Finally - Buffs Ready For 2015 Kickoff At Hawai'i - University of Colorado Athletics

HONOLULU — They're bigger, stronger and faster — but are they better?

After an offseason dedicated to the former, the Colorado Buffaloes will find out the answer to the latter tonight when they kick off the third year of the Mike MacIntyre era against Hawai'i.

Kickoff at Aloha Stadium is set for 7:04 p.m. local time, which translates to 11:04 p.m. in Boulder and 1:04 a.m. for Buff insomniacs on the East Coast.

CBS Sports Network will televise the game and KOA radio (850 am) will carry the broadcast.

Of course, every game is important. Just ask any coach or player. There's also no doubt that the first game can often set the tone for a season.

But since the day the 2014 season ended with a disappointing loss to Utah and a 2-10 record, the Buffaloes have been pointing to this night as the beginning of a season of redemption. Their goal is to put 2014 to bed once and for all — and what better way to do it than with a game that will see many of their fans watching in their pajamas?

MacIntyre isn't one to downplay the importance of a fast start to 2015 — but he doesn't see tonight's game as carrying any added pressure.

Rather, he calls it an opportunity he believes his players will embrace.

"You only get so many opportunities to play the game," MacIntyre said. "You need to think every one of them is the biggest game of your life, because honestly, you never know when your last game is going to be. I don't see that as pressure, I see that as a great opportunity every time you play.

"If all of our kids can take that thought process, that this is the biggest game of their life because it's the next game — then they have the right attitude and will play well."

It is by no means the ideal opener. The Buffs will be some 3,300 miles away from home and will face hot, humid conditions, possibly coupled with rain showers — and this on the heels of an eight-hour flight Tuesday.

They're also facing a team in a similar situation. The Rainbow Warriors are coming off a disappointing season of their own, and see the Buffs as the first step toward erasing the memories of last year's 4-9 finish.

But it's also a team Colorado beat 21-12 a year ago in Boulder, and while a major portion of the Rainbow Warriors' coaching staff has changed, and there's also a new quarterback in charge, the Buffs see tonight's game as a major stepping stone.

"This offseason was especially long," quarterback Sefo Liufau said. "I think we let ourselves down last year to a certain extent. We made some critical mistakes in some games we could have won. Now, we're just waiting to come back out here and play and show people what we can actually do. We put in the work in the spring, put in the work this summer and now we're ready.

"We really believe we're ready."

Liufau, who set literally dozens of passing records for the Buffs a year ago, will once again be the main cog in an offense that took a giant leap forward last season. He'll have his favorite targets returning in Nelson Spruce and Shay Fields, along with a host of talented but mostly untested youngsters to whom he can distribute the ball.

Up front, Liufau has an experienced offensive line, and a stable of running backs in Christian Powell, Phillip Lindsay and Michael Adkins II that should be improved from a year ago. If the Buffs can even take a small step forward again with their offense, there should be enough production there to keep them in most — if not all — of their games this year.

But while the Buffs know what their offense is capable of doing, the defense is still an unknown. New coordinator Jim Leavitt has had a spring and fall camp to implement his new scheme, and the Buffs have a solid linebacking corps, depth on the defensive line and a deep and experienced secondary. Returnees such as linebackers Addison Gillam and Kenneth Olugbode, cornerback Ken Crawley and safety Tedric Thompson have the Buffs believing their defense is ready to take the same kind of step their offense took a year ago.

Still, it's not unfair to call the defense a question mark simply because they're coming off a season when they were among the nation's lowest ranked groups in many statistical categories, including defensive takeaways. Last year, CU's defense forced just 11 turnovers.

The good news is they have the opportunity to answer some of those questions tonight.

Southern California transfer quarterback Max Wittek is now at the helm for the Rainbow Warriors, and he's expected to test Colorado's secondary early and often. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Wittek has a pair of quality receivers in Marcus Kemp and Quinton Pedroza, and while the Rainbow Warriors' running game and offensive line have been question marks in camp, Wittek's presence makes the Hawai'i offense a formidable threat.

"He's a big, powerful kid," MacIntyre said. "He's got an extremely strong arm and I know he's excited to be playing again."

A year ago, the Hawai'i secondary kept the Buffs contained for the entire second half, and most of those players return, including Ne'Quan Phillips, who has 25 starts under his belt. Up front, returning starter Kennedy Tulimasealii, who had 40 tackles a year ago, leads the group.

Looking for a trend? In their history, the Buffs have won 77 of their season openers. In years when they've won their season openers, they've gone on to produce a winning record 60 times.

Tonight (or early Friday morning for all the folks on the mainland), one of the two teams on the Aloha Stadium artificial turf will walk away feeling good about the future.

No one needs to tell the Buffs it's an important game.

"It's of the utmost importance," Liufau said. "You always want to get off on the right foot and it starts here. We're ready to compete."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu