Buffs MacIntyre, Liufau, Awuzie Set For Pac-12 Media Days
July 13, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
CU trio to represent Colorado at Hollywood gathering
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Feel that crisp air, those cool mornings, that nip of fall?
Of course not. It's mid-July. It's hotter than blazes.
But pay no attention to the calendar. College football is just around the corner, and the Pac-12 — including the Colorado Buffaloes — will take center stage Thursday and Friday when the conference hosts its annual Media Days in Hollywood, Calif.
Two weeks later, the Buffs will open fall camp and head coach Mike MacIntyre's fourth season in Boulder.
All 12 conference head coaches will be in attendance at Media Days, and they will also have the chance to walk the red carpet at Wednesday night's ESPY Awards ceremony. Each Pac-12 team will also send a pair of athlete representatives to Media Days, with Colorado sending quarterback Sefo Liufau and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.
The Pac-12 Networks will supply live coverage of both days of the event. Thursday's coverage will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (MT) with Friday's coverage running from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Along with carrying opening remarks from Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott on Thursday, the networks will also provide interviews with players and coaches on both days.
The CU contingent will spend Thursday meeting with the Pac-12's various media partners for interviews, including conversations with CBS, ESPN, Fox Sports and the Pac-12 Networks. Thursday night, the student-athletes from each school will have dinner together before taking part in the Matt Leinart Foundation Celebrity Bowl event.
Friday, the CU contingent will take part in the "traditional" media day that will include television and radio interviews as well as the main half-hour media interview session that will see MacIntyre on stage and Awuzie and Liufau at their own tables.
Also Friday, Pac-12 vice president of officiating David Coleman will address the media and take questions.
MacIntyre is entering his fourth season in Boulder, where he has compiled a 10-27 record, including a 4-9 finish last season that saw the Buffs lose four conference games by a combined 20 points.
Awuzie, a senior, is a three-year starter who has been named to the national watch lists for some of the nation's most prestigious awards, including the Thorpe and Bednarik awards and the Nagurski Trophy. Awuzie played a team-high 897 defensive snaps last season and finished with 90 tackles, including a team-high 78 unassisted stops. He also recorded four quarterback sacks and had nine other tackles for loss to go with 10 pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
Liufau, also a three-year starter, spent the offseason rehabilitating a Lisfranc foot injury, suffered early in the game against USC in Week 11 last fall. Liufau, though, appears to have fully recovered from his injury, which means the Buffs will likely have a record-setting quarterback at the helm (75 and counting). The CU senior already owns CU's career record for completions (688), completion percentage (62.9) and total offense (7,842); and is just 14 yards away from owning the career yardage mark, as well as 122 attempts and 12 touchdown passes away from being the all-time CU leader in those categories.
The Buffs will report for camp on Wednesday, Aug. 3, with the first practice of the fall scheduled for Aug. 4.
The Buffs open the season under the Friday night lights this year with a 6 p.m. nationally televised game Sept. 2 against in-state rival Colorado State at Sports Authority Field in Denver (ESPN). The following week, CU will host its Sept. 10 home opener at Folsom Field with a 3:30 p.m. game vs. Idaho State, followed by a Sept. 17 visit to Michigan for a 1:30 p.m. matchup with the Wolverines.
Colorado will open its Pac-12 season on the road with a Sept. 24 game at Oregon. CU's home conference games will include Oregon State (Oct. 1), Arizona State (Oct. 15), UCLA (Nov. 3), Washington State (Nov. 19) and Utah (Nov. 26). Along with Oregon, the Buffs will also travel to USC (Oct. 8), Stanford (Oct. 22) and Arizona (Nov. 12).
Representatives for the other Pac-12 schools at Media Days will include:
Arizona: Head coach Rich Rodriguez, WR Nate Phillips, DL Sani Fuimaono; California: Head coach Sonny Dykes, OT Steven Moore, DE DeVante Wilson; USC: Head coach Clay Helton, OT Zach Banner, DB/WR Adoree Jackson; Oregon: Head coach Mark Helfrich, RB Royce Freeman, LB Johnny Ragin III; Washington State: Head coach Mike Leach, WR Gabe Marks, LB Parker Henry; Utah: Head coach Kyle Whittingham, OT J.J. Dielman, DB Justin Thomas; Arizona State: Head coach Todd Graham, WR/KR Tim White, DL Tashon Smallwood; Oregon State: Head coach Gary Andersen, WR Victor Bolden, P Nick Porebski; UCLA: Head coach Jim Mora, OT Connor McDermott, LB Jayon Brown; Washington: Head coach Chris Petersen, TE Darrell Daniels, DB KEvin King; Stanford: Head coach David Shaw, RB Christian McCaffrey, DE Solomon Thomas.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
