Colorado Daily – CSU

Colorado Daily – Charleston-Southern

October 19th

Marc Mustoe lost for the season

The Buffs suffered only one significant injury during the game against Charleston Southern. Unfortunately, it was a season-ending injury.

Offensive lineman Marc Mustoe, who had seen increased playing time each of the last three games, suffered a fractured fibula against the Buccaneers, and will be lost for the season.

No other significant injuries were reported …

October 18th

“This One is For Boulder”

The CU Video has been posted at the cubuffs.com website, and can be found here.

The video takes you through the preparation for the Fresno State game (check out the team reaction when Chancellor Phil DiStefano announces to the team that the game has been postponed).

Mac also has some good quotes … “This is our turf. It’s time we played a complete game. It’s time … “.

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CU to try and avoid FCS teams in the future

From the Daily Camera … The Colorado football program will host its second opponent this season from the Football Championship Subdivision on Saturday when Charleston Southern visits Boulder.

CU officials prefer to fill their football schedule with only teams from major college football but this week’s game won’t be the last for the program against an FCS team.

Last spring, CU agreed to host Nicholls State on Sept. 26, 2015. The Buffs will be allowed to play 13 games that season because they travel to Hawaii to start the season. The NCAA allows programs that travel to Hawaii to play an extra game to offset costs associated with a trip to the islands.

“I can’t say that we won’t again, because so many factors are involved and it comes down to who is available,” Colorado sports information director Dave Plati said in regard to whether CU will schedule more FCS games in the future. “However, our preference is to schedule FBS schools from here on out.”

CU started the season with only one FCS team on the slate, but this game was scheduled after a Sept. 14 home game against Fresno State was cancelled because of historic flooding in the area.

Plati is one of three men involved in football scheduling for the program. Plati works to identify teams that share open dates with the Buffs and who would be appealing opponents and destinations for CU fans. He then forwards those suggestions to athletic director Rick George and associate athletic director Jim Senter.

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Despite youth and inexperience, CSU offensive line considered a strength

From the Charleston Post-Courier … The least publicized unit on any football team is usually the offensive line. At Charleston Southern, the “big uglies” along the front are quietly leading an offense that is putting up bigger numbers each week.

The Bucs’ offensive line had only one starter, junior right guard Clayton Truitt, with significant game experience before this season. Truitt, a third-year starter, will be making his 29th start Saturday when CSU plays at Colorado.

During spring practice, offensive line coach and coordinator Gabe Giardina had six available offensive linemen.

“It wasn’t an ideal situation, to say the least. It was pretty ugly at that point,” said Giardina. “We had to piece it together and get through the spring. We got a few healthy and we had a good group coming in. Now we start a freshman, a redshirt freshman, two sophomores and a junior. And we have four guys redshirting. The potential is definitely there for us.”

Potential has turned into consistent performance over the course of CSU’s first seven games. The offense is averaging 381 total yards per game, with 241 yards coming on the ground. CSU has posted five consecutive games of at least 200 yards rushing and is averaging 458 yards over the last three games.

CSU has a group of talented backs, led by junior Christian Reyes. While Reyes, who is closing in on the school’s single-season rushing record, earns all of his yardage as a tough, physical runner, the development up front has made success on the ground a reality.

“For as little time as they had together on the field, they have been tremendous for us,” said CSU head coach Jamey Chadwell. “We have basically one guy (Truitt) that had a lot of experience. We have a freshman starting at center. We have a guy, Benny Timmons, that came here as a defensive lineman and really has not played a lot during his time here.

“There is no doubt, we would not be where we are right now without their development. Our backs and receivers and quarterbacks get a lot of the publicity, but without those guys up front we would not be 7-0. It’s probably one of the more fascinating stories in our program.”

Truitt is the unquestioned leader of the unit. The offensive line has been through some injuries over the course of a physical season, but the unit continues to perform at a high level.

“It really is next guy up around here,” said Truitt, an all-conference candidate from Stockbridge, Ga. “There is no drop-off when someone goes down and that’s just the mentality we have developed. No one likes to see injuries, but it’s football and they happen. When we lose a guy, we all know that the next guy has to step up and play at a high level.

“We just work our tails off every day. We work together and we help each other. We’re a family within the family and we know we have to be at our best in order for this offense to be successful.”

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October 17th

CSU’s style of offense a concern for Buffs

From CUBuffs.com … “(Their offense) is very unique. It really is,” said MacIntyre. “They do a good job with it. It’s in between a pistol offense and a Navy (type) offense. It’s kind of a hybrid. So we’ve been working at it hard and studying it. You’ve got to be good on your option responsibilities or they’ll lull you to sleep and throw it deep. Our guys have been working hard at it and we were a lot smoother at it today I thought.”

This game will mark the fifth time in its history that CU has faced an FCS foe, and in the four previous games the Buffs have been anything but dominant. Colorado has a 2-2 record in those matchups and even the two wins required dramatic comebacks in the fourth quarter.

Earlier this season, the Buffaloes came back from seven points down in the fourth to beat FCS power Central Arkansas. MacIntyre is quick to point out that if the Buffs are to win this week they will have to play significantly better against what he feels is superior opponent than the team they played on that day.

“Well, offensively they’re able to hold onto the ball and move the ball and do some things there,” said MacIntyre. “They have more of an arsenal on their defense. They’re bringing people from different places some and they’re good in that area of it. They’re kicking game is good but I thought Central Arkansas had some very good returners. But, I think offensively and defensively they’re better than Central Arkansas. They’re going to be tough to beat.”

The Buccaneers have overcome a season-ending injury to their senior quarterback, a daunting schedule and a number of fourth quarter deficits in battling their way to 7-0. Most significant of those setbacks may have been the loss of multi-talented quarterback Malcolm Dixon to a torn ACL three weeks ago. But, in the true mark of a resilient team, have kept on winning. Freshman quarterback Danny Croghan has come off the bench to lead two fourth quarter comebacks and has helped the passing game reach even higher levels of success. MacIntyre and his staff feel like their opponent hasn’t skipped a beat as a result of their unfortunate loss at quarterback.

“They’re throwing the ball better with the new quarterback,” said MacIntyre. “He’s a better passer. That adds another element to it but they’re still running the option well and he’s running it pretty good.”

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October 16th

Notes from Tuesday’s press conference

From CUBuffs.com … MacIntyre said Liufau’s athleticism and running ability could mean more designed runs for his new starting QB, particularly on zone-read option plays: “If he sees it and reads it” he can run it. CU’s ground game is at 108.0 yards a game – No. 10 in the conference.

. . . . Unbeaten (7-0) Charleston Southern is ranked No. 24 in the weekly FCS poll. MacIntyre called the Buccaneers “better than Central Arkansas,” the No. 20-ranked FCS team that CU defeated 38-24 in week two. He said CSU (not the in-state team) ran an option offense out of the pistol formation that features “a lot of detail” and is a “Navy-Nevada mixture.” .

. . . MacIntyre said his defense, which is ahead of only California in the four major categories (scoring, total, pass/rush), victimized itself with dropped interceptions in the Pac-12 opener at Oregon State, then simply didn’t play well against Oregon and ASU. “We’ve learned a lot about what we can and can’t do,” he said. “It helps us reevaluate ourselves.” He said there would be no defensive lineup changes this week.

. . . . CU has been outscored 155-46 in its first three Pac-12 games. MacIntyre’s pitch to recruits: “We tell them to come and help us get better.” He said San Jose State was No. 120 out of 120 FBS schools when he took that job. The Spartans were a Top 25 program (No. 20) last season when he was hired by CU. “It didn’t happen overnight,” MacIntyre said. “You just have to keep going.”

. . . . The Buffs haven’t quit, MacIntyre said, noting he would detect that in his players during practice instead of on game day. “To me, they’re investing. . . right now I have great hope.”

. . . . The scoreboard says times are tough, but MacIntyre and his staff haven’t turned up their volume in practice. He used this analogy: “If I went home and my wife yelled at me, I wouldn’t want to come home at night.” He said it was the same with his players and daily practice. “I think they trust us.”

Full Transcript from Press Conference – Mike MacIntyre and Sefo Liufau

Coach Mike MacIntyre:

General / Opening Statement “Arizona State had a very good football team.  We knew that going in.  We let them get too far ahead in the first half to say the least and we have to keep improving.  We’re excited about the game Saturday.  We’re very happy that Rick George was able to get this game done.  It’s great for the city of Boulder.  It’s great for the flood victims.  And, it lets us play another game.  They’re a very good football team.  Like I said before, they’re the only team that would play us.  They’re 7-0 and #23 in the nation and they’re a better football team than Central Arkansas was that we played in here that played us a very, very good football game.  So, I’m pretty sure that Charleston Southern will come in and feel like they can win the football game.  It’s going to be a tough battle.  They run the option offense out of the pistol …. Different things …. So, it’s a lot of detail and work in trying to get ready for that.  It’s a mixture of Navy and Nevada so it’s a very difficult offense ….. Ball control situation …. Defensively, they throw different things at you and have very good rush ends.

Their running back, number 20, is a very good player for them.  Christian Reyes has gained them a lot of yards.  He’s a very hard runner and they have a couple good receivers that can make some big plays for them.  They changed quarterbacks because their other starting quarterback tore his ACL three weeks ago, but they haven’t missed a beat.  They had a young man come in, Danny Croghan. He’s a lot bigger and not as fast as the guy before but he can run the ball.  He also has a lot better arm so he’ll be able to throw the ball a lot better which with the combination of the option, it makes it tough.  So, we’re just getting ready for the football game and we’re excited about Saturday.”

On Liufau’s Performance “I thought he did some really good things.   He’s got some things that, I think everybody has, as far as mistakes they make. But I thought he did a good job.  I thought he went to the right places with the football and tried to do some good things there.  I would expect him to be more improved this week after one game under his belt so to speak. “

On Liufau’s Maturity “It’s pretty rare.  It really is.  He said his family means everything to him and that’s why he as mature as he is.  All the different things ….. He has great parents and he has a great brother and a great sister that he cares about deeply so he’s kind of a little bit ahead of his time I would say, maturity wise.”

On Running the Ball more Often with Liufau at the Helm “A lot of our running plays have an opportunity for the quarterback to keep the ball and if he reads it and sees it, that’s something he has done real well in practice …. Being able to see that, feel that and understand that …… Kind of like an option guy who gets to pitch it at the last second, he’s able to do that so that will relate to him having more carries.”

On Dealing with a True Freshman Starting Quarterback “The first one I was ever around was while I was a GA (graduate assistant) at Georgia.  We had a young man named Eric Zeier and we just let him play.  You know, if you’re good you’re good.   When he got going ….. He was able to go in in the spring which helped him so he did really well.  I’ve been around it a couple other times but it’s a situation where he needs to just keep improving and to keep doing what he’s doing and not try to do much and I don’t think he will.  He has the ability to kind of adapt in certain situations and he did that a little bit the other night too.”

On How Team has Reacted to Liufau’s New Role “It seems like to me everything is going in the right direction.  I haven’t had anybody come to me and say anything different about it and I haven’t heard anybody complain about it so I feel good about that side of it.”

On Freshman Class “I knew more about the guys that we signed late than the guys that  were already committed and Sefo (Liufau)was one that was already committed.  Thank goodness we were able to hold onto him because he had a few Pac-12 schools come after him hard and I was very excited that we did hold onto him.  So, we were excited about that but some of the guys that we knew real well, we knew they were going to do good.  The other kids are going to do real well also but we just kind of knew those guys and had evaluated them for a couple of years.”

On the Importance of the Quarterback Position in Today’s Game “I think that’s probably always has been the case …. Outstanding in what you do as an offense ….. I think there’s a little bit more dynamic quarterback that people are looking at now but whatever you do in your offense you have to be able to execute it.  I can even go back to the old days at Georgia and Penn State when the running the football but that guy got them in the right runs, they ran the right plays, he made the right plays, he handled everything right so I think there’s a different dynamic.  I think for you to be a really good football team you have to have a really good quarterback.

On The Reason for the Outstanding Quarterback Play Throughout the Pac-12 “I think offenses have opened up more, there’s more plays, there are more opportunities.  If you’re throwing the ball or if you’re running the ball  …… If you’re getting a team that runs 80-85 plays a game, that’s almost twenty more plays than teams used to have.  So, now you’re throwing ten more passes and get two or three more 20 plus yard passes then your numbers are right there.  Just sheer numbers, just sheer ability to run more plays I think is going to change that.  I see a lot of records breaking throughout the next few years I would imagine until it finally settles down then it will kind of even off because everybody will be doing the same thing by that time.”

On the Apparent Unintentional Comparison of Liufau to Andrew Luck “The guy asked me, ‘Was Sefo a dual threat?’ …. ‘Was he (Sean Mannion-like) where he just sits in the pocket or is he a duel-threat, like a duel threat quarterback like (Marcus) Mariota?’ I said no but he’s not this guy.  I’m going to try to explain to you when you hear everybody talking about all these guys out there, he’s a guy where he can throw it in the pocket and he can also run.  People think Andrew Luck can’t run.  Andrew Luck can run but he’s not thought of as a duel-threat quarterback so that’s all I said.  I was trying to compare him in the ability that he could run and he could just sit in the pocket.  He’s not a duel-threat and he’s not a pocket passer so I was just trying to use that as an example as a modern guy that he could be similar to.  Everybody thinks of a (Colin) Kaepernick or they think of a Drew Bledsoe where he sits in the pocket all the time, he’s in between and the only guy that I could think of that you watch him and you go ‘Wow he can run and he can sit in the pocket’ is Andrew Luck.”

On How Connor Wood has Handled the Backup Role “I think Connor (Wood) has handled it well.  In the game of football, I talk to them all the time, everybody has roles and your role can change at the drop of the hat.  An injury, somebody not playing good, other opportunities depending on what the offenses and defenses do ….. So, all of our players have to play that role.  The hard thing about the quarterback position is usually only one guy plays all the time compared to other positions usually.  And then it’s a position that is definitely a position that is always in the limelight so it’s focused on more but I think he’s handled it real well.”

On Coaching Young Quarterbacks “I think you as a coach, you don’t go in and say ‘You have to do this, this and this or we don’t win.  You have to do this, this and this or we’re going to lose.’  No, you don’t do that.  You show them what to do.  You encourage them.  You motivate them.  You keep them going.  Every once in a while you might have to light a fire under them but I don’t think you treat it any different than another position except in the fact that you know that he’s got more pressure on him than anybody would at another position.  So, you have to understand that and work with him on that.  You do in a way but you don’t just lay it out ‘You have to do this or you have to do this.’  You can’t because you don’t want anybody to play uptight.  You’ve got to let them play.  You teach them what to do and to take care of the football then you let them play and they’ll make plays for you and they’ll make plays for themselves.  They’ll make some mistakes but they have to be able to bounce back.”

On Struggling Against Good Quarterbacks “I think in the Oregon State game we were right there.  Honestly, we should have had three picks probably four and their guy made the play.  So, that was kind of …. The second game we were just off a little bit.  The third game we just didn’t play as well.  We just didn’t play as well so we’ve got to play better and we’ve got to play more active.  Of course they have a lot to do with that I would say.  We’ve got to keep improving and keep finding ways.  I think the kids learned a lot in those game situations and we learned a lot of maybe what we can do and can’t do in certain situations.  So, that helps us re-evaluate ourselves a little bit defensively to help us get in the right spots.”

On Potential Lineup Changes “We’re always … If you don’t play then we’re always ….. But we haven’t made any abrupt changes right now, no.”

On Charleston Southern Pass Rush “Yeah they do.  They do a good job.  They have really good pass rusher, #2, a senior.  He’s like 6’4”, 255 and he can rush the passer.  He does a great job with that. And they do a few other things but he’s the guy that reeks a little bit of havoc.”

On Coaching Offensive Line to Deal with Good Pass Rushers “Well, we play really good pass rushers in our league too that we’ve gone against.  So, I think we know where #2 is and we know the different moves that he does in pass rushing and our kids will work on that for sure.  Each week we kind of look at what the guys do and like to do and where they line up and who they’re going to line up on and talk to them about that.”

On Team’s Effort and Motivation after Three Straight Losses “I hope they don’t quit.  I don’t see that in them at all.  I see us needing to play better and needing to do some things better.  And we can coach a little bit better of course but I don’t see them quitting.  I think that hopefully they won’t.  I haven’t seen any of that in them at all.  I haven’t seen any lackadaisicalness in practice or tentativeness or that kind of thing.  Because really you don’t quit on game day, you quit during the week and if you’re trying, you’re pushing then you’ve invested so much that it’s hard to quit if that makes sense.  To me right now they’re investing, they’re meeting and they’re working.  They’re getting after it and they’re asking questions.  They’re coming by extra and asking on practice. So, as long as they keep doing all of that then I’ll have great hope but if all that stops then I won’t have great hope.  I’ll have to find a way but right now I don’t see that happening.”

On the Effects of Solid Senior Leadership “It definitely helps because when they see guys down or they see guys not focusing or not paying attention in meetings and that type of thing then they say something to them.  We say something to them if they’re not paying attention which doesn’t happen very often but the kids definitely know better or they’ll hear certain things said in the locker room like whatever and they’ll tell them to get their act in line and keep going.  So, I do respect our leadership here.  These young men have been through a lot and probably have grown a tremendous amount through adversity so I think they’ll keep fighting I really do.”

On Recruiting Amidst Lopsided Losses that May Hurt the Perceptions of the Program “Well, number one we’ve talked about we need to keep working to get better and we need these young men to come here to help us get better.  So that’s all I talk about. I don’t dwell on the negatives or anything like that. I just tell them that they can be a part of something that’s going to be special and it will be.  That’s the only thing I have to go on.   Some people say ‘Well, how do you know that coach?’ Well, we were 120-120 in the place I went to before and we ended up #21 in the country so, we know what we’re doing and it didn’t happen overnight there either.  I was on the end of a few lopsided ones there for sure.  And so it’s just a process and I see the process going forward I really do.  You know, of course we have to see more results on the field but I think they’ll happen this year before the year is over.  They will so we just have to keep going.” 

On Positive Coaching Approach “I hope so. I think it does.  I know when I go home at night my wife is really nice to me.  If I went home every night and she yelled at me I wouldn’t want to go back home right?  So, I think it’s the same thing with going to practice.  I really do.  I mean, if you come to practice and you’re thinking ‘Oh gosh, here we go again’ …. Now, they want to get coached.  It’s not like “Oh, don’t do that again.’  No, I mean we show them what to do and we’re sharp on it but we’re also uplifting.  We’re also showing them what to do.  We’re also encouraging them.  We’re also making sure they know that they’re getting better.  To me, if you come and you hate seeing the people you’re going to be around then you’re not going to get any better but if you enjoy seeing the people you’re going to be around and you know that.  But, if you enjoy seeing the people you’re going to be around and you know that they have your best interest at heart, and sometimes that’s yelling at them and sometimes that’s putting your arm around them.  Sometimes that’s doing things over and over and over but I think if they know that we have their best interest at heart and they trust us then I think we’ll keep growing.  I do think they trust us and we trust them.”

On Liufau’s Intangibles “I think he’s very athletic.  I think he’s very cerebral.  I think he’s very calm.  He’s been very calm in practice and he was very calm in the game the other night.  He competed but he was calm.  He’s also a guy, to me I think, that puts others first instead of himself.  I’ve noticed that so much and I think that’s part of his maturity.  I think he has a good arm.  I think he’s very accurate and also the thing that I noticed the other night is, I think he’s extremely tough.  Now he might not be a ‘run over them all the time’, even though he did run over some guys …. But he doesn’t see the rush, he doesn’t feel the hits.  He kind of gets in his own zone which I think a good quarterback does.  You see a lot of quarterbacks and do ‘Gawly, he just got whacked twice and just sat in there.’  Then you see other quarterbacks that don’t sit in there or can’t move out of the way so to speak so, I think he has those qualities and hopefully he’s going to keep doing that because he’s going to get hit hard.  He’s going to have some bad things happen to him and he’s going to have some really good things happen to him so he’s got to handle all of that mood swing.  Then he’s got to understand that when guys come off the edge and smack him that they might be coming again and he’s got to still be able to play. I think he can do all that.”

On Running Game “I think our running attack is getting better.  I think (Michael) Adkins is explosive.  I think Christian (Powell) is running better.  I think Tony (Jones) does some good things here and there and I think now that Sefo (Liufau) knows how to run a little bit on some of that stuff that that will help us and I think that will help us improve.  Is it anywhere where I want it? No, but I do think it has improved.  Now, against ASU we got behind so fast so quick that if we’re running the ball everybody’s going to say ‘What in the world are you doing?’ ….. After a minute so I think we had to throw the ball a little bit more than we would have liked.”

On Liufau Avoiding the Hits that Most Mobile Quarterbacks Encounter “I haven’t (talked to him about it).  We work on sliding and he knows that if he’s in the open area that he can slide or he can step out of bounds.  He has all those but I’m not going to go and tell him every time he sees another color to go ahead and duck.  I’m going to let him play.  But we do work on sliding.  We do work on taking care of yourself.  We do work on stepping out of bounds so we have gone over that with him but not as far as at all costs.  Go play football.”

On Missed Opportunities Versus Arizona State “I think our guards played pretty good inside and did a good job there.  They brought a lot of edge pressure of zone blitzes so some of it was a little bit of their scheme because he was looping a whole lot instead of going up.  And so they were coming from the boundary and the field ….. If we could have held up early, and we worked on it hard, better than we did ….. Ifs and buts are candy and nuts, I understand that but we had Paul Richardson open on a post on the second play of the game and we saw it coming but we didn’t hold up against it and we worked on it.  Then we had another one and we hit him a couple of other times later … So, those are some plays there.  We had another time where we were wide open for a touchdown pass and didn’t hold up so we just have to get better at our protection consistently.  Then, we’ve got to make the right throws and the right reads.”

On Tedric Thompson “Tedric (Thompson) is doing good.  He’s a true freshman and he got thrown out there against ASU and those guys were running all over the place.  He did some good things. He’s a physical, physical guy.  He made a heck of a hit down on the goal line on that big tight end.  I think Tedric’s going to be really, really good and he’s playing a lot more.”

On Putting them Inflatable Indoor Practice Facility Up “I’m glad to have the bubble up.  We didn’t go in there today but I imagine there will be a day or two when we do go in there.  I don’t think reporters are allowed to go in there though. Is that right? I don’t know.  Ya’ll are going to have to stand outside.”

On the Increasing Use of the Two-Point Conversion in College Football “How about ours?  We had ours and he was wide open.  A lot more open than theirs and we were on him like a blanket and he still caught it.  I still don’t know how he caught it but, I think that’s just the way of football now.  You’re getting in all those different sets and here’s what it does: you have to work on it for about 5-10 minutes every day and then they come out with new ones and now you have to work on adjustments.  So, you’re taking five minutes of your practice every day.  You’re taking five minutes of your meeting every day.  You might say ‘Well, that’s not a whole lot.’

Well, when you’ve only got four hours and you’ve an hour meeting and a two-hour practice and you have to take five minutes every day on stuff like that, it takes away from the defense working on their favorite pass route or their favorite option route.  So, I think it’s a big deal and we’re doing it a lot more and we’re going to keep doing it.  I think it’s a good deal.  And basically everybody’s doing it now.  So, I think you’ll see more and more teams going for two more and more.”

On the Changing Philosophy of Football “Well, the old philosophy was huddle up, control the ball, care about ball-control, time …. All old philosophies are out the window and we need to catch up with the times as fast as we can.  So, I think you have to revamp a lot of things.  There’s so many things to the naked eye that are happening now that offenses are doing that I’m studying ahead each week and I’m saying ‘They’re doing it.’  There’s a lot of run pass conflict that’s happening in football now and that’s why points are scoring so much.  If you watch they’re running running plays but they’re running pass routes.  And they don’t call the lineman down field because there’s such a little range there.  They might be down field but they’re not calling it because they can’t see it happen.  It happens so fast.  So, you’ve got run and pass conflicts with your linebackers …. Well, what do you do? If you run up and tackle they run the same play over.  If you run up and get there again they throw behind you. Then if you play man coverage all the time you better be good in man coverage.  So, there are a lot of things going on now and it just keeps evolving.  It really does.”

On Which Defensive Rule Change He Would Make “I think being able to grab the receivers.  I mean I’m being serious.  Grab them anywhere you want.  I mean, that would help.  That’s not going to happen because everybody wants to see an offensive show.  I had a great head coach that called me the other day, I mean he’s phenomenal, and he goes ‘No way in the world, if anybody asked me to be a defensive coordinator would I be a defensive coordinator today, no way.’  He said ‘I’m going straight to the offense. I’m not even touching it.’  Because it’s just so hard right now and they just keep evolving.  The rules are made up basically for the offense to be successful.  That’s what’s happening in the NFL more and more too.  A few years ago you could really jam at the line and now they can’t even touch them.

The whole five yard rule, if you’re even near them they call stuff.  The kids are throwing at a younger age. People are covered now and they’ll throw to the back shoulder and catch it.  I mean, you’re all over him how did he catch it? And if he doesn’t it’s an interference call so what do you tell the (defensive back)? Well, stay on top of them.  Well, they go underneath.  So, the only way to affect a quarterback now to me, you could play better coverage I understand that but truly the old saying is ‘If he’s lying on his back he can’t throw it.’  That’s truly the only way to do anything.  But, now they’re getting it out of their hand so quick that it makes that a little bit different.  It’s interesting.  Eventually defenses will catch up some but I still think if it’s gone to where it is now …. If Alabama gives up 680 yards of offense against Texas A&M, I mean come on.  And it’s all because of the new spread out, hurry up, more plays type thing.”

On Changing Defensive Schemes “When I first started coaching we never played a snap of nickel.  We had 21 personnel and 12 personnel and then people started spreading you out and then you started using more nickel or you played a linebacker that could maybe do both because you weren’t worried about playing as much man.  Now, you’ve got to play man quite often or you don’t have a chance.  Because they’ll just dink you all the way down the field so I think that’s evolving more and more.  I think the speed of the linebackers, I mean linebackers are big but they’re changing. You look at linebackers now and go ‘You play linebacker?  You look like a safety.’  Because they have to be able to cover and then they have to be able to run in open space.”

On Paul Richardson “(Paul Richardson) did some good things.  He really did.  And he would have had some bigger plays earlier in the game but we didn’t work it out as well.  I thought he did some good things.  We just have to keep utilizing him and we’ve got to make sure we keep the score a lot closer in the first half so we can keep playing and we will.  We will.  We’ll get there.”

Quarterback Sefo Liufau

 On His Reaction to Being Named Starting Quarterback “Honestly, I don’t know if it has hit me yet that I am starting.  I am just preparing like any other week.  Probably the only difference is that I am getting more reps this week, but other than that it is just a regular work week.  We have a great opponent coming up this week.  We had a great practice today and let’s have another great one tomorrow.”

On His Performance after Watching Film “I felt I played how I felt when I went off the field.  Great first drive, went down and we had that touchdown, but I had too many turnovers.  I don’t care if I am a freshman, coming off the bench or starting, it doesn’t matter.  I can’t have those turnovers in any game, especially if we are trying to win some games.”

On How He Felt After Playing His First College Game “It felt great; it was a lot of fun.  The first couple of plays were really fast, but after that it slowed down and it just felt like high school football to me.  It felt like the game I love to play.”

On Where His Maturity Comes From “The maturity comes from my parents: my mom and my dad.  Just being raised the way I have been is a testament to them.  My dad used to take me to play with the army guys at Fort Lewis when I was in fourth and fifth grade, which really helped me to grow.  A lot of my leadership came from that and just learning from all of those guys as they all took me under their wing and it has just been with me my whole life.  It’s not something that I am faking or just trying to show.”

On How his First College Action Compared to Playing at the High School Level “Yeah, after the first couple of plays it slowed down and it was just football.  It was just really fun to play and it didn’t feel any different.  Of course the guys are faster, I am not trying to say that they are as slow as high school kids, but it just felt like playing football.  It didn’t feel like something that was way out of my league or out of control.”

On Forgetting Past Mistakes “I have definitely forgotten my mistakes in the game.  I still remember them as a teaching point for myself, on what I could have done better, but I have a short memory.  I threw a pick—think about it for a second for what I could have done better—then move on to the next play.”

On Preparing for the Upcoming Game as a Starter “I don’t think so [it isn’t any different].  I have been preparing like I was the starter for a while now, there are just more reps now that I get with the first team, which is a lot more beneficial.  I will be a lot more prepared for this game than compared to last week.”

On Charleston Southern “They are a very good team—very athletic, very fast.  They run a bunch of different coverages, different blitzes, so we have to be very prepared and very sound.  Especially, we have to be very consistent, unlike last week.”

On Charleston Southern’s Defensive Line “They are very fast, they are quick.  They make a lot of moves inside and outside.  They are definitely not like a … but they are very athletic and move a lot.  The O-Line did a really good job last week toward the end in protecting me.  I think the O-Line can handle them this week and will give me some time in the pocket to give the ball to our playmakers.”

On His Chemistry with the Receivers “I think it will be an ongoing process, but there is definitely chemistry there.  I took first team reps as a backup and I took first team reps in the fall (in fall camp), so I think that the chemistry isn’t perfect, but there definitely is some good chemistry between the wide-outs.”

On Whether it is Challenging to Get the Ball to Fast Receivers “I’d say so on some of the deeper routes.  Trying to gauge his [Paul Richardson’s] speed because sometimes I don’t think I actually know how fast he is, the way he turns it into another gear.”

On What Coach Said to Him Before Going in  “(Before going in) he told me to get my helmet on, start warming up, get a couple snaps with Gus (Handler) and then get ready to go play.”

On Advice His Father Gives Him “I talk to my parents a bunch, as much as I can, usually once or twice a week if not more.  This week, my dad just told me, ‘Stay humble, stay grounded, watch your film, and just get ready to play.  You can’t take anyone lightly.’  These teams are very good and people don’t think so because they play in (Division I-AA) or not in the NCAA, but they are a very good team and we cannot take them lightly.”

On Connor Wood’s Help “Yeah, definitely [he has been helping me this week].  Connor (Wood) is a great leader.  People don’t see it often on the sidelines or in practice because no one’s there, but Connor is an amazing leader.  He has the ‘C’ on his chest for a reason.”

On Point of Focus in the Next Game “Definitely taking care of the football, I can’t have as many turnovers or mental mistakes as I did.  Overall, I just want to bring up every aspect of my game.”

On Feeling Honored “I am very honored to be a quarterback in the Pac-12, it means a lot to me.  I don’t want to compare myself to other quarterbacks though, I want to compare myself to my best self and continue to grow and get better every week—every practice that I get.”

On the Biggest Obstacle He Has Had to Overcome “I would say during my sophomore year, during the beginning of my football season, my aunt passed away.  It was hard for me because she was so integrated into my life.  The beginning of the year it was hard, but I dedicated the season to her.  I would have to say that was one of the hardest obstacles in my life.”

On taking the Blame for the loss at Arizona State “That’s tough because I have always looked at it as my fault if we didn’t do very well, but it’s not just me.  I’m not the one out there catching the ball. I am not the one out there blocking 300-pound guys.  It’s a team sport.  If I wanted it to be all about myself, then I would go play tennis or golf or something.  I love the camaraderie and the teamwork that football has. The guys on this team work really well together, we just have to be more consistent in our offense.  Once we start clicking, the offense will start moving a lot faster, a lot smoother, and everything will just start going well.

On How Quickly He Got Over the Loss in the State Championship Game Last Year “Pretty quickly actually, it was probably just that night.  By no means did we play a bad game, offensively we had a great game, it was just that they had so much offensive firepower that one drive here and one drive there and it was out of reach.  So, it wasn’t that bad of a reaction from me.”

On Rivalry with High School Rival Quarterback Max Brown “I’ve met him a couple times.  We don’t really keep in touch at all.  I’ve never really talked to him at all.  I wish him well. He’s a great player and I saw that in the state championship game but no, I never compared myself to him.”

On His Teammate’s Reaction to the Change at Quarterback “They responded great.  I told them that if they have anything they see on the field they want to tell me to go ahead.  If they want me to throw a better pass to tell me.  They responded well though.  They told me I led them great.  Overall though in the locker room afterwards too they said I did a great job and I was composed in leading them out onto the field.”

On the Importance of Supportive Teammates “It’s very important.  You always want to be supportive of your teammates and have the support of your teammates so that you feel confident in going in and playing.”

On Having Fun “I had lots of fun.  It was very fun coming in and playing in my first college game.”

On Team Expectations for the Remainder of the Season “My expectations are for the team to get better every day, every practice and for the team to give it their all.  I mean we expect to win every week.  We can beat everyone in this nation in football we just have to be consistent and cut down on mistakes.”

On How the Coaching Staff Change Affect his Decision to Come to Colorado “I’d say the timing sort of made it a big factor being the week of the state championship game but it wasn’t that big of a deal.  I mean obviously I love the old coaching staff and once I met the new coaching staff I fell in love again.  So, it wasn’t that big of a hurdle in the sense of changing  staff.”

On Head Coach Mike MacIntyre “I love coach (MacIntyre).  He’s a great leader.  He’s a player’s coach.  He does a good job of telling us that it’s not only the field that counts but the classroom.  He always tells us to sit in the front three rows because after football there’s no more football.  There’s your education that you have to fall back on because one snap and you could be done with football for life and so you need that education to fall back on.  Coach Mac stresses that we need to go to class.  That we need to grow up as men because football, although it’s a fun sport and we all love to play and love to watch it, but there’s more important things in life and he always stresses that to us.”

On Self-Criticism “That’s just how I am.  I hold myself to high standards even being a freshman.  There’s just simple reads that I could have done to take away those interceptions that I threw.  The fumble, that just hit me in the hands so that’s something that I can easily take away and I’m always going to be hard on myself being a freshman because coach always tells us the ball is very vital to the team and I’m giving away the hopes and dreams so, I just need to do a better job of taking care of the ball and I’ll always be hard on myself.

On Tempo of the Game “I wouldn’t say it was that much faster.  The guys are a lot quicker than our scout teams but I wouldn’t say it was that much faster.  We go at a pretty high tempo in practice.  We’re always moving, always running and always getting as many plays off as possible so I wouldn’t say it was that much of a different tempo.”

On How Long it took to Adapt to the Tempo at the College Level “I’d say week or two into fall camp.  The first week or two I was kind of swimming.  I was trying to hone out the protections, and all the routes.  But after that everything started to come more gradually and everything seemed to slow down which was really positive for me.”

On Whether he Grew Up a CU fan “I was not.  I followed them because my grandpa did.  I followed them and I watched them a little bit but I honestly didn’t really watch college football growing up or NFL football so I wouldn’t really say I was.  To be honest, I played FIFA all weekend which is a soccer video game.  It’s my getaway.  I’d rather play football than watch football.”

—

October 14th

Colorado favored by 31.5 over Charleston-Southern

It hasn’t been like this for Colorado for awhile …

According to 5dimes.com, the Buffs are a 31.5 point favorite over Charleston-Southern this weekend.

For a team averaging 25.0 points per game (87th in the nation), beating any team, even an FCS team from the Big South Conference, winning by a margin of 31 points might be a tall order …

… but at least it’s nice to think that the sports books believe in the Buffs.

—

Charleston-Southern up No. 24 in the FCS polls

For the first time in school history, Charleston Southern is in the FCS Coaches’ Poll in consecutive weeks. The Bucs climbed one spot to No. 24 in this week’s poll, which was released Monday afternoon.

CSU fought off VMI, 25-17, to improve to 7-0 overall – 5-0 on the road – on Saturday in Lexington, Va. The Bucs are chasing the best start in school history, which was 9-0 in 2006. Saturday’s win was the first for CSU in a conference opener since 2006.The win also secures a winning season and matches the second-most wins in school history for the CSU program.

The Buccaneers travel west this week in a rare mid-year scheduling addition. CSU will face the PAC-12’s Colorado on Saturday at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo. in a game that was added on Sept. 30.

North Dakota State received all 26 first-place votes to regain a unanimous No. 1 ranking, while Coastal Carolina and Montana State both entered the top five in this week’s FCS Coaches Poll.

NDSU topped Missouri State 41-26 on Saturday to regain the No. 1 vote it lost to Towson in last week’s poll. Towson fell to Villanova 45-35 over the weekend, losing a first-place vote and the No. 2 ranking.

Sam Houston State is the new No. 2, moving up one spot and receiving 620 points from the coaches this week. Eastern Illinois (591) continues to climb the rankings, landing in third this week. Coastal Carolina entered the top 10 for the first time in 2013, moving to No. 4 this week. The Chanticleers handed Gardner-Webb a 42-7 loss to move to 6-0 on the year.

—

Charleston-Southern quarterback named Big South POTW

Charleston Southern quarterback Danny Croghan III has been named the Crons Brand Big South Freshman of the Week for his performance in the Bucs’ 25-17 win over VMI on Saturday. CSU freshman punter Truett Burns was also recognized by the conference, earning Big South Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Croghan completed 18-of-27 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns in his second career start on Saturday against VMI. The Bishop England High School product led the Bucs back from a 17-16 deficit late in the third quarter. Croghan hit Larry Jones III over the middle for 25 yards to convert a third-and-eight, and then found Jones again on the next play for a 48-yard touchdown to give CSU the lead. He also connected with Kevin Glears for a 27-yard touchdown on the Bucs’ first offensive snap of the contest. Croghan also ran for 30 yards on the day as CSU claimed its first Big South road win since November 2009.

Burns averaged 39.0 yards on his four punts against the Keydets, and helped the Bucs control the field position battle in the first half. The Clinton, S.C. native pinned VMI inside its own 20-yard line three times, including once at the one-yard line. He registered a new career-long punt of 48 yards as well.

—

Charleston-Southern runs its record to 7-0 with victory over VMI

Charleston Southern sophomore Larry Jones III had five catches for 103 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the second half as the Bucs improved to 7-0 with a 25-17 win at VMI on Saturday.

The Buccaneers secure a winning season with the perfect 7-0 start and open Big South play with a win for the first time in seven seasons. VMI falls to 1-5 and 0-1 in Big South play.

The Bucs answered the bell in the second half after falling behind 17-16 following a VMI field goal in the third. CSU scored the game’s final nine points and heads to Colorado next Saturday as one of the FCS’ final six unbeatens.

CSU head coach Jamey Chadwell and the Bucs keep their perfect start intact, despite starting in on their “second season” as conference play begins.

“Anytime you go on the road in conference, it’s going to be a tough game no matter who it is and VMI played really well and had a good game plan,” Chadwell said following the win. “We started out really well early and had a chance to put it away, but gave them some chances to get back in it and they made some plays.”

The Bucs raced to a 13-0 lead behind a couple of big plays early, but found themselves in the midst of a battle following the opening quarter. Then the Bucs’ defense went to work.

“We regrouped at halftime and really controlled the ball on offense and played well,” Chadwell continued. “The defense found a way to get the ball back when we needed them, so (it’s) a solid win on the road and we’re 1-0 and that was our goal.”

CSU turned back VMI on downs twice the fourth quarter and held the Keydets to only three second-half points.

The Bucs were steady throughout as they continued on their perfect start. Freshman Danny Croghan III completed 18-of-27 passes for a career-high 245 yards and two TDs. He found teammate – Jones III – up top for the decisive score as CSU pushed the game to a max one-possession lead.

“I thought Danny did really well because on that play, specifically, he had some people in his face and stood in there and made a nice throw,” Chadwell said of the Bucs’ final touchdown. “I thought he handled the offense well and got us in some plays to help us move the ball. Considering first time on the road for him in a situation like this with a good crowd, I thought he did well and got us a win and that’s the ultimate.”

Jones III proved to be the catapult to the Bucs’ seventh-straight win. The Keydets had no answer for the Bucs wide out, who missed the season’s first two games. He had five catches, including the game-clinching snag on the final play of the third quarter.

The Buccaneers piled up 456 yards of offense on 76 plays and wore down VMI to sneak away with their seventh win of the year. CSU did not commit a turnover, but did force one on the game’s opening play.

Safety Corbin Jackson intercepted VMI quarterback Eric Kordenbrock on the game’s opening play and returned it 30 yards to set the Bucs up in VMI territory just second into the game.

CSU would go right after the Keydets as Croghan found Kevin Glears on a post for a 27-yard touchdown as the Bucs’ took a lead on their first snap from scrimmage, 7-0.

The Buccaneers would move ahead 13-0 on a 4-yard plunge from Christian Reyes. His sixth TD of the year gave the Bucs a two-TD lead and the junior moved within 49 yards of the CSU single-season record for rushing yardage on the day. He had 45 yards on 11 carries.

A 31-yard pass from VMI quarterback Eric Kordenbrock to Burton cut the Bucs’ lead to 13-7. VMI would snag the lead late in the half with a  15-yard pass from Kordenbrock to Nicholson as the Keydets took a 14-13 lead at the break.

CSU rallied with a pair of 22-yard field goals from Mark Deboy to build a 25-17 lead. A 48-yard throw-and-catch from Jones III to Croghan III seal the win for the Bucs.

Freshman Mike Holloway had 59 yards on two carries for CSU. Freshman Ben Robinson added six carries for 49 yards. Glears had four catches for 46 yards and a TD.

Kordenbrock was 21-of-38 for 263 and two TDs and two INTs for the Keydets.

Safety Demaris Freeman led the Bucs with 10 tackles and Calvin Bryant added eight to lead the CSU defense.

This post, about the Charleston-Southern game, from the 2013 Season, is filed under Article.
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