Pesavento Believes Buffs Can Execute Turnaround

BOULDER — Fifteen years ago, the Colorado Buffaloes were coming off a 3-8 season, a year in which they had a sophomore-junior laden team, just five senior starters and lost four of their games by a total of 12 points.

Sound familiar? It should.

This year's Buffaloes are coming off a 4-9 season, a year in which they they had a lineup dominated by sophomores and juniors (just four senior starters) and for the second year in a row lost four Pac-12 games by a touchdown or less.

The question, of course, is whether Mike MacIntyre's 2016 Buffaloes can come close to duplicating what Gary Barnett's 2001 crew accomplished. If they can, CU fans will do backflips down the Pearl Street Mall.

Those 2001 Buffs put together one of the more memorable seasons in CU history. One year after their 3-8 finish, they posted a 10-3 record that included a 62-36 win over unbeaten and second-ranked Nebraska, a 39-37 win over Texas in the Big 12 Championship game and a Fiesta Bowl berth.

The Buffs haven't won a league title since.

That 2001 team, of course, proved to be a talent-laden squad. It boasted 11 NFL Draft picks, including a pair of first-rounders (TE Daniel Graham and DE Tyler Brayton), two second-rounders (OG Andre Gurode and SS Michael Lewis) and two third-rounders (CB Donald Strickland and RB Chris Brown).

It's unlikely this year's team will produce the same type of NFL Draft bounty (although there are a handful of players from the 2016 team already climbing up the NFL Draft watch lists).

But the general similarities between the two teams aren't difficult to see.

"It's not a reach," said former CU quarterback Bobby Pesavento, a starter on that 2001 team. "They've been trending in the right direction. It takes a few guys to just step up and say, 'Listen — I'm sick and tired of going on the road and losing and sick and tired of losing games that we were winning in the fourth quarter.'

"I think that similarity exists. There are some personalities on that team that are going to be there this fall that will have the capability to lead and get guys to rally around them. If they do that, they can start pulling out those games they should be winning. I honestly think they have that potential to pull off a big swing in the win-loss columns."

Pesavento, most often a backup in 2000, stepped into the starting role midway through the 2001 season in place of injured Craig Ochs and led the Buffs to their biggest wins of the year. While he threw 27 fewer passes than Ochs that year, he still finished with more passing yards (1,234-1,220) and touchdowns (8-7).

And, as one of the seniors on that year's team, he saw the difference the upperclassmen made — beginning in the offseason.

"You could just see the confidence in that senior class all spring and through the offseason," Pesavento said. "We'd been so close the year before, and we also started to realize that we had some really talented younger guys that had gained a lot of experience playing as freshmen or sophomores. It was a combination of a lot of things, and it just came together that season."

Pesavento still lives in the Denver area and follows the Buffs closely. He is a regular visitor to CU practices and keeps close tabs on the program.

"What you saw in 2001 was a senior leadership group that was determined to make up for what had occurred the year before," Pesavento said. "It was an attitude and a decision that was made and communicated to everyone. There was just no way we were going to deal with that again.

"What's funny is it was almost an attitude of cockiness, a swagger. We were just so sick and tired of losing, of being close and not getting it done, that we just wouldn't accept it anymore. From what I can tell, from what I see of this team, I think these kids have that same thing in them."

As a former quarterback, Pesavento still pays close attention to the position. He said he likes what he's seen from CU's Sefo Liufau — but hopes that Liufau will rely on his teammates more this year.

"He doesn't have to push," Pesavento said. "You think of the term 'Steady Eddy' (a perfect description of Pesavento's style, by the way) and Sefo has that ability. They're starting to get talent around him. They're establishing a running game. When he was first starting out, it was one of those things where I'm sure he felt like he needed to do it all on his own.

"I don't think he has to do that anymore. He just needs to make good decisions with the ball. When you start playing the game that way, all of a sudden the break start happening for you, then you get a little momentum and good things keep happening."

One big plus for the Buffs, Pesavento said, will be a defense that should be a team strength.

"Quarterbacks always lean on the defense," he said. "That was one big thing about that 2001 team. We weren't offense over here and defense over there, it was just a team. I can remember lots of times when something would happen and the defensive guys would come up to me and say, 'Don't force it, we're fine. We'll get it back for you.' When you have trust in your defense, that makes a big difference. You learn not to force things because they're going to get it back."

Pesavento also believes it won't take long to see how this Buffs team will respond.

In 2000, CU opened with a mistake-plagued 28-24 loss to Colorado State. A year later, the Buffs ended a two-year losing streak to the Rams with a 41-14 blowout victory in Denver.

"It's monumental," Pesavento said. "It's one of those games that can paint the picture for the rest of the season."

The other thing Pesavento believes the Buffs need? A "signature" win.

"This team needs that big win, the one that makes the difference," Pesavento said. "To become really good, you have to beat teams that are perceived to be better than you. That takes leadership, guys just refusing to quit no matter what happens in a game. Guys stepping up and saying we're going to get it done."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu

Players Mentioned

Sefo Liufau

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