Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: A Shootout? Probably. A Shutout? No. (But A Little ‘D’ Will Win The Day)
November 17, 2016 | Football, B.G. Brooks
Buffs, Cougars match high-powered offenses on Saturday at Folsom
BOULDER – After extensive thought (pause here for a smirk) and not-so-exhaustive research on Saturday's featured game in the Pac-12 Conference – No. 12 Colorado vs. No. 20 Washington State at Folsom Field – here's my conclusion: The team with the most points wins.
How many points will that take? That's TBD but there's a good chance that neither the Buffaloes nor the Cougars will reach their weekly averages – 44.3 for WSU, 35.2 for CU.
Then again, Folsom's scoreboards could be in for a digital implosion, a last-team-with-the-ball-wins kind of afternoon. Genuine entertainment for pass freaks and pointaholics.
How's that for waffling?
Conventional wisdom says we shouldn't expect a shutout by either defense, although both defenses are capable of extreme stinginess. CU is tied for the conference lead in scoring 'D' at 17.9 points allowed a game and WSU is sixth at 24.3.
The keys here are which defense can create breaks for its offense (read: turnovers), which defense can merely slow the other offense and make a critical stop or two, which defense finds itself on the field for an inordinate number of snaps and eventually winds up wasted?
It might wind up a pull-your-hair-out experience for both defensive coordinators, but CU's Jim Leavitt and WSU's Alex Grinch could get a big assist from their offensive counterparts – Darrin Chiaverini/Brian Lindgren for the Buffs, head coach/OC Mike Leach for the Cougars.
Or perhaps not.
Does it seem plausible for both teams' game plans to focus, at least in part, on ball control? When I ran that idea by Chiaverini and CU offensive line coach Klayton Adams, they didn't exactly run it back down my gullet. But neither was it embraced as an idea whose time will come Saturday afternoon at 1:30.
Chiaverini's response was what you'd expect from a co-coordinator who made an up-tempo arrival in Boulder last winter: "I think it's a matter of us being who we are; we want to be able to move the ball, facilitate the offense, play with tempo and get the ball out to our playmakers," he said.
Ever the pragmatist, Adams offered, "You do whatever it takes to have more points than them at the end of the game. That's ultimately the right answer. I think probably more than anything it's a battle of two great defenses."
AND HERE'S WHAT IMPRESSES HIM about the Cougars' defense: "They do as good a job as anybody I've ever seen of either recruiting players that are perfect for their scheme or fitting a scheme around their players. I don't think they have a lot of weaknesses."
But that doesn't mean the Buffs (or the Cougars) won't be able to score points in bunches, pile up yardage, or occasionally control the ball with long drives.
Chiaverini says offensive diversity (261.1 yards passing a game, 204.7 rushing) will serve CU well in a game like Saturday's. "We've had a mixture of scoring quickly and we've also had long drives," he said. "We had a 17-play scoring drive against Arizona last week. We've done both – been explosive at times and at times had more ball control."
Added Adams: "The tempo part of it and the things we do – they're things we're going to do Saturday. I don't think (ball control is so critical). You've got to go out and be what your identity is offensively. That's what they're going to do, that's what we're going to do. I think no different than any other week, when you have the football you want to score touchdowns."
Still, both Chiaverini and Adams agreed that "running some clock" with the ground game and possibly limiting the number of snaps for QB Luke Falk and his Air Raid offense would enhance the Buffs' chances of taking another step toward winning the Pac-12 South.
CU's running game, said Chiaverini, becomes "very, very critical . . . Phillip Lindsay is closing in on a thousand yards (he's at 934) and we're very proud of that as a group. The offensive line wants to get him that mark. But we want to be able to play high tempo, elite tempo and elite offensive football in these next couple of games down the stretch. We got back to that last week."
Adams, who used a patchwork O-line in CU's 49-24 win in Tucson, expects to have both starting tackles – Jeromy Irwin (left), Sam Kronshage (right) – back in the lineup. He's not so certain about left guard Gerrad Kough, but if last Saturday night in the dessert reaffirmed anything for him, it was this: He's got reserves such as tackles Shane Callahan and Aaron Haigler and guards Sully Wiefels and Jonathan Huckins who have prepared themselves to play.
Next man up isn't a myth for the 2016 Buffs.
"For me, it was as proud as I've been of that group the entire season," Adams said of his line's effort at Arizona. "You've got guys like Sully and Shane that are maybe not playing as much as they want as seniors and they're (still) leaders on this team. When they get opportunities to go in there and play at a high level and do a good job and help us win, that's what our team is all about. It's having that kind of depth and unity where the next man goes in and we don't miss a beat."
SCORING ITS MOST POINTS SINCE Oct. 1 (a 47-6 rout of Oregon State), the Buffs offense also saw quarterback Sefo Liufau regain a rhythm that had ebbed in the previous two weeks. Liufau accounted for 269 yards of total offense (56 rushing, 213 passing) and four touchdowns (three passing) against the Wildcats.
However, of more importance for Chiaverini was this: "What I saw from him is that he got his confidence back. He was playing with a lot of confidence. He threw some great footballs."
Those included a 40-yard TD throw to Jay MacIntyre after Liufau had scrambled left and launched. "He threw a 'dime' ball to 'J-Mac,'" Chiaverini said, adding that Liufau's 27-yard in-stride scoring pass to Shay Fields "was a perfectly thrown ball. And that was on a check (by Liufau). He gave Shay the check and Shay ran right by his guy . . . Another 'dime' ball. When your quarterback is playing at that level it's a lot of fun, a lot of fun."
That's what Liufau and the Buffs are experiencing now. They're within two wins of a 10-win season, a Pac-12 South title and a spot in the conference championship game. Heady times for the Buffs but their heads aren't spinning.
Chiaverini believes the magnitude of the next two Saturdays is understood but notes that accomplishing what this team intends now has become a two-step process. Fueling it is a recent past of blowout losses that eventually became close losses, with both losing scenarios leaving a lasting mark.
"You know what's great about this group?" mused Chiaverini. "They've been through so much adversity that I think they're still really, really hungry. They're not content with being where they are, they want of the success. But with that success comes more responsibility to come to practice and work hard.
"They believe in each other, they believe they can do it. It doesn't matter what plays we call, they're going to make them work. That's what's great about what we're doing. These guys believe in each other and have done some special things on offense this year. They want to finish the deal this year."
Finishing it as it's been played and replayed in the players' minds since August now requires a win on Saturday. If it's the product of a shootout, fine. If it's a grind-it-out 'W' and neither offense reaches double digits, that's fine too.
The Buffs have been chasing this dream too long to be choosy.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
How many points will that take? That's TBD but there's a good chance that neither the Buffaloes nor the Cougars will reach their weekly averages – 44.3 for WSU, 35.2 for CU.
Then again, Folsom's scoreboards could be in for a digital implosion, a last-team-with-the-ball-wins kind of afternoon. Genuine entertainment for pass freaks and pointaholics.
How's that for waffling?
Conventional wisdom says we shouldn't expect a shutout by either defense, although both defenses are capable of extreme stinginess. CU is tied for the conference lead in scoring 'D' at 17.9 points allowed a game and WSU is sixth at 24.3.
The keys here are which defense can create breaks for its offense (read: turnovers), which defense can merely slow the other offense and make a critical stop or two, which defense finds itself on the field for an inordinate number of snaps and eventually winds up wasted?
It might wind up a pull-your-hair-out experience for both defensive coordinators, but CU's Jim Leavitt and WSU's Alex Grinch could get a big assist from their offensive counterparts – Darrin Chiaverini/Brian Lindgren for the Buffs, head coach/OC Mike Leach for the Cougars.
Or perhaps not.
Does it seem plausible for both teams' game plans to focus, at least in part, on ball control? When I ran that idea by Chiaverini and CU offensive line coach Klayton Adams, they didn't exactly run it back down my gullet. But neither was it embraced as an idea whose time will come Saturday afternoon at 1:30.
Chiaverini's response was what you'd expect from a co-coordinator who made an up-tempo arrival in Boulder last winter: "I think it's a matter of us being who we are; we want to be able to move the ball, facilitate the offense, play with tempo and get the ball out to our playmakers," he said.
Ever the pragmatist, Adams offered, "You do whatever it takes to have more points than them at the end of the game. That's ultimately the right answer. I think probably more than anything it's a battle of two great defenses."
AND HERE'S WHAT IMPRESSES HIM about the Cougars' defense: "They do as good a job as anybody I've ever seen of either recruiting players that are perfect for their scheme or fitting a scheme around their players. I don't think they have a lot of weaknesses."
But that doesn't mean the Buffs (or the Cougars) won't be able to score points in bunches, pile up yardage, or occasionally control the ball with long drives.
Chiaverini says offensive diversity (261.1 yards passing a game, 204.7 rushing) will serve CU well in a game like Saturday's. "We've had a mixture of scoring quickly and we've also had long drives," he said. "We had a 17-play scoring drive against Arizona last week. We've done both – been explosive at times and at times had more ball control."
Added Adams: "The tempo part of it and the things we do – they're things we're going to do Saturday. I don't think (ball control is so critical). You've got to go out and be what your identity is offensively. That's what they're going to do, that's what we're going to do. I think no different than any other week, when you have the football you want to score touchdowns."
Still, both Chiaverini and Adams agreed that "running some clock" with the ground game and possibly limiting the number of snaps for QB Luke Falk and his Air Raid offense would enhance the Buffs' chances of taking another step toward winning the Pac-12 South.
CU's running game, said Chiaverini, becomes "very, very critical . . . Phillip Lindsay is closing in on a thousand yards (he's at 934) and we're very proud of that as a group. The offensive line wants to get him that mark. But we want to be able to play high tempo, elite tempo and elite offensive football in these next couple of games down the stretch. We got back to that last week."
Adams, who used a patchwork O-line in CU's 49-24 win in Tucson, expects to have both starting tackles – Jeromy Irwin (left), Sam Kronshage (right) – back in the lineup. He's not so certain about left guard Gerrad Kough, but if last Saturday night in the dessert reaffirmed anything for him, it was this: He's got reserves such as tackles Shane Callahan and Aaron Haigler and guards Sully Wiefels and Jonathan Huckins who have prepared themselves to play.
Next man up isn't a myth for the 2016 Buffs.
"For me, it was as proud as I've been of that group the entire season," Adams said of his line's effort at Arizona. "You've got guys like Sully and Shane that are maybe not playing as much as they want as seniors and they're (still) leaders on this team. When they get opportunities to go in there and play at a high level and do a good job and help us win, that's what our team is all about. It's having that kind of depth and unity where the next man goes in and we don't miss a beat."
SCORING ITS MOST POINTS SINCE Oct. 1 (a 47-6 rout of Oregon State), the Buffs offense also saw quarterback Sefo Liufau regain a rhythm that had ebbed in the previous two weeks. Liufau accounted for 269 yards of total offense (56 rushing, 213 passing) and four touchdowns (three passing) against the Wildcats.
However, of more importance for Chiaverini was this: "What I saw from him is that he got his confidence back. He was playing with a lot of confidence. He threw some great footballs."
Those included a 40-yard TD throw to Jay MacIntyre after Liufau had scrambled left and launched. "He threw a 'dime' ball to 'J-Mac,'" Chiaverini said, adding that Liufau's 27-yard in-stride scoring pass to Shay Fields "was a perfectly thrown ball. And that was on a check (by Liufau). He gave Shay the check and Shay ran right by his guy . . . Another 'dime' ball. When your quarterback is playing at that level it's a lot of fun, a lot of fun."
That's what Liufau and the Buffs are experiencing now. They're within two wins of a 10-win season, a Pac-12 South title and a spot in the conference championship game. Heady times for the Buffs but their heads aren't spinning.
Chiaverini believes the magnitude of the next two Saturdays is understood but notes that accomplishing what this team intends now has become a two-step process. Fueling it is a recent past of blowout losses that eventually became close losses, with both losing scenarios leaving a lasting mark.
"You know what's great about this group?" mused Chiaverini. "They've been through so much adversity that I think they're still really, really hungry. They're not content with being where they are, they want of the success. But with that success comes more responsibility to come to practice and work hard.
"They believe in each other, they believe they can do it. It doesn't matter what plays we call, they're going to make them work. That's what's great about what we're doing. These guys believe in each other and have done some special things on offense this year. They want to finish the deal this year."
Finishing it as it's been played and replayed in the players' minds since August now requires a win on Saturday. If it's the product of a shootout, fine. If it's a grind-it-out 'W' and neither offense reaches double digits, that's fine too.
The Buffs have been chasing this dream too long to be choosy.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
TB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
OL
/ FootballWBB: Colorado vs Boise State - November 18th 2025
Wednesday, November 19
HIGHLIGHTS: Men's Basketball vs. Alabama State | Nov. 17, 2025
Tuesday, November 18
WBB: Colorado vs. Portland State Highlights | November 16, 2025
Monday, November 17
Volleyball: No. 22 Colorado vs. No. 8 ASU Highlights | November 15, 2025
Sunday, November 16