Bill McCartney is a Colorado legend and a Buff forever.
All CU Buffs fans acknowledge that Hall of Fame Coach Bill McCartney is and shall remain a Buff forever. McCartney is the most winning coach in the history of the program and led the Buffs to their only football national championship following the 1990 season. All coaches since him have been held up to the standard he created.
What many people in Colorado do not realize is that McCartney was a legend in Michigan before moving to Boulder. Mac was born and raised in Michigan. He coached Dearborn Divine Child High School's football AND basketball teams to state titles in 1973. Shortly thereafter, he became the only high school coach ever hired to coach at the University of Michigan by legendary coach Bo Schembechler. Mac worked for Bo from 1974-1981 and rose to the level of defensive coordinator before being hired at Colorado.
A fine article by Mark Snyder from the Detroit Free Press details the influence that Mac had at Michigan and how closely intertwined he is with current Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and his family.
Before the Colorado-Michigan game this past weekend, many of the Wolverine faithful were fired up because former QB Tom Brady was in town to act as honorary captain. What was quite surprising to the Colorado fans in attendance was that the welcome for McCartney was equally as loud and moving as that for Brady.
The crowd showed that like Colorado, Michigan fans remember their roots. Mac grew up as a local boy who made good coaching two different high school sports to championships. He then moved on and up at The Big House in Ann Arbor under Schembechler, before finally moving on to his last coaching gig in Boulder.
Mac's last visit to Ann Arbor as a football coach broke the hearts of Michigan fans when Kordell Stewart and Michael Westbrook hooked up for one of the most memorable plays in college football history. The Miracle at Michigan is a play that is forever etched in the minds of Colorado fans. And it remains one of the more heart-wrenching endings in Michigan Stadium's storied history (at least to Michigan fans).
All history aside, McCartney was welcomed home as a returned son. To all of the Colorado fans there to see the game, it became quite clear.
Bill McCartney is a Michigan legend and Wolverine forever too.
First of all, a serious thank you to the Colorado Buffaloes and the Michigan Wolverines, their fans, and Ann Arbor.
A thank you to the Buffs for showing up ready to play both offensively and defensively. Until the time of the first punt, watching the Colorado Buffaloes brought back memories of a time long past. Their offense was on point and a threat to whoever they played and the defense was hard-hitting and a threat to score and shut down even very good teams.
By the end of the first quarter, feelings that had not been felt about the Buffs in more than a decade were raging throughout Buff faithful scattered around The Big House. Even the Michigan fans were impressed, and a whole lot shocked.
One of the wonderful side benefits to playing at Michigan is their fans. They were friendly and open even before the game started (on the walk to the stadium and in the stands). And they were very complimentary of the Buffs when they bolted out to a quick 14-0 lead.
And when the Buffs scored to go up by 14 again after the Wolverines had scored on a blocked punt, their fans around us raved about the play of Sefo Liufau and the Buff defense. "Your quarterback is REALLY good!" they said about Sefo.
As for the Buff defense, Michigan QB Wilton Speight commented about the hit by Chidobe Awuzie by saying that he had never been hit so hard in his life. The hit by Awuzie led to a Speight fumble that was picked up by Derek McCartney and returned for a touchdown.
The days when the Buffs could be counted upon to be easy pickings in every phase of the game are over. The offense and defense showed they were the equal or superior of a top 5 team. And not just any top 5 team either.
Coach Jim Harbaugh is a recruiting master and the Michigan team is filled with the recruits who are the envy of schools across the country. A name often called during the game was Rashan Gary, the #1 recruit in the country earlier this year. In addition to Gary, Harbaugh's Michigan squad hauled in an additional 17 FOUR-star players in this year's class.
Despite Harbaugh's recruiting prowess, the Buffs were up 21-7 at the end of the 1st quarter. Buff fans should applaud that accomplishment. The 21 points the Buffs scored in the opening quarter EQUALED the most ever scored against Michigan at the Big House in their long and storied history.
Hundreds of games against the likes of Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame (and a 1994 Colorado team that may have been among the top 3 CU teams ever), and NO team ever scored more points against Michigan in Ann Arbor in the 1st quarter than Colorado did this past weekend.
Unfortunately for the Buffs, the Wolverines are not only top tier on both offense and defense, they are probably the best team in the country on special teams. It's the one thing that separates a very good Buff team from a top 10 team.
Many Buff fans are up in arms that Colorado did not go on and beat a Top-5 team on the road after being up by 14 to end the first quarter. They are missing the reality that Michigan is truly a threat to win the national championship this year. Like all championship caliber teams, they found the weakness of their opponent and exploited it.
The Buffs were exposed on special teams (specifically punting) as a team that still has work to do. One small part of the game was the difference between winning and losing on the road against a Top-5 team.
It's a hectic week in Boulder as the Buffs prepare to go on the road against Oregon. Listening to radio and reading the papers and blogs, many in Buff nation seem to think this UNRANKED Duck team is the same as the Top 5 teams of years past. That is not the case. This Oregon team is ripe for the taking. They have injuries to several of their star players, and their defense shows little sign of slowing down anyone.
If the Buffs can get their heads around the fact that they were so close to beating one of the best teams in the country on the road, they can go into Eugene and beat Oregon. If they fall back to psychological predispositions, it could be the beginning of a rough stretch of games.
The ball is in the court of Mike MacIntyre and his staff. How the Buffs respond will be played out Saturday.
