Brooks: Reality Continues To Hit Hard At Buffs

STANFORD, Calif. - When circumstances, outcomes and outlooks sometimes spiral out of their control, coaches have a fall-back saying: "It is what it is." Colorado football coach Jon Embree fell back on it here early Saturday evening after his team had fallen hard against No. 7 Stanford.

Indeed, here's what it was for Embree as his first CU team lurched toward the season's halfway point in a 48-7 smack-down by the largely unchallenged Cardinal:

His secondary, thinned to the see-through stage by injuries and last week's suspensions, was cast against the likely No. 1 NFL Draft pick next spring and the probable 2011 Heisman Trophy winner. Bearded quarterback Andrew Luck did nothing to endanger either of those projections, completing 26 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns. The Buffs' secondary is a patchwork unit, but Luck will pass much better ones silly this season.
CU's receiving corps lined up without top hand Paul Richardson, who tweaked a knee during practice last Wednesday and is expected to be out two to three weeks. Also missing Saturday was senior Kyle Cefalo, nursing a bum elbow. Redshirt freshman Keenan Canty made his first start and senior transfer Logan Gray saw his first sustained duty. The WR body count isn't as low as the DB count, but it could catch up.
The Buffs' running game, finally finding its legs in a 161-yard performance in the previous game against Washington State, found the going infinitely tougher against the Cardinal. The Buffs rushed for 60 yards on The Farm, primarily because Stanford stays disciplined and controls gaps so very well, according to CU senior guard Ryan Miller. Whatever, the Buffs still can't run effectively.
CU's special teams woes are still around. Freshman kicker Will Oliver, finally - in Week 6 - had a day befitting a freshman. Entering the afternoon having made eight-of-nine field goal attempts, Oliver had his first try Saturday blocked - the second in as many weeks - and was wide on a later kick. He admitted afterward he tried to sneak a peek at Stanford's rush, pulling his head up and slightly disrupting his rhythm. "That one's on me," he said of his first miss that was not batted back at him.
And as Embree has noted many times before, this isn't a team that can squander opportunities and survive. Oliver perfectly executed a "sky kick" on the opening kickoff, allowing Jon Major to recover a fumble at the Stanford 36-yard line. But the Buffs' drive fizzled at the 12, and Oliver's 29-yard field goal try turned into a 75-yard blocked return for a score. CU fell behind 7-0 and never caught up, trailing 13-0 after one quarter, 27-7 at the half, 41-7 after three quarters and finally losing by 41 points. (Turns out the oddsmakers were kind; they said it would be 29.5.) "That's the story of the game pretty much - missed opportunities," quarterback Tyler Hansen said. "It hurts. That could have changed the momentum of the game right there. We got no points, then they get seven (off the blocked field goal) . . . it's huge, it's huge."

The Buffs now have lost three straight. If desperation hasn't caught them, it's in hot pursuit. Embree told his players after Saturday's defeat, "We have what we have. We just have to find a way, figure a way. I told the seniors a lot of them have got seven opportunities left to play football again and they have to make sure they keep bringing a sense of urgency to practice.

"We have to find a way to fight and take what we've got to win games. It is what it is, and at some point guys are going to have to step up and make a play when they're in there. You can't change, and injuries are part of the game. So you have to find a way to win."

Last week's suspensions of linebacker Liloa Nobriga and defensive backs Parker Orms, Paul Vigo, Ayodeji Olatoye and Josh Moten haven't eroded morale, contended Hansen: "We love those guys, but they did the stuff they did and didn't deserve to be here. Coach Embree did the right thing and we support him.

"We've got guys who want to be here and are doing the right things to be here. Coach Embree makes it known if you don't do the right things in academics or out of football, then you're not going to be around."

Of the suspended fivesome, Embree said "it's going to be awhile" before any one returns. "I'm not going to compromise the rest of those guys in the locker room or the integrity of this program."

Still, had the Buffs' secondary been fully stocked, it might not have helped against Luck. Gray, himself a former quarterback in high school and at Georgia, was in Athens with another No. 1 NFL draftee - Matthew Stafford. Luck, said Gray, compares favorably: "I've seen some good ones, but (Luck) was impressive, he really was. He orchestrated things out there like you normally don't see a college quarterback do - calling audibles, making checks, moving guys around. You could tell he really, really understands the game, and that's rare at this level. He was everything everybody talked about."

But Gray, who caught three passes Saturday for 38 yards, was exposed to more than efficient QB play at Georgia. The Bulldogs didn't lose many games during his undergraduate days. What he's experiencing now is foreign, eerily different and thoroughly disappointing.

"It's tough," Gray said. "I mean, honestly, I've never been a part of anything like this before. We were fortunate to do a lot of good stuff at Georgia. I think we've got a lot of high-character guys on this team, and if you're not a high character guy you're not going to be on this team. Coach Embree is making sure that everybody on this team is on board now 100 percent. We'll keep working hard, keep battling to get a win. That's what everybody wants. No one enjoys this."

Even after the suspensions and a third consecutive loss, Miller claimed, "I actually think it could be a lot worse. I still think this team has a ton of heart and we're not going to quit - we won't quit."

Asked if a strong belief still remained in the locker room, he said, "Definitely . . . no question. We definitely have heart. There's definitely still a team in there (the locker room). The Colorado Buffaloes are still in there."

Now, added Hansen, "We've got to move on. It's the same as the last couple of weeks have been. It's water under the bridge. We're as good as any team we've played so far, I know that. We've been unlucky. We've got to keep moving on and keep fighting. We have to keep guys positive, keep fighting and keep thinking about this year, this year, this year."

That's all most of CU's seniors have left in their football careers, and it's Embree's selling point for next Saturday's game at Washington and those beyond. The trip to Seattle, he said, offers "an opportunity to end the (road) streak, an opportunity to win a Pac-12 game - one of seven left for most of these guys. We're only guaranteed seven right now. I can't count the future, I just know what's on the schedule."

It is what it is - and it's quickly sliding by.

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU

Colorado University Athletics

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