Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Brooks: MacIntyre Eager To See His Buffs Make Debut
August 31, 2013 | Football, B.G. Brooks
BOULDER - One of the last things he said to his players at Thursday night's team meeting was, "I can't wait to watch you guys play, I really can't."
Mike MacIntyre isn't alone.
Colorado football fans - many numbed, some disenchanted by seven consecutive losing seasons - are waiting with cautiously high hopes for Sunday's 4 p.m. debut of the Buffaloes under MacIntyre. It comes in Denver's Sports Authority Field at Mile High against in-state rival Colorado State in the Rocky Mountain Showdown.
Even before Sunday, MacIntyre has a history against CSU; his three San Jose State teams played the Rams twice and won both games (38-31 in 2011, 40-20 in 2012).
But those games didn't pack nearly the intensity that MacIntyre and his first CU team will experience on Sunday. It's a rivalry game - a "365 game," as MacIntyre likes to call it - and it means as much in this state as higher profile in-state battles mean in other regions. But this one, this season, in this state, is a monster.
"Yes, there's no doubt," MacIntyre said. "Opening games are always exciting, I don't care who you're playing. Then adding a rivalry game on top of that at a neutral stadium where half of the stadium is one color and half the stadium is another color. I just think that makes it unique. I also think it's a 365-day-a-year game where you're going to hear about it all the time - win, or hopefully not the other side of it, lose - all year long."
Added senior inside linebacker Derrick Webb, one of six CU captains: "The first game is always important in setting the tempo for the season, also because of the tradition of the game. This is CU vs. CSU; it's time to bring the title home to the Buffs and kick off the season right with a win."
The Rams won 22-17 last season and packed away the Centennial Cup for the trip to Fort Collins. CSU coach Jim McElwain debuted successfully in that game and earned a spot in school history, becoming the first of four rookie Rams head coach to defeat the Buffs. But CU leads the series by a robust 61-21-2 margin and has won eight of the 13 games played since 2000, including four of the last six.
CU's Sunday story lines are abundant - and abundantly clear. Five to watch unfold:
- MacIntyre is seeking to become only the third CU coach since 1931 to win his first game. The most recent: Rick Neuheisel in 1995 (43-7 at Wisconsin). In his head coaching debut in 2010, San Jose State tripped to No. 1 Alabama and fell hard, 48-3;
- Quarterback Connor Wood took the Buffs reins in spring, excelled with his leadership through the summer's player-run practices and strengthened his grip on the starting job throughout August camp. His focus now is carrying that confidence, efficiency and grasp of the offense into the regular season;
- Immediately behind Wood is Sefo Liufau, a true freshman whose maturity and August performance belie his age. MacIntyre has indicated no reluctance to use Liufau, even saying it is unrealistic to think of Liufau spending time in a redshirt;
- CU's defense, now in a 4-3 alignment, is on a mission to prove the major overhaul didn't merely apply to the scheme. After allowing laughably large point totals (46 per game) and yards (489 per game) last season, the Buffs "D" could use a large dose of redemption. Quickly;
- CU's offense, now in MacIntyre's and coordinator Brian Lindgren's version of the pistol, is up-tempo. Also heavy on misdirection, it has been tailored to the strong suits of Wood, his running backs and an improved receiving corps that features the return of Paul Richardson, the speediest of the Buffs and an acknowledged focal point for the CSU defense. A lingering offensive question: How effective will the running game be behind a rebuilt offensive line and relieving early pressure on Wood?
The Buffs have made noticeable off-season progress since MacIntyre was hired in December and through preseason camp. "They're buying into us," MacIntyre said. "Our job as a coaching staff is to get the right guys in the right spots on defense to make plays . . . we definitely feel the kids are starting to understand what we do."
But the Buffs have yet to experience the unavoidable pitfalls associated with any coaching change - namely the overall newness of game day and the interaction during four quarters under pressure. With CU in a new system, said MacIntyre, "you definitely don't have everything in yet by any stretch . . . you want to be able to execute and be able to get the snap count right and get lined up right and do the little things you have to do to win. So we're still in the process of doing that."
Wood, who made one start last season and played in seven games, said last season's 11-loss debacle sent the Buffs onto the practice field in August with the realization of how much work faced them. "We went 1-11 last year and we have to make some strides to get to where we want to be and you just can't take a day off, you know," he said.
And, the junior captain added, that must apply to him: "You can't say, 'All right I'm the starting quarterback so I really don't have to do much.' It should be the opposite because now it's my job to keep. I mean look at last year. It was a quarterback circus and guys were going in and out and no one really solidified that spot. My job right now is to solidify my spot."
As for any other personal motivation, he said it comes from an inner drive and his penchant for hard work: "I try to keep a level head and not try to think about the competition or about this or that. Just about the job that I need to do. I think that got me in trouble in the past sometimes. I was thinking about too much out there, this and that. It's all about X's and O's and all about ball getting from point A to point B - and point B is that end zone."
Here's something else MacIntyre told his team on Thursday night: "This isn't a normal game." He's a Southern guy with no CU connections, no pent-up wrath toward the Rams. Doesn't matter; he knows what Sunday means to the 2013 season, to a football program that's been in free-fall, and to him.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Mike MacIntyre isn't alone.
Colorado football fans - many numbed, some disenchanted by seven consecutive losing seasons - are waiting with cautiously high hopes for Sunday's 4 p.m. debut of the Buffaloes under MacIntyre. It comes in Denver's Sports Authority Field at Mile High against in-state rival Colorado State in the Rocky Mountain Showdown.
Even before Sunday, MacIntyre has a history against CSU; his three San Jose State teams played the Rams twice and won both games (38-31 in 2011, 40-20 in 2012).
But those games didn't pack nearly the intensity that MacIntyre and his first CU team will experience on Sunday. It's a rivalry game - a "365 game," as MacIntyre likes to call it - and it means as much in this state as higher profile in-state battles mean in other regions. But this one, this season, in this state, is a monster.
"Yes, there's no doubt," MacIntyre said. "Opening games are always exciting, I don't care who you're playing. Then adding a rivalry game on top of that at a neutral stadium where half of the stadium is one color and half the stadium is another color. I just think that makes it unique. I also think it's a 365-day-a-year game where you're going to hear about it all the time - win, or hopefully not the other side of it, lose - all year long."
Added senior inside linebacker Derrick Webb, one of six CU captains: "The first game is always important in setting the tempo for the season, also because of the tradition of the game. This is CU vs. CSU; it's time to bring the title home to the Buffs and kick off the season right with a win."
The Rams won 22-17 last season and packed away the Centennial Cup for the trip to Fort Collins. CSU coach Jim McElwain debuted successfully in that game and earned a spot in school history, becoming the first of four rookie Rams head coach to defeat the Buffs. But CU leads the series by a robust 61-21-2 margin and has won eight of the 13 games played since 2000, including four of the last six.
CU's Sunday story lines are abundant - and abundantly clear. Five to watch unfold:
- MacIntyre is seeking to become only the third CU coach since 1931 to win his first game. The most recent: Rick Neuheisel in 1995 (43-7 at Wisconsin). In his head coaching debut in 2010, San Jose State tripped to No. 1 Alabama and fell hard, 48-3;
- Quarterback Connor Wood took the Buffs reins in spring, excelled with his leadership through the summer's player-run practices and strengthened his grip on the starting job throughout August camp. His focus now is carrying that confidence, efficiency and grasp of the offense into the regular season;
- Immediately behind Wood is Sefo Liufau, a true freshman whose maturity and August performance belie his age. MacIntyre has indicated no reluctance to use Liufau, even saying it is unrealistic to think of Liufau spending time in a redshirt;
- CU's defense, now in a 4-3 alignment, is on a mission to prove the major overhaul didn't merely apply to the scheme. After allowing laughably large point totals (46 per game) and yards (489 per game) last season, the Buffs "D" could use a large dose of redemption. Quickly;
- CU's offense, now in MacIntyre's and coordinator Brian Lindgren's version of the pistol, is up-tempo. Also heavy on misdirection, it has been tailored to the strong suits of Wood, his running backs and an improved receiving corps that features the return of Paul Richardson, the speediest of the Buffs and an acknowledged focal point for the CSU defense. A lingering offensive question: How effective will the running game be behind a rebuilt offensive line and relieving early pressure on Wood?
The Buffs have made noticeable off-season progress since MacIntyre was hired in December and through preseason camp. "They're buying into us," MacIntyre said. "Our job as a coaching staff is to get the right guys in the right spots on defense to make plays . . . we definitely feel the kids are starting to understand what we do."
But the Buffs have yet to experience the unavoidable pitfalls associated with any coaching change - namely the overall newness of game day and the interaction during four quarters under pressure. With CU in a new system, said MacIntyre, "you definitely don't have everything in yet by any stretch . . . you want to be able to execute and be able to get the snap count right and get lined up right and do the little things you have to do to win. So we're still in the process of doing that."
Wood, who made one start last season and played in seven games, said last season's 11-loss debacle sent the Buffs onto the practice field in August with the realization of how much work faced them. "We went 1-11 last year and we have to make some strides to get to where we want to be and you just can't take a day off, you know," he said.
And, the junior captain added, that must apply to him: "You can't say, 'All right I'm the starting quarterback so I really don't have to do much.' It should be the opposite because now it's my job to keep. I mean look at last year. It was a quarterback circus and guys were going in and out and no one really solidified that spot. My job right now is to solidify my spot."
As for any other personal motivation, he said it comes from an inner drive and his penchant for hard work: "I try to keep a level head and not try to think about the competition or about this or that. Just about the job that I need to do. I think that got me in trouble in the past sometimes. I was thinking about too much out there, this and that. It's all about X's and O's and all about ball getting from point A to point B - and point B is that end zone."
Here's something else MacIntyre told his team on Thursday night: "This isn't a normal game." He's a Southern guy with no CU connections, no pent-up wrath toward the Rams. Doesn't matter; he knows what Sunday means to the 2013 season, to a football program that's been in free-fall, and to him.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Players Mentioned
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