that mean they cannot beat those teams? Absolutely not. But, it does mean they have to be at their best, execution wise, and not make mistakes that kill their chances.
On the bright side, they are getting better talent to go along with very solid coaching. Mac’s teams really do make few mistakes. But, against the best teams, it only takes a few missed opportunities to lose.
Go Buffs
Go Buffs
Was at the game and overall other than back/back wildcat plays and running the ball on every first down until the 4th quarter (it seemed) I don’t have much issue with the coaching. Am surprised by the reaction of Buff Nation….all of this venom should have been spewed last week at USC where it was obvious our offensive game plan was awful. Only other quibble is that we seemed to have ditched all the WR screens w/no Laviska…no real quick hitters to the outside to keep the defense honest up the middle as we continually try to run it up there no matter what.
Good on Daniel Arias coming home!!!! I was telling everyone about him after the score….and all the Dawg fans were happy for him.
Like the USC game, this one is fully on the coaches. There is a huge difference between playing To Win, and playing Not To Lose. MacIntyre, in every big game that has mattered plays not to lose. And if you coach scared like that, you are going to lose. Washington is a great team with a terrific coach. But they were there for the taking by a Buffs team that has the talent everywhere but at the top.
I wanted Lindgrin fired for 4 seasons because of the head-scratching play calling that he would dial up in key situations. But with him gone, it’s clear MacIntyre is the problem. Play not to lose will always look like yesterday’s game, last week’s game against USC , or the 2016 Pac-12 title game, or the 2016 bowl game.
Unbelievable how Mac still doesnt get it. I thought Chev said last weeks game was on him and he would work to iimprove his game calling. Well, guess what? He learned nothing. How in the world does he manage to slow the game down , continue to try off tackle runs, and keep Montez out of the picture? Chev needs to head elsewhere……soon. Find someone with an imagination!!!!!
if this game is played in boulder, buffs win.
Shameful display of both competence and courage in play-calling today and really sad that the offense isn’t being given a chance to make plays. I’m sure Rick George has got to be pissed as well – really hard to believe that there will not be a major fracture of the team unity if this crap continues!
Someone needs to take over play calling – seriously surreal how completely incompetent the play-calling was the last 3 quarters. I thought we finally figured out that tight ends are eligible receivers and after great success we just stopped using them altogether. Truly not giving the offense a chance to compete – Rick George needs to have a heart to heart with Mac & Chev or does he not see the obvious either? Pathetic!
Stuart,
Last season MM had to part ways with long time friend and coach Jim Jeffcoat. However, I believe we have already begun to see the fruit of that decision in better recruiting and player development. Is it time for a similar decision to be made with Klayton Adams? I’m just not seeing the player development or recruiting going forward where it needs to. Our o-line is frequently and wholly manhandled, except for late in a few home games after altitude has worn the other team down.
Stuart,
MM recently made the difficult decision to part ways with long time friend and d-line coach, Jim Jeffcoat. Already we have see the improvement in recruitment and player development via Khwane Drake. It seems like MM has given Clayton Adams the time he has needed to recruit and develop o-lineman, but it just hasn’t happened, as we’re now juggling many freshman to barely stay afloat. Do you believe it is time to move on from Adams?
That game actually played out a lot like I thought it would. It was a close game, until the very end. Even then, our Buffs had a chance. It was a bit sloppier, by both teams, than I expected, but it was still an entertaining game.
Like I always say, the team that makes the fewest mistakes in college football usually wins. There were what, three or four third and long conversions that Montez made, around midfield, only to be called back by holding?
One or two third or fourth down stops by the Buff D, only to have a penalty extend the Husky drive? There’s the ball game, regardless of the schemes and play calls.
Sure, the Huskies had some mistakes at inopportune times, too. The fumble touchback. The personal foul for jumping the wall on that punt. But? We didn’t capitalize. They did.
Going in, most people expected CU to have little to no shot in this game. And, this was the closest game against UW – certainly at their house – that CU’s played in 20 years. Now, we know close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, but… perspective is a useful tool.
Having said that, I do wish Chiaverini would bring some more intermediate routes into his game plan. People used to gripe that Lindgren’s route trees took too long to develop. Chev is often playing too close to the line of scrimmage, it seems. Those intermediate routes may actually be there, but they’re covered, or Montez isn’t seeing them (which I doubt, dude’s reading the field pretty well). It’s hard to tell without going back and watching the game again – which I rarely do – and even then, the TV angles don’t necessarily show what game film does.
The dink and dunk stuff has been a concern all year. “Getting your playmakers the ball in space” is great, as long as the other side’s playmakers aren’t as fast, can’t tackle, and aren’t ready for that play call.
But, we also have to keep in mind that Chev is new to the whole play-calling thing. He may rely on his “tendencies” a bit too much – although it was nice to see him mix it up a bit more today. However, teams have “tendencies” because that’s what they tend to execute better than other parts of their playbook.
At the end of the day, most defensive coordinators have a really good idea of what they’re going to see coming at them in a game. And, the wrinkles that come up in the game, they then try to adjust to. Play calling is not about secret sauce and surprise. It’s more about getting their kids to see what the coaches are seeing, and getting them to react and execute accordingly.
And, ultimately, as many have pointed out, the Buff players have been doing a much better job of making the adjustments they’re being coached to make than they were last year.
As to the whole “Mac coaches scared” narrative? Right. Sure. That’s why he took the job at CU. He coaches scared. Keep in mind, CU was a place not many people wanted to come to, to coach. And, remember that guy who used us to get a better deal elsewhere? He’s now an “offensive analyst” for ‘Bama. And his former team is still trying to rebuild.
Does that mean Mac’s not still learning? Absolutely not. He’s shown he continues working his ass off to keep this program on an upward trajectory. Did he make a bad call against USC by not pushing the pace at the end of the half, and opting for the last second Hail Mary instead? In hindsight, yes. He admitted the same. But, what had the offense done successfully that entire half? Not a lot. And, sure, past experience is going to influence decisions. It should. Had they run a jet sweep, or short out, or long bomb that resulted in a turnover, and SC got another score, people would’ve cried “why’d they run that predictable play? They should’ve just gone into the half w/ the ball, knowing they got to start the second half with it”.
Hindsight’s easy to coach to.
At the end of the day, we’re 5 and 2. Five games to go. They “should” beat Cal, AZ, and OSU. That’s 8 wins. They “can” beat Utah and Wazzu. Will they? We’ll see. That’s why they play the games.
Oh, and to those thinking Mac isn’t the guy to lead CU further up the path to get from good to great?
How’s this for a recruiting line for the next coach “Hey, we ran a guy out of town who took over a steaming dumpster fire, got us a divisional championship and had us competing for a conference championship in year four (with a roster full of two-star players) and put half his defense into the NFL. Year five was down, but most of us expected that. Then in year six, when a lot of people thought we’d win maybe four games, he was 5 and 2 – only losing to the perennial powers in the conference, at the mid-point of the year. We didn’t want to keep the guy who upgraded the roster, has developed quality young men, who for the most part don’t get into trouble, but, you know what? He wasn’t good enough for us. So, you’re our guy. You in?” Not happening.
Now, if Mac chooses to leave? Ok. He will at some point, most likely. But, I, for one, see no reason he can’t be the guy who has this program back to a stalwart in the conference, competing for titles and the occasional playoff berth and national championship run. After all, his track record shows little but success. Is it instant success? No. Nobody could’ve brought that to CU after the lost decade.
And, when he does move on, the program will be in much, much better shape than when he took it over.
In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy each game, and watch this team get to eight or nine wins this year, go to a bowl game, and enjoy the extra practices that they can use to springboard into next year.
And about next year. If Montez can take his game to another level this offseason – which I believe he can – and you look at the weapons he’ll have, and the developing O-line, that’s pretty exciting. Speaking of the O-line, yes, Tonz and Purcell both got worked by Greg Gaines and that other dude, but… those are two NFL dudes on that Husky defensive line. Gaines is a Sr. Purcell is what, a sophomore? Granted, he may become an NFL talent, but… this is his first year playing at this level. He’s going to get whipped a time or two. Cut the kid some slack. His coach, too (Adams, by the way, Mac “stole” from Petersen, the Huskies were close to getting him, so.. yeah, he’s a terrible coach).
Beyond that, the defense is going to bring back a lot of young talent, with a lot of experience, too.
So, yeah, it’s a bit early to look into next year, but wow. It could be a special one for my beloved CU Buffs. And you know what, at 5 and 2 with 5 games left, none of which are “unwinnable”? This year could still be pretty special, too.
Go Buffs.
PS – Another undefeated (and probably over rated) team goes down. Go Boilermakers.
This game was very winnable and I too am very frustrated. Play calling may have lacked diversity in the 2nd half, but no play will work without a cohesive o line. Don’t know how this is going to get fixed. Kudos to our defensive front and linebackers For a well played game. Am I the only person to notice that Wigley should be Benched. He either gets called for holding or gives up a big play. Can’t do any worse playing a true freshmen. Turn it around Buffs ! I still love ya.
Kudos to the Buffs for making a game of it, especially without the key players.
However, we are only going to go so far with a suspect O-line and a soft secondary. Montez was the key to a possible win, but was hamstrung by the baffling play calling, particularly in the second half.
Still, the Buffs should be able to squeeze out 2-3 more wins…is that good enough for the current regime to keep their jobs?
Go Buffs!
I feel it is pretty clear after these last two games and reflecting upon past years that Macintyre isn’t a situational clutch leader. His response when things get tough is to play it “cautious”, be conservative, tighten up. That is his response to stressful situations. I don’t think we can count on him to provide the leadership in games where CU is the underdog against a quality, higher ranked opponent. Time management and play calling clearly aren’t strengths either. He is the turnaround guy, the program builder, and a positive influence on young men. But can he handle the tough, big game situations? Don’t see the results or the killer instinct. Is Chev lacking in this department too? Or does Macintyre put the clamps on him too? I think the players fought hard and gave it their best. That was great to see. But Mac2 and Chev both fell short as leaders. November will be telling.
Another Winnable game D Chivareni is obviously overwhelmed in big games. At least 30 plays inside the tackles behind an online obviously outmanned. Two games in a row offensive staff cost us a chance to win. They said they learned last week…. no way!!!!
Man am I hot. Not enough fire power my dyin a-z. Its in Chev’s and MMs lap and no where else.
The Buffs coulda won this game if we had more than a 3 or 4 play playbook. 2 trips to red zone on the first half and they must have had lindgren on speedial.
Why o why did they keep calling the run up the middle? because we couldnt run to the edge?
We got a barn full of WRs a QB with an impressive arm but lets run it up the middle for a yard or 2 each time until someone vomits.
In spite of UW going for it on 4th with impunity the D played well enough for the O to snatch victory of the coaches would only let them. Yes the O line still cant block which makes it even more important that that a lot more deception, misdirection and diversity if this team is going to a bowl. Wash St is handing Oregon its arse right now and Utah’s D will eat our O line alive. Its going to be touch and go to get that 6th win. I saw Purcell get knocked completely backward on his arse for one of the sacks. Please guys who choose the bowl teams, if we make one dont pair us with a team with a dynamite D line.
C’mon Chev. Get wide open if MM will let you. After watching today I get the feeling MM has a pretty tight leash on him. Both your jobs are on the line either way SO GO FOR IT.
And start recruiting some serious attitude for the O line. Too late for this class. I guess we will have to go and get more JUCO guys who weren’t recruited out of high school or couldnt pass a real course.
.
Hmmm … I thought you said you were going to stop watching in the third quarter. Glad you stuck with a team which was within a score until the final four minutes against the No. 15 team, on the road, without its star offensive player, with all of its points scored by true freshmen.
A note to the CU haters spewing venom tonight – you’re going to have a real problem with my essay for this game (coming Sunday morning).
Working title: “Turn the Page … And Get Over It”.
Are you sure it wasnt 2 scores? What I hate Stu are coaches proving Einsteins theory of insanity.
Only if they would turn the page.
Hating CU? I’m trying to talk my Valedictorian 4.0 grand daughter into going to Boulder. Math is her specialty and she is able to get scholarships from anywhere she wants to go.
PS
maybe we would have scored more points if some of the tested receivers were targeted more
Sounds like your granddaughter is very smart. Maybe she can go into medical research and find a cure for Lindgren Derangement Syndrome which you and Berlin are afflicted with.
Yo.
Hey don’t forget they were within 1 score (4 Points) with 3 to go in the third. McCyntreeeing offense of the last 6 years…………seen in full force.
Come on Stu don’t accept midland results….
He was a midland to minor player and also as a coach. Praise the lord and pass the damn ball.
Buffs
Some people might think passing the ball into the best secondary in the Pac 12, with true freshmen receivers playing for your dinged up studs, may not be the best game plan. Allegedly.
Of course, it’s also hard to run the ball against what may also be the best defensive line in the Pac 12.
So, pick your poison. All that said, this team, and their coaches acquitted themselves pretty well, after the debacle in LA.
They’ll continue learning and getting better. Five games to go. And, they really can win them all. I’m not saying they will, but it’s certainly not a completely insane notion, either (despite what any FPI stats may say).
Go Buffs
Chev do you only have like 3 Freaking Plays. Throw the ball past the line of scrimmage and stop with the jet sweep everyone knows it’s coming even my mom !!!
We don’t have the personnel to run the wildcat unless Labiska is in don’t even try it you got to be kidding me if it doesn’t work five times why are you trying it 10z
And can someone please tell Nicks Niemen that he needs to run north and south not east and west cool with the feed me get some yards north and south Nixon .
Lastly can someone please tell wiggly how to cover slants.! line up a yard and a half inside on the line of scrimmage take that play away you’ve been burned every game this season with that every team we play knows how crappy he covers that ends up scoring every time.
That is cornerback coverage 101 when you’re in man .
Hmmm Looked a lot like the 5 years of Lindgrening offense now didn’t it.
Hmmmm Perhaps using Lindgrening is the wrong description for the Mighty Buff offense?
Perhaps it has always been the MacIntyreing offense.
Buffs.
Note: 2 losses belong to the offensive coaches and the HC. All of them.
Note 2: The defensive is playing their hearts out and doing a great job.
Note 3. Very similar to 2016. Very. No O in key games
Note 4: You play to win the game. Bowl game we talking about Bowl game
Note 5: Mac will be doing (along with the 600/99) teflon dance.
Yo Stuart,
I was pretty excited when Darrin Chiaverini admitted his play calling was atrocious after the USC game. Then, when we actually threw the ball downfield (for a TD) and had six different receivers catch balls in the first quarter, I thought maybe he and MickeyMac had learned their lesson.
Then, once we had a lead, MM and staff went to their old standby of shutting down the offense as if they could stall until the game was over. They kept it up until it was too little and too late. What is so frustrating is that they keep it up even AFTER they fall behind!
Do they even know what the score is? Or are they as clueless about that as clock management?
I feel most sorry for the defensive players. They played their hearts out until you could see in their faces that the HC and the OC would do nothing that would allow Colorado to come back. They didn’t seem to try. Was that just Chiaverini? Or did Mac shut it all down from the top?
It seems to me that MacIntyre does not want to beat USC, Washington, or any of the top tier teams in the league. If Colorado did win those games, it might raise expectations. And everyone knows just how hard Mac II has worked to lower expectations.
Six years in, fans are supposed to be tickled pink if the Buffs win SIX games and make it to any old toilet bowl. He certainly doesn’t seem to want to make it back to the conference championship game, because then his team has to play a good team with good coaches. We remember how that worked out in 2016.
Too much pressure I guess. If Colorado wins and Utah beats USC, the Buffs all of a sudden control their own destiny. And that’s too much for MM. Conveniently lose this game and the Buffs don’t have to worry about conference championships and such things. Just beat Oregon State and the team is toilet bowl eligible. Not a good bowl, mind you. Just a bowl with low expectations will do, thank you very much.
It’s time for Mac 2 to go after this season. He doesn’t really want to be here, and those of us who want excellence don’t want him here either. I’m sure he’s a very nice man but he doesn’t have what it takes to excel at the Power Five level. Like the stat they showed on TV, the Buffs have finished LAST every season except one. Any other coach who has five last place finishes in six years would be shown the door.
I’m hoping Mac leaves of his own accord. No one wants to be fired. But the athletic director and president of the university need to raise their expectations of MacIntyre. Six or seven wins is NOT acceptable on an annual basis. Doing it once or twice in seven years is a nightmare.
If it IS acceptable to make a bowl game two or three times a decade, then why did we spend so much money on facilities. We can certainly lose without all the bells and whistles. Oh, well, we already bought the bells and whistles. Our facilities are some of the best in the country. Is it too much to have the same expectations of the head coach?
GoldenBuffs89
Go Buffs..
5 and 2. 5 games left. Please coaches don’t frig it up. Like last year.
Buffs
Very proud of our Buffs. They played hard! I am really not one to criticize playcalling, but….
Note to Chev…….McMillian CU oline
Seriously, two wildcats in a row with McMillian!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love him but THAT IS NOT THE RIGHT PLAY!!!
Running play on 3rd and 5 in the red zone?????
Again, our players played super hard, VERY proud of them.
UW has the ball, 4th and 5, most important play of the game. We have 3 timeouts, we don’t use one. Simple throw and catch for a TD. WTF coaches?!?
Does Mac know you don’t get brownie points for saving your timeouts? We almost always have some going into the half and at the end.
But more importantly that was THE GAME, all the fuss, commentary, practices, getting all the way to WA, holding them even ALL game just to blow it on a clear do or die 4th and 5 situation? What were they thinking?
Chev needs some help. His lack of O-coordinator experience is showing. How many times did he run MacMillian up the middle on first down in the second half? 10? 15? Buffs had huge opportunity inside the 50 in the second half and completely blew it with ridiculous play calling. Hats off to the defense and the fight in this Buff team but Chev has been outcoached and owned over the last two weeks. This is a game that CU could have won. I will give him some credit in the first half for creativity but the second half was an offensive play calling disaster. Time for Chev to grow into his O-coordinator role. Fast.