Colorado University Athletics
Woelk: Upon Further Review ...
September 06, 2015 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Every loss is painful, but Colorado's 28-20 season-opening defeat at Hawai'i was especially so, for a variety of reasons.
First and foremost is the obvious fact that the Buffs needed a win to get off on the right foot. Winning breeds confidence, and the Buffs no doubt could have used a win to provide a little affirmation of what they've believed since Day One of fall camp: that they are an improved team.
But equally painful is the fact that most of the momentum-shifting plays, those moments that swung the tide, were self-inflicted mistakes. The Buffs weren't as much the victims of better talent and big plays from the opposition as they were victims of their own errors.
Five plays stand out: a blocked punt early that handed the Warriors an easy touchdown; an interception and a fumble deep in Hawaii territory that ended potential CU scoring drives; a long Hawai'i scoring pass on which the Buffs missed a tackle; and a potential go-ahead touchdown pass that fell incomplete when quarterback Sefo Liufau barely overthrew a wide open Shay Fields.
Every one of those plays is a difference maker — and fact is, if the Buffs are going to reverse their fortunes, they have to eliminate those mistakes and make those plays. They are the kind of mistakes that made the difference in at least a half-dozen games a year ago, and if the Buffs don't eliminate those issues, they can't expect different results.
But there were some good signs in the Hawai'i game, areas that were overshadowed by the mistakes. Some thoughts and observations concerning the good and the bad:
IMPROVED PASS RUSH: Colorado got good pressure on Hawai'i quarterback Max Wittek all night long. While the Buffs were credited with just one sack, they forced Wittek into several errant throws, a big reason behind two interceptions (and a third that was negated by a penalty). Two defensive linemen who had solid games were starter Jordan Carrell (four tackles, including one for a loss, according to unofficial press box statistics) and redshirt freshman Jase Franke (three unassisted tackles and a sack).
D-MAC ATTACK: Sophomore Derek McCartney appears to be very much at home in his spot as an outside linebacker/defensive end, a good sign for Jim Leavitt's new defense. Press box statistics had McCartney with five tackles (four unassisted), including one tackle for a loss. He also had a huge interception and 33-yard return, showing great agility on the pick.
RUNNING GAME: Colorado ran for 215 yards, and more importantly, put together a couple of long drives on the back of the running game. Junior tailback Michael Adkins II showed signs of establishing himself as the "go-to" guy in the backfield (22 carries, 90 yards, two touchdowns) and sophomore Phillip Lindsay proved to be a nice change-of-pace threat (eight carries, 35 yards). If the Buffs can continue to improve here and develop some consistency, it will be a big plus.
CONDITIONING/INJURIES: Colorado actually appeared to be the better-conditioned team. While Hawai'i players seemed to have problems with cramps throughout the game, no Colorado players had such issues. In fact, CU's hurry-up offense seemed to take a toll on the Rainbow Warriors, as several Hawai'i players were injured when the Buffs hit hurry-up mode at several different junctures.
As for travel and weather being a factor, players and coaches said after the game that neither was an issue.
OVERALL DEFENSE: Along with a solid pass rush, the Buffs played good run defense, limiting the Warriors to just 2.9 yards per attempt (99 total rushing yards). The secondary also played relatively well. They were obviously hurt by one long pass play — a 79-yard touchdown pass — but overall, the secondary had a decent night, allowing Wittek to complete just 50 percent of his passes (19-for-38).
As for the overall performance of the defense, there's this: Hawai'i had just three drives of more than 40 yards all night (the Buffs had five). Hawai'i also had just four possessions of six plays or more (the Buffs had nine), and CU's defense forced three consecutive three-and-outs to start the third quarter, giving the Buff offense several opportunities with good field position.
The problem, of course, is that the Buffs failed to convert on too many of those opportunities.
CRAWLEY'S NIGHT: Fans will remember that it was cornerback Ken Crawley on the coverage on two of Hawaii's touchdown passes. Crawley's error was trying to strip the ball from Hawai'i receiver Marcus Kemp on the long ball rather than simply making the tackle. But Crawley also had four third-down stops, one of the best games in that regard since CU began tracking that statistic in 1987, along with two pass breakups.
OFFENSIVE LINE: A mixed bag here. The Buffs blocked fairly well in the running game, but struggled against Hawaii's stunts in the passing game — something the Buffs knew was coming, but still had trouble stopping, as Hawai'i recorded four quarterback sacks. You can bet the Buffs will see plenty of similar approaches over the next three weeks — or until they prove they can stop the strategy.
KICKING GAME: One bright spot for the Buffs was the performance of field goal kicker Diego Gonzalez, who was 2-for-2 in his attempts, including a crucial 40-yarder with just 3:48 remaining in the game. Gonzalez showed no signs of nerves and had good distance on both tries. At the same time, CU's kick return team also performed well (one return for 41 yards).
RED ZONE: Another area that has to improve. Colorado ventured inside the Hawai'i 20 on four occasions, and came away empty twice. Hawai'i, meanwhile, scored two touchdowns and two field goals on its trips inside the CU 20.
UNDER PRESSURE: Hawaii's pass rush forced Liufau to hurry some throws, and he missed open receivers a couple of times during the game. If the Buffs can improve their protection and give Liufau a little more time in the pocket, he should improve in that regard.
EMOTION: Any suggestion that the Buffs weren't ready to play is, as one player succinctly put it Saturday afternoon, "crazy." This was a team that could have cashed it in early and late — but didn't, in either circumstance. Three different times the Buffs pulled to within a point following Hawai'i scores, a tired defense found a way to give the offense the ball one last time late in the fourth quarter, and the offense came within a chaotic final play of having a last shot at the end zone. That's a team that was emotionally invested, from beginning to end.
THE LAST PLAY: Speaking of the last play, there's certainly no guarantee the Buffs would have cashed in if they'd had one more chance to score. But on a night when the Buffs needed something to break their way, the confusion at the end provided a bizarre finish, to say the least.
OVERALL: The Buffs weren't manhandled physically; in fact, there was only one place — the offensive line — where they were on their heels more often than not. Rather, their wounds were almost all self-inflicted, the type of mistakes a team with a small margin of error can ill-afford to commit.
Saturday evening, head coach Mike MacIntyre said he still believes this team "will win a lot of football games." With 12 remaining, that's obviously still possible — but the Buffs need to eliminate those self-inflicted wounds if they want to increase the probability.
