Buff Nation
In their 37th year of existence, the Denver Broncos were still seeking that ever elusive first Super Bowl Lombardi Trophy. The date was December 7, 1997 and the Broncos had just lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers forcing the Broncos into a Wild Card spot for the playoffs, rather than the possibility of a #1 seed. The road to the Super Bowl now ran through the Jaguars, Chiefs and Steelers, all teams the Broncos had recently lost to. Within minutes after the loss to the Steelers, all-pro linebacker Bill Romanowski was quoted as saying to then Coach Mike Shanahan, “We’re just going to have to do it (get to the super bowl) the hard way.” All Broncos fans know the rest of the story. The Broncos went on their revenge tour and won their first franchise Super Bowl a month later.
Coming into the 2023 season, the goal for the Colorado Buffaloes was to earn bowl eligibility (six wins). Early season success made the appearance of this goal a slam dunk (to mix sports metaphors). Losing three of the last four, and especially blowing a 29-point lead against Stanford, has now made this goal significantly more daunting. Rather than win one of the next five games, the Buffs need to find a way to win two of the next five. The challenge lies in the caliber of their opponents. Three of the five remaining opponents are ranked (UCLA #23, OSU #11, and Utah #13), and the remaining two were either recently ranked (WSU) or have dramatically upped their game in the last few weeks (AZ). Stealing of these games, ok. Stealing two, doubtful. Similar to the Broncos of ’97, I would like to think Sheduer and Shilo came up to their dad after the Stanford game and said, “We’re just going to have to do it the hard way”. No fear, no trepidation. Just the mentality of getting back to the business at hand.
After having a bye last week and a chance to lick its wounds and take stock of the character of the team, CU takes on the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, this Saturday evening. UCLA is favored by 18 points, boasts the nation’s #11 total defense and #17 total offense. There are no weaknesses for CU to exploit. If CU has an advantage, it lies in the fact that CU has had two weeks to prepare, their backs are against the wall, and Travis Hunter should be at full strength. A win will exercise all the lingering Stanford demons, a loss will increase the fodder of the Coach Prime haters. CU will have to play a perfect game to beat UCLA, something CU has proven they are incapable of doing thus far in the season. For all the pomp, circumstance, and crazy train excitement this team has delivered to Buff Nation this season, now is the time to deliver again. Do not go off silently into the night. Let’s get this crazy train back on track. We are ready to believe again.
Go Buffs!
Doug
…Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
DR!! Uda man!