(Please Don’t) Remember The Alamo

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(Please Don’t) Remember The Alamo

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December 29, 2016 … No. 13 Oklahoma State 38, No. 11 Colorado 8

Game story … No. 13 Oklahoma State went for 527 yards of total offense in dominating No. 11 Colorado in the 2016 Alamo Bowl, 38-8. Cowboy quarterback Marcus Rudolph passed for 314 yards and three touchdowns as Oklahoma State gave the Buffs two lopsided losses to close out an otherwise successful 10-4 season.

Sefo Liufau threw for 195 yards and scored CU’s lone touchdown, a consolation six yard run in the fourth quarter after OSU had built a 31-0 lead. Phillip Lindsay led the Buffs in rushing and receiving, with 14 carries for 63 yards to go with six receptions for 103 yards.

The Buff offense struggled throughout the night, with neither Sefo Liufau nor Steven Montez able to consistently move the ball. Head coach Mike MacIntyre said he saw in Liufau “a bummed up quarterback on an ankle that couldn’t throw as accurately as he would like”, while in Montez, he also inaccuracy: “He wasn’t where he usually is. I don’t know why, so we put Sefo back in and tried to go.”

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December 29, 2020 … No. 20 Texas 55, Colorado 23

Game story … Texas used quick scoring drives – six touchdown possessions going for between 74 and 89 yards, with none of the taking more than six plays (with the seventh touchdown coming on a one-play, 21-yard “drive”) – to dominate Colorado, 55-23.

Neither of the starting quarterbacks finished the game, with the Longhorn backup Casey Thompson getting the better of it. Texas quarterback Sam Elhinger was lost after the first half, but Thompson led the Longhorns to 38 second half points as Texas turned a 17-10 halftime advantage into a rout. Thompson completed only eight passes, but four of them went for touchdowns, as a solid CU defensive effort in the first half was completely missing in the final two quarters.

CU’s backup, Brendon Lewis, could not overcome the hole left by the Buff defense and CU’s starting quarterback. Senior Sam Noyer went 8-for-23 for 101 yards and two interceptions with his time on the field, and overthrew receivers on three different occasions on what would have been touchdowns. Lewis directed all three of CU’s touchdown drives, completing 6-of-10 passes for 95 yards. Lewis also had 73 yards rushing on nine carries, including a two-yard touchdown run.

Running back Jarek Broussard accounted for the Buffs’ other two scores, finishing the game with 82 yards on 27 carries.

For the game, Texas torched the Colorado defense for 638 yards of total offense, while the Buffs settled for 378 yards.

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Two bowl games … Two trips to San Antonio … Two losses, by a combined score of 91-31 …

As a member of the Pac-12, Colorado traveled twice to the Alamo Bowl as the conference representative. Twice the Buffs have been smoked by a member of the Big 12.

Now, still a “member” of the Pac-12, CU in 2024 will travel to the Alamo Bowl to face a member of the Big 12.

At least the game will be played on December 28th instead of December 29th, like the other two routs.

Buff fans can be forgiven for being a little gun shy about Colorado being invited to return to San Antonio. Colorado has only played two bowl games in the past 17 seasons. Both were Alamo Bowls in San Antonio; both were lopsided losses to a Big 12 opponent.

But, just as Buff fans have to try and tune out the noise about Travis Hunter not winning the Heisman Trophy, and tune out the noise about Coach Prime leaving, Buff fans are going to have to put on their blinders on and forget about CU’s history in the Alamo Bowl.

None of the Buff players or coaches were around for the 2016 or 2020 games. Yes, there will be a brief mention in the pregame ramp up to the game on the 28th by the ABC announcers, noting that CU has only played in two bowl games in the past 17 years, and that, ironically enough, both were Alamo Bowl defeats by Big 12 opponents.

Best advice for the Buff Nation? Wince and move on.

Yes, the Alamo Bowl has the top pick of Pac-12 teams for the next two seasons as the old bowl contracts expire.

But, unless things change after the 2026 season, when the Buffs move to the Big 12, the top non-College Football Playoff selection for Big 12 bowl-eligible teams belongs to … the Alamo Bowl.

And it’s not as if the Big 12’s offerings for bowls are any better than what the Pac-12 offered. Truth be told, they are worse.

For the Pac-12 No. 3 team, there is a trip to San Diego and the Holiday Bowl. The No. 4 Pac-12 team gets a trip to Vegas and the Las Vegas Bowl.

For the Big 12 No. 3 team, there is a trip to … the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, the home of UCF Knights, against an ACC team.

The No. 4 Big 12 pick gets a trip to … the TaxAct Texas Bowl in Houston, the home of the Houston Cougars, against an SEC team.

If you are hoping it gets better down the line for Big 12 teams, think again. The No. 4 Big 12 team goes to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl; No. 5 team goes to the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix; the No. 6 team gets the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Forget about San Diego, Las Vegas, Los Angeles … Hell, the Big 12 lineup of bowl affiliations makes the Pac-12’s Sun Bowl alliance, with a trip to El Paso, look good.

Oddly enough, had CU been a part of the Big 12 bowl affiliations this year, the Buffs would likely have been going to … the Alamo Bowl. With the winner of the Big 12 going to the CFP, the Alamo Bowl would have had their pick of Iowa State (which just got smoked in the Big 12 title game), BYU (which limped to the finish of the regular season after being a Top Ten team), or Colorado and Coach Prime.

Who do you think the Alamo Bowl reps would have chosen?

So, short of gaining entrance into the College Football Playoff over the next few seasons, the best CU fans can hope for in terms of bowl selections will be …

The Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.

Here’s hoping that this year’s visit will wipe away the memories of the past two visits, and turn the possibilities of future trips to Texas a pleasurable choice.

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P.S. … While the memory of the 38-8 loss to Oklahoma State in the 2016 Alamo Bowl is not worth savoring, the trip did produce one of my all-time favorite postgame Essays …

Thanks, Sefo

He was right there, not more than 20 feet away.

The scene: the San Antonio airport … Friday night, the day after the Alamo Bowl, around 6:15 p.m.

Two Delta flights were preparing for boarding. My flight was heading out of gate B-4, heading for Salt Lake City, the first leg on my trip back to Bozeman.

The flight heading out of gate B-3 was heading to Seattle.

In the waiting area, there were more than a few Colorado coats and sweatshirts to be seen. There were perhaps some “Shirts of Shame” being worn the day after CU had lost to No. 13 Oklahoma State, 38-8, in the Alamo Bowl, but there was still plenty of Buff Nation pride on display as well (as for me, I was wearing my “Pac-12 South Champions” sweatshirt, thank you very much).

And he was right there, not more than 20 feet away.

The main reason the black-and-gold faithful were there in the San Antonio airport that night.

The main reason the Buffs had snapped a ten-year drought of losing campaigns. The main reason why #TheRise was more than just a slogan in the 2016 season.

He was right there, waiting for his ticket group to be called. Just another traveler, sitting around, anxious to board and get on their way home.

Sefo Liufau.

… Continue reading story here …

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