Buffs Return To Practice Monday, Prepare For Arizona

BOULDER — For the first time since the season started, the Colorado Buffaloes didn't have a Sunday practice. Because they didn't return from their trip to Arizona State until the wee hours of Sunday morning, head coach Mike MacIntyre moved Sunday's practice to Monday, normally the players' day off.

It will be interesting to see how the Buffs react after having an entire day to digest Saturday's 48-23 loss to the Sun Devils — especially because it's the first practice of what could be the most important week of the season thus far.

No doubt, every week is important. Win or lose, every team needs to return to work each week with a clear sense of purpose.

But given the tone of locker room conversations Saturday night in Tempe, it's not unfair to say the Buffs are at an important crossroads of their season — one that could still produce plenty of success, or simply extend the program's frustrations.

Currently sporting a 3-3 record (0-2 Pac-12), the Buffs are just one of two teams in the conference without a Pac-12 victory. But they're also in a conference that has demonstrated one thing quite clearly already: almost no one is immune from a bad day.

The Buffs will spend the week preparing for an Arizona team that started out hot with three straight wins, then hit back-to-back potholes against UCLA and Stanford before turning things back in the right direction with a resounding 44-7 win over Oregon State. Kickoff for Saturday's home game is 7 p.m. at Folsom Field (Fox Sports 1).

But maybe more importantly, the Buffs will spend the week deciding how they're going to react to their latest performance.

After a disappointing loss to Hawai'i to start the season, the Buffs did their best to remain calm. They vowed to correct the mistakes that cost them a victory, and they proceeded to win three straight.

After the loss to Oregon, there was an air of disappointment, a feeling that they'd let one get away — yet they still believed they were improving.

But after the ASU loss, there was a building sense of anger over the repeated mistakes that prevented them from being competitive. There was no talk about improving, no discussion that concerned taking a step forward.

Instead, the Buffs were vocal — and adamant — about the need to change direction immediately. Nobody pointed fingers, but nobody claimed to be free of responsibility.

“If you don't come out of this game with a chip on your shoulder, you don't belong on this team,” quarterback Sefo Liufau said. “This should hurt. Everybody in this locker room has to be accountable. We all made mistakes and it's time to stop talking about them and fix it.”

Running back Phillip Lindsay, who delivered a passionate postgame locker room speech, later told reporters, “If there's people in that locker room that don't believe, it's not the place for them. It's time for us to come together, to fight for each other and win football games.”

This was not a feeling of disappointment. Instead, it had the sense of a team backed into a corner. The question this week will be whether they can channel that anger into a constructive week of practice — because while the Pac-12 has proven that almost nobody is immune to a bad day, the Buffs know they need to prove they are capable of a good day when it matters.

LINE SHUFFLE: There was some good news on the injury front, as MacIntyre said Monday they expect to have left tackle Sam Kronshage back in the lineup this week after missing last week's game with a concussion. That means regular right tackle Stephane Nembot, who played left tackle against ASU, will be back on the right side.

TACKLE LEADERS: Unofficial press box statistics had cornerback Ken Crawley as CU's tackle leader with seven unassisted stops. Safety Tedric Thompson was next with five unassisted stops and defensive end Derek McCartney and defensive back Chidobe Awuzie were credited with four each. Awuzie also had the Buffs' only sack of the night.

Linebacker Ryan Severson, making the first start of his CU career, was credited with three solo stops and an assist.

INTERCEPTION STREAK: Ahkello Witherspoon's first-quarter interception, his second of the year, gave CU an interception in all six games this year. The last time the Buffs picked off a pass in six straight games came in the final six games of the 2004 season.

LIUFAU'S NUMBERS: CU's quarterback finished with 389 yards passing on 25 completions in 40 attempts, with one touchdown and an interception. It was the second-most passing yards in his career, topped only by the 455 he had against Cal in a double-overtime loss last season.

THIRD-DOWN DIFFERENCE: The Sun Devils converted 10 of 17 third-down tries, and were incredibly effective when they needed 5 yards or less. In those situations, ASU was a perfect 8-for-8. Colorado converted six of 16 third-down tries, and was 4-for-6 when needing 5 yards or less.

THREE-AND-OUT: Neither team was particularly effective in stopping drives early. Colorado had just two three-and-out possessions all night; the Sun Devils had just one.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu