Woelk: For Buffs, It's 'One Game And Clear' As They Turn Attention To USC

BOULDER — Rankings, standings … Sunday was indeed a heady day for the Colorado football team.

One day after a dominating 47-6 win over visiting Oregon State, the 4-1 Buffs (2-0 Pac-12) awoke to find themselves in first place in the Pac-12 South, and were then greeted with the news that Colorado has been reintroduced to the nation's top 25 (21st in the Associated Press poll; 23rd in the coaches' poll).

It was no doubt reason for a little celebration by the players.

But while the CU players were grinning, their coaches were back at work, studying film and preparing for next Saturday's trip to USC, where the Buffs will face a team CU has never beaten (0-10).

It's a message that will no doubt be delivered Monday morning — as will the reminder that nobody wins a conference title with a 2-0 record.

Actually, CU's coaches were already reminding their players of what's ahead late Saturday afternoon. CU head coach Mike MacIntyre told the Buffs in the postgame locker room that 2-0 was "just a start," then reiterated that point at his press conference.

"Two wins, 2-0 — that's what it means," MacIntyre said. "We expect a lot more and so do those young men. Every team that's left to play can beat us, and we can beat every team left. It's what I tell them all the time. Play Colorado football. Then you go out there and play and see what happens."

It's a mantra by which the Buffs have lived since the season began. It's also one that has clearly sunk in. Even as players were celebrating in the locker room Saturday afternoon, they were already looking ahead to USC and reiterating the goal they've attempted to follow each week this year: go 1-0 every week.

"I'm going to steal a quote from Coach Chev," said CU redshirt freshman quarterback Steven Montez. "He always says one snap and clear. We have to look at it like one game and clear. We have to go into this week with a fresh mindset and get ready to play USC. One game and clear. Oregon State is done. We have to be as hungry next week as we were this week."

There's no doubt fans will wonder how the Buffs will react to their newfound status. It's understandable. The last time the Buffs were nationally ranked (late 2005), the current Buffs were grade schoolers. The current players have endured some long seasons and their recent successes are a reward for their refusal to stray from the process.

But while these Buffs have done their best to focus each week on the task at hand, they also know how to draw upon the past. All the close games that got away, all the near misses in the last couple of years — including a loss at home to USC last season — are fuel that should keep the fire burning inside.

"Those are the games that still hurt," said senior defensive end Jimmie Gilbert, whose two-sack performance Saturday may have been one of the best games of his career. "Those are the games you remember. When you lose by a close margin, the little things you messed up really come into play. You remember them. When you look at the past from that perspective, you learn."

Simply, the Buffs are still hungry. Two Pac-12 wins and a little national attention aren't going to be enough to fill the void created by years of struggles. They'll return to work on Monday, leave the celebrating and speculating up to their fans, and concentrate on what they must do to end a 10-game losing streak to the Trojans.

"Really, we haven't proven much," said wide receiver Shay Fields after his three-touchdown performance Saturday. "The thing is, it doesn't matter if we win these two and then lose the rest. Then it's still a bad season and we're done with those. We still have a lot of work to do."

O-LINE DELIVERS: While much of the attention after Saturday's game centered on the offensive connection of Montez and Fields (three touchdowns) and a defense that kept the Beavers out of the end zone, CU's offensive linemen were quietly taking satisfaction in a job well done. The Buffs dominated the line of scrimmage, both in the run game and in pass protection.

"I felt like we played pretty good," said guard Gerrad Kough. "But we still have things to work on. We have to keep getting better. We all know our biggest test comes next week."

The Buffs' big men in the trenches did indeed put forth a solid effort. Along with paving the way for a 247-yard effort on the ground, they also gave Montez plenty of time in the pocket while also preventing the Beavers from recording a single sack. Time and time again, Montez had time to check through his progression, allowing him to find open receivers on a regular basis.

"If that play can be there for that amount of time, you don't have enough people in the defensive backfield," said OSU coach Gary Andersen. "But to me the difference was their ability to run the football consistently."

When the season began, the question surrounding CU's offensive line centered around how fast the group could come together. After an injury-plagued 2015, there was plenty of experience, but how fast they could develop into a cohesive unit was a question.

Thus far, Klayton Adams' crew has answered those questions each week. CU's line has improved steadily, and if that trend continues, CU's quarterback and running game will be in good hands.

FIRST PLACE, BUT … Each weekend, it seems, the Pac-12 is producing all kinds of surprises.

This week, it began with Washington's 44-6 thumping of Stanford on Friday, and continued through the day Saturday. Oregon suffered its third-straight loss, a 51-33 drubbing at Washington State; previously unbeaten Arizona State was manhandled by USC, 41-20; and 18th-ranked Utah dropped a 28-23 decision at Cal.

The moral to the weekend is simple. With two games down and seven to go, MacIntyre's words are worth stating again: "Every team that's left to play can beat us, and we can beat every team left."

Indeed, it now seems the only guarantee in the Pac-12 is that there are no guarantees.

NEVER TOO SOON: Just minutes after he had met with his defense and congratulated them on a game well played, CU defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt was asked if it was too soon to ask about USC.

"Not too soon for them," Leavitt said. "We know USC is a great team. We're going to have to battle every inch to have a shot against them. We know that. That's a talented team."

OLUGBODE A ROCK: We've said it before, but it bears repeating: senior inside linebacker Kenneth Olugbode is having an outstanding season.

Pending the final coaches' totals, Olugbode has 43 tackles this year. He also had a big fumble recovery in the opener vs. Colorado State and a big hit Saturday on OSU running back Atavis Pierce that resulted in a Rick Gamboa interception and 20-yard touchdown return.

Most importantly, he's been a force in the middle of the defense. He is terrific against the run up the middle, plays outstanding sideline-to-sideline defense and can apply pressure on the quarterback in blitz situations. He's also fast enough to play pass coverage, making him another extremely valuable weapon in Leavitt's arsenal.

CONTROL THE 'CONTROLLABLES': While Chiaverini has brought plenty to the Buffs this year in terms of offense and bringing the most out of his wide receivers, he's also helped instill in them the ability to — his words — "control the controllables."

"At the end of the day, we're going to control the things we can control — and that's us," Chiaverini said. "You don't concern yourself with all the other stuff. We control our attitude, our effort, our accountability, our consistency. That's what matters to us."

NATIONAL STATISTICS: After five games, including two conference contests, it's enough of a sample size to begin using national statistics as a measuring stick.

The Buffs are showing up nicely in a number of categories.

This week, CU is ninth nationally in total offense, averaging 531.2 yards per game. That includes 19th nationally in passing offense (312.6 yards per game) and 33rd in rushing offense (218.6 ypg).

Individually, Montez is 10th in passing efficiency with a 175.4 rating. Injured Sefo Liufau would actually be ranked ahead with a 182.0 rating, but he doesn't qualify because he's missed the last two games. Shay Fields is 32nd in receiving yards (92.0 pg) and Devin Ross is 55th in catches per game (5.2).

Defensively, the Buffs are 13th nationally in yards per game allowed (290.4), ninth in passing yards per game (150.4), 36th in scoring defense (20.6 points per game).

Colorado is also 23rd in turnover margin at a plus-.8 per game (9 forced, 5 lost).

And, the Buffs are 20th in third-down conversion offense (39 for 79) and 23rd in third-down defense (23 for 77).

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu