Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Buffs Seek To Reestablish ID Against UMass
September 05, 2014
FOXBORO, Mass. GÇô In week two of August camp the Colorado Buffaloes faced GÇ£Identity Week,GÇ¥ a grueling stretch in which they sought to forge an ID that would push them into college footballGÇÖs 2014 regular season and hopefully beyond.
If week one of the regular season didnGÇÖt result in an outright identity crisis, it at least turned the Buffs sharply toward introspection. Their second game, SeptemberGÇÖs first, and the seasonGÇÖs first road trip donGÇÖt collectively qualify as a crossroad. But a bitter 31-17 loss last weekend to in-state rival Colorado State makes it imperative for the Buffs to reestablish who they think they are and what they want to be in 2014.
GÇ£I wouldnGÇÖt say (our identity) took a hit,GÇ¥ senior linebacker Woodson Greer said this week. GÇ£But I donGÇÖt think we were as focused as we needed to be. Our mindset wasnGÇÖt GÇÿstop the run, stop the run.GÇÖ It was more GÇÿbeat CSU, beat CSU.GÇÖ But I think weGÇÖre grounded now and we understand where we are and what we have to do to make this team better.GÇ¥
If thatGÇÖs true, CU will leave Gillette Stadium early Saturday evening having handled a heavy underdog. With CU opening as a 17-point favorite against Massachusetts (1 p.m. MDT, ESPN3), the oddsmakers believe the Buffs should be able to easily reclaim their identity against a Mid-American Conference opponent that is only 2-22 in three seasons of league membership.
Life in the FBS hasnGÇÖt been a breeze for the Minutemen. UMass finished last season 1-11 and dropped its 2014 season-opener 30-7 to Boston College. SaturdayGÇÖs meeting is the first of three for CU and UMass, with games in 2015 and 2021 to be played in Boulder.
Despite his team being a heavy favorite, CU coach Mike MacIntyre contends that role doesnGÇÖt shade his view of what the Buffs must do on Saturday in their second game in as many weeks in an NFL stadium. Since the CSU loss, he said he has seen GÇ£a hungrinessGÇ¥ in his playersGÇÖ eyes.
GÇ£You only get so many games,GÇ¥ MacIntyre said. GÇ£And you canGÇÖt overlook anybody by any stretch of the imagination.GÇ¥
One of footballGÇÖs oldest adages is that teams make their biggest improvement between their first and second games. If that holds true for the Buffs, theyGÇÖll show dramatic improvement in run defense. CSU pounded out 266 yards rushing and three touchdowns last weekend.
Despite its success, Greer said the RamsGÇÖ ground game offered the Buffs no surprises: GÇ£We knew they were going to try (to run), but with the loss of their big tight end (Crockett Gillmore) we didnGÇÖt think it was going to be that much of a factor.GÇ¥
Maybe that in itself was enough of a surprise.
Nonetheless, CUGÇÖs vulnerability to the run now becomes a starting point for opponentsGÇÖ game-planning through November GÇô or until the Buffs show theyGÇÖve toughened up that phase of their defense or can make the necessary in-game adjustments. UMass might not be the most accurate measuring stick for that; the Minutemen ran for only 55 yards on opening weekend.
But circumstances might different this week -- and they certainly will be for the Buffs. Although there will be plenty of sea-level air for the guys who play at altitude, that air will be hot and humid. Saturday's temperatures are forecast to be in the mid- to upper-80s. And it won't be Rocky Mountain dry, which will push MacIntyre and his staff into using considerably more players than they did last weekend in Denver.
Of his teamGÇÖs week one to week two improvement, MacIntyre said, GÇ£We need to shore up some defensive front stuff. We just need to do what we need to do. I did like our fast start (vs. CSU) but we have to finish better.GÇ¥
Aside from not reaching the end zone after first-and-goal at the CSU 2-yard line, CU mostly played an efficient first half, with the Buffs enjoying 10-0 and 17-7 leads. So finishing, as well as that in-game adapting, are chief among MacIntyreGÇÖs week two goals.
UMassGÇÖ starting quarterback is graduate transfer Blake Frohnapfel, a 6-6, 229-pounder who has two years of eligibility (including 2014) after earning his undergraduate degree at Marshall. Making his first start for the Minutemen last weekend, Frohnapfel completed 9 of 22 passes for 147 yards and a 77-yard touchdown to Tajae Sharpe. BC intercepted Frohnapfel once.
CUGÇÖs starting QB GÇô sophomore Sefo Liufau GÇô completed 24 of his 39 passes against CSU for 241 yards and a pair of TDs to junior Nelson Spruce. Liufau said his opening night had its GÇ£ups and downs . . . I had some good throws, made some decisions, then we went three-and-out sometimes. That ultimately that goes on me. I felt like I could have done more.GÇ¥
In the openerGÇÖs aftermath, MacIntyre said LiufauGÇÖs mannerisms had not changed: GÇ£HeGÇÖs been the same Sefo; thereGÇÖs no lack of confidence, no hanging his head or shoulders. HeGÇÖs done well.GÇ¥
The Minutemen run a 3-4 defensive front, with their ends and linebackers recognized as the strengths, said Liufau. GÇ£TheyGÇÖre physical guys (but) we have to come out prepared for anything they throw at us. We canGÇÖt take anyone lightly. What they did (last weekend) means nothing.GÇ¥
UMassGÇÖ coach is Mark Whipple, who has a solid NFL background and is in his second stint with the Minutemen. He first coached in Amherst from 1998-2003, guiding UMass to the A-10 championship and the NCAA Division I-AA championship.
MacIntyre said Whipple has GÇ£a good offensive mind. ItGÇÖs interesting, watching what they do and how they do it with different formations.GÇ¥ As an offensive coordinator and/or QB coach, Whipple has favored a West Coast offense. He coached NFL QBs Ben Roethlisberger at Pittsburgh and Donovan McNabb at Philadelphia.
The Buffs shouldnGÇÖt let it enter their minds Saturday, but a week from Saturday they play their first Pac-12 Conference opponent GÇô Arizona State (8 p.m. kickoff) in their 2014 home opener. In a perfect world, CU will use its longest road trip ever (1,770 miles) in the continental U.S. to right itself, regain momentum and return to Folsom Field reenergized.
For those reasons GÇô but primarily getting the seasonGÇÖs first win GÇô SaturdayGÇÖs significance isnGÇÖt lost on Greer.
GÇ£This game is big for us,GÇ¥ he said. GÇ£But (UMass) is a team hungry to win, just like every other FBS team. We do know who we are, but we have to be able to play like weGÇÖre supposed to play. We have to be focused on that.GÇ¥
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
