With the Colorado Buffs' 2016 season opener against CSU approaching fast, Buff fans are hoping that the 4th year is the charm for head coach Mike MacIntyre, and that the season ends with a bowl game for the first time since 2007. For a little inspiration, Buff fans should be looking back to 1985, when Bill McCartney (CU's first "Coach Mac") coached his 4th season in Boulder.
Many Colorado fans younger than myself know that Bill McCartney was a coaching legend who led the Buffs to the National Championship and is also CU's all-time most winning football coach. But the winning ways for McCartney did not start right away, There was penance to pay and building to be done before the winning started.
In Mac I's first three years, his record as head coach was 7-25-1. That's only seven wins out of 33 games. Not only that, but the record in 1984 was only 1-10. The Buffs were a mainstay in the infamous Bottom 10. Nobody in the national or local sports media expected much (if anything) from Colorado.
But a funny thing happened at Colorado after the 1984 one-win season. The new athletic director Bill Marolt recognized something special in what McCartney was doing and realized that the changes were just not showing up in the win column yet. Despite Mac's abysmal record, Marolt chose to extend McCartney's contract. That decision was met with some surprise and amusement by the local media. But Marolt turned out to be right.
Back in 1985, the Big 8 was known around the country as the Big 2 and the Little 6. Those two, however, were two of the most winning football programs in the history of college football. The 1985 season ended with Oklahoma winning another National Championship and Nebraska finishing at number 10, continuing their traditions at Top 10 programs.
Something was very different for Colorado in 1985. They finished the regular season with SEVEN wins and 3rd place in the Big 8. Coach McCartney won as many games in 1985 as he had won in his first three seasons combined. The four losses in the regular season were to teams ranked in the Top 12 teams in the country, including a 3 point loss to eventual national champion Oklahoma. How impressive was that accomplishment? McCartney was voted Big 8 Coach of the Year in the same season as another coach in the conference (Barry Switzer) won a national title!
After that breakout year, McCartney never had another losing season again. In the 10 years following AD Bill Marolt extending Mac's contract, his teams won 86 games and played for the national title twice. In fact, they were one bad game from playing another championship in 1994.
Mike MacIntyre has a three year coaching record at Colorado of 10-27. Nobody in the national media would be surprised if the Buffs limped to another losing record and Mike MacIntyre was looking for a new job by the end of the year. By the same token, some of us wouldn't be surprised if the Buffs broke through this year and won 7 games (or more) like the first coach Mac in 1985.
It would be a tough task, tougher even than the one faced by McCartney. With Colorado now playing in the Pac-12, they have five teams in the conference in the Top 25, and a total of 7 in the top 29. Back in 1985, the Buffs only had 7 conference games to worry about. The current Buffs have NINE conference games (10 if they make it to the conference championship).
The Pac-12 is a much harder conference to play in than almost any other in the country, so the current coach Mac has his work cut out for him. But the foundation has been built, and Mac's gang is ready to bust out... or not.
Mike Tyson used to say, "Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth!"
The first game is now just a week away. We'll find out then whether the Buffs will be punching back like the 1985 Buffs under Bill McCartney.
Showing posts with label Nebraska. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nebraska. Show all posts
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
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!
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!
Friday, August 29, 2014
Colorado Buffaloes a Team in Search of an Identity in 2014 and Beyond
Heading into today's Rocky Mountain Showdown, the University of Colorado Buffaloes enter the game as a team in search of an identity. If they hope to win six games and become bowl eligible for the first time since 2007, they need to establish who they are and then be that team.
The Buffs have been a team in search of a real identity for a long time.
Their run toward to the bottom of the football pile began with Dan Hawkins, whose only apparent goal was to make his son Cody the all time leading passer in Colorado history. He accomplished that goal, but he turned a team that had been to bowl games 17 of the previous 21 seasons into a program that was a shell of its former glory. Hawkins destroyed the foundation of the house that Bill McCartney built, and left the program in a shambles with no depth, horrible player development and in-fighting on the team by young men who wanted to be more than supporting players for the head coach's son.
The run continued when the CU Brass decided to hire two ex-Buffs from the glory days to come in and run the program. Enter Jon Embree and Eric Bieniemy, who were great players for the Buffs but who were completely unqualified for their new jobs as Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator. Their main tone during their two year stay was to curse and yell at their players and to whine and sulk about how the school was not committed to football.
In truth, the school brass was definitely NOT committed to the football program and they showed that to the entire country by having the lowest paid football coaches and Athletic Director in the Big 12 and the Pac-12 following the change in conferences. However, lack of support from the top does not excuse the horrible relationship the coaches had with their players, the woeful recruiting of student athletes who were unqualified to get into the program, and game-day play calling that was so bad that it was embarrassing to CU fans around the country.
Colorado found its identity under Bill McCartney.
Following the horrible days of the Buffs under Chuck Fairbanks, the Buffs turned to Michigan assistant coach Bill McCartney, who was highly recommended by the Wolverines' legendary coach Bo Schembechler. McCartney played college ball at Missouri under another coaching legend, Dan Devine.
It took time for Mac to transform the the Buffaloes. They won only 7 out of 33 games during his first three years. What he did, however, was instill a philosophy of playing hardnose defense. He was named the Big 8 coach of the year in 1985 after his team went from one win in '84 to seven wins in '85. They gave up on average only 14.5 points per game, and all four of their losses in the regular season were to ranked teams (3 in the top 7, and one ranked #12).
To take advantage of his strong defensive team, McCartney abandoned the pass-happy days under Fairbanks in which the Buffs once gave up 82 points to Oklahoma while scoring 42 of their own. The 124 combined points was a shocker to the nation (this was before overtime games added 4 or 5 touchdowns to the real score).
McCartney went completely in the other direction and changed to the wishbone offense for the 1985 season. It was an offensive scheme that allowed a team without as much talent to compete against more dominant programs. They committed to running the ball with the triple option and began a run of nine bowl games in the next 10 years under McCartney (including a national championship).
McCartney knew that controlling the ball on the ground also controlled the clock and gave his strong defense a chance to stay fresh and dominate the other team. The coaching staff also went after great punters during recruiting. They realized that during defensive struggles with top teams like Nebraska and Oklahoma that they could move down the field slowly just by trading punts several times.The Buffs had three All-American punters during the late 1980's.
As the Buffs found more and more success, better players came knocking. With the addition of great talent, the Buffs were able to move back toward a traditional offense that more equally used both running and passing. Three years after winning the national title as a predominantly running team, the Buffs had Rashaan Salaam earn the Heisman Trophy playing for a team with a strong passing attack as well as a dominant running game.
Bill McCartney retired after the 1994 season.
After Mac stepped away from college football, the Buffs had 10 win seasons the next two years under Slick Rick Neuheisel. Buff fans thought that it would just be a continuation of the good times under McCartney. By year three, however, it became clear that Neuheisel was just a kid who had found the keys to his daddy's Ferrari and had taken it out for a two-year joyride.
When it came time for the players that he was responsible for developing to play, the Buffs were no longer a top program. The Buffs lost 10 games in the last two years of Neuheisel's reign. Mac's last six teams lost a combined 11 games. Knowing that the cupboard was bare and that NCAA rules had been broken, Neuheisel bolted to Washington after the '98 season. (His time in Washington also led to run-ins with the NCAA, but this article is about CU, not the Slickster.)
What lessons can be learned by Mike MacIntyre?
The first thing that Mac and his staff had to do when they got to Colorado was to take a group of individuals and turn them into a team. All indications are that his staff has done an excellent job of restoring a sense of family to a program had become completely dysfunctional.
They have had to work on developing skills for individual players while also facing down the fact that prior coaches had left important positions on the team bare of recruits. 2013 saw a total of nine offensive linemen available for nine positions. It also saw a bunch of underclassmen defensive backs getting their trial by fire in the Pac-12 while also learning a new system.
This year, the Buffs have much better depth and higher level of talent across the board. But they also play in the toughest conference in the country. If they want to compete and become a team that once again looks to go to a bowl at the end of each season, they need to commit to an offensive and defensive philosophy that will allow them to do that.
If their defense is weaker than their opponents offense, they need to find ways to control the ball to limit the opportunities to score by the other team. The Pac-12 offers an excellent example.
Look at how Stanford has consistently shut down the Oregon Ducks.
The Quackers want to score on every play, to wait only 10 seconds to run each play, and as many possessions as they can get. They want a minimum of five possessions per quarter and want their scoring drives to last less than minute.
Unfortunately for Oregon, Stanford knows how to control the ball and limit the Oregon possessions to 2 or even 1 per quarter. They know that Oregon cannot score touchdowns unless they have the ball. And Stanford also plays hard-nose, knock-down, rough-you-up defense. The do not allow the Ducks to get into a rhythm, and every year the Ducks high flying offense and national title aspirations are dashed by the boys from Palo Alto.
Stanford usually falls short once or twice a season, but their whole philosophy is designed to beat Oregon. And they implement that philosophy very well.
What will Colorado's "philosophy" be during the 2014 season?
Every team in the country "wants" to run and/or pass the ball well. They all "want" to play good defense. They all "want" to be winning teams. The question for Mike MacIntyre and his Colorado staff and team is:
What are they willing TO DO to make their wants come true? Are they going to give lip service to running the ball, or are they going to do it? Same goes for the passing game. As Yoda said a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
"Do or do not. There is no try."
The Buffs have been a team in search of a real identity for a long time.
Their run toward to the bottom of the football pile began with Dan Hawkins, whose only apparent goal was to make his son Cody the all time leading passer in Colorado history. He accomplished that goal, but he turned a team that had been to bowl games 17 of the previous 21 seasons into a program that was a shell of its former glory. Hawkins destroyed the foundation of the house that Bill McCartney built, and left the program in a shambles with no depth, horrible player development and in-fighting on the team by young men who wanted to be more than supporting players for the head coach's son.
The run continued when the CU Brass decided to hire two ex-Buffs from the glory days to come in and run the program. Enter Jon Embree and Eric Bieniemy, who were great players for the Buffs but who were completely unqualified for their new jobs as Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator. Their main tone during their two year stay was to curse and yell at their players and to whine and sulk about how the school was not committed to football.
In truth, the school brass was definitely NOT committed to the football program and they showed that to the entire country by having the lowest paid football coaches and Athletic Director in the Big 12 and the Pac-12 following the change in conferences. However, lack of support from the top does not excuse the horrible relationship the coaches had with their players, the woeful recruiting of student athletes who were unqualified to get into the program, and game-day play calling that was so bad that it was embarrassing to CU fans around the country.
Colorado found its identity under Bill McCartney.
Following the horrible days of the Buffs under Chuck Fairbanks, the Buffs turned to Michigan assistant coach Bill McCartney, who was highly recommended by the Wolverines' legendary coach Bo Schembechler. McCartney played college ball at Missouri under another coaching legend, Dan Devine.
It took time for Mac to transform the the Buffaloes. They won only 7 out of 33 games during his first three years. What he did, however, was instill a philosophy of playing hardnose defense. He was named the Big 8 coach of the year in 1985 after his team went from one win in '84 to seven wins in '85. They gave up on average only 14.5 points per game, and all four of their losses in the regular season were to ranked teams (3 in the top 7, and one ranked #12).
To take advantage of his strong defensive team, McCartney abandoned the pass-happy days under Fairbanks in which the Buffs once gave up 82 points to Oklahoma while scoring 42 of their own. The 124 combined points was a shocker to the nation (this was before overtime games added 4 or 5 touchdowns to the real score).
McCartney went completely in the other direction and changed to the wishbone offense for the 1985 season. It was an offensive scheme that allowed a team without as much talent to compete against more dominant programs. They committed to running the ball with the triple option and began a run of nine bowl games in the next 10 years under McCartney (including a national championship).
McCartney knew that controlling the ball on the ground also controlled the clock and gave his strong defense a chance to stay fresh and dominate the other team. The coaching staff also went after great punters during recruiting. They realized that during defensive struggles with top teams like Nebraska and Oklahoma that they could move down the field slowly just by trading punts several times.The Buffs had three All-American punters during the late 1980's.
As the Buffs found more and more success, better players came knocking. With the addition of great talent, the Buffs were able to move back toward a traditional offense that more equally used both running and passing. Three years after winning the national title as a predominantly running team, the Buffs had Rashaan Salaam earn the Heisman Trophy playing for a team with a strong passing attack as well as a dominant running game.
Bill McCartney retired after the 1994 season.
After Mac stepped away from college football, the Buffs had 10 win seasons the next two years under Slick Rick Neuheisel. Buff fans thought that it would just be a continuation of the good times under McCartney. By year three, however, it became clear that Neuheisel was just a kid who had found the keys to his daddy's Ferrari and had taken it out for a two-year joyride.
When it came time for the players that he was responsible for developing to play, the Buffs were no longer a top program. The Buffs lost 10 games in the last two years of Neuheisel's reign. Mac's last six teams lost a combined 11 games. Knowing that the cupboard was bare and that NCAA rules had been broken, Neuheisel bolted to Washington after the '98 season. (His time in Washington also led to run-ins with the NCAA, but this article is about CU, not the Slickster.)
What lessons can be learned by Mike MacIntyre?
The first thing that Mac and his staff had to do when they got to Colorado was to take a group of individuals and turn them into a team. All indications are that his staff has done an excellent job of restoring a sense of family to a program had become completely dysfunctional.
They have had to work on developing skills for individual players while also facing down the fact that prior coaches had left important positions on the team bare of recruits. 2013 saw a total of nine offensive linemen available for nine positions. It also saw a bunch of underclassmen defensive backs getting their trial by fire in the Pac-12 while also learning a new system.
This year, the Buffs have much better depth and higher level of talent across the board. But they also play in the toughest conference in the country. If they want to compete and become a team that once again looks to go to a bowl at the end of each season, they need to commit to an offensive and defensive philosophy that will allow them to do that.
If their defense is weaker than their opponents offense, they need to find ways to control the ball to limit the opportunities to score by the other team. The Pac-12 offers an excellent example.
Look at how Stanford has consistently shut down the Oregon Ducks.
The Quackers want to score on every play, to wait only 10 seconds to run each play, and as many possessions as they can get. They want a minimum of five possessions per quarter and want their scoring drives to last less than minute.
Unfortunately for Oregon, Stanford knows how to control the ball and limit the Oregon possessions to 2 or even 1 per quarter. They know that Oregon cannot score touchdowns unless they have the ball. And Stanford also plays hard-nose, knock-down, rough-you-up defense. The do not allow the Ducks to get into a rhythm, and every year the Ducks high flying offense and national title aspirations are dashed by the boys from Palo Alto.
Stanford usually falls short once or twice a season, but their whole philosophy is designed to beat Oregon. And they implement that philosophy very well.
What will Colorado's "philosophy" be during the 2014 season?
Every team in the country "wants" to run and/or pass the ball well. They all "want" to play good defense. They all "want" to be winning teams. The question for Mike MacIntyre and his Colorado staff and team is:
What are they willing TO DO to make their wants come true? Are they going to give lip service to running the ball, or are they going to do it? Same goes for the passing game. As Yoda said a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
"Do or do not. There is no try."
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Can Duck Dynasty Survive in the Rarified Air of Colorado?
With all due respects to Phil Robertson and his clan, there are now TWO duck dynasties that are dominant in America. Phil started the First Duck Dynasty after walking away from football (starting in front of future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw) to focus his time and energy on his first true love, duck hunting.
Phil invented the Duck Commander duck call in 1972 and was awarded a patent for his work. Soon after, the Duck Commander Company was formed and the Robertson clan has ridden the wings of their commander ever since to fame and fortune and a hit television show on A&E.
The Second Duck Dynasty was started by current Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. In four years in Eugene, Kelly led the Ducks to 46 wins and three straight top 4 finishes in the final AP poll. He also led them to the national championship game against Auburn, where they lost a heartbreaker by the score of 22-19.
But things were not always so Rose Bowly in Eugene. Oregon football had long been a run of the mill program at best. Head coach Rich Brooks led the Ducks to their first top 20 finish in nearly 40 years when they were ranked #11 following his last season in 1994.
Mike Bellotti then took over and made Oregon a half and half team. Half the years they finished in the AP Top 20, and half they did not. Twice during his 14 year tenure, the Ducks won the Pac-10 Conference Title. They were consistently good... but certainly not the juggernaut they have become now.
Former Colorado Buff Offensive Coordinator Mark Helfrich took over the Duck program when Kelly flew off to the NFL, and so far the Ducks have not missed a beat. They are ranked #2 in the country behind two-time defending National Champion Alabama. Although many people think the Ducks are playing better than the Crimson Tide this year, most people will keep 'Bama #1 until they lose it on the field.
In the Ducks' last game, they scored 55 points against conference foe California to bring their record to 4-0. The 55 points was the fewest they have scored this season. One big difference this year over years past is the level of defense being played by Oregon. Instead of just outscoring everybody, the Ducks are now dominating on both sides of the ball. On top of scoring 60 points a game, the Ducks only give up around 11.
Can they keep it up when they travel to Boulder this weekend? On one hand, history says they will. Since Colorado joined the Pac-12, Oregon has outscored them in two games by 99 points (115-16). The other hand, however, points out that the last two games were under head coach Jon Embree, and monstrous losses were the norm during his tenure in Boulder.
The Colorado Buffaloes started the Mike MacIntyre era this year by winning their first two games to double the win total from 2012. New Defensive Coordinator Kent Baer has the Buffaloes playing a whole new level of D compared to years past. Some critics might even say that the Buffs are playing ANY D for the first time in several years.
But is it enough to derail the Oregon Duckernaut? The game has to be played, of course, but the Buffaloes do have a history of upsetting teams at Folsom Field in Boulder.
In 1986, the Buffs started the season very roughly by losing their first four games. This included a close loss to Oregon. They rebounded to win their next two games before the mighty (and #3 ranked) Nebraska Corncobbers came to town. Nebraska had defeated the Buffs for 20 straight years, and as usual, Folsom Field was awash in red as the Nebraska faithful did their best to cheer their team to victory.
It was not to be, however, as Bill McCartney led his Buffs to a 20-10 victory. The win was the turning point that propelled Colorado toward becoming one of the top teams in the nation over the next decade. They played for the National Championship twice (winning once), and were denied a third shot at the title when they lost in Lincoln despite having nine NFL draft picks and the Heisman Trophy winner in 1994.
In 2007, the #3 Oklahoma Sooners came into Boulder and met with a similar fate. Like Oregon this year, the Sooners were considered the top offensive team in the country. Sam Bradford would go on to win the Heisman in 2008. When they arrived in Colorado, the Sooners were averaging more than 60 points a game and giving up only 11. Sound familiar?
Do the Buffs have what it takes to bring down the high flying Ducks? Grab your Duck Commander and your shotgun. It's time to go duck hunting. One can only hope the Ducks do as well in the altitude as the Eagles did when they visited the Denver Broncos at Mile High last week. What was that score again? Oh yeah, Broncos 52 and Eagles 20.
Go Buffs!
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To see video and write-ups of these upsets, see our good friends from:
CU at the Game -- Oklahoma Upset
CU at the Game -- Nebraska Upset
Phil invented the Duck Commander duck call in 1972 and was awarded a patent for his work. Soon after, the Duck Commander Company was formed and the Robertson clan has ridden the wings of their commander ever since to fame and fortune and a hit television show on A&E.
The Second Duck Dynasty was started by current Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. In four years in Eugene, Kelly led the Ducks to 46 wins and three straight top 4 finishes in the final AP poll. He also led them to the national championship game against Auburn, where they lost a heartbreaker by the score of 22-19.
But things were not always so Rose Bowly in Eugene. Oregon football had long been a run of the mill program at best. Head coach Rich Brooks led the Ducks to their first top 20 finish in nearly 40 years when they were ranked #11 following his last season in 1994.
Mike Bellotti then took over and made Oregon a half and half team. Half the years they finished in the AP Top 20, and half they did not. Twice during his 14 year tenure, the Ducks won the Pac-10 Conference Title. They were consistently good... but certainly not the juggernaut they have become now.
Former Colorado Buff Offensive Coordinator Mark Helfrich took over the Duck program when Kelly flew off to the NFL, and so far the Ducks have not missed a beat. They are ranked #2 in the country behind two-time defending National Champion Alabama. Although many people think the Ducks are playing better than the Crimson Tide this year, most people will keep 'Bama #1 until they lose it on the field.
In the Ducks' last game, they scored 55 points against conference foe California to bring their record to 4-0. The 55 points was the fewest they have scored this season. One big difference this year over years past is the level of defense being played by Oregon. Instead of just outscoring everybody, the Ducks are now dominating on both sides of the ball. On top of scoring 60 points a game, the Ducks only give up around 11.
Can they keep it up when they travel to Boulder this weekend? On one hand, history says they will. Since Colorado joined the Pac-12, Oregon has outscored them in two games by 99 points (115-16). The other hand, however, points out that the last two games were under head coach Jon Embree, and monstrous losses were the norm during his tenure in Boulder.
The Colorado Buffaloes started the Mike MacIntyre era this year by winning their first two games to double the win total from 2012. New Defensive Coordinator Kent Baer has the Buffaloes playing a whole new level of D compared to years past. Some critics might even say that the Buffs are playing ANY D for the first time in several years.
But is it enough to derail the Oregon Duckernaut? The game has to be played, of course, but the Buffaloes do have a history of upsetting teams at Folsom Field in Boulder.
In 1986, the Buffs started the season very roughly by losing their first four games. This included a close loss to Oregon. They rebounded to win their next two games before the mighty (and #3 ranked) Nebraska Corncobbers came to town. Nebraska had defeated the Buffs for 20 straight years, and as usual, Folsom Field was awash in red as the Nebraska faithful did their best to cheer their team to victory.
It was not to be, however, as Bill McCartney led his Buffs to a 20-10 victory. The win was the turning point that propelled Colorado toward becoming one of the top teams in the nation over the next decade. They played for the National Championship twice (winning once), and were denied a third shot at the title when they lost in Lincoln despite having nine NFL draft picks and the Heisman Trophy winner in 1994.
In 2007, the #3 Oklahoma Sooners came into Boulder and met with a similar fate. Like Oregon this year, the Sooners were considered the top offensive team in the country. Sam Bradford would go on to win the Heisman in 2008. When they arrived in Colorado, the Sooners were averaging more than 60 points a game and giving up only 11. Sound familiar?
Do the Buffs have what it takes to bring down the high flying Ducks? Grab your Duck Commander and your shotgun. It's time to go duck hunting. One can only hope the Ducks do as well in the altitude as the Eagles did when they visited the Denver Broncos at Mile High last week. What was that score again? Oh yeah, Broncos 52 and Eagles 20.
Go Buffs!
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To see video and write-ups of these upsets, see our good friends from:
CU at the Game -- Oklahoma Upset
CU at the Game -- Nebraska Upset
Monday, September 16, 2013
29 Teams Colorado COULD Play October 19th to Make Up For Lost Fresno State Game
Massive floodwaters are still raging high in Colorado. Those 100-year floodwaters forced the postponement of the CU game vs. Fresno State this past weekend. Today, new athletic director Rick George looks to find a way to re-schedule Fresno State or find another opponent to come to Boulder on the Buffs' bye week of October 19th.
Colorado faced a very large financial shortfall last year and desperately needs the revenue which would have been brought in had the Fresno State game not been postponed by the natural disaster.
Colorado faced a very large financial shortfall last year and desperately needs the revenue which would have been brought in had the Fresno State game not been postponed by the natural disaster.
Schools which are scheduled for a bye week on October 19th.
Air Force
Alabama-Birmingham
Arkansas State
Boston College
Bowling Green
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Hawaii
Idaho
Kansas State
Kentucky
Louisiana-Monroe
Marshall
Middle Tennessee
Mississippi State
Nebraska
North Carolina State
Penn State
Rutgers
San Diego State
San Jose State
South Carolina
Texas
Texas-El Paso (UTEP)
Texas-San Antonio
Troy
Tulane
Tulsa
Virginia Tech
Since the NCAA generally limits the number of games played to 12 (not counting conference championship games), any team willing to come in would have to get the extra game approved by them.
Historically, however, the NCAA has allowed teams which have played an away game at Hawaii to add an additional game. Both San Jose State and San Diego State play away games at Hawaii this year. That being the case, they would certainly seem to face the least amount of red tape from the NCAA if they would be willing to travel to Boulder.
Both teams already play a Pac-12 team this year. SJS played Stanford in week 2, and SDS plays Oregon State this week. Oregon State is Colorado's next scheduled opponent. Another connection for San Jose State is that Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre is the former head coach for SJS, and the man who rebuilt the program into a top 25 team in 2012.
Historically speaking, the teams from Texas, Nebraska and Kansas State offer the chance to play someone with a conference history with Colorado. The Buffs are scheduled to play Nebraska four times from 2018-24. Each team will have two home games.
Closest at hand would be a game with Air Force. No costly air travel would be required, and it would give the federal government a chance to help out the University of Colorado without writing a check.
Rick George faces an arduous task in getting something done to help Colorado secure another game this year. Here's to hoping the NCAA does its part to smooth the process.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Colorado Buffaloes 2013 Opinion: Please Spare us the Musings of Slick Rick Neuheisel
The University of Colorado Buffaloes continued fall camp on Thursday and played host to the Pac-12 Network and their resident weasel "Slick Rick" Neuheisel. As a horrible past head football coach to no less than 25% of the teams in the new Pac-12, the weasely-one now returns as an "analyst" and "media celebrity." This apparently impressed the local media enough to have a plethora of articles written about whatever drivel leached out of his lips about the state of CU football, the University of Colorado, and Boulder.
It is truly an indictment of the local media that they chose to waste space that should have been allocated to Mike MacIntyre's Buffaloes by instead writing about the musings of a man who has been disgraced, fired, and frequently accused of being a liar and lawyer. I digress, of course, and must admit that calling anyone a liar and a lawyer would be redundant. But hey, after all, this is 2013 and fame is more important than anything, especially honesty and integrity.
Unfortunately for NewWeasel and the local media, some of us have been around long enough to remember the first go-round. I worked at the Daily Camera Newspaper when the boy wonder first made his way into Boulder in 1994 to work with the great Bill McCartney.
Mac had won one National Championship during his tenure coaching in Boulder, but more importantly, had come within two bad games of winning two more championships (the NC game against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl following the 1989 season, and the 1994 game against Nebraska in Lincoln). If you had been there to see those games and those seasons, then you know what I am talking about.
McCartney shocked everyone by announcing his retirement following the game in which Rashaan Salaam wrapped up his Heisman Trophy by going over 2000 yards in a season during the season ending game with Iowa State. The 1994 team was so good that NINE Buffs were selected in the NFL Draft the following April, including SEVEN in the first three rounds.
Colorado surprised a great many people by choosing a very young Neuheisel over more experienced coaches with at least coordinator experience to become the next head coach of the Buffs for the 1995 season. I have to admit that I was excited that CU was showing rare foresight (or so I thought then) by hiring a guy who was nearly the same age I was. Judith Albino was wrong to hire Ricky Boy then, and I was wrong in thinking that a guy smart enough to get through law school and pass the bar had the dedication to be a great head coach.
As an aside, I realize that the Wikipedia page dedicated to Rick Neuheisel says he was the Offensive Coordinator for the Buffs in 1994, but that is wrong. The OC during Mac's final year was Elliot Uzelac.
Neuheisel inherited a perennial top-5 team built by Mac, and then got way too much credit when the Buffs won 10 games each of his first two seasons. In hindsight, the Buffs would have won 10 games in '95 and '96 no matter who was the coach because of the depth of the program built by McCartney. Once the program was in the hands of players developed by Neuheisel's staff, however, the wheels started to come off the program.
It was bad enough that the Buffs went from their typical 10 wins in a season to only 5 in 1997, more embarrassing still was that CU had to later forfeit their wins because they used an ineligible player. Also came revelations that there were recruiting improprieties from the very top (the big dog, or, in this case, the big weasel). Those things alone had me and other serious Buff fans calling for Ricky's job.
What really pissed me off about the articles written by the local media is that they really don't know anything about the people they are writing about. Several mentioned their incorrect belief that Buff fans were angry with Neuheisel for leaving CU to go to Washington. Nothing could be further from the truth. I became chat room friends with several people at UW fansites during that time. In a much more civilized era of college sporting discussions, I explained my misgivings about Neuheisel.
Several years later, after the general consensus that Neuheisel had embarrassed their school as well, they thanked me for trying to warn them. Years later, we marveled at the warped mentality that led UCLA to hire a man who had twice run afoul of the NCAA, leading to sanctions of his teams, and then successfully sued the NCAA and Washington for doing their own jobs poorly.
One would think that nowadays that any hiring Rick analysis would come with a comprehensive risk analysis. That is, considering his high pay, profile, and position, what does he offer as a benefit compared to potential risks to the prestige and financial health and wellbeing of the program?
All said, like most lawyers, you have to take anything Rick says with a grain of salt. Better yet, in the case of Neuheisel, you should probably add the wedge of lime and shot of tequila to make anything he says palatable. I am sure the local media, in their obsequious desire to pay homage to fame and/or infamy, believe they are entitled to share the opinions of such a man “who is like any other man, only more so.” (Casablanca). I think I share the opinions of many long time Buff fans who have the image of Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men come to mind when we say we “don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.”
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