Colorado Daily – Arizona Week

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Colorado Daily – Arizona Week

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November 11th – Game Day!

… CU in a few minutes … 

Neill Woelk’s Keys to CU v. Arizona

From CUBuffs.com …  If the old adage “the games they remember are played in November” rings true, the Colorado Buffaloes have three more chances to make it a memorable month.

No doubt, a win over the No. 23 Arizona Wildcats would give Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ Buffs a little something for their scrapbooks.

On paper, Saturday’s game at Folsom Field (noon kickoff, Pac-12 Networks) is a matchup of two programs at least temporarily headed in opposite directions.

The Buffs (4-5 overall, 1-5 Pac-12) have lost three in a row and five of their last six, a harsh return to earth after a sky-high 3-0 start that saw them earn a spot in the nation’s top 25.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats (6-3, 4-2) have knocked off three straight ranked opponents — Washington State, Oregon State and UCLA — after a 3-3 start and now find themselves ranked for the first time since 2017.

But they won’t play this one on paper and the Buffs believe they have more than a puncher’s chance of throwing a wrench into Arizona’s ascension.

It’s not as if the Buffs have fallen apart. The CU defense has been stellar in the last two games and the offense — while admittedly struggling to find a consistent rhythm recently — still has the potential to put points on the board in a hurry.

The question is whether Coach Prime’s crew can put those elements together for a 60-minute game.

How do they accomplish that? Our weekly Fast Five:

1. Continue their defensive takeaway string. The Buffs’ defense has been on a roll in this department. CU has forced six turnovers in the last two games and helped Colorado stay within striking range in both affairs, even when the offense was struggling.

The Buffs need to continue that hot streak against the Wildcats. Arizona’s quarterbacks have thrown nine interceptions this season — including four by freshman Noah Fifita, the current starter — and the ‘Cats have also lost three fumbles.

If Colorado can produce some of those momentum-turning plays early, that will open the door for the offense.

… Continue reading story here …

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November 10th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Andre Gurode/Nate Solder among those inducted into CU Sports Hall of Fame: “This is extremely unbelievable”

From CUBuffs.com …

Andre Gurode, Football (1998-2001)
He thanked “Our heavenly Father for giving him the gift to play football, and then his family, out in force, his wife, his mother and his brothers.  I’ve always been asked the question of why CU?  Rick Neuheisel had recruited me, and Gary Barnett had taken over.  I needed to assure my grandmother that I would graduate from the University of Colorado, a promise I had made to her before she passed away.  On Big 12 media day (his senior year in 2001), Gary Barnett took us to Cowboys Stadium and told us to envision ourselves playing on this field.  He told us we were going to win the Big 12 Championship.  When I came here, I have no goal of the Hall of Fame, I wanted my degree.  But tonight, it brings me a lot of joy, a lot of smiles, and one person who should be here but he is not – my father.  I appreciate the opportunity to stand up here with all my fellow inductees and say, “Go Buffs!”

Bill Harris, Football/Administration (1961-63; 2001-10)
Bill’s wife of 54 years Sue and his son Trevor accepted in his honor; Bill passed in 2022 at the age of 79.  Sue: “There are no words to describe that the joy that brings me, my family, and our deal Bill.  He would have been so honored and so grateful.:  Son Trevor—He told the story of how CU coach Sonny Grandelius recruiting Bill for the football team in 1959, and how on his visit to Boulder, the scenic overlook that gets so many into Boulder sold him on coming to Boulder.  “Dad never cared how man yards or statistics he had in a particular game.  He would tell me any my family how Joe Romig would stand up for him and other black players on the football team when they were playing LSU in the Orange Bowl.  He talked about his best friend, John Meadows, and all his other teammates as brothers.  He was on a mission to get all his ’61 teammates to get an Orange Bowl ring for that year (’61) – Trevor brought the ring with him.  “I want you to know number 33, also known as “head” (because of the size of his head), that he loved his teammates, his love for the University of Colorado that ran very deep and how he loved it when he was the director of the C Club.  Especially when he helped get people from his era into the CU Hall of Fame.  He closed with saying how grateful he was to CU for making the man that he was.  Trevor also said when he sees his dad’s face on the Hall of Fame wall, he all sees his mom’s—they were a true team.

Nate Solder, Football (2007-10)
“This is extremely unbelievable.  I came from a small town of Buena Vista, with a graduating class of 75.”  He thanked coach Gary Barnett for bringing him here.  He also brought his strength coach at CU and New England (James Hardy).  He had some fun with his wife, telling that maybe now she could realize what a “big deal he is.  Now I don’t have to do the dishes, I’m a Hall of Famer.”  And about one of his sons, who told him, “This is cool.  I want to go to school here.”  He spoke to his kids, “You get to the Hall of Fame through work and perseverance; but if you want to get to the true Hall of Fame, you do that through the work of Jesus.  The one way to get to Heaven is to believe in Jesus.  “I didn’t do any of this by myself, I’m not so sure I deserve it.”  He thanked Dr. DiStefano for his leadership, Rick George for the way he runs the department, Dave Plati for working his SID, Kris Livingston in academics.  I came here to get great education and play high-level football.”

… Continue reading story here …

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November 9th

… CU in a few minutes … 

Xavier Weaver: “It’s my last home game in college football, so I just gotta soak it all in and enjoy it”

From CUSportsReport … Xavier Weaver leads the Buffs in both catches (60) and receiving yards (783) in 2023, and ranks second on the team in receiving touchdowns with four. He has been a top target for Shedeur Sanders all season, and his production has earned him a spot on the Biletnikoff Award watch list for the top wideout in college football.

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Shedeur Sanders: “It’s good to go through this process to make sure you don’t ever feel like that again going forward”

From the Daily Camera … Sanders, however, has a long-term view of his football career. Colorado hasn’t had a quarterback drafted since Koy Detmer in the seventh round in 1997, but that’s going to change whenever Sanders enters the draft (either in 2024 or, most likely, in 2025). He knows that. So, while he’d rather win, he has that long-term view to this season.

“I mean, I wouldn’t ask for no different because whenever you’re winning and you win all the time, you don’t really go through that grit, that pain, that suffering,” he said when I asked how he’s handling this tough stretch of losses. “So it’s like, sometimes it’s good. It’s good to go through this process to make sure you don’t ever feel like that again going forward, so I’m fine with it.”

Make no mistake – Sanders is NOT fine with losing. But, he’s saying that he can appreciate the value in what he and his team are going through right now.

“I’m happy that we’re put in these situations that things don’t always go our way,” he continued, “because I just know it’s gonna be that motivation leading into the offseason and keeping you humble, keeping you focused, keeping you going through everything. So that’s just it. You’re all able to just see it more on a public view. Basically the chip on my shoulder in the public eye. But, like, on a personal level, it always been that.”

… Continue reading story here …

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November 8th

… CU in a few minutes … 

The Athletic: The one quality Coach Prime lacks? Patience

From The Athletic … The college football world viewed Colorado’s decision to hire Deion Sanders as a major risk. Athletic director Rick George was smart enough to see through the reasons for hesitation. There was an element of blind faith that had to exist, sure, but George knew Sanders was the lightning rod necessary to revive a program on life support. Guess what? It worked. And in a matter of months.

Sanders has so many qualities that cannot be matched. His star power cannot be duplicated. His vision to promote his program on YouTube is something that would make other coaches cringe. And he speaks with conviction about everything. The best part? Sanders follows through on what he says. He’s a doer. He said he was bringing his Louis Vuitton luggage to Boulder, then proceeded to engineer the biggest roster flip the sport has ever seen. Colorado progressed from a one-win team in 2022 to a four-win team (and counting?) that is battling for bowl eligibility.

There’s one quality Sanders lacks, though.

Patience.

That has to be the reason Colorado’s head coach made the knee-jerk decision last week to take primary play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Sean Lewis and hand them to former NFL coach Pat Shurmur. Lewis was perhaps Sanders’ most important coaching addition during the offseason, and he was largely credited for being the reason the Buffaloes put up so many points early in the season despite having an obvious deficiency on the offensive line. Lewis left a head coaching job at Kent State to call plays at Colorado and seemed destined to be an attractive candidate for a Power 5 job in the offseason.

Then Sanders took the play sheet out of Lewis’ hand and replaced him with a coach who hadn’t been an assistant at the college level for 25 years. Shurmur, who was on Sanders’ staff as an analyst, isn’t some genius play caller who could solve all of Colorado’s problems in a week. Let’s be honest: Fans of the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants could give a detailed PowerPoint presentation of all the things that went wrong when he was the head coach of those franchises.

The results of this change were exactly what you’d expect. Colorado lost to Oregon State on Saturday night 26-19. The offense managed only 238 total yards, a chunk of which occurred late in the game when the Buffaloes were trying to erase a two-score deficit and were facing a soft Beavers defense.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders still got beaten up. And Colorado’s offense rushed for minus-7 yards.

How did we get here? How did Sanders feel strongly enough to fix the one thing that, frankly, wasn’t broken?

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Sanders has given us very little reason to doubt him and his build during his first year as Colorado’s coach. Even losses were expected. But for a first-time Power 5 head coach, this move makes you scratch your head.

It makes you wonder if these are the types of decisions that could derail such a promising start to a program build that may have been hopeless for any other coach.

… Read full story here …

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Coach Prime: “There’s a tremendous amount of positives that we must lean on with these young men”

From CUBuffs.com … Colorado’s Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders is confident that his Buffaloes are on the verge of curing their recent ills.

The Buffs (4-5 overall, 1-5 Pac-12) have lost three in a row and five of their last six — but the average margin of defeat in four of those losses is just more than seven points.

“I wish you could only understand how close we are to being what we want to be and doing what we want to do,” Sanders told the media at his weekly Tuesday press conference. “We have to learn how to win. We got to seize the moments, we got to take advantage of the opportunities presented — and we can’t faint in the midst of adversity. We got to stand tall in the midst of adversity and we’re learning that. That’s the process.”

The Buffs will have another opportunity to make that leap Saturday when they play host to No. 23 Arizona (6-3, 4-2) in a noon game at Folsom Field (Pac-12 Networks).

“I’m truly as impatient as you are, and the young men in that locker room they’re impatient as well, but they want it,” Sanders said. “I can’t say they don’t want it — they truly do, because they have not given up.”

Sanders and his staff took the time this week to present the team with some positive reinforcement in the way of statistics. He reminded the Buffs that they are nationally ranked in a number of categories — one reason they started the season 3-0 and were ranked in the nation’s top 20 after the first three weeks of the season.

CU coaches reminded the Buffs that they have forced 18 turnovers, tied for fourth in the nation. Their eight fumble recoveries are also tied for fourth in the country, their 10 interceptions are tied for seventh best and CU’s 23 sacks are tied for 12th.

Offensively, Colorado is averaging 16 more points per game than the Buffs were managing at this point of the season a year ago and Colorado’s passing game has produced 24 touchdowns and three interceptions, compared to eight and eight one year ago.

“There’s a tremendous amount of positives that we must lean on with these young men because they’re playing their butts off,” Coach Prime said. “There’s no quit in them and that’s one thing that draws me closer and closer to them and I love it. They have not shut it down.”

… Continue reading story here …

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*New video board for south end of Folsom coming in 2024!*

Press release from CUBuffs.com … The Colorado Buffaloes will begin construction on a new video board on the south end of Folsom Field that will be ready for the 2024 season, CU Athletic Director Rick George announced Wednesday.

The new board will be more than five times the surface area of the old board. The ribbon board below the video board will also be significantly expanded, stretching from the north end of the club level on the east side around the bowl to Balch Fieldhouse on the southwest side, over 1,000 feet from the top of section 203 to the top of section 220.

“Enhancing the atmosphere of Folsom Field on game day is always a top priority and we are always looking for ways to improve,” CU Athletic Director Rick George said. “I’m confident this new video board will further enrich and elevate the game day experience for our fans next year in our first season in the Big 12 Conference.”

The new board will measure 130 feet wide by 36 feet high, eight feet taller than the current board and 98 feet wider, or about the same width of the current ribbon board under the current video board, which measures 32 feet by 28 feet.

The board will go from being one of the smallest in the Power 5 conferences to above the national average of all schools within those conferences.

The majority of the approximately $15 million project will go into the steel infrastructure to support the new video board, which will include four new columns running from the bottom of the video board to the ground around the south side of the stadium.

Funding is ongoing for the project, and those interested can donate here. Construction will begin in January and is expected to be finished for CU’s season opener Aug. 31, 2024, against North Dakota State.

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November 7th

… CU in a few minutes … 

DNVR Series: Folsom Field Turns 100 – The Turbulent 2000s 

From Ted Chalfen at DNVR.com … On the morning of November 23, 2001, the Colorado Buffaloes were already assured of their best football season in five years. With an 8-2 record, the Buffs were ranked 14th in the AP Poll and 15th in the BCS. Head coach Gary Barnett had promised a “return to dominance” when he took over as head coach, and they were on the cusp of doing just that. Their opponent that day was ranked #1 in the BCS. They had also beaten CU nine consecutive times, with each loss somehow closer and more agonizing than the last. The Buffs had seen multiple conference titles, and a possible national title in 1994, go up in smoke at the hands of the hated Nebraska Cornhuskers.

What transpired that day deserves far more space than I can give in this format. Nebraska fans call it “Black Friday”, while CU fans prefer to reference the final score: 62-36. On that cold Boulder afternoon, the Buffs scored more points on the vaunted Husker defense than any other team in history to that point. Nebraska hadn’t surrendered more than 40 points in over a decade, and CU had 42 by halftime. The result sent shockwaves throughout college football. It was Nebraska’s “the emperor has no clothes” moment, and the program hasn’t been a national contender since. Neill Woelk, then of the Boulder Daily Camera, called it the greatest win in CU history, and many fans agree with him. It was certainly the most cathartic.

“62-36” was also the final game before Folsom Field’s appearance changed dramatically. The familiar east side facade, in place since 1956, was about to be obscured by the first major expansion of the stadium in over three decades.

CU had only sold out two games between 1998 to 2001 (both against Nebraska), so it struck some observers as odd when Athletic Director Dick Tharp announced plans to expand Folsom Field. The mid-90s dream of adding 8 to 10,000 seats had now morphed into a plan to add 2,000 club seats and 28 private boxes to the east side of the stadium. Originally, Tharp wanted to raise $94 million for the project, which would also include a new indoor practice facility. But when construction began following the 2001 season, the price tag was $42 million, and there was no more talk of an IPF.

Raising funds for the club level proved an easier task than anticipated when the corporate suites leased at a brisk pace, and the number of suites grew from 28 to 40 when architectural firm Sink Combs Dethlefs showed it could be done for less than the original budget. Sales of the regular club seats were less brisk, but eventually they became more desirable for fans than the aging Flatirons Club on the opposite sideline. Construction crews broke ground in April of 2002 and the new addition was topped off in December. It was ready to open when CU hosted UCLA in the first home game of the 2003 season. Folsom’s capacity now stood at a record 53,750.

… Continue reading story here …

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*Coach Prime’s Weekly Press Conference*

From BuffsTV … Coach Prime (starts at about 6:30 punter Mark Vassett starts at about 27:30) …

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ESPN: “Colorado’s house isn’t crumbling, but it’s starting to crack”

From ESPN … Sanders received a lot of justified praise during Colorado’s 4-1 start, not only for how he flipped the roster in one offseason, but for how his players performed on game days. Colorado wasn’t a perfect team but was a dramatically improved one, thanks in part to the coaching staff.

Now, after Colorado has dropped three straight games, coaching decisions are being debated, without a lot of clarity from Sanders. The topic after Saturday night’s loss to Oregon State was why Sanders had switched offensive playcallers, moving analyst and former NFL coach Pat Shurmur into the role that Sean Lewis had occupied through eight games. Lewis, who left a head-coaching job at Kent State for Colorado, had overseen an offense that opened with a record-setting passing performance at TCU, and averaged more than 500 yards and 41.3 points in four of the first five games. Colorado averaged 13.2 points per game in 2022.

When I first heard of the potential playcaller switch Thursday night, I couldn’t believe it. Neither could coaches who reached out Friday after the news was confirmed. “What on earth is going on at Colorado????” an SEC offensive coordinator texted. Sanders didn’t offer many details in explaining the move, only that he did it in Colorado’s best interests and didn’t second-guess himself. Colorado had 78 total yards through three quarters Saturday night before a nice burst in the fourth.

“You guys don’t know all the intangibles yet,” Sanders said after the game. “You’re just looking from the outside of the crib, looking in. I got tinted windows and you can’t even see in the house, but you’re making conclusions on what I should and should not do.”

Colorado’s house isn’t crumbling, but it’s starting to crack. Sanders didn’t disparage Lewis and has taken responsibility for the team’s play. But the move is bizarre, to put it mildly, and some are wondering if Lewis is being scapegoated for things outside of his control, like an offensive line group that wasn’t constructed for success.

There were also questionable in-game decisions, especially at the end of both halves. Trailing 7-3, Colorado forced a punt and took over at its own 4-yard line with 49 seconds left in the first half. The offense had generated 2 net yards of offense in the quarter — 2! Yet the Buffaloes twice passed from their own end zone before a run for no gain. Two plays later, Oregon State scored to go up 14-3. Sanders said Colorado’s plan was to try and move the ball on first down and, if unsuccessful, “hit the clock,” but the second incomplete pass allowed Oregon State to preserve its timeouts.

After a spirited fourth-quarter rally cut Colorado’s deficit to 7 with 1:42 left, Sanders eschewed an onside kick. The Buffs had all three timeouts, but would need an immediate stop, which they didn’t get. Colorado didn’t use its second timeout after a Damien Martinez run for a first down. By the time the Buffaloes used their final timeout, only two seconds remained.

“This is hard,” Sanders said. “The reason it’s so hard is because you know you’re capable of doing better, playing better, performing better, calling better games, coaching better on my behalf.”

The last part rings true after a bumpy week in Boulder, which revealed some growing pains for Sanders.

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November 6th

… CU in a few minutes … 

The Athletic: Why Shedeur Sanders should stay at CU for his senior year

From The Athletic … Last week, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler updated his top-50 prospect board for the ‘24 class. To no one’s surprise, the QBs were well-represented.

Still, that group isn’t without its questions. Specifically, how many of these quarterbacks ultimately might put off entering the draft and go back to school?

The 2025 class does not look like it’ll be nearly as deep as the ’24 version, which potentially could have at least six QBs with first- or second-round grades and several others eyeing a Day 3 spot. The transfer portal and NIL are game-changers, too, when it comes to figuring out these decisions. Even USC quarterback Caleb Williams has at least entertained the idea of playing another year in college, although Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye will be projected top-three picks come April.

That said, let’s look at the other key names on the 2024 underclassman QB list and size up their looming draft decisions.

Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (No. 24)

Ranking on Brugler’s latest top 50: No. 24

Sanders is the second passer on this list (and fourth QB overall) from Dane’s top 30. When you look at all the context, it’s really hard to argue.

Colorado’s offensive line has been one of the worst in the Power 5 this season — no FBS passer with at least 100 attempts has been pressured more than Sanders (174 times); the next closest in that category is South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler (145).

To be clear, some of those pressures have been Sanders’ fault, as he’s still working on a balance between hanging in the pocket long enough and bailing with his legs. However, two things Sanders’ metrics show: He’s been one of the most accurate passers in the country in terms of ball placement (off-target rate of 7.5 percent, No. 2 in FBS), and despite getting almost no help from his front, his dropback success rate (51.4, No. 28) is still above-average.

Sanders, age 21, is nowhere near his ceiling as a player. However, he’s also talented enough as a natural playmaker with very good football IQ/processing ability that he wouldn’t last too long in the draft, should he declare.

The Deion Sanders impact at Colorado is very real, so there may not be a player on this list who’ll have better NIL opportunities next season. Plus, Shedeur Sanders also would get to play one more year with CB/WR Travis Hunter — and be able to fight for QB1 designation in 2025.

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November 5th 

… CU in a few minutes … 

Neill Woelk’s Takeaways from the Oregon State game: Consistency has not strong suit for the Buffs

From CUBuffs.com … Consistency has been not a strong suit of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes this season.

When the offense is rolling, the defense struggles. When the defense plays well — as it has the last two weeks — the offense has trouble establishing a steady rhythm.

As a result, the Buffs (4-5 overall, 1-5 Pac-12) are now mired in a three-game losing streak and have dropped five of their last six. With three games remaining, beginning with next Saturday’s home finale against surging Arizona, the Buffs must find a way to snap their slump or miss a chance at a bowl bid — something that seemed almost a given after their 3-0 start.

That inconsistency reared its head in a big way Saturday night at Folsom Field in a 26-19 loss to No. 16 Oregon State.

For the second straight week, CU’s defense kept the Buffs in the game, forcing two first half turnovers by the Beavers and limiting them to just one touchdown for nearly the entire first half.

But Colorado’s offense managed to turn those takeaways into just one field goal, and a late first half gamble to try to move out of a hole deep in CU territory instead ended up opening the door for another Oregon State touchdown.

Colorado’s offense did finally put together two long scoring drives in the fourth quarter. After totaling just 78 yards offense in the first three periods, CU produced two 75-yard scoring drives in the final period, throwing a scare into the Beavers down the stretch.

But that was all it was — a scare. OSU escaped Boulder with a win (despite some questionable coaching decisions) and the Buffs are scrambling to find their early season offensive production.

Our takeaways from Week 9:

1. A new play caller doesn’t seem to be the quick fix for the offense. Through the first six and one-half games this year, Colorado’s offense was outstanding. Aside from a 42-6 loss at Oregon, the Buffs moved the ball at a prolific pace.

But after scoring four touchdowns on its first four possessions against Stanford, the Colorado offense went cold. In the last 10 quarters and two overtime periods, CU has scored just 47 points. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders is under constant pressure — he was sacked four times by OSU to bring the season total to 45 — and the running game once again couldn’t establish a threat.

Colorado’s two fourth quarter drives did offer some hope. The Buffs showed glimpses of the offense that was so productive in wins over TCU and Nebraska and a narrow loss to USC.

But if CU is going to make a run down the stretch, the Buffs will need to find that consistency again.

… Continue reading story here …

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Defensive effort continues to improve – Coach Prime: “Those guys are coming along well and I’m proud. I’m truly proud of them”

From the Daily Camera … On Saturday night, but the Buffaloes suffered a third straight defeat, 28-16 against No. 16 Oregon State, but it certainly wasn’t because of the effort by the defense.

Coordinator Charles Kelly’s group gave up an average of 35.9 points in the first seven games, including giving up at least 42 points on four occasions.

In the past two games, however, the Buffs are giving up just 27.0 points per game and it’s the defense that has kept them in games.

“Coach Kelly has done a tremendous job,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said. “I mean, he really has because I know he makes a certain call but if a certain guy don’t do what he is asking him to do that’s very problematic and we surrender points.

“He called a good game tonight. We had some situations that we didn’t do what was expected. But the guys rallied back and we still was able to provoke, I think, what three or four turnovers? Those guys are coming along well and I’m proud. I’m truly proud of them.”

It was actually two turnovers, but both were potentially big.

Trevor Woods recovered a fumble midway through the first quarter that gave the offense the ball at the OSU 38-yard line. Unfortunately for the Buffs, they fumbled it right back to the Beavers three plays later.

Overall, CU gave up 418 yards, which is 57 below their average and several defenders stepped up.

Linebacker LaVonta Bentley posted three tackles for loss and a sack. Defensive lineman Amari McNeil had 1.5 TFLs and a half sack with Woods.

As a group, the defense had three sacks, six tackles for loss and five pass breakups.

… Read full story here …

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This post, about the Arizona game, from the 2023 Season, is filed under Article.
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