Those of us who have been lifelong fans of the Pac 8-10-12 over the decades have always been pretty firm in our belief that "our" college athletics was handled in the proper manner. We believed that the primary reason for our universities was to educate, and that those attending our schools needed to be students first and athletes second. And despite this, the conference was the "Conference of Champions" in the national landscape.
We believed our blood brothers in this rightful hierarchy of academic and athletics was the Big 10. The schools in the two conferences were not only among the best in the country, but also the world. In the latest world rankings of universities for academic achievement, the two conferences tied to the Rose Bowl (The Granddaddy of them All) put a combined 16 schools among the best 100 in the entire world.
As schools from other parts of the country struggled to properly balance school with sport, we smugly patted ourselves on the back. When an investigative report on a national news program (like 60 Minutes) told us of some professional sports players filing suit against their universities because they had been pushed through and graduated to keep them eligible even though they were functionally illiterate, we shook our heads knowing that "those things" didn't happen in our parts of the country.
As college sports became Big Time and Big Money, however, the temptation for schools to win on the national stage became overwhelming. Simply allowing unqualified students to attend to help a school win seemed almost noble in comparison. Some rationalized that they would help these poor young men get the education they missed in high school, where they were also passed along to keep them eligible for sports.
Schools, particularly in basketball, went hard with handfuls (or bags full) of cash after young men who they knew would never even attend a collegiate course. They'd come in as FIVE STAR players, with cash in hand, play for one season and move on to professional basketball in the US or overseas before the NCAA caught on that they were not really students. There's even a name for them among the fans and press: The One and Done's.
It's a system which works for basketball because exceptional hardwood talents can be among the best in the country even as freshmen. It's much harder to do in football, but not totally unheard of.
When the FBI announced that they had made the first arrests of college coaches involved in high stakes bribery, and that system involved agents, financial managers, and even shoe companies, no one who follows college athletics was really surprised. Coaches were paid to advise young men who to hire as agents and advisors, and they were also directed to use money to lure young men to the "right" schools, where those with a financial stake could exercise influence over them.
That the Pac-12 had two of the first four coaches arrested was shocking to fans. Although, in reality, the USC coach was not a shock because, after all, USC has gotten in trouble before for athletes being paid. In fact, most fans in the Pac-12 refer to USC as an "Honorary SEC team" because of their predilection for running afoul of NCAA rules. The arrest of a coach at Arizona was another matter altogether.
The Wildcats were one of the Top 10 in all-time winning percentage. They had made it to the NCAA tournament every year except one in the last 32 years. They were the most consistently excellent program in the Pac-12 during those years. And now, it turns out, they've been paying players to go to Tucson. Head coach Sean Miller has not been arrested or indicted... yet. But his assistant, Emanuel "Book" Richardson was among the first arrested by the FBI. Most of us have a sneaking suspicion that the nickname "Book" has absolutely nothing to do with reading.
We were never surprised if the Louisville's or Kentucky's or Alabama's of the college landscape got caught paying players. Why would anyone willingly go to those places unless there was money involved? Isn't it amazing how certain we can be in our naivete?
The FBI claims that the first arrests were just the tip of the iceberg of a much larger, nationwide, problem of a multi-billion dollar industry being largely dependent on (officially) unpaid young athletes. How could that system possibly go wrong, right?
No matter what happens, fans from the Pac-12 have had their moral assured-ness in the propriety of their college athletics take a severe beating. They likely will never feel that way again. Overall, maybe that's a good thing. Blind faith in anything only leads to trouble.
Showing posts with label Alabama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alabama. Show all posts
Friday, September 29, 2017
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Pac-12 Coach of the Year Mike MacIntyre and DC Jim Leavitt in Line for Big Raises
To absolutely no one's surprise, Colorado's Mike MacIntyre was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year today. Since Mac is listed as the odds-on favorite for National Coach of the Year, many saw the Pac-12 nod as a formality. Such are the expectations when your team improves from 4-8 (1-8 in conference) the previous season to 10-2 (8-1 in Pac-12 play), and a #9 ranking nationally.
The other coaches in the Top 10 earned a combined total of $39,682,747 between them. That's an average of $4,409,194 apiece.
Mike MacIntyre's salary of $2,011,450 was less than HALF of the average of the top 10, with only Wisconsin's Paul Christ ($2,706,200) joining Mac under the $3 million threshold.
Seven schools pay their head coaches salaries of $5 MILLION or more. Jim Harbaugh at Michigan leads the pack with more than $9 Million. Nick Saban at Alabama earns close to $7 million. And Urban Meyer at Ohio State earns more than $6 million. Others in the $5 million range include Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, Jimbo Fisher at Florida State, Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M, and Charlie Strong (now fired) at Texas.
In the Pac-12, MacIntyre was the lowest paid coach in the conference this year. David Shaw at Stanford pulled in the highest salary at more than $4 million. Six more coaches in the conference make more than $3 million per year. And four earn between $2.5 and $3 million. And then, way down at the bottom, more than a half million less than his lowest paid conference peer is Mike MacIntyre.
If you compare cost per victory in the Pac-12 this season, the numbers are even more startling. MacIntyre earned just over $201,000 per victory this year. The next lowest (or most efficient) went to Mike Leach at Washington State. He was paid $368,750 per victory. His pay per victory was almost double MacIntyre's.
The least efficient salaries as far as the schools were concerned went to Rich Rodriguez at Arizona ($953K per victory), Jim Mora at UCLA ($863K per victory) and Mark Helfrich at Oregon ($828K per victory).
The average cost per victory in the Pac-12 (not including Colorado) was around $592,000 That means the average cost per victory not earned by Colorado was almost THREE times higher than what Mike MacIntyre earned.
Mac has done his job, and now it's time for AD Rick George and the University of Colorado to pay the piper and compensate their head football coach and the assistant coaches as well.
Top of the line Defensive Coordinators are now making $1-1.5 MILLION per year. No one can doubt that Jim Leavitt is one of the top DC's in all of college football. In fact, Leavitt is a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the top assistant in college football.
Three of the finalists for the Broyles Award are defensive coordinators at Michigan, Alabama and Clemson. The head coaches of those schools collectively earn in excess of $21 Million. Needless to say, their DC's earn significantly more than Leavitt's $500K.
Unless the Buffs want to find themselves facing a defense that Leavitt is coaching, they need to do whatever is necessary to keep him in Boulder. Pay him commensurate with his top notch peers and there will be a much better chance that he doesn't bolt for a better paying job.
Leavitt loves Boulder. His wife Jody loves Boulder. His kids love Boulder. Buffs fans in Boulder love Leavitt. The University of Colorado needs to commit the dollars to keep this love affair going.
The other coaches in the Top 10 earned a combined total of $39,682,747 between them. That's an average of $4,409,194 apiece.
Mike MacIntyre's salary of $2,011,450 was less than HALF of the average of the top 10, with only Wisconsin's Paul Christ ($2,706,200) joining Mac under the $3 million threshold.
Seven schools pay their head coaches salaries of $5 MILLION or more. Jim Harbaugh at Michigan leads the pack with more than $9 Million. Nick Saban at Alabama earns close to $7 million. And Urban Meyer at Ohio State earns more than $6 million. Others in the $5 million range include Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, Jimbo Fisher at Florida State, Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M, and Charlie Strong (now fired) at Texas.
In the Pac-12, MacIntyre was the lowest paid coach in the conference this year. David Shaw at Stanford pulled in the highest salary at more than $4 million. Six more coaches in the conference make more than $3 million per year. And four earn between $2.5 and $3 million. And then, way down at the bottom, more than a half million less than his lowest paid conference peer is Mike MacIntyre.
If you compare cost per victory in the Pac-12 this season, the numbers are even more startling. MacIntyre earned just over $201,000 per victory this year. The next lowest (or most efficient) went to Mike Leach at Washington State. He was paid $368,750 per victory. His pay per victory was almost double MacIntyre's.
The least efficient salaries as far as the schools were concerned went to Rich Rodriguez at Arizona ($953K per victory), Jim Mora at UCLA ($863K per victory) and Mark Helfrich at Oregon ($828K per victory).
The average cost per victory in the Pac-12 (not including Colorado) was around $592,000 That means the average cost per victory not earned by Colorado was almost THREE times higher than what Mike MacIntyre earned.
Mac has done his job, and now it's time for AD Rick George and the University of Colorado to pay the piper and compensate their head football coach and the assistant coaches as well.
Top of the line Defensive Coordinators are now making $1-1.5 MILLION per year. No one can doubt that Jim Leavitt is one of the top DC's in all of college football. In fact, Leavitt is a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the top assistant in college football.
Three of the finalists for the Broyles Award are defensive coordinators at Michigan, Alabama and Clemson. The head coaches of those schools collectively earn in excess of $21 Million. Needless to say, their DC's earn significantly more than Leavitt's $500K.
Unless the Buffs want to find themselves facing a defense that Leavitt is coaching, they need to do whatever is necessary to keep him in Boulder. Pay him commensurate with his top notch peers and there will be a much better chance that he doesn't bolt for a better paying job.
Leavitt loves Boulder. His wife Jody loves Boulder. His kids love Boulder. Buffs fans in Boulder love Leavitt. The University of Colorado needs to commit the dollars to keep this love affair going.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Colorado Buffaloes Look to Reverse History Against USC Trojans, Stay Atop Pac-12 South
The Colorado Buffaloes came into the 2016 knowing full well that they had only won only five conference games in five years in the Pac-12. Two of those came in 2011, their first in the conference. That season was followed by two years with only one Pac-12 victory apiece. 2014 had zero conference wins for the Buffs, and 2015 had a single conference win.
With their only conference victories over Arizona, Utah, Washington State, California and Oregon State, the Buffaloes were also well aware that there were SIX teams in the conference that they had never defeated since joining the Pac-12.
Oregon, Stanford, Washington, USC, Arizona State and UCLA had yet to lose to Colorado as a Pac-12 foe. The Trojans and the Sun Devils have never lost to Colorado in their histories. And the Buffs only have winning records (all-time) against three of their conference brethren (Arizona, Utah, and Washington State).
The Buffaloes came into the season with a stated goal of winning the Pac-12 championship. Given their conference history, it was a bold goal to say publicly. And they knew that the only way it was going to happen is if they got some wins against teams that they had never defeated since joining the conference.
The first team on the schedule that met that criteria was the Oregon Ducks. Although Oregon was 16 games from playing for the national championship, the Buffs went into Eugene and defeated them 41-38.
Oregon State came to Boulder last week and became the first team in the Pac-12 to lose to the Buffaloes twice, and also became the first team with a multi-game losing streak to Colorado. And it wasn't even close. The Buffaloes won handily 47-6, in their largest conference victory in more than two decades.
The next two teams the Buffs play are ones that they have never defeated in their history. The Buffs are 0-10 against the USC Trojans going back to 1927, and 0-7 against the Arizona State Sun Devils going back to 2006.
For the Buffs to achieve their stated goal of winning (or playing in the Pac-12 title game), they must first get by the two teams they have never beaten over the next two weeks. A loss to either team would put a serious damper on their ability to win the South, and losses to both would likely eliminate them from the race.
First up, tomorrow, is USC at the Coliseum (a place with marvelous history and a horrible place to watch football games). The Buffs are the better team so far this year, but the Trojans are trying to salvage their reputations after a dismal start to the season.
Some point to their dominating win over ASU last week as evidence that the Trojans have turned things around, but the reality is that before the ASU game, USC had lost all three games they played against FBS opponents. Alabama crushed them 52-6, and conference foes Utah and Stanford also took them down.
The losses to the Cardinal Trees and the Utes looked better before both teams lost last weekend. Stanford was shellacked by Washington 44-6 and Utah lost to an unranked Cal.
The only team the Colorado has lost to this year was in Ann Arbor to a Michigan team that is ranked #4 in the country. On top of that, the Buffs were beating the Wolverines until their punting team fell apart (leading to 28 points for Michigan) and were still in the game until losing their starting QB Sefo Liufau.
More importantly, the Buffs showed at Oregon that they could come back late in a game after two turnovers gave the Ducks the lead. And the game was sealed by a defensive stop in the end zone.
The Buffs have been battle tested and have been hardened. They showed that to be true by their big win over the Beavers last week.
The Trojans lost the only close game they played, and they have been beaten badly once (by 46) and handily once (by 17) in their three losses. A bad ASU defense offered little to test USC and the game was out of hand quickly.
What we will find out tomorrow is whether the Buffs are as good as they have looked so far. Can they win another game on the road against a traditionally top program? Can they get over their history emotionally to play the Trojans strong?
We will see. The first quarter will likely be the telling period. If the Buffs are ahead or close after the first quarter, things bode well. If the Buffs can avoid turnovers and special teams mistakes, things also bode well.
If their defense plays as strong as they have for the entire year, the Buffs should win this game. If the offense plays as strongly as they have the entire season (minus the interceptions at Oregon), the Buffaloes should win handily.
If the Buffaloes don't win, chances are they will be able to look in the mirror and know why.
With their only conference victories over Arizona, Utah, Washington State, California and Oregon State, the Buffaloes were also well aware that there were SIX teams in the conference that they had never defeated since joining the Pac-12.
Oregon, Stanford, Washington, USC, Arizona State and UCLA had yet to lose to Colorado as a Pac-12 foe. The Trojans and the Sun Devils have never lost to Colorado in their histories. And the Buffs only have winning records (all-time) against three of their conference brethren (Arizona, Utah, and Washington State).
The Buffaloes came into the season with a stated goal of winning the Pac-12 championship. Given their conference history, it was a bold goal to say publicly. And they knew that the only way it was going to happen is if they got some wins against teams that they had never defeated since joining the conference.
The first team on the schedule that met that criteria was the Oregon Ducks. Although Oregon was 16 games from playing for the national championship, the Buffs went into Eugene and defeated them 41-38.
Oregon State came to Boulder last week and became the first team in the Pac-12 to lose to the Buffaloes twice, and also became the first team with a multi-game losing streak to Colorado. And it wasn't even close. The Buffaloes won handily 47-6, in their largest conference victory in more than two decades.
The next two teams the Buffs play are ones that they have never defeated in their history. The Buffs are 0-10 against the USC Trojans going back to 1927, and 0-7 against the Arizona State Sun Devils going back to 2006.
For the Buffs to achieve their stated goal of winning (or playing in the Pac-12 title game), they must first get by the two teams they have never beaten over the next two weeks. A loss to either team would put a serious damper on their ability to win the South, and losses to both would likely eliminate them from the race.
First up, tomorrow, is USC at the Coliseum (a place with marvelous history and a horrible place to watch football games). The Buffs are the better team so far this year, but the Trojans are trying to salvage their reputations after a dismal start to the season.
Some point to their dominating win over ASU last week as evidence that the Trojans have turned things around, but the reality is that before the ASU game, USC had lost all three games they played against FBS opponents. Alabama crushed them 52-6, and conference foes Utah and Stanford also took them down.
The losses to the Cardinal Trees and the Utes looked better before both teams lost last weekend. Stanford was shellacked by Washington 44-6 and Utah lost to an unranked Cal.
The only team the Colorado has lost to this year was in Ann Arbor to a Michigan team that is ranked #4 in the country. On top of that, the Buffs were beating the Wolverines until their punting team fell apart (leading to 28 points for Michigan) and were still in the game until losing their starting QB Sefo Liufau.
More importantly, the Buffs showed at Oregon that they could come back late in a game after two turnovers gave the Ducks the lead. And the game was sealed by a defensive stop in the end zone.
The Buffs have been battle tested and have been hardened. They showed that to be true by their big win over the Beavers last week.
The Trojans lost the only close game they played, and they have been beaten badly once (by 46) and handily once (by 17) in their three losses. A bad ASU defense offered little to test USC and the game was out of hand quickly.
What we will find out tomorrow is whether the Buffs are as good as they have looked so far. Can they win another game on the road against a traditionally top program? Can they get over their history emotionally to play the Trojans strong?
We will see. The first quarter will likely be the telling period. If the Buffs are ahead or close after the first quarter, things bode well. If the Buffs can avoid turnovers and special teams mistakes, things also bode well.
If their defense plays as strong as they have for the entire year, the Buffs should win this game. If the offense plays as strongly as they have the entire season (minus the interceptions at Oregon), the Buffaloes should win handily.
If the Buffaloes don't win, chances are they will be able to look in the mirror and know why.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Lessons From Boulder for Mark Helfrich, Marcus Mariota, and the Oregon Ducks
This is an open letter to Mark Helfrich and the Oregon Ducks.
Dear Mark and your Oregon Ducks,
It was wonderful to see you in Boulder against our Colorado Buffaloes this past Saturday. Half of the teams that play each Saturday have one thing in common, a loss. Most Buff fans knew going in that the chance of a Buff victory was small. We all knew, however, that we would get to see one of the very best teams in the nation play here in Boulder. That was a thrill. It gives us something to aspire to.
Your team, especially quarterback Marcus Mariota, lived up to the wonderful billing. Your team speed is phenomenal. Your Ducks truly have the opportunity to score on darn near every play. The excitement of watching how the Ducks play is revolutionizing the game of college football. Nearly halfway through the season, Mariota must be considered the most feared player in the country and the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy.
That's what all the pundits are saying, so it must be true. Right?
The advice here is to try not to get caught up in the hype and focus on some problems that most followers are blissfully unaware of or choose to ignore. Right now, watching Oregon play football is like being exposed to the lights of Las Vegas for the very first time. It is stunning and spectacular, for sure, but the fact is that the spectacle only masks some problems. And good coaches down the line will make sure to unmask those problems unless you address them soon.
Before moving into the issues, I want to make it perfectly clear that I would LOVE it if Oregon or any other Pac-12 school would run the table and stake claim to the national championship. For that to happen, though, these issues must be addressed before you take on a defense of the caliber of say, Alabama or Stanford.
Issue One:
Methinks that David Shaw and Nick Saban and any other coaches of top defensive teams will make sure to harp on the fact that many of the so-called "late pitches" toward the sidelines executed by Oregon QB's are in fact illegal forward passes. They "look great" but a quick look at the video shows that the ball is often moving forward. That's certainly OK when the move is done from behind the line of scrimmage... but it becomes an illegal forward pass when done after the QB crosses that scrimmage line. Once opposing coaches start harping on this tendency by Oregon, the refs will start looking for it.
Issue Two:
Mariota has seemed remarkably poised when in the pocket. He should have been, because so far he has known that his receivers were much faster than their defenders and that invariably they would break into a wide open space into which he could throw. The problem is that Mariota has come to depend on the "idea" that his guy will break into the open and not be covered. He is so sure of this happening that he tends to focus on only one receiver and stares at them until they break clear. He does not move his focus from target to target. He does not even bounce. He tends to stand perfectly still watching one guy and waiting for him to become open before throwing the ball. That works great when your team is clearly stronger, but does not work well when playing a team of similar skill. If Oregon wants to win a national championship, Helfrich better have Mariota work on his skills of cycling through his receivers, or savvy safeties with great speed will be putting some serious hits on Duck wideouts, or worse yet, get to the ball before the Ducks do.
Compared to the issues faced by most teams, these two things seem trivial by comparison. However, they CAN and WILL make a difference if Oregon wants to take the national title back home to Eugene. They really do have to be addressed, and it is certainly easier to work on these issues when you have the talent overwhelm your opponent. If you wait until a game is on the line to address them, you run the risk of failing to achieve your objective.
And if Marcus Mariota wants to take his performance and skills to an NFL championship level in the future, it would be better to work on these things now. Just look at Tim Tebow. He won two national championships and a Heisman Trophy, but that did not make his skills good enough to succeed at the professional level.
Like Tebow at Florida, Mariota is surrounded with exceptional talent. It may or may not be enough to win the the NCAA's biggest prizes. But winning those prizes does not make one a sure fire NFL star. And it is not just Tebow, because a lot of QB's have won the Heisman over the last 20 years or so and then went on to mediocre or non-existent NFL careers. Look 'em up.
Dear Mark and your Oregon Ducks,
It was wonderful to see you in Boulder against our Colorado Buffaloes this past Saturday. Half of the teams that play each Saturday have one thing in common, a loss. Most Buff fans knew going in that the chance of a Buff victory was small. We all knew, however, that we would get to see one of the very best teams in the nation play here in Boulder. That was a thrill. It gives us something to aspire to.
Your team, especially quarterback Marcus Mariota, lived up to the wonderful billing. Your team speed is phenomenal. Your Ducks truly have the opportunity to score on darn near every play. The excitement of watching how the Ducks play is revolutionizing the game of college football. Nearly halfway through the season, Mariota must be considered the most feared player in the country and the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy.
That's what all the pundits are saying, so it must be true. Right?
The advice here is to try not to get caught up in the hype and focus on some problems that most followers are blissfully unaware of or choose to ignore. Right now, watching Oregon play football is like being exposed to the lights of Las Vegas for the very first time. It is stunning and spectacular, for sure, but the fact is that the spectacle only masks some problems. And good coaches down the line will make sure to unmask those problems unless you address them soon.
Before moving into the issues, I want to make it perfectly clear that I would LOVE it if Oregon or any other Pac-12 school would run the table and stake claim to the national championship. For that to happen, though, these issues must be addressed before you take on a defense of the caliber of say, Alabama or Stanford.
Issue One:
Methinks that David Shaw and Nick Saban and any other coaches of top defensive teams will make sure to harp on the fact that many of the so-called "late pitches" toward the sidelines executed by Oregon QB's are in fact illegal forward passes. They "look great" but a quick look at the video shows that the ball is often moving forward. That's certainly OK when the move is done from behind the line of scrimmage... but it becomes an illegal forward pass when done after the QB crosses that scrimmage line. Once opposing coaches start harping on this tendency by Oregon, the refs will start looking for it.
Issue Two:
Mariota has seemed remarkably poised when in the pocket. He should have been, because so far he has known that his receivers were much faster than their defenders and that invariably they would break into a wide open space into which he could throw. The problem is that Mariota has come to depend on the "idea" that his guy will break into the open and not be covered. He is so sure of this happening that he tends to focus on only one receiver and stares at them until they break clear. He does not move his focus from target to target. He does not even bounce. He tends to stand perfectly still watching one guy and waiting for him to become open before throwing the ball. That works great when your team is clearly stronger, but does not work well when playing a team of similar skill. If Oregon wants to win a national championship, Helfrich better have Mariota work on his skills of cycling through his receivers, or savvy safeties with great speed will be putting some serious hits on Duck wideouts, or worse yet, get to the ball before the Ducks do.
Compared to the issues faced by most teams, these two things seem trivial by comparison. However, they CAN and WILL make a difference if Oregon wants to take the national title back home to Eugene. They really do have to be addressed, and it is certainly easier to work on these issues when you have the talent overwhelm your opponent. If you wait until a game is on the line to address them, you run the risk of failing to achieve your objective.
And if Marcus Mariota wants to take his performance and skills to an NFL championship level in the future, it would be better to work on these things now. Just look at Tim Tebow. He won two national championships and a Heisman Trophy, but that did not make his skills good enough to succeed at the professional level.
Like Tebow at Florida, Mariota is surrounded with exceptional talent. It may or may not be enough to win the the NCAA's biggest prizes. But winning those prizes does not make one a sure fire NFL star. And it is not just Tebow, because a lot of QB's have won the Heisman over the last 20 years or so and then went on to mediocre or non-existent NFL careers. Look 'em up.
- Gino Torretta
- Charlie Ward
- Danny Wuerffel
- Chris Weinke
- Eric Crouch
- Jason White
- Troy Smith
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
A Cheese-Free Analysis of the Colorado Buffaloes and the Win over CSU
Colorado Head Coach Mike MacIntyre warned his players after the enormous 41-27 win over CSU not to "eat the cheese" that would be headed their way following the victory. The point of his comment was that his players should expect lots of accolades being thrown their way and not to buy into the nonsense that CU is a great team. I agree with Coach Mac2, and hereby offer a cheese-free look at the team's win.
Right now, the Buffs are NOT a great team. Heck, they might not even be a very good team. But they are a much better team than they have been in years. But this is only due to their hard work and commitment to themselves, their teammates and their coaches. They were given a plan and they followed it. If they continue their dedication and work ethic, the team has the opportunity to become not only good, but perhaps pretty darn good. If they decide to eat the cheese, they will have a rude awakening very soon.
Due to the emotion that goes along with the old rivalry with CSU, many Buff fans (and many so-called CSU supporters like Kelly Lyell) have been quick to claim that CSU is a very bad team. They are very wrong. The CSU team that lost to the Buffs in the Rocky Mountain Showdown on Sunday is a MUCH BETTER team than the one that beat the Buffs last year.
CSU Head Coach Jim McElwain is an outstanding coach. The CSU quarterback had a bad game. But their offensive line did a fine job of neutralizing the Buffs defensive line. The CSU running backs ran hard and with passion. The CSU defense made CU earn every yard running the ball.
It's true that CSU stacked the box to stop the running game, but that was obviously due to the fact that their game plan was predicated on the idea that they were rolling the dice that Connor Wood could not beat them with his arm. It was a reasonable bet, considering how bad the Buffs were last year. Nobody at CSU could have reasonably expected that Connor would put up the gaudy numbers that he did. Or that he would take care of the ball so well and avoid any interceptions.
Take away the two broken coverages that led to Paul Richardson scoring very long touchdowns, and the Rams did a pretty good job of containing the Buffs' passing game. Not everybody would be raving if the Buffs only put up 240 yards passing and 350 yards of total offense.
The Rams have two winnable games ahead of them before they head off to Tuscaloosa, Alabama as the guests of honor at a Ram Roast. That said, the Rams will have had some serious trial by fire before heading into conference play. I look forward to seeing how the Rams do against Boise State this season. The wild Idahoan Broncos were corralled and broken at Washington in the first game of the season. Every team in their conference is looking for some payback. The same goes with Nevada, who was torched by UCLA in their opener. Also, Utah State, who lost to Utah.
The fact that CSU is a much better team than last year is a great sign for the Buffs. It means that CU is also a greatly improved team. But this early in the season, that improvement is precarious at best. They absolutely have to take care of business with a very good Central Arkansas team that is ranked #6 in the FCS. Many of the top FCS teams beat FBS teams in the first week, including a win at #24 Oregon State by Eastern Washington. If CU thinks they have to just show up, they will find themselves beaten like they were last year by Sacramento State.
BUT, Paul needs work on his routes, especially if he is in traffic. He needs to listen to his coach Troy Walters and learn to fight for the ball. He was manhandled by the CSU secondary several times, he needs to work harder to create separation when running routes over the middle. The yards and touchdowns are going to be much harder to come by when teams learn they can disrupt his play by getting physical.
BUT, several time Connor tossed the ball away without getting it out of bounds. Do this too many times and the ball is bound to be picked off. Also, Connor has a very strong arm but needs to make sure he is using his body as well. Arming the ball while back-pedaling is very dangerous. If possible, Connor needs to make sure he steps into his throws whenever possible.
BUT, what the hell, there really is no but here. The young man played a hell of a game and has the talent to become the next great CU linebacker. He knows the cheese is there but he will not take a bite. I look forward to watching this young man for the next several years.
Right now, the Buffs are NOT a great team. Heck, they might not even be a very good team. But they are a much better team than they have been in years. But this is only due to their hard work and commitment to themselves, their teammates and their coaches. They were given a plan and they followed it. If they continue their dedication and work ethic, the team has the opportunity to become not only good, but perhaps pretty darn good. If they decide to eat the cheese, they will have a rude awakening very soon.
Due to the emotion that goes along with the old rivalry with CSU, many Buff fans (and many so-called CSU supporters like Kelly Lyell) have been quick to claim that CSU is a very bad team. They are very wrong. The CSU team that lost to the Buffs in the Rocky Mountain Showdown on Sunday is a MUCH BETTER team than the one that beat the Buffs last year.
CSU Head Coach Jim McElwain is an outstanding coach. The CSU quarterback had a bad game. But their offensive line did a fine job of neutralizing the Buffs defensive line. The CSU running backs ran hard and with passion. The CSU defense made CU earn every yard running the ball.
It's true that CSU stacked the box to stop the running game, but that was obviously due to the fact that their game plan was predicated on the idea that they were rolling the dice that Connor Wood could not beat them with his arm. It was a reasonable bet, considering how bad the Buffs were last year. Nobody at CSU could have reasonably expected that Connor would put up the gaudy numbers that he did. Or that he would take care of the ball so well and avoid any interceptions.
Take away the two broken coverages that led to Paul Richardson scoring very long touchdowns, and the Rams did a pretty good job of containing the Buffs' passing game. Not everybody would be raving if the Buffs only put up 240 yards passing and 350 yards of total offense.
The Rams have two winnable games ahead of them before they head off to Tuscaloosa, Alabama as the guests of honor at a Ram Roast. That said, the Rams will have had some serious trial by fire before heading into conference play. I look forward to seeing how the Rams do against Boise State this season. The wild Idahoan Broncos were corralled and broken at Washington in the first game of the season. Every team in their conference is looking for some payback. The same goes with Nevada, who was torched by UCLA in their opener. Also, Utah State, who lost to Utah.
The fact that CSU is a much better team than last year is a great sign for the Buffs. It means that CU is also a greatly improved team. But this early in the season, that improvement is precarious at best. They absolutely have to take care of business with a very good Central Arkansas team that is ranked #6 in the FCS. Many of the top FCS teams beat FBS teams in the first week, including a win at #24 Oregon State by Eastern Washington. If CU thinks they have to just show up, they will find themselves beaten like they were last year by Sacramento State.
Cheese-free player profiles for the stars of the game
Paul Richardson
Paul is very good. He is very fast. Blow your coverage on him and he can make you look very bad.BUT, Paul needs work on his routes, especially if he is in traffic. He needs to listen to his coach Troy Walters and learn to fight for the ball. He was manhandled by the CSU secondary several times, he needs to work harder to create separation when running routes over the middle. The yards and touchdowns are going to be much harder to come by when teams learn they can disrupt his play by getting physical.
Connor Wood
Connor did a great job as the new starting quarterback in the RMS. He did not throw any interceptions and recovered a bad snap. He threw for 400 yards and completed a high percentage of his passes.BUT, several time Connor tossed the ball away without getting it out of bounds. Do this too many times and the ball is bound to be picked off. Also, Connor has a very strong arm but needs to make sure he is using his body as well. Arming the ball while back-pedaling is very dangerous. If possible, Connor needs to make sure he steps into his throws whenever possible.
Addison Gillam
Addison is a true freshman who started the first game at inside linebacker. He was the first to do so at CU since Jordon Dizon, who went on to become an All-American. He finished the RMS with a game-high 14 tackles. He also had a sack and broke up a pass. He seemed to be everywhere.BUT, what the hell, there really is no but here. The young man played a hell of a game and has the talent to become the next great CU linebacker. He knows the cheese is there but he will not take a bite. I look forward to watching this young man for the next several years.
The Cheese Stands Alone!
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