Buff "Fringe" Fans Hoping for Davis Webb Failure find Frustration in Cal's Big Win

When Davis Webb committed to attend the University of Colorado for his final year of eligibility following his graduation from Texas Tech, many Buff fans rejoiced. Webb is considered by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. to be the top senior QB in the country.

Between his commitment and graduation, however, Webb opted to go to Cal to replace Jared Goff, the recent #1 pick in the NFL draft. Many of the CU Buff's more vocal "fringe" fans went berserk when Webb opted to go to Cal and immediately started wishing him ill and bad fortune for turning his back on the Buffs.

Many rationalized their bad sportsmanship by pointing out that Cal was also in the Pac-12, and therefore a rival school... They conveniently fail to remember that Cal is in the Pac-12 North and Colorado is in the Pac-12 South and ARE NOT even scheduled to play this year. They also forget that this is Webb's last year of college play and that he will NEVER play against Colorado, except in the unlikely instance that CU wins the South and Cal wins the North division of the Pac-12. There is also a very remote possibility that the Buffs and Bears could meet in a bowl game.

Like myself, most of the Buff alumni from out of state grew up in Pac-12 (or Pac-10 or Pac-8) territory. They are familiar with schools from the Conference of Champions. And in most cases, they root for fellow conference teams to win against non-conference opponents. The Pac-12 doing well against every other conference makes the Pac-12 look better.

That's why it's frustrating when the "fringe" fans take the sporting world much too seriously, and take a young man's decision to the best thing for his possible future in the NFL as a personal affront.
To hear folks wish Webb failure or injury is sickening, and should be strongly repudiated by real fans.

Cal and Hawaii (two teams the Buffs have played each of the last 2 years) opened the college football season last night in Sydney, Australia. After a less-than-stellar start that saw the two teams tied 14-14 in the first quarter, Cal showed the Pac-12 is stronger. The Bears outscored the Rainbow Warriors 37-17 over the rest of the game and headed back to California with a 51-31 victory.

How did Webb do? 

It depends on who you ask, I suppose. Remember that Cal lost not-only the #1 NFL draft pick this year, but they also lost their TOP SIX receivers as well. That meant that Webb was throwing to a bunch of guys with little game-day experience. And early in the game it showed..., but the final numbers were pretty darn impressive.

Davis Webb had 38 completions in 54 attempts for 441 yards, with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also rushed for a touchdown. Webb threw completions to 12 different receivers.

Cal as a whole put up 630 yards of offense, and scored 6 of 7 times in the red zone. The Golden Bears rushed for 189 yards.

Conclusions?

Webb and his receivers looked like they were getting used to each other early in the game, but kept after it and achieved what they were trying to achieve. Webb looked every bit the top senior quarterback in the country playing in a new system with inexperienced receivers. By the time Pac-12 play starts, Webb and gang should be firing on all cylinders.

The Buffs' "fringe" fans should be relieved that the Buffs do not face Webb this year. Davis looks very much like a young man destined to put up big numbers this year and hear his name called in next year's NFL draft.

I, for one, wish him nothing but the best.
 

Colorado Buffaloes Football 2015: What to Expect

BOULDER-- The Colorado Buffaloes left early this morning on a flight to O'ahu for their opening game against the Rainbow Warriors of the University of Hawai'i this Thursday.

Head Coach Mike MacIntyre is starting his third season at the helm in Boulder. His first two seasons produced four wins, and two wins, respectively. Entering his third season, the head coach knows the expectations for his Buffs is much higher than in the first two.

Mac took over a program that was arguably one of the very worst in the country at the Division 1 level, and absolutely the worst team from one of the Power Five Conferences. He knew he had his work cut out for him at Colorado, but he was fresh off an amazing job turning San Jose State from a perennial cellar dweller to a 10 win bowl team in three years.

Nobody expects the Buffs to reel off 10 wins this year, but seven wins and a bowl game are what most Buff fans have in mind. They need to remember that the Buffs won only two games last year. On the other hand, the Buffs were a few lucky bounces from being a six game winner last year. The goal this year is to win those close games, particularly against Pac-12 foes. The Buffs lost in DOUBLE overtime not once, but twice last year (UCLA and CAL).

Facing the Buffs is the reality that they play in the Pac-12 South, the toughest (bar none) conference division in college football. How do the other teams of that division rank in the opening AP poll?

• USC is ranked #8
• UCLA is ranked #13
• Arizona State is ranked #15
• Arizona is ranked #22 
• And Utah is ranked #30

Add to that tough division schedule is the fact the Buffs also have to play conference foes Oregon (#7) and Stanford (#21) from the Pac-12 North. That means the Buffs will be playing SEVEN teams in the Top 30 in the country, which are also all within the Pac-12. For the Buffs to win seven games this season, they need to beat every other team on the schedule besides those listed above, AND they need to beat one of those teams as well to be bowl eligible.

Even for an experienced rebuilder like MacIntyre, it will still be a tough row to hoe. But if anyone can achieve it, it is Mac and his staff. Mac is known for his organizational prowess. When he got into Boulder following the disastrous 2012 season, he started putting the foundational blocks down to build the Colorado football program back to respectability.

He brought in Brian Lindgren as his offensive coordinator. Lindgren's first year as OC at San Jose State saw the Spartans win 10 games. Lindgren took the raw and young Colorado offense which was one of the worst in the country and made the passing attack #34 in the country last year. The Buffs also rushed for more than 4 yards a carry and more than 150 yards a game for the first time in a decade.

Mac also brought Dave Forman, one of the best young Sports Performance Directors in the country. Forman came in and transformed the old "strength and conditioning" routine into a modern machine capable of increasing strength, speed, and stamina for athletes across many collegiate sports. The Buffs were routinely out-muscled back when Mac and Company arrived, but the Buffs are now able to compete in the Conference of Champions knowing they are just as strong or stronger than their opponents.

The results on the field on the defensive side of the ball have been slower to arrive to the casual fan. At the end of the day (or season), many look only at the wins and losses. But it is important to remember how the wins and losses occurred. In 2012, the Buffs were losing by an average for more than FOUR touchdowns a game (28.17 pts.). In 2013, that dropped to less than 13 points a game, and in 2014 it dropped to 10.5 points per game.

The response of the defense, which still ranked in the bottom fifth in the country last year, was not fast enough for Mac. He responded by bringing in two "Home Run" type hires for his defensive staff. The legendary Jim Leavitt was coaxed away from the San Francisco 49ers and joined the staff as defensive coordinator, and brought in Joe Tumpkin from Central Michigan University, where he had served as defensive coordinator. At Colorado, Tumpkin will coach the Safeties, which now have the added responsibility of calling the on-field defensive plays.

Leavitt is known as one of the finest defensive minds in all of football. His style of defense is known for its aggressive and attacking style. Tumpkin is known for creating hard hitting defenses which cause a lot of turnovers. That experience and prowess can only help the Buffs, which was one of the worst teams in the country last year in creating turnovers. In fact, the Buffs only had three interceptions the entire year, despite the fact that they play in one of the most pass-happy conferences in the country.

Expect much to change this year. The Buffs offense should be even better this year, perhaps a top 30 in the country if the rushing game can jump to the next level. The defense should be a great surprise to fans and opponents alike. Expect to see waves of defensive players going into and out of games to keep the players fresh. Expect more turnovers created by the defense and fewer committed by the offense.

Expect Nelson Spruce to again be one of the best receivers in the country and expect to hear his name called in the next NFL draft. Expect Sefo Liufau to cut his number of interceptions by more than half, while continuing to be a very efficient passer.

Expect Colorado to win at least seven games this year and go bowling. Expect one or more of those rated teams coming into Folsom Field this year to leave with a loss. Expect Colorado to have turned the corner after a decade of futility.

Expect the Colorado Buffaloes to be a winning football team.

Colorado Buffaloes Defense Comes Up Big, Keeps Hawaii Out of Endzone for Win

BOULDER-- 
Mike MacIntyre's Colorado Buffaloes evened their record at 2-2 on Saturday when their defense allowed no touchdowns in a game for the first time in more than four years. The stout performance by the defense kept the Buffs in front for all except 17 seconds in their 21-12 win.

Even more impressive than holding the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors to four field goals was the fact that mistakes and misfires by the offense frequently gave Hawaii excellent field position.

(Photos by Mark Rubi) -- The Buffs and Rainbow Warriors meet at midfield following Colorado's 21-12 win at Folsom Field.


The Buffs' first play from scrimmage mirrored last week against Arizona State when they threw deep into triple coverage only to have the ball intercepted and returned into Colorado territory. After Hawaii drove to the Buff 21, standout cornerback Greg Henderson sacked the quarterback, stripped the ball, and recovered the fumble.

The teams punted back and forth several times before Hawaii successfully drove to the Colorado 16 for a first down. The D once again rose to the occasion and pushed Hawaii back to the 17 before they had to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead.

Following a nice 26 yard return by Freshman Phillip Lindsay, the Buffs once again went deep on the first play. This time, Nelson Spruce fought off the defender for the catch and ran 40 yards for the touchdown. The play went for 71 yards. The Buffs never trailed again.

The Buffs dominated the 2nd quarter and went in to halftime with a 21-6 lead. Their offense struggled throughout the rest of the game, but the defense continued to rise to the task and keep Hawaii at bay.

The Colorado Buffaloes played sterling defense and did not allow a touchdown for the first time in more than 4 years.

The Rainbow Warriors did have their chances to get back in the game. They took the kickoff for the 2nd half and promptly drove down the field. They had a 3rd and 1 at the Colorado 21, but the defense again knocked them back with a two yard loss. Hawaii had to settle for another field goal and trailed 21-9.

After trading punts, the Colorado offense once again turned the ball over on an interception. This time the ball was returned all the way down to the Colorado 7 yard line. It was the second time in the game that Hawaii was at Colorado's doorstep with a first and goal. Once again, however, the Colorado defense came up big and held Hawaii out of the endzone. The field goal by Hawaii made the score 21-12 with more than 3/4 of the second half left to play.

Although fans in the stands (and home on TV) were beginning to worry as Hawaii inched closer back into the game, the Buffs were able to keep Hawaii off the board for the rest of the game.

Nelson Spruce had a record setting day with 13 receptions for 172 yards. It broke the old record of 11 catches by numerous players.