Lindsay Vows Buffs Will Be Back Next Season

SAN ANTONIO — After leading Colorado in receiving and rushing in his first bowl game, CU running back Phillip Lindsay vowed the Buffs will be back.

The CU junior finished with 63 yards rushing on 14 carries and another 103 yards receiving on six catches in Thursday night's 38-8 Colorado loss to Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl. The loss ended the Buffs' season at 10-4.

"Everything is kind of new for a lot of us," Lindsay said of CU's first bowl appearance since 2007. "Now we kind of got our feet wet, been in the Pac-12 championship, the Alamo Bowl. Now it's about going back to the drawing board. Now we know how to get there and it's about finishing. It comes down to finishing."

Lindsay certainly did his part for the Buffs, picking up 15 yards on his first carry of the night and later in the half adding a 38-yard reception that put the Buffs in OSU territory. But CU could never muster a consistent threat, at least not while the game was still up for grabs.

"We just didn't execute," Lindsay said. "That's what it comes down to. We have to get in a groove, that's what our offense is based on — based on tempo, getting the first down and moving the ball. When you're off balance and you can't do it, do both things, it's kind of tough."

But despite the disappointing end to the season, Lindsay stressed that CU fans shouldn't forget what this team accomplished in 2016.

"It definitely hurts," he said. "Anytime you lose a game, it hurts. People can say we're overrated, all that. But when you go out there and win 10 games, that's not a fluke."

INJURIES: While the Buffs managed to keep injuries to two key defensive starters quiet in the days leading up to the game, they couldn't hide the injuries once the game started.

Starting cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, CU's defensive MVP for the season, did not practice for approximately the last week because of a freak turf toe injury suffered in practice. Fellow starting corner Ahkello Witherspoon, meanwhile, also missed most of the last week with a shoulder injury.

Awuzie did start the game, but it was clear from the beginning that he was not up to snuff. Witherspoon, meanwhile, did not start, but did come in the game when Awuzie came out in the second quarter.

"They tried to play," head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "Chido stayed off (his injured foot) and tried to play but he wasn't quite himself. … Ahkello wasn't able to lift his arm above his head until yesterday. He toughed it out and tried to play."

MAC ON SEFO: After the game had ended and the OSU celebration had already begun on the field, MacIntyre waited for all his players to get off the field.

The last was quarterback Sefo Liufau, the quarterback who came to Boulder with MacIntyre and helped build the program.

"Sefo helped us get to a 10-win season, this year," MacIntyre said. "He battled. He was our warrior all the way. Helped turn the program around. This year, we were a good team. If he had that team around him for four years, think about how good he would have been. He would have broken every record. Proud of his leadership, what he's done. He set a great example, the way he leads, how he handles and carries himself. He's an amazing young man."

MacIntyre said he waited on the field at game's end because "I wanted to see them one last time coming off the field. They've given everything they've had when nobody believed in them. Now everybody believes in them. … It didn't end like we'd like it to, but what they've done, they set a foundation for us to keep improving. That's the next step in the process."

DEFENSIVE LEADERS: According to press box statistics, sophomore linebacker Rick Gamboa was Colorado's leading tackler in the game with 11 stops. … Colorado did not force a turnover for the second straight game. The Buffs had a streak of 25 straight games with at least one defensive takeaway ended in the Pac-12 Championship game. … The Buffs did get one sack of OSU quarterback Mason Rudolph, with Jimmie Gilbert and Leo Jackson III teaming up for the stop.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu