Colorado Buffs Football: 2013 in Review

How bad had things gotten for the University of Colorado football program? So bad that four wins this past season constituted an unqualified success for new head coach Mike MacIntyre. For those still not happy with the direction of the program, please know that two decisions out of the control of Mac's coaching staff were what kept the Buffs from winning enough games to qualify for a bowl THIS year.

Those of us who are old enough to remember when Bill McCartney came to Boulder in 1982 remember the last time that Colorado football was a laughingstock before the last half dozen years. Chuck Fairbanks came to Boulder in 1978 from the New England Patriots. Prior to that, he had been head coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1967-72. During his six year stint leading the Sooners, OU finished the season ranked in the top 15 five times, including three times ranked in the top 3. Fairbanks record at OU was 52-15-1.

The national prominence achieved at Oklahoma was not repeated in Boulder, where Fairbanks led the Buffs to only 7 wins in 33 games. He resigned as head coach in June 1982.

McCartney's first three years in Boulder were quite similar with 7 wins in 33 tries. The difference was the foundation that McCartney was laying would put the Buffs on the national map for something other than the Bottom 10. Over the next four years, the Buffs averaged a respectable 7 wins per year.

As the wins came, so came the better level of high school recruits. During McCartney's last 6 years leading the Buffs, his team won 58 games. Among those games played, two were for the National Championship, and one other team was a single loss from playing for the national title once again. The Buffs finished in the Top 20 all six of those final years under McCartney, including three in the top 4 and were the AP national champions following the 1990 season.

Like McCartney back in 1982, MacIntyre arrived following the 2012 season to a program that was in shambles due primarily to a coach with an excellent track record before coming to Boulder. Dan Hawkins had led Boise State to an amazing 53 wins in five years before being hired by the Buffs. Like Fairbanks before him, the magic was not to be repeated. In five years leading CU, Hawkins won only 19 games, which was 34 games LESS than he won in Boise over the same time frame.

Following the firing of Hawkins, Colorado turned to former Buff Jon Embree despite the fact that he had no prior head coaching or even coordinator experience. To make matters worse, Embree hired for his coordinators other coaches with no prior experience in those roles.

That inexperience showed often in almost comic incompetence as the Buffs on offense frequently got their plays relayed in to the QB with nearly no time left on the play clock, causing numerous delay and procedure penalties. Another showcase of their bad coaching came when OC Eric Bieniemy called a QB sneak on 1st down after failing to notice that the Buffs had barely picked up a first down the previous play.

On defense, things were no better under coordinator Greg Brown. The Buffs gave up 552 points in 2012, which included giving up 50 or more five times. They allowed 69 to Fresno State, and 70 points to Oregon. Their lone win in 2012 was really a fluke, as Washington State imploded after leading 31-14 halfway through the 4th quarter. The Cougars gave up 3 touchdowns in the last 7:06 to lose by one point. It was the only thing that kept the Buffs from going 0-12 for the year.

This "lucky to win only 1" team was what MacIntyre inherited when he took over following the firing of Embree and his staff. What he found when he arrived was a team that had no sense of TEAM or BROTHERHOOD. What he also found was a group of young men that was not having any fun playing a game. And he found that the level of players brought in under the previous two coaching staffs had, by and large, not been systematically developed into FBS level players.

There were individual standouts that moved on the NFL, to be sure, but consistent development of every player was as sorely missing as consistent game plans in any aspect of the game. The Buffs were routinely manhandled by their brethren in the Pac-12, especially in the trenches, and it showed in the final scores.

This is what MacIntyre had available to him, but together with his staff they put their heads and hearts into molding the young men in their program into a TEAM which had enthusiasm for the game and their teammates. After years of being in a down program, it was perhaps the biggest challenge facing the new coaching staff.

The Buffs got stronger this year under the tutelage of Dave Forman, but they also realize that it will take another year or two before they are as strong as they need to be to compete at the very high level required for their conference. They were still pushed around on the lines, and that is the benchmark that determines success at the collegiate or professional levels. Win the battles in the trenches and you will win the games in most cases.

As bad as things were following the 2012 season, the reality is that two losses to the Buff roster determined their fate for this year. Lineman David Bakhtiari left early for the NFL, and now starts for the Green Bay Packers. And fellow lineman Alex Lewis announced his plan to transfer to Nebraska before assaulting an Air Force Cadet and placing himself in legal limbo. Lewis finally accepted a plea bargain to plead guilty on lesser charges on Dec. 21st. Sentencing has yet to be handed down.

Lewis and Bakhtiari were expected to be the stalwarts of an offensive line that was supposed to be a strength of the program. Their losses were the difference between four wins and six wins this year. Indeed, if the two had not left the program, MacIntyre and staff might well be looking at coach of the year honors within the conference.

Losing two dominant linemen made protecting QB's Connor Wood and Sefo Liufau a much harder task. And the two QB's paid the price. It also made the CU rushing game much less reliable. The Colorado backs showed some good signs occasionally throughout the year, but short yardage situations where push came to shove usually found CU being pushed back by stronger lines.

As great as the year put forth by Paul Richardson was, imagine how much better it could have been if the CU offensive line was a dominant unit that allowed the QB to have that extra second or two that would have allowed Richardson and the entire receiving staff more time to break into the open more often. On top of that, a dominant line would have allowed the Buffs to hold onto the ball for much more time, and allowed the defense to be more aggressive  by playing from ahead much more often.

Judging by the talented recruits brought in and quickly developed by MacIntyre this past year, the Buffs are in good hands going forward. Another year of training under Forman and learning the programs of coordinators Brian Lindgren and Kent Baer will only improve the quality of the Buffaloes program.

Much of last year was spent rehabilitating the broken football program. Hell, they even had to spend time teaching these Buffs how to have fun. Now that they understand fun, and devotion to their brotherhood, these Buffs can now focus on getting stronger and playing faster.

When their understanding of the program is so good that they can react without thinking, the level of their play will be the equal of other top notch programs. It may not completely show in 2014, although it might, but the day is coming when the thundering herd of the Colorado Buffaloes will once again be feared. And Buff fans and players will have this coaching staff to thank for it.

Mike MacIntyre -- Head Coach
Kent Baer -- Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
Brian Lindgren -- Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks
Klayton Adams -- Running Backs / Tight Ends
Gary Bernardi -- Offensive Line
Charles Clark -- Safeties
Jim Jeffcoat -- Defensive Line
Andy LaRussa -- Cornerbacks
Toby Neinas -- Special Teams
Troy Walters -- Wide Receivers / Recruiting Coordinator

Colorado Buffs Head to Vegas With Longest Winning Streak in 52 Years

Before the basketball season started, head coach Tad Boyle was feeling a little trepidation. Based on the difficulty of their non-conference schedule, Boyle had to be wondering if Colorado had bitten off a little more than they could chew. The concern was compounded by the fact that Colorado lost one of the best rebounders in the nation when Andre Roberson left school early and became a first round NBA draft pick. On top of that, Colorado entered the season with one of the youngest teams in the country.

After the unranked Buffs lost on the road to then ranked #20 Baylor to start the season, the ghosts of scheduling choices started rattling their chains and moaning out warnings. Eleven games into the season now, those warnings are apparently for Buffaloes opponents. Baylor is even better than everyone thought to begin the season. They have moved up to #12 in the latest polls, and have a victory over preseason #1 Kentucky on their resume.

As for the Buffaloes, they have now reeled off 10 straight wins, including a win over #6 Kansas. The 10 game winning streak is the longest for Colorado since 1961. That's NINE presidents ago. It was even before Tad Boyle was born. So what does one do when on an epic winning streak? Head to Las Vegas baby and put your cards the table.

At 9:30 pm Mountain Time tomorrow, the Buffs will take to the court against #7 Oklahoma State in Sin City. The Buffs and Cowboys have identical 10-1 records. CU and Oklahoma State are former Big 12 foes who have not played since Colorado jumped to the Pac-12 several years ago. The last time the teams played was in January of 2011, and the Buffs prevailed in Boulder by a score of 75-71.

The Cowboys are led by guard Marcus Smart, who is averaging 21.1 points per game. He has scored 30 or more points twice this season, including a season high 39 against Memphis.

Spencer Dinwiddie is the main man for the Buffaloes. He leads the team in scoring (15.3 ppg), assists (3.7 apg), three point percentage (37.8%), and free throw percentage (86.3%). Sophomore Josh Scott leads the Buffs in rebounding with 8.7 per game.

Video: Colorado Buffaloes Win 9th Straight, Defeat Kansas Jayhawks 75-72

Things are starting to look pretty damn good for Tad Boyle's Colorado basketball team. The only team they have lost to this year, Baylor, took down #3 Kentucky last night. And today, the Buffaloes showed why they deserve to be well into the Top 20 in the country with a 75-72 win over #6 Kansas as the Coors Events Center in Boulder. The win was the 9th straight for the Buffs.

On a bitter cold day in Boulder, with outside temperatures hovering just a bit over zero, Buff fans and the famed C-Unit made the interior of the Foam Dome a pressure cooker at just the right temperature for roasting Jayhawks. With the game tied at 72 and three seconds on the clock, Colorado inbounded the ball to Askia Booker. 'Ski took the ball across midcourt and launched a long three point shot with half a second to go... and the three-point shot was all net as time expired. Colorado students and fans flooded the court after the shot and the victory.

Check out the video of Booker's incredible shot to win the game.

The win ended a 19-game losing streak to Kansas that went back to January 22, 2003. Like that game, Kansas entered the game as the #6 team in the country. And like that game as well, Kansas heads back home to the land that denies evolution with a loss.

Considering that Colorado was a mediocre basketball team for most of the years that they played in the same conference as Kansas, the KU fans and players must be awful happy now that Colorado has moved on to the Pac-12. Indeed, Kansas fans used to refer to the Coors Events Center as "Allen Fieldhouse West" because their games against CU in Boulder usually featured at least half the arena filled with Jayhawk fans.

That is no longer the case as head coach Tad Boyle has turned Boulder into a basketball hotbed. The Foam Dome has an official seating capacity of 11,064, but several hundred more were in attendance today. Truly, the crowd was "standing room only." According CU records, the record attendance at the Events Center was 11,363 in 2001 (also against Kansas). Today's final tally may surpass that.

Colorado was led in scoring by Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker, each with 15 points. Xavier Johnson and Josh Scott added 14 apiece for the Buffs. Kansas was led by Super-Frosh Andrew Wiggins, who scored 22 points. Many analysts predict that Wiggins will be the NBA's #1 draft pick next April.

The Buffs do not play again until next Friday, when they host Elon. On December 21st, they will play #9 Oklahoma State in Las Vegas.

Colorado Wins 8th Straight Against CSU, Braces for Kansas

Following a season opening loss in Texas to #20 Baylor, Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes have reeled off eight straight wins. Six of those wins came within the cozy confines of CU's Coors Events Center, but the last two have come on the road. As road warriors, first they took down Air Force in Colorado Springs, and last night they came back in Fort Collins behind 28 points from Spencer Dinwiddie to defeat Colorado State at Moby Arena 67-62.

The Buffs hope to invoke memories of the Wizard of Oz this weekend by chanting to themselves "there's no place like home." And when the Jayhawks of #6 Kansas come calling in their next game, the Buffs hope they have KU fans muttering "I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

Of course, the next line is "We must be over the rainbow!" Indeed, to the fanatics from Kansas, where evil lies in evolution and science, the bright world of tolerance and education that epitomizes Boulder must seem as foreign and odd as Oz.

Last year, the Jayhawks smoked the Buffs by the nasty score of 90-54 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. Kansas is a perennial top 10 team, and has been a long-time foe of the Buffaloes. They were in the same conference until Colorado moved to the Pac-12 several years ago. That means the Buffs had to face them twice a year, every year.

The last time that Colorado defeated Kansas was January 22, 2003, when the #6 ranked Jayhawks visited Oz/Boulder and left with a 60-59 defeat. Boyle's Buffs hope to put 10 years of frustration behind them with a win in front of the loud and crazy C-Unit at the "Foam Dome" this weekend.

The Buffs have sold out all season tickets this year for the first time ever, and that should provide a great environment for the Buffaloes. Until Tad Boyle arrived on the scene, the Buffs were not consistently good in basketball for a LONG time. And when KU came to town, the Events Center was usually filled with Jayhawk fans who flocked to Boulder to experience life in Kodachrome.

Win or lose, however, Buff fans have a long history of sending Kansas and their fans packing with the derisive chant "We don't live in Kansas!" Thank God! Or just to upset them even more, Thank Goddess!

Ode to Colorado Wide Receiver Paul Richardson

Following the end of the football season, Buff fans are dealing with the reality that Paul Richardson has decided to move on from the University of Colorado and try to make the jump to professional football. In honor of #6 and his goal of playing in the NFL, we present a little ditty from "The Graduate" (one of my favorite movies). The song "Mrs. Robinson" was, of course, was written by Paul Simon, one of the greatest poets of modern music.

To help you get in the mood, listen to the real song here.

"Mr. Richardson"

And here's to you, Mr. Richardson,

Buff fans love you more than you will know.

  God bless you, please, Mr. Richardson

The NFL has place for those who play,

hey, hey, hey

They'd like to know a little bit about your for their files
So we'd like to help you learn to help yourself.
Look around you all you see are evaluating eyes,
Wow 'em at the Combine until they take you home.

And here's to you, Mr. Richardson,

Buff fans love you more than you will know.

  God bless you, please, Mr. Richardson

The NFL has a place for those who play,

hey, hey, hey

Lift hard in the weight room where no one ever goes.
Fill your pantry with some protein.

It's not a little secret that Mr. Paul needs some weight.
Most of all you've got to keep your blazing speed.

Koo-koo-ka-choo, Mr. Richardson,
Buff fans love you more than you will know.
God bless you, please, Mr. Richardson.
The NFL has a place for those who play,
Hey, hey, hey

Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon.
Watching the NFL's great race.

Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Every way we look at this we lose.

Where have you gone, Paul Richardson,
Buff fans turn their lonely eyes to you.
What's that you say, Mr. MacIntyre
Blazing Paul has left and gone away,
Hey hey hey.

Thanks to Paul Simon for writing such incredible songs and thanks also to Paul Richardson for providing such a bright beacon of light in some of the darkest days of Colorado Buffaloes football. We would also like to encourage Mr. Richardson to finish his degree and become a graduate in real life. Thanks for the memories.

Interesting note: The YouTube video above of Mrs. Robinson was to honor the song as #6 in a ranking by the American Film Institute of the best songs in the first 100 years of cinema. Paul Richardson wore #6 for the Colorado Buffaloes.

USC Again Shows Poor Form, Hires Sarkisian Away From Washington

You gotta hand it to those Trojans, they don't give a damn about any "gentleman's agreements" when it comes to their head football coaches. Today, USC hired Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian to be their new head coach, even though he was under contract to a fellow Pac-12 school.

It's not the first time that Southern Cal has pulled this stunt. Following the 1986 season, they reached across the desert to Tucson, Arizona and hired Larry Smith away from the Wildcats with the much deeper coffers available to USC. Arizona fans, and even those from other conference schools, were outraged. The Trojans just shrugged.

The only other case of a conference coach jumping programs in recent memory is when Bruce Snyder left Cal for Arizona State following the 1991 season.  Although the Cal athletic director claimed that Snyder was lured away by bigger dollars in Tempe, Snyder vigorously denied that before his death in 2009.

Snyder had taken a very down Cal program and turned it into a 10 win team for the first time since Pappy Waldorf's 1949 Cal team. Snyder said that he had a handshake agreement with Cal AD Dave Maggard for a new contract, but that Maggard left Cal for a job with Miami before the contract was signed. The interim AD, Bob Bockrath, refused to honor the deal and Snyder felt he was honor-bound to leave Cal.

Rick Neuheisel left Colorado for Washington following the 1998 season, but Colorado was then in the Big 12 conference and NOT a fellow conference member.

Twice in 27 years, the USC Trojans have gone trolling for head coaches within their own conference. They know that it cannot happen to them because no one else in the Pac-12 pays nearly as much as USC. They also know that they do not even have to disclose how much they pay their head coaches, or AD's, since they are a private school with no state requirement to share that information.

Of course, critics of the program also point out that USC also has a history of their boosters paying at least some of their players very well also. That being the case, hiring coaches away from fellow conference members is hardly their biggest sin. Let's just not have to listen to them bitch and moan about how few players they have under scholarship, which was due entirely to the penalties handed down to them for cheating in the first place.

Update:

Any moral high ground held by Washington after Sarkisian was hired away was lost after UW reportedly offered to double the pay of UCLA coach Jim Mora to come to Washington. Mora turned them down, but did use the offer to sweeten his contract with the Bruins.

Fortunately for Washington, they were able to do what many other schools had tried and failed -- they convinced Chris Petersen to leave Boise State. Petersen has the highest winning percentage in the FBS with a 92-12 record over eight seasons with the Broncos.

Washington and Petersen hope the moves works better than it did for former Boise State coaches Dan Hawkins and Dirk Koetter. Both had great success at Boise State, but found the winning much harder to do in the big boy conferences the Pac-10 and the Big 12. Koetter could not turn things around at Arizona State and Hawkins pretty much destroyed the program at Colorado.