Colorado Breaks Out the Enthusiasm, Wins 44-28 over Cal

Wow!

The Colorado Buffaloes finally broke out the Joie de Vivre and had a good time. As a consequence they earned a big win, 44-28 over the California Golden Bears.

Football is a game. It's supposed to be fun. But for much of this year Colorado has looked like a group of guys doing chores instead of playing a game. Against Cal, they finally looked like they were having fun.

This was the Colorado team fans had been hoping to see all season. It was exciting to see.

 The question now is whether the Buffs can take the momentum created today and  carry it over to the last three games. One more win and they can earn a bowl berth, which just a few days ago seemed quite unlikely.

More will be known by the end of the night. Colorado's next two opponents, Arizona State and USC, face off  tonight in Tempe. The winner takes control of their own destiny for the Pac-12 South. The loser will need help. 

Colorado can no longer win the South, but they can play a big part in determining who takes the crown. It can be fun to be a spoiler too, especially if it also allows CU to make it to a second consecutive bowl game.

They'll be watching tonight to scout the next two opponents. The key to winning one or both of those games is to come and play with enthusiasm. They need to keep on having fun.

Here's to hoping they do just that. Go Buffs!

 

For Colorado Buffs to Succeed, they MUST Learn to Convert on Third Down

As Mike MacIntyre's University of Colorado football team gets ready to head south to Tempe, to face the Arizona State Sun Devils this Saturday night, one thing has become perfectly clear: For this CU team to be successful, they have to show the ability to move the chains.

In the first two games, Colorado's offense managed to convert 12 of 30 third down chances into first downs. That means that 40% of the time that they faced a 3rd down, the result was a first down. Not coincidentally, the Buffs won those first two games.

In the last two games, the Buffs have managed to convert only TWO of THIRTY 3rd down opportunities. Two BIG LOSSES later, it is quite apparent that converting less than 7% of their 3rd downs is no way to have a chance to win a game. Even worse than that, in their last game against the Oregon Ducks, the Buffs converted ZERO of their 15 third down opportunities. That 0-15 set a Colorado record for futility.

The O-fer on third downs not only ended drives for the Buffs, they also ended serious scoring opportunities. No fewer than 10 of the Buff failures to convert on third down occurred in Oregon territory (one was on the 50 yard line). Just look at where these failures to convert in enemy territory happened:

• (1st Quarter) 3rd and 4 from the Oregon 23 -- Two yard pass over the middle from Wood to Spruce was dropped.
• (1st Quarter) 3rd and 10 from the Oregon 16 -- Three yard pass over the middle from Wood to Powell was dropped.
• (1st Quarter) 3rd and 15 from the Oregon 45 -- Powell run up the middle for 4 yards.
• (2nd Quarter) 3rd and GOAL from the Oregon 5 -- Wood pass to the right thrown out of the end zone.
• (2nd Quarter) 3rd and 2 from the Oregon 14 -- Run off a pitch to the left for Goodson results in no gain.
• (2nd Quarter) 3rd and 3 from the 50 yard line -- Incomplete 28 yard pass to Paul Richardson down the right sideline. 
• (3rd Quarter) 3rd and 8 from the Oregon 41 -- Screen pass from Wood knocked down by defensive lineman.
• (3rd Quarter) 3rd and 5 from the Oregon 48 -- Short outside pass to Adkins dropped.
• (3rd Quarter) 3rd and Goal from the Oregon 10 -- Adkins run up the middle for 5 yards.
• (4th Quarter) 3rd and 6 from the Oregon 45 -- 25 yard pass incomplete to Ross down the left sideline.

Unlike the last several years, the Buffs under offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren HAVE shown the ability to make big plays on offense. Connor Wood and his band of receivers have hooked up for some very long scoring (and non-scoring) plays. One of the biggest problems for the Buffs, however, has been their failure to score TD's once they get into RED ZONE.

Of Colorado's nine forays into the RED ZONE thus far this season, only one drive ended with a touchdown. Seven times the Buffs settled for field goals, and one time they turned the ball over on downs.

It has become quite clear that the Buffs can extend the field with Paul Richardson and D.D. Goodson, as both average more than 18 yards per catch. The problem seems to be that the Buffs cannot count on those 7-12 yard catches that result in First Downs, particularly when it comes to converting on third downs.

Honing the skill of playing small-ball can only help with third down conversions, and more than likely it will help with red zone efficiency as well. Having the running game consistently pick up 5 yards at a time would also help immensely. Right now they are only averaging a little over 3 yards per carry, and often on important plays they are stopped for essentially no gain. It's hard to harp on the quarterback when the running game offers no respite.

If the Buffs are to have any chance in Tempe, they must be able to control the ball better by converting on 3rd downs. Taylor Kelly is yet another Pac-12 quarterback who can rip a defense apart if given the chance. One of the best defenses to players like Kelly is an offense that keeps him off the field. Running the ball efficiently and converting on third down are the only ways for the Buffs to avoid being blown out in the desert.

Just Say No to Denver Hosting the Rocky Mountain Showdown

In just about 48 hours, the University of Colorado Buffaloes will take the field against Colorado State at the home of the Denver Broncos, known this year as Sports Authority Field at Mile High. It is a beautiful venue and a wonderful place to watch Colorado's favorite team. But that team is neither the CU Buffs nor the CSU Rams, it is the Broncos. Period.

I have been a long time fan of both the NFL and NCAA football. I have seen every Super Bowl. I attended my first college football game at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, AZ back when it held only 41,000 people. Hint: It was way back in the 1960s. I was raised on college football.

I moved to Colorado in 1983, and started to attend CU Buff games in 1985. I had season tickets for many years and followed the Buffs on the road several times, most notably to the National Championship game at the Orange Bowl in 1990, and to the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe in 1995. I am willing to travel to see the Buffs play ball.

When I was living overseas, I had my son Skype me the games by turning his computer toward the TV. This meant watching games in the wee hours of the morning. I go out of my way to watch my alma mater play.

That said, I am NOT willing to go to Denver to watch the Rocky Mountain Showdown. Yes, of course, I will watch on TV and enjoy the game immensely. But I will not go to the Broncos field to watch the game, and here are the reasons:

• The stadium is too big. If everyone who attends games at CU and CSU attended the RMS, the stadium would still look like no one was there.
• If the people who put the RMS together want a raucous crowd, the need to put them in the LOWER LEVEL.
• IF they want casual fans to attend the game, they cannot price the tickets as if it was an NFL game. The Broncos tickets are at a premium, since there has been a waiting list to get them for decades. By contrast, the Buffs sell out several games a year in a stadium which hold 25,000 fewer people, and the Rams generally draw fewer fans than Texas high school games. (As an aside, why is CSU spending so much money to build a new, bigger stadium when they can't even fill the tiny one they already have?)
• $20-30 for parking? Are you freaking kidding me?
• Numerous press releases telling folks to behave themselves, and warning people of the great number of regular and plain clothes police that will be on hand to be certain that no one has too much fun. I don't remember this many warnings when the Broncos play in front of a lot more people.
• The Denver media, particularly the Denver Post, have made it perfectly clear that they could not care less about CU or CSU. The only reason they want this game in Denver is so they do not have to drive to Boulder or Fort Collins.
  

  • PS - It really pisses me off that the media in Denver are willing participants in the extortion attempt this game presents. No, I do not care any less for the Buffs because I am not willing to spend an exorbitant  amount of money to see them in Denver.

   
• Rivalry games belong on campus, or at least in the city where the campus is located. There are no CU or CSU banners strung around Denver. College football is just a diversion for Broncomania.
• Folks running the RMS need to understand that we live in a capitalist society, where the concepts of supply and demand dictate the going market rate for anything. They have WAY more tickets than customers, yet they price their commodity as if it was in short supply.
• I have a good chuckle on a daily basis watching Craigslist and StubHub and Ticketmaster. The closer we get to the game, the lower the prices for tickets seem to go. By the time kickoff arrives, they will probably be GIVING them away for practically nothing outside the stadium. It reminds me of the CU game at the Orange Bowl. Even though the Buffs and Notre Dame were playing with a National Championship on the line, tickets outside were going for $5-10 apiece because there were no teams from Florida playing.
• I know the folks at CSU like playing in Denver. Of course they do, who wants to stay home to play in front of 18,000 people? Maybe they should start scheduling the CSU vs. Air Force game in Denver. Similar drive for both sets of fans and it gets the Ram fans a chance to get out of town. Of course, it has been a long time since CSU beat Air Force anywhere.

For some ungodly reason, this game is scheduled to be played in Denver through 2019. Somebody somewhere is apparently making good money off this. Unfortunately, I do not think it is either CU or CSU. Their fans are paying the freight, though. This game being played in Denver should be ended as soon as possible. The vigorish paid by the schools and fans is too great.

For those of you going to the game in Denver, I wish you a great time. I am going to save my money for a game out of town which will actually get me out of town. Looking forward to maybe a return trip to Sun Devil Stadium against Arizona State on October 12^th. The Phoenix Craigslist has tickets offered to the ASU vs. CU game for as little as $20. They money saved by not going to the Rocky Mountain Showdown will just about pay for my gas to get down to Tempe.