So Long and Farewell, I'm Outta Here: Another CU Buff Football Season Fizzles from Incompetence

Life is a wonder and there are so many things to see and do while we have the chance. It's time to take advantage once again of the opportunities to see and explore our beautiful world.

Over the last several years, I have missed some or most of the college football season due to extended travels overseas. The Colorado Buffaloes have had some of their worst seasons during that time. Despite that, I managed to post on this blog more than 100 times with observations about things done well and things that have failed.
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I think that head coach Mike MacIntyre has a lot to offer the University of Colorado. He has experience in the NFL as well as experience rebuilding down programs. He has upgraded the talent level of his team, making them stronger and better able to compete at the Pac-12 level.

When his defensive coordinator was not getting the job done, he went out and got two home-run hires in Jim Leavitt and Joe Tumpkin. The effect they have had in bringing spirit back to the Colorado D has been immense.

Unfortunately, he seems entirely committed to offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren. This despite the fact that Lindgren is not a power five level offensive mind.  His play calling is atrocious.

Lindgren fails to get his offense into any kind of rhythm except for maybe one or two drives before the games get out of hand. He does seem to excel in piling up yards against the 2nd and 3rd stringers of CU opponents after the Buffs are no longer in the game.

His clock management is bewildering and never seems to show a sense of urgency when it is needed. And lastly, he seems to call plays that seem designed to get his injured quarterback killed. Two years ago, he pulled the plug on five star quarterback transfer Connor Wood in favor of true freshman Sefo Liufau because Wood did not get the job done against Oregon and Oregon State.

Oregon and OSU won a combined 18 games that season. In the Oregon State game, Lindgren continued to call out passes to the sideline despite the fact that the wind was blowing 40 miles an hour and disrupting those passes. Coming off the worst season in Colorado history (2012), in which the Buffs were lucky to win one game, Wood had led the Buffs to a 2-2 record in 2013.

After starting the game 0-4 with an interception, Wood was benched in the game at Arizona State and Sefo Liufau has been the starter ever since. What has been the result?

• 2013 -- Liufau led the Buffs to two victories (Charleston Southern and a 1-11 Cal team)
• 2014 -- Despite setting numerous records, Liufau led to the Buffs to only two victories all season (over 4 win Hawaii, and 3 win UMass)
• 2015 -- Brought a three game winning streak over bad competition (Umass, Nichols, and Colorado State)

The Buffs have not won a conference game since the Cal game in 2013. Their record against Pac-12 foes since Lindgren took over: 1-19

Lindgren dumped Wood after two bad games, yet the current quarterback has been unable to get into a rhythm the entire season this year. And last year, despite numerous records, he also turned the ball over an astonishing number of times.

What will it take for Lindgren to make a change? Maybe he realizes that his horrible play-calling is to blame. Mostly, Lindgren seems like a deer in the headlights against Pac-12 competition.

If MacIntyre survives the season as head coach, it will be a miracle unless Lindgren is shown the door. If Mac is let go, Buff Athletic Director Rick George has the perfect replacement on staff in Jim Leavitt. That will allow the Buffs to retain some semblance of continuity in a program that has had too many bad coaches and too many changes over the last decade.

Whatever happens the rest of this year, it will not be on my watch. Overseas travel beckons once again and I cannot imagine any Buff fan will be having a better time than I will.

Go Buffs.

Why Aren't Pac-12 Teams Winning Conference Games at Home?

Cue the music to The Twilight Zone... because something very mysterious is going on this year in Pac-12 football. In a top to bottom conference in which every league game is to tough to win, the one historical advantage that every team banked upon were the all-important "home games."

It's an old adage in college football that if you want to go bowling at the end of the season, the key was to win all your home games and play .500 on the road. By and large, those numbers will give you at least 9 wins year in and year out (unless you play in the SEC, where most of the teams seem to have seven or eight home games every year). Nine wins means a trip for the holidays.

This year, the world of Pac-12 football has turned upside down. Eleven games into conference play, and the home teams have only won TWICE!

And it is NOT because the ranked teams are beating up on the unranked (UR) teams. In fact, there seems to be no rhyme nor reason. Out of those eleven games, these are the numbers:

• UR Stanford beats #6 USC in L.A; 41-31
• #21 Stanford beats UR Oregon State in Corvallis; 42-24
• UR Cal beats UR Washington in Seattle; 30-24
• #9 UCLA beats #16 Arizona in Tucson; 56-30
• #18 Utah beats #13 Oregon in Eugene; 62-20
• #19 USC beats UR Arizona State in Tempe; 42-14
• UR Arizona State beats UCLA in L.A.; 38-23
• UR Oregon beats UR Colorado in Boulder; 41-24
• UR Washington beats #17 USC in L.A.; 17-12

Breaking those numbers down, this is what we see:

• FIVE UNRANKED teams have won on the road in conference play.
• THREE of those UNRANKED teams have beaten RANKED teams on the road.
• ONE ranked team has beaten a lower ranked team.
• ONE lower ranked team has beaten a higher ranked team.
• Only TWO ranked teams have beaten UNRANKED conference foes on the road.
• Perennial power USC has lost TWICE at home already to UNRANKED Pac-12 teams. 

The only two times that Pac-12 teams have won at home are:

• #24 Cal beats UR Washington State; 34-28
• #18 Stanford beats UR Arizona; 55-17

Things are stranger than fiction this year in Pac-12 football. How long will it go on?

Colorado Football: The Real Story Behind Play-Calling Criticism of Brian Lindgren

Through five games this season, much has been written and talked about regarding play-calling for the University of Colorado Buffaloes. Many fans have taken to criticizing starting QB Sefo Liufau, but that criticism is misplaced. Liufau does not call the plays. Offensive Coordinator Brian Lindgren does.

Sefo is a college student who spends many hours on football in addition to his duties as  a student. OC Lindgren is paid very handsomely to do his job full time. If there is any criticism about play-calling, it needs to start with Lindgren and the buck ultimately stops with the head coach, Mike MacIntyre.

It is easy to be deceived by typical game and season statistics. They do not tell the whole story.

If you look at the official statistics for the Colorado-Oregon game, they read as follows for the Buffs:

• 36 Rushing attempts for 77 yards, which is 2.1 yards per rush.
• 42 passes, 25 completions for 231 yards, which is 5.5 yards per attempt and 9.2 yards per completion.

MacIntyre, who claims that he has no problem with the play calling of Lindgren and might even point out that rushing attempts were more than 46% of the offensive calls. Unfortunately, that is a gross distortion of the truth in that sacks and quarterback scrambles for positive yardage are listed as rushing plays.

Sefo Liufau was sacked five times by Oregon for losses of 38 yards, an average greater than 7 1/2 yards per sack. By contrast, Oregon's QB's were sacked three times for a total of six yards, or an average of two yards per sack.

Take away those sacks and Colorado's rushing attack is a little better. It's not great, but a lot closer to the old standard, "four yards and a cloud of dust."

• 31 rushes for 115 yards, or 3.7 yards per rush

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More importantly, it is very enlightening if one looks at the breakdown of what Buffs offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren actually called against Oregon.

Called Running Plays -- 26 : -- which is 32.9 percent
Called Passing Plays  -- 53 : -- which is 67.1 percent.

More telling still is to break down what happened on those 53 called pass plays.

• 5 times -- Colorado QB sacked 
• 6 times -- Buff QB scrambles for positive yardage
• 5 times -- QB hit while passing or throws ball away

That means 16 times (that's 30% of all called passing plays) the Buffs tried to throw the ball but were unable to successfully get the pass into the field of play.

When the Buffs were able to successfully get a pass off, the numbers are very telling. In this stat, the numbers show where the ball was thrown to and caught, and not at how many yards were gained after the catch.

• 6 times -- Buffs threw the ball behind the line of scrimmage. (Completed 5)
• 13 times -- Buffs threw between 0-5 yards. (Completed 10)
• 12 times -- Buffs threw between 5-10 yards (completed 7, with 1 TD and 1 interception)
• 3 times -- Buffs threw between 10-20 yards (completed 2)
• 3 times -- Buffs threw more than 20 yards (completed 1)

In 53 called passing plays, the Buffs only managed to "spread the field" by calling a pass 10 yards or more beyond the line of scrimmage six times. That's a paltry 11.3% of called passing plays that Oregon had to worry about a man down field.

If you were a defensive coordinator in the Pac-12, those kind of stats make your life a whole lot easier. You would know that 89% of the time the ball on passing plays would be tossed in front of where your safeties would likely start the play or the QB would be sacked, hit while throwing, or be forced to run.

What Lindgren does not seem to understand is that throwing the ball down the field keeps the defense honest and does not allow them to continually bring their safeties up for run support.

With the number of fast receivers on the Colorado offense, they should be used frequently to stretch the field.

In the first half against Oregon, which ended with a 17-17 tie, the Buffs threw the ball beyond 10 yards 4 times. In the second half, in which the Ducks outscored the Buffs, CU only threw it past 10 yards twice.

Neither half showed enough balls down the field. Some might even argue that balls thrown between 10-20 yards hardly counts as "down the field" in Pac-12 play. In that scenario, the Buffs really only stretch the field less than 6% of the time on called passing plays.

Against Oregon, the Buffs threw as many passes BEHIND THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE as they did 10 or more yards down field. That's a travesty. And not new. Even when Lindgren's Buffs had speedster Paul Richardson, they often threw as few as two out of 36 passes beyond 12 yards down the field.

To help the running game, the offensive coordinator needs to call passing plays that keep defensive players on their heels. When the running starts going well, it will open of the passing lanes for Colorado receivers.

More and more, Colorado players have shown they can play with anyone in the Pac-12. But they do not call their own plays. They have improved mightily on the defensive ball under Jim Leavitt and all the defensive coaches. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the other side of the ball.

Brian Lindgren is the LEAST FEARED O.C. in the Pac-12.

Lest anyone think this is a new conclusion, see these prior posts:

• History Says It's No Anomaly, the Buffs Need to Run to Win  (published 09/14/2015)
• Colorado Head Coach Mike MacIntyre Must Take Control of the Offense  (published 9/01/2014)
• Colorado Must Stretch the Field and Utilize Goodson to Win in Washington  (published 11/09/2013)
• Passing Game Predictability Working Against Buffs in Pac-12 (published 10/20/2013)                  

Healthy Reality Check for Many Colorado Buffs Football Fans

It’s Sun Devil week.

The Buffs are on the road for another night game in Tempe (Boulderdevil's old stomping grounds) to take on Arizona State. Attending this game was a top priority but last minute travel elsewhere called it off. It happens.

It is interesting reading all the comments on blogs and news stories that so many CU fans are downright angry that the Buffs lost to Oregon after playing them to a 17-17 score for the first half. Some even claimed we should never lose a game at home that is tied at the half.

Some Buff fans have either been kicked in the head or do not understand college football at all. The Ducks won 13 games last year and played for the National Championship, while Colorado won two games. The chances of the Buffs winning were slim, but they showed their heart and made it a game into the 4th quarter.

Have Buff fans forgotten the last three years the Buffs played Oregon? In 2012, they were down 56-0 at halftime, in 2013 it was 43-16, and in 2014 it was 30-3.
Being tied at halftime is a massive improvement. Why don't so many of the CU faithful realize that? It’s very sad and disheartening for the team.

Oregon had a horrible game against Utah. Everything that could have gone wrong did and every little thing went Utah's way. The result: The Ducks suffered a humiliating beat down. It happens.

One game does not make a season. 

Remember 2001 when CU thrashed Nebraska 62-36? It’s the same year that Texas smoked Colorado 41-7 during the regular season. But Colorado persevered and beat the Longhorns in the Big 12 championship 39-37. And what about the Fuskers? They went on to play for the National Championship. One beatdown does not define a season.

MacIntyre has been preaching all along that you have to play ‘em one at a time and forget the last game as soon as it is over. A good game this week does not mean a good game the following week. Likewise, a bad game does not necessarily only lead to another bad game. Amen.

Now everyone is talking about ASU like they are the greatest thing since sliced bread based on one game against UCLA. That's not true by any means. Has everyone forgotten that the Sun Devils were absolutely destroyed by USC the prior week and that Texas A&M thrashed them in the opening week. Even their other wins this season have been less than spectacular. ASU went from a preseason top 15 team to being out of the Top 25. Even their big win over the Bruins was not enough to get them back into the Top 25.

For those Buff fans who think that Arizona State is an offensive machine, the reality is that the numbers aren’t nearly as impressive for ASU as they might think. Oregon is 7th in the nation in total offense, and ASU is 36th. Colorado is 30th. As far as rushing goes, Oregon is 4th, Colorado is 17th and ASU is 57th. Yet many Buff fans are convinced that the Sun Devils will run it down Colorado's throat. It could happen, for sure. But things could just as easily go the other way.

There is a reason they play the games. Sometimes the ball bounces funny and the breaks just don’t go your way. Based on all the upsets that happen every year (notice how many top 10 teams lost last week), fans should hesitate before writing off any game.

Will ASU play like they did against UCLA, or stink it up like the games against USC and Texas A&M? Or maybe the Devils will just go through the motions like they did against Cal Poly and New Mexico. We will see. More importantly: Will Colorado come out inspired and tough like the first half against Oregon? Or will they shoot themselves in the foot like the game against Hawaii? We will see.

Turnovers are the key. When Colorado wins the turnover battle, the Buffs win. When they protect their quarterback, they win. When they don’t do those things, the Buffs lose.

But the Buff players need our support instead of being written off by fair weather fans.

Go BUFFS! Beat them Devils!

Pac-12 Football: The Split Personality Reigns Supreme

Only five weeks into the 2015 college football season and to quote Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, "What a long, strange trip it's been!" In the preseason AP Top 25 poll, the Pac-12 had SIX teams in the Top 22 and a total of EIGHT which received votes.

Preseason:
# 7 -- Oregon
# 8 -- USC
#13 -- UCLA
#15 -- Arizona State
#21 -- Stanford
#22 -- Arizona

Two weeks in and things have changed. Arizona State lost to #27 Texas A&M, Stanford lost to Northwestern.

Week 2 Poll:
# 7 -- Oregon
# 8 -- USC
#13 --UCLA
#22 -- Arizona
#21 -- Utah

Stanford and Arizona State drop out of Top 25, Utah joins.

Oregon loses to then #5 Michigan State and drops in polls.

Week 3 Poll:
#  6 -- USC
#10 -- UCLA
#12 -- Oregon
#20 -- Arizona
#21 -- Utah

USC loses to Stanford, Stanford re-enters Top 25 but is still ranked behind USC.

Week 4 Poll:
# 9 -- UCLA
#13 -- Oregon
#16 -- Arizona
#18 -- Utah
#19 -- USC
#21 -- Stanford

Utah destroys and humiliates Oregon in Eugene, UCLA manhandles Arizona in Tucson, USC rips Arizona State. Undefeated California enters the poll and Oregon and Arizona drop out of Top 25.

Week 5 Poll:
# 7 -- UCLA
#10 -- Utah
#17 -- USC
#18 -- Stanford
#24 -- California

Arizona State dismantles UCLA in L.A.,  Stanford rips Arizona. Stanford finally is ranked ahead of USC

Week 6 Poll:
# 5 -- Utah
#16 -- Stanford
#17 -- USC
#20 -- UCLA
#23 -- California

After five weeks, Utah has jumped from unranked to #5. Oregon, Arizona State and Arizona have fallen out of the Top 25. Stanford has dropped out and then rejoined the Top 25. California is ranked for the first time in years.

The powerful Pac-12 has only two undefeated teams left... and that will change this weekend when Cal takes on Utah.

Only 3 teams are undefeated in conference play (Stanford, Cal and Utah) and that will drop to two after this weekend. Stanford has a bye.

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Week by week, teams that played awful and lost the week before come back and upset a ranked team the next week. How it plays out is anybody's guess.

Will Dr. Jekyll show up and dominate? Or will Mr. Hyde ruin the day once again?