by Doug Rutherford | Nov 16, 2018 | 2018
Buff Nation –
Week Eleven Review
The sudden demise of the 2018 CU Football season seems to have happened in a blink of an eye. Against the Washington State Cougars this past Saturday, the Buffs showed heart on defense holding the national most prolific quarterback to a modest day, but the offense didn’t follow suit. Unfortunate penalties kept CU on the ropes and they simply didn’t have the talent to rebound. A suspect call by Coach Mac (punting from the Cougars 36-yard line) was head scratching and stole the heart and fire from Buff Nation and the Buff football team. Final score CU 7, WSU 31. If this season does crash, it is this call pundits will point to regarding why Coach Mac wasn’t the right guy to lead the Buffs to the next level.
Sadly, it wasn’t too long ago that everything was going CU’s way. Just a few weeks ago CU was #19 in the country, the only remaining Pac-12 undefeated team sitting at 5-0 and making a powerful statement against the USC trojans on the road. CU had the USC freshman QB rattled and led 7-0. The stars were aligned. Puzzle pieces were in place. Buff Nation stood at the ready. This was the team we had been waiting on for nearly a decade. We were ready to take the next step. Yet, we all know how the story ended. Less than two quarters later, a pick-six by Montez put the Buffs behind 28-7, and the Buffs have never been the same since. Injuries yes. Tough opponents yes. Suspect coaching yes. Still, all these factors happened to all big-time football teams and the great ones find a way to respond. The CU Buffs are still trying to make that happen.
Week Twelve Preview
Lost among the rumors of coach firings and general chaos coming from CU Football operations, the pride and tradition of CU football has been temporarily lost. CU has (yet) another shot at redemption when they take on the #19 (ah, remember when we were #19) Utah Utes. Amid the chaos (or perhaps in spite of it) this game has the potential to be the game of the season for the Buffs. With more story lines than the upcoming season of Game of Thrones, both teams have a lot to play for.
For starters, tomorrow marks the 500th game at Folsom Field (see link below Folsom Field highlights). A win by Utah gives the Utes their first Pac-12 South championship (the only Pac-12 school not to win the title). A win by CU makes them bowl eligible and saves Coach Mac’s job and washes all the fowl from this season. A win by CU stops a 0-28 nine-year skid against ranked team (when CU is not ranked), an 0-8 record in games where bowl eligibility is on the line, and the recent 0-5 losing streak. A win on Saturday would go a long way to curing CU’s woes and ugly streaks.
Saturday is also the last home game for 20 CU seniors including long-time household name – Jay McIntyre, Rick Gambo (it seems like this this guy has been leading the CU defense forever) and Drew Lewis. This senior class deserves to go out with a win. It is expected to snow, and in the 500 games played at Folsom, this has only happened 7 times. CU is 6-1 in those games (fun fact).
All in all, the cards are staked against CU. CU two best defensive backs are already declared out for this game due to injury. CU is confidence is shattered. QB Montez played with no heart last week, almost as if the season was already over. Yet, all of that said, these are our CU Buffaloes and I’m excited to watch CU put it all together and get it right. There is so much parity in the Pac-12, and CU has been on the outside looking in. This Saturday, in the snow, for the Seniors, for the honor and tradition of playing in the 500th game at Folsom, and for their coach, CU will play its best game of the season and beat Utah in a close, hard fought and highly emotional game.
Go Buffs!
Doug
FOLSOM FIELD HISTORY
by Doug Rutherford | Nov 9, 2018 | 2018
Buff Nation –
Week Ten Review
I liked the way CU played last week. While a victory would have been nice and would have effectively put to rest all the heartburn that is running through Buff Nation, CU played with a lot of heart. I liked the aggressive play calling by CU and the willingness of Coach Mac to play to win, rather than playing not to lose (the two are not the same). CU went toe to toe with a very good AZ team, and for most of the game, CU was playing without several of its top play-makers. Including injuries coming into the game, CU at one point had 11 starters out of the lineup. CU also had the misfortune of playing AZ right when their beast of a QB – Khalil Tate was healthy. Injury prone all season long, Tate had a break out game (just like last year) against the Buffs. Once Tate got going, the CU secondary seemed helpless in stopping him. College football is all about the W’s, and while playing with heart is nice, it only goes so far.
Week Eleven Preview
On what is projected to be a perfect Fall afternoon in Boulder, the #8 Washington State Cougars will kick off against the CU Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Few are giving CU a chance to win this game and for good reason. CU is 2-29 against ranked teams over the last nine years. Those two sole wins came in 2016 against WSU and Utah. After each game Buff Nation rushed the field in celebration and Athletic Director Rick George had to cut a check for $150,000 for the Pac-12 violation. I bet Rick would love to cut another check for the same reason come this Saturday. The Cougars are riding a high, and CU is in the dumps. The bitterness of the OSU loss still lingers, and the whispers of coaches being on the hot seat are starting to become shouts.
Glass half-full guy says the Cougars are overrated at #8 and may be overlooking CU with its sites on securing the Pac-12 Title. CU on the other hand has been decimated by injuries (where have you gone Laviska Shenault, we hardly knew you), had some brain freeze coaching moments (ah-hmm OSU) and some general back luck. At 5-4, CU could easily be 6-3 (ah-hmm OSU) if not 7-2, so the Buffs are not as bad as they appear, and they are still mathematically alive to win the Pac-12 South title (go figure). If CU can get healthy (e.g. Shenault, Worthington, Nixon), find a couple players who know how to defend the pass, and catch the Cougars napping, this could be a game where CU shocks the Pac-12 (this time in a good way), and perhaps shocks themselves a bit as well. CU has been either sleep walking (ah-hmm OSU), playing timid (USC WA), or playing on fumes (AZ) for the last month. A return to Folsom, against a ranked opponent on national TV, in front of Buff Nation, could create the right cocktail mix for CU to play to its potential. Maybe, just maybe, Buff Nation will have the opportunity to force Rick George to cut another check to the Pac-12. CU on the field after the game.
Go Buffs!
Doug
by Doug Rutherford | Oct 26, 2018 | 2018
Buff Nation –
Week Eight Review –
For the second week in a row, the Buffs were on the doorstep of beating one of the elite teams in the Pac-12, only to come up short once again. One could argue that with a couple healthy CU players, CU would of beat the Washington Huskies, but it’s hard to tell. Nearly two-thirds of the way through the season, all we really know about 2018 CU Football team is that they are a good middle of the Pac-12 caliber team, and have demonstrated potential to compete with the upper echelon teams. Thus far in the season, CU has beaten the teams it should of beat, and has lost to the teams they were projected to lose to (Nebraska withstanding). With five games left in the season, CU still has everything to play for and ample opportunity to prove they are more than a middle of the pack team, but indeed a top tier team, now and for seasons to come.
Week Nine Preview –
The arrival of the Oregon State (OSU) Beavers into Boulder for tomorrow’s 1PM kickoff at Folsom Field is the perfect remedy for what has been ailing the Buffs. CU has struggled over the past two weeks to reach that elusive sixth win for bowl eligibility (NCAA requirement). CU’s offense has struggled to maintain its once high-octane cadence and point production. CU has lost a bit of its swagger (good opponents will do that to a team). Forecast calls for epic fall football (and tailgating) weather. If CU takes care of business in the friendly confines of Folsom Field and their Buff faithful, with a win on Saturday (and CU will definitely win), the Buffs will become bowl eligible for the second time in three years (’16, ’18), coming on the heels of eight season bowl drought (’08-’15). OSU is the cure we have been waiting on for the past two weeks.
One note of caution. Even though CU will be heavily favored in this game, it’s still a Pac-12 match-up and the OSU players are also on scholarship and looking to make a name for themselves. If the bowl eligibility win proves elusive on Saturday, CU will either need to beat a Pac-12 team (AZ, CAL) on the road (something they haven’t done since 11/12/16) or beat a ranked team (Utah, WSU) at Folsom. A win tomorrow sets CU up to play with house money (i.e. the pressure is off) for the rest of the season. A lose puts CU in near desperation mode. Let’s trust that the Buffs will take care of business on Saturday and play with house money the rest of the season.
Go Buffs!
Doug
by Doug Rutherford | Oct 5, 2018 | 2018
Buff Nation – One-Third Season Summary
Numbers. One-third of the way through this 2018 football season, all is well with ours Colorado Buffaloes. College football is all about the numbers. 4-0, #21, and 19.7 are a few numbers related to the Buffs thus far this season. The Buffs are 4-0, ranked 21st in the country and beating their opponents by an average of 19.7 points. The Buffs have done everything they have been asked to do this season, and have exceeded nearly everyone’s expectations. They are well on their way to a bowl season, are the only undefeated team remaining in the Pac-12 and are a legitimate contenders to win the Pac-12 South and potentially the Pac-12 outright. The only knock against our Buffs (which is ironically beyond their control) is another number, 1-16 The combined record of the opponents CU has played is one win and 16 losses (of course for of those losses came at the hands of the Buffs). Over the course of the next three weeks CU will play its toughest part of the schedule. Three weeks from now, hopefully the numbers will still be kind to the Buffs.
Week Five Review –
Last Friday night under the lights of Folsom in front of a near sell-out “black out” crowd, CU opened up Pac-12 play against the UCLA Bruins. After a tight first half, once again the CU coaching staff proved its worth and made key half-time adjustments. In the second half, CU outscored UCLA 24 to 3 to win their fourth game going away 38-16. With the victory, the Buffs exercised the first of (hopefully) several Pac-12 demons from last season.
Week Six Preview –
Demon #2 from the 2017 season is on the docket for this Saturday. At 2PM, CU takes on the Arizona State Sundevils, in what will prove to be a true Pac-12 South showdown. Both teams have a high-flying offense and solid wins under their belt. The difference in this game will be CU’s run defense which will prove stout and the speed of CU’s outside backers (#32 and #20) to contain the edge. One other interesting battle to watch will be CU’s O-line. CU will be starting a red-shirt freshman at left tackle. If Will Sherman can hold serve against a battery of tough opponents over the coming weeks, CU biggest question going into the season will be answered for years to come. All season CU has beaten the teams which they have been on their schedule. On Saturday, CU will beat its first team of the season with a winning record, a formidable opponent and in doing so will keep climbing in the rankings cracking into the top 15. This game will be close through three quarters, but the ASU defense will eventually yield to Montez and one of the best receiving corps in America.
Go Buffs (and Rockies)!
Doug
by Doug Rutherford | Sep 13, 2018 | 2018
Buff Nation –
Week Two Review –
CU 33, NE 28. Yup, that’s a correct score. Victory in Lincoln. It doesn’t happen very often (the last time was 2004). Amidst a sea of 90,000 Nebraska fans dressed in Red, a prodigal son type atmosphere for the debut of Coach Scott Frost, and a Nebraska team that is big, talented and ready to set the record straight, the CU Buffs and it’s 5,000 wayward fans pulled out an unlikely and quite amazing victory.
After starting fast with 14 points off two turnovers, the Buffs survived multiple body blows to stay close entering the fourth quarter. Half-time adjustments by CU’s coaching staff and a team first attitude by the Buffs kept the game tight. As the game wore on, Husker Nation (in my opinion the best fans in College football), began to sense there was a game to be played, and CU fans began to sense we had weathered the storm and there was a game to be won. Out of section 20 in the upper end zone of Memorial Stadium (a bucket list visit) where the Buff Nation was relegated, cheers of “Buffaloes, Buffaloes, Go CU!” carried to neighboring sections and caused heads to turn. It was surreal.
In the fourth quarter alone, there were three missed field goals, an interception, three fourth down attempts and a 40-yard TD for the ages (see video attached). No one, on either side of the field, wanted to punt the ball. In the end, CU finished strong when it counted most.
At its best, this win is the signature win CU needs to blow the roof off of this season (similar to the win at OR in ’16) and for years to come. At its worst (if there is such a thing), this win brings us one step closer to bowl eligibility. My guess is we are closer to the former. This season is shaping up to be special. Buckle your seat belts, we are in for an awesome ride.
Week Three Preview – Every once in a while, an FBS (college football’s top level) team loses to an FCS (college football’s second level) team. Every six years (2006, 2012) CU finds a way to take on this dubious honor. This Saturday the FCS University of New Hampshire come to Folsom. CU is paying the school $400,000 to come to Boulder to get beat up (that’s how FCS schools make their money and how FBS schools rack up non-conference W’s, so they can become bowl eligible). There is no way UNH wins this game. It will be 21-0 before the first quarter is over. UNH’s only legit player is their QB Trevor Knight (cool name) and he probably won’t be cleared in time to play this Saturday. CU wins this game by 50 and all CU’s reserve players will be playing in the fourth quarter. Unlike 2006 and 2012, CU is way too good to let an FCS team hang with them. Without Knight, UNH has surprisingly lost their first two games. Beating CU would absolutely make UNH’s season. It would be the single greatest victory in their school history. CU, while riding a high after beating it’s in-state rival CSU and their best (former) divisional rival Nebraska, in back to back weeks, better be ready to start fast in this game (which they will), and not let the Wildcats of New Hampshire believe they have a chance to make history.
At the end of the day this Saturday, CU will be 3-0 and 50% of its way to Bowl Bound or Bust.
Go Buffs!
Doug
