Colorado Daily – Washington Week

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Colorado Daily – Washington Week

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November 20th – Game Day!

… CU in a few minutes … 

Senior Day! Officially five seniors – but plenty of juniors will be playing their last game in Folsom

From the Daily Camera … There is nothing in college football quite like running behind Ralphie or seeing the live buffalo mascot of the University of Colorado sprint across the Folsom Field turf.

That’s not what Mustafa Johnson missed most about the 2020 season, though.

“The biggest thing I appreciate is the fans just because I never realized how much energy I drew from them in regards to playing in the silent stadium, not being able to look up and see people,” said Johnson, a senior defensive lineman. “We feed off their energy. So I think mine is more the fans rather than Ralphie, but I know everyone loves Ralphie.”

Whether it’s the fans or Ralphie that create the energy, Johnson and a few other seniors will get their last opportunity to play at Folsom Field on Saturday against Washington.

Officially, five seniors – defensive linemen Jeremiah Doss and Johnson, inside linebacker Nate Landman, offensive lineman Kary Kutsch and tight end Matt Lynch – will exhaust their eligibility after this year.

This will be a unique senior day because there are plenty of players on the team who won’t be back next year but won’t participate in senior day activities.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 19th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Neill Woelk’s Five Keys to the Washington game

From CUBuffs.com … Just a year ago, Colorado and Washington each entered the stretch run of their seasons with an eye on a Pac-12 title game berth.

But the Buffaloes fell to Utah in their season finale to end their title game hopes while Washington had its regular season come to an inglorious end when the Huskies’ season finale with Oregon — and subsequently a bowl appearance — were canceled by Covid-19 issues.

This year, both teams are struggling to salvage their seasons as they head into Saturday’s 1 p.m game at Folsom Field (Pac-12 Networks).

The 3-7 Buffaloes (2-5 Pac-12) are no longer in contention for a bowl berth, but they can rescue some respectability with two wins in their final two weeks, as well as build a little positive momentum for 2022.

The Huskies (4-6, 3-4), meanwhile, are still mathematically alive in the bowl hunt, and can also salvage at least a measure of their reputation with two more wins as well.

But this season has clearly not been what UW planned way back in August. The Huskies opened the year ranked in the nation’s top 25, but saw that ranking go away in a hurry with an opening loss to Montana. They opened conference play with an overtime win against Cal, but since then have lost four of six games — and their head coach.

Jimmy Lake, who took over last year after the retirement of Chris Petersen, was suspended two weeks ago after an in-game incident with a player. That suspension turned into a dismissal last Sunday, one day after the Huskies let a 14-point lead slip away in a 35-30 loss to Arizona State.

Now, Karl Dorrell‘s up-and-down Buffs hope to send their seniors off on the right note in Saturday’s home finale while the Huskies, under the direction of interim head coach Bob Gregory, aim to keep their bowl hopes alive for at least another week.

What must the Buffs do to give their seniors a fond final memory of Folsom?

1. Finish strong. For the last couple of weeks, we’ve said a fast start was imperative for the Buffs and they delivered.

Against Oregon State, the Buffs scored 10 points in the opening quarter before claiming a 37-34 win over the Beavers.

Last week, they put together another quick start, jumping out to a 20-7 lead at UCLA — only to see the Bruins score 37 unanswered points to hand the Buffs a 44-20 defeat.

Now, we need to see the Buffs pair a strong finish with that fast start.

Colorado has been outscored 144-95 in the third and fourth quarters combined this year, and the Buffs have outscored only two opponents (Northern Colorado and Arizona) after halftime.

 That’s a trend they need to reverse, especially in a game where points will likely be hard to come by.

… Continue reading story here …

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Brian Howell interviews Rick George: “We’ve got to start delivering and I get that”

From the Daily Camera … “It’s been a challenging season; it really has in a lot of ways,” George said. “But, I’m ready to provide whatever support we need to get to that next level. That’s the role that I’m going to play in this. Karl and I will have a lot of discussions and, again, I’m very confident in him, because he’s a good football coach. He’s a smart guy.

“What I can do is provide the resources to provide the support that he needs, but do we have the right coach? Absolutely. Do we need to make some changes and some fixes? Absolutely, and we will.”

Those specific changes will be ironed out between George and Dorrell after the season, he said, but he added that CU will support the program financially to make positive changes, including possible staff adjustments.

For now, CU and George are behind Dorrell, who is in the second year of a five-year contract, and George hopes a weary fan base can support him, too.

“I want the same thing that (the fans) want,” George said. “It’s hard for me to say, ‘You need to have patience,’ because they’ve shown a lot of patience to this point. Now we’ve got to start delivering and I get that, but it’s not time to move on. It’s time to really get behind our staff and our student-athletes and support them because we’re going to be fine. We’ll be fine. A year from now we’re gonna have a much different discussion.”

… Read full story here …

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Senior left guard Kary Kutsch will be missed: “He has a future (in the NFL)”

From the Daily Camera … A former junior college transfer, Kary Kutsch is in the midst of his best season in Boulder.

“I’ve played pretty consistently over the season and I do pride myself on being consistent,” the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Kutsch said. “That’s one of the biggest things of O-line is just having everyone play consistent because if one person messes up, it’s still a broken play so I try to hold it on myself to always do the right thing.”

He has succeeded often and Saturday will be his 27th career start with the Buffs.

Kutsch, from Redding, Calif., was lightly recruited out of high school and went to Butte (Calif.) College in 2017. He earned all-region honors that season and caught the attention of former CU head coach Mike MacIntyre, who signed Kutsch after the 2017 season.

After spending 2018 as a special teams player (he saw just 61 snaps on offense), he’s been a regular starter ever since. He has started 26 of the Buffs’ last 28 games, missing two last season because of COVID-19 protocol.

“The thing that I love about Kary is that he puts it all on the field,” CU head coach Karl Dorrell said. “He’s so consistent and productive. And he has a future (in the NFL). He’s a really good player, and he hasn’t been injured.

“He’s been consistently playing well throughout the year. Even in the darker moments when the offensive line hasn’t played well, he’s been a steady, steady, consistent performer.”

… Continue reading story here …

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November 18th

… CU in a few minutes …

CU making NIL efforts: Partnership with The Brandr Group announced

From CUBuffs.com … The University of Colorado and The Brandr Group (TBG) have agreed to a group licensing program that creates new opportunities for Colorado athletes to profit from their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) using the school’s official trademarks and logos for the Buffs’ 17 athletic men’s and women’s programs.

“I am excited that we have the opportunity to partner with The Brandr Group in this manner,” said CU athletic director Rick George.  “From personally being involved with the NCAA Working Group in the discussions on Name, Image and Likeness, I believe this partnership will allow our student-athletes to benefit from their NIL and help in growing their brand,”.

The partnership with The Brandr Group allows Colorado student-athletes to create collective deals to benefit from their NIL co-branded with the Buffaloes’ logos and marks in licensing and marketing programs. Student-athletes will have the option to voluntarily join TBG’s program that will facilitate group licensing opportunities on behalf of the student-athletes with no limit to the athlete’s individual NIL rights. Interested licensees should contact Kathleen Melvin at TBG for more details.

        Buffs With a Brand, the CU student-athlete NIL program, got its start last year and has now become a comprehensive initiative to inform and support student-athletes in their NIL ventures through personal brand management, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. The Office of Compliance Services and Leadership and Career Development provide ongoing guidance regarding the state law and NCAA rules as well as resources and education to ensure student-athletes take advantage of NIL opportunities in a compliant manner.

“Colorado has been at the forefront in preparing their student-athletes to maximize the benefits from their brands, their social media and now through group licensing from their Name, Image and Likeness,” said Wesley Haynes, TBG CEO. “We are excited to continue the work that Colorado athletics started several years ago and to bring their NIL program to life for their student-athletes while allowing their fans to celebrate their affinity like never before.”

TBG, a brand management, marketing and licensing agency, will manage and administer the program as well as develop licensing opportunities on behalf of the student-athletes at more than 20 programs throughout the country. With decades of collective management experience for some of the world’s largest brands, TBG also manages the group rights program for the NFL, NBA and MLB players’ associations in the college space.

Products that combine team logos and player names and numbers have accounted for a large portion of licensed sports merchandise sales at the professional level for decades, and this program opens the door for the same opportunities for student-athletes at the collegiate level. Fans can expect to be able to purchase official Colorado merchandise, including team jerseys, with the name and number of their favorite Buffaloes who have joined the respective group licensing program once TBG enters into agreements with applicable school trademark licensees.

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Two-minute drilled: Buffs struggle right before halftime

.. Kudos to Brian Howell at the Daily Camera for this nugget … 

From the Daily Camera … The Buffs have been remarkably generous in the final minutes of a half in recent games and UCLA was more than happy to join in the fun with a field goal on the last play of the first half. That cut CU’s lead to 20-10 and, in my opinion, changed the momentum for the second half, which the Bruins dominated.

“It probably was a big momentum changer for them,” head coach Karl Dorrell said. “I’m sure that was something that I would build on and talk about in our locker room if we were in that circumstance, so they did a nice job in the second half.”

Unfortunately for the Buffs, it has been the opponent in that circumstance a lot lately. In the last four games, CU has given up five last-play field goals to end a half:

1. Oct. 23 at Cal: After a CU punt, Cal took over at its 17-yard line with 58 seconds to go in the first half. The Bears covered 50 yards in 5 plays, spiked the ball with 2 seconds left and kicked a 51-yard field goal to take a 23-3 lead into halftime.

2. Oct. 30 at Oregon: CU scored a touchdown and the Ducks took over at their 25 with 2:06 to go in the first half. They went 66 yards in14 plays, including a pair of spikes, to set up a 27-yard field goal on the last play, extending the lead to 31-14 at the break.

3. Nov. 6 vs. Oregon State: The Buffs kicked a field goal 39 seconds before halftime to go up 13-7. OSU needed just four plays, including passes of 26 and 19 yards, to get to the CU 26. The Beavers called timeout with 2 seconds to go in the half and kicked a 45-yard field goal to cut the Buffs lead to 13-10 at the break.

4. Nov. 6 vs. Oregon State: Leading 27-24, CU punted with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter. After a 26-yard punt return, the Beavers had just 5 seconds but connected on a quick 9-yard pass before kicking a 60-yard field goal to send the game to overtime.

5. Last Saturday at UCLA: CU kicked a field goal with 57 seconds to play in the first half to go up 20-7. UCLA gained 35 yards on three quick passes, another 17 on a pair of runs and then kicked a 41-yard field goal on the last play of the half.

Combined in those five situations, the Buffs have given up 15 points and 226 yards on 35 plays (a whopping 6.46 yards per play) in only 4 minutes, 40 seconds.

… Continue reading story here …

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Want CU to improve? Here’s one way how

CU has launched a fund-raising campaign, and is trying to raise $100,000 between now and November 30th …

From CUBuffs … Our CU Athletics Giving Tuesday is a day that we are being called together to support the nearly 350 student-athletes of CU Athletics. The Buffs are highlighting two areas for Giving Tuesday — the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Fund, and the Crawford Family WHOLE Student-Athlete Fund. We are calling on Buffs Nation as we are going to need each and every one of you as we look to gain donors from every state in the nation!

… More information can be found here ..

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November 17th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Tight end Matt Lynch trying to get the most out of his sixth year of college football

From the Daily Camera … For Matt Lynch, who grew up down the road from Boulder and starred at Legacy High School, the long journey through college football is in its final stages.

“This is a six-year college football timeline for me and that’s coming to an end, so there’s definitely a little sadness in there,” he said. “But I’m just trying to make the most of it.”

A 2016 graduate of Legacy, Lynch was a star quarterback for the Lightning, throwing for 1,947 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior. He was a three-star prospect and signed with UCLA.

For three years, Lynch was a backup quarterback with the Bruins. In that third year, 2018, it was clear the Bruins and head coach Chip Kelly had their quarterback of the future in Dorian Thompson-Robinson – who is now a senior, four-year starter.

Lynch moved to tight end for his final season with the Bruins and after graduating last year elected to join CU as a walk-on tight end.

“I’ve always from the start been a guy like, ‘Hey, put me wherever and I’ll do it to my best ability,’” he said. “That’s just the way I’m kind of wired. So when quarterback didn’t work out, I went up and did whatever I could do next. I found a role as a tight end and in special teams, and then that carried over to here, and I just was able to take advantage of every opportunity I got.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Daniel Arias getting more opportunities: “It’s been really exciting for me”

From the Daily Camera … CU’s passing game hasn’t generated big numbers this season, but Arias has caught 15 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown and he has more than doubled his career production.

“It’s been really exciting for me,” Arias said.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Arias, a Dominican Republic native who graduated from Henry M. Jackson High School in Washington, has always had exceptional physical tools, but he’s showing them off more than ever this season.

An excellent special teams player for the Buffs, Arias had caught just 10 passes for 204 yards during his first three seasons combined. He was targeted just 24 times in those three years.

This year, he has started all 10 games and been targeted 25 times. He’s caught six passes for 122 yards in the last two games.

“It feels really good to just make plays,” he said. “It feels good to get started early in the game. I know that sometimes it’s kind of hard but I don’t let that faze me. I just have to do my job and like coach says, the ball finds you at weird times throughout the game. I’ve been really blessed and really fortunate to start early in these (last) two games. I just have to keep working, keep working on my skills and just keep developing and do my best in helping the team.”

… Continue reading story here …

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November 16th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Dorrell: “We still are a team that wants to compete”

From the Daily Camera … With two games to play, however, Dorrell believes the Buffs (3-7, 2-5 Pac-12) will continue to fight, starting with a Saturday matchup against Washington (4-6, 3-4) at Folsom Field (1:10 p.m., TV: Pac-12 Network).

“We still are a team that wants to compete, wants to have a better taste in their mouth or a better feeling going into the offseason about making progress for this year,” Dorrell said. “So the attitude is still pretty good, still pretty strong. I think the biggest motivation right now is for our seniors to feel like they made a great impact and it’ll be great to have a great showing in this last home game.”

CU has just five players who are technically seniors in their final year of eligibility: defensive linemen Jeremiah Doss and Mustafa Johnson; offensive lineman Kary Kutsch; inside linebacker Nate Landman; and tight end Matt Lynch.

With all players being granted an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, however, it’s unclear how many players will take part in the senior day ceremony. Numerous players are listed as juniors, but they are in their fourth or fifth of college and have already graduated.

“We’ve got a number of juniors that are graduating that have years of eligibility left, but for the most part, it’s mostly our seniors that are going to be down there with the ceremony before the game,” Dorrell said. “It’s always a difficult week, particularly when it’s their last time playing on Folsom Field, so it’ll be pretty emotional. But hopefully, it’s a great thing that they will be able to feel throughout the whole experience of the day.

“That’s really our goal is to play a really, really good football game against a very good team and play well and send these guys off the right way.”

… Continue reading story here …

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November 15th

… CU in a few minutes …

**Video: Karl Dorrell Press Conference**

From BuffsTV … Karl Dorrell … “Almost two full quarters of quality football … Felt good at the halftime break. We felt we had some decent adjustments made … When we are playing well, we can play with anyone in the conference … Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to do that consistently … We had good meetings. We had a chance to revisit all of this … The attitude is still pretty good. They want to finish the season on a positive note … The attitude is still pretty good; pretty strong … We want to have a great showing for this last home game … We have a number of juniors who are graduating, but it will be the seniors who will dominate the ceremony … It will be pretty emotional … There is a possibility Nate Landman will play … Josh Gustav and Montana Lemonious-Craig are out for the year … Mehki Blackmon and Guy Thomas: They have a shot to play this week … Washington is competitive. They are playing pretty well … It’s going to be another strong challenge for us this week … They are going through some changes in their program, but it’s going to be a great game … Why not you? Why can’t you be the catalyst to stop the other team from rolling … We need more guys who are opportunistic in stopping adversity … I’m trying to create the bravado of ‘Put it on me’, rather than wait for someone else to do something … On recruiting: There will be a surprise or two on who will leave for the Transfer Portal … That makes it a fluid situation … ”

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Neill Woelk’s Takeaways from the UCLA game 

From CUBuffs.com … It’s been awhile — since 2018, to be exact — that the Colorado Buffaloes have played two so distinctly different halves in one game.

Saturday night, Karl Dorrell‘s team controlled the first half against UCLA, taking a 20-7 lead with less than a minute to play in the half and still holding a 20-10 lead at intermission.

CU’s offense made plays both on the ground and in the air, and the defense — while experiencing a few hiccups — still came up with some big stops, including an interception.

But the second half was a completely different story. The Bruins ran roughshod over the Buffs, finally finishing with 37 unanswered points to hand Colorado a 44-20 loss.

The game presented in many ways a microcosm of a 3-7 season. Flashes of good, even excellent play, interspersed with stretches of poor execution, questionable decisions and self-inflicted wounds.

Simply put, the only consistent thing about the Buffaloes this year has been their inconsistency.

Thus, for our weekly takeaways, we break Saturday’s game down into two parts (along with a final conclusion):

1. When they play well, the Buffs have shown the ability to compete even-up with good teams. We first saw this on display way back in Week 2 of the season, when CU took Texas A&M down to the wire before dropping a 10-7 decision.

We saw it again Saturday. Colorado’s offense put together two long touchdown drives in the first half (70 and 75 yards), plus a pair of 50-yard marches for field goals. QB Brendon Lewis was an efficient 9-for-12 for 87 yards and CU’s run game hammered out 155 yards on the ground against one of the Pac-12’s best rush defenses.

Four different Buffs caught at least two passes, the offensive line gave up just one sack and the offense controlled the tempo. Colorado’s play-calling kept the Bruins on their heels and its execution was consistent.

Defensively, Colorado came up with some critical stops. Granted, the Buffs were the beneficiaries of two UCLA penalties that nullified big gains (one a touchdown), but the Buffs did get an interception from Mark Perry, a key third-down stop and a fourth-down stop. Meanwhile, CU held UCLA’s vaunted run game to just 69 yards over the first two quarters.

All those things added up to a 20-10 halftime lead on the road.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 14th 

… CU in a few minutes … 

Buffs shift to spoiler role:” I know we don’t want to go out like we did today for the rest of the season. That’s embarrassing”

From the Daily Camera … Even as losses piled up in the middle of the season, the Colorado Buffaloes had hope that they could turn things around and at least achieve bowl eligibility.

That goal is now unattainable.

Following Saturday’s 44-20 loss at UCLA, the Buffaloes have two games left in what has been a disappointing season. The goal now is to try to stay engaged before spending the holidays at home.

The Buffs (3-7, 2-5 Pac-12) will host Washington (4-6, 3-4) on Saturday at Folsom Field before visiting South division-leading Utah (7-3, 6-1) on Nov. 26.

Washington is hoping to avoid its first losing season since 2009. Utah jumped into the Associated Press rankings, at No. 24, on Sunday and might need to beat the Buffs to wrap up the division title.

“We’ve got some seasons to ruin still if we want to,” tight end Brady Russell said. “I know Washington’s having a poor season, but Utah, we can affect them in a big way. That’s some motivation for sure. And just pride also. That’s big, going out with some dignity. I know we don’t want to go out like we did today for the rest of the season. That’s embarrassing.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Dorrell on failed fourth down: “My first impression was not to do it”

From the Daily Camera … It was, perhaps, Colorado’s last-ditch effort to stay in a game that was quickly getting away.

It wound up being a backbreaking play in a crushing, 44-20 loss to UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

Down 30-20 early in the quarter, the Buffs were reeling. Moments earlier, the defense had given up its third consecutive touchdown to the Bruins and CU had to try to stop the bleeding.

The offense faced fourth-and-1 at its own 34-yard line.

Punt and UCLA could have gone down to score again and put the game away. Go for it and get the first down and maybe the offense gains momentum and gets the Buffs back in the game.

“There was an opportunity to try to get a first down on the fourth down that I think the coaches and players wanted to do,” head coach Karl Dorrell said. “My first impression was not to do it. Then I called the timeout, and then we decided to do it and unfortunately, we didn’t get that executed.”

CU lined up with tight end Brady Russell as a fullback and tailback Jarek Broussard behind him. Quarterback Brendon Lewis took the snap and gave a quick handoff to Russell – whose only other career rushing attempt came in 2018. Russell was immediately hit and stuffed for no gain.

“That play made me mad,” said Russell, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound tight end. “I felt like I got out-willed. I should be able to put my head down and get a yard, but they filled up both A gaps. I think there was four dudes on guard-center-guard, and then they had two backers behind them, so they stuffed it up pretty quick. But, I should be able to put my head down and get a yard, so that was on me, for sure.

“That’s demeaning for sure. Felt like I got out-willed. That’s about all I’ve got to say about it.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Tags: Daniel Arias, Matt Lynch
This post, about the Washington game, from the 2021 Season, is filed under Article.
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