Colorado University Athletics
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Brooks: Tuesday Tidbits
September 13, 2016 | Football, B.G. Brooks
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Names You Won’t See In CU Uniform At Michigan On Saturday
AND NOW, YOUR STARTING LINEUPS: Or in this case your Colorado depth chart. Michigan doesn't release one, CU does . . . sort of this week.
Nothing wrong with having a little fun at the office, so in light of UM's going into game week depth-less, CU Associate AD/Sports Information Dave Plati elected to play along with the subterfuge, or whatever.
According to Plati's depth chart for Saturday's Buffs-Wolverines game in Ann Arbor (1:30 p.m., MDT, BTN), CU will start Elwood Blues at the X receiver spot, Clark Griswold at tight end, and Elmer Fudd at quarterback.
Every other position in the two-deep on offense, defense and special teams is manned by Blues-, Griswold-, and Fudd-like imposters.
No reaction (yet) from Michigan, but Westwood One play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler, liked the spoof. He Tweeted: "Michigan doesn't do a depth chart, so Colorado did a fake one for the week. Nice work by SID Dave Plati!"
And for the record, real Buffs' starting QB Sefo Liufau said he was "disappointed" at losing his start spot but was "behind (Fudd) the whole way."
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'D' COULD BE THE KEY: If you rub your eyes after reading this, it's OK: CU leads the nation in total defense after two games. Â
Granted, it's only two games with two monster offenses (No. 4 Michigan, No. 22 Oregon) lurking. But being the top defensive team in the FBS, given the Buffs' recent history on 'D', is an accomplishment. A huge one.
In a 44-7 season-opening win against Colorado State and the 56-7 home-opening win against Idaho State CU 321 total yards (2.7 per play, 160.5 yards per game) and two TDs. The 7.0 ppg average puts the Buffs at No. 6 in the FBS.
Those numbers will change over the next two weeks, but this won't: The Buffs are vastly improved on that side of the ball under second-year coordinator Jim Leavitt.
A year ago, CU ranked 91st in the FBS in explosive plays (20 or more yards) allowed, yielding 66 in 13 games. This season there has been one in two games – a late 24-yard run by the Rams.
But Michigan poses more of a threat in the explosive play category than CU's first two opponents. In their first two lopsided wins (63-3 vs. Hawai'i and 51-14 vs. Central Florida), the Wolverines registered a dozen explosive plays and averaged 479.5 yards in total offense.
CU senior safety Tedric Thompson said the Buffs' main focus this week "is to keep creating turnovers and getting the ball back to Sefo and the offense. That's our main goal . . . if we keep creating turnovers and getting Sefo and the offense the ball, then we're going to be fine. We're going to put up points and just have to hold up our side of the deal."
Thompson said the secondary's maturity and experience have prepared it for games like Saturday's: "Everyone that's playing back there has been here for three years. We took some hard losses and even last year we took some hard losses but we've been working with each other since right after last season's Utah game . . .
"We have each other's back no matter what so whether we're down in a game or up on a game, we're never going to get down on ourselves."
CATCHING ON: The Buffs are averaging 326.5 passing yards a game, with Buffs QBs having completed 45 passes to 12 different receivers. The top receiver in total catches has been Devin Ross (11 catches, 124 yards, two TDs), with Shay Fields' five receptions accounting for 157 yards to lead in that category.
With the loss of record-setting wideout Nelson Spruce to graduation and promising JUCO transfer Juwann Winfrey to a fall camp knee injury, the Buffs' 2016 receiving corps knew a September step up was mandatory.
And position coach Darrin Chiaverini said that's happened: "They're doing what I expected them to do. We pushed them hard in fall camp. We have some talented players but at the end of the day talent gets you beat, execution wins games. And they've been doing a good job of executing. It's what I expect, but they have to continue to raise the bar on their own expectation levels."
IN EXQUISITE (PAC-12) COMPANY: Liufau has thrown 51 times, completing 38 for 522 yard and three scores. His QB rating is 179.9, his completion percentage is 74.5 – eighth best in the FBS.
But here's a sobering stat that underscores the kind of air-it-out conference the Buffs are in: In the Pac-12, Liufau is only the fifth-best passer in terms of completion percentage.
The conference features the FBS' fourth-through-eighth most accurate passers. The Pac-12's most accurate throwers: Luke Falk (WSU), 78.7 percent; Ryan Burns (Stanford), 77.8; Manny Wilkins (ASU), 75.0; Liufau (CU) and Jake Browning (UW), 74.5; Dakota Prukop (OU), 68.9.
In its pair of blowout wins, Michigan's defense has allowed opposing QBs to complete only 40 percent of their passes, with its 69.75 efficiency rating being sixth in the FBS. (CU's is 55.31, second in the FBS).
Asked about the Wolverines' defense, Liufau answered, "I've seen cover one, nothing to crazy it's not like they reinvented the wheel or anything. They're just a great defense that they run (and) they run really well. It's what kind of separates them from the first two teams that we've played in this season. And they've got some players over there, which is fine."
He said his competitive spirit motivates him to "want to play against the best. They're going to make some plays, which is the nature of the game. But we'll make some plays to and our goal is to be consistent and make more plays then they do this week."
BIG-TIMERS IN THE BACKEND: Saturday's Big House matchup will feature a pair of defensive backs who are among the best in their respective leagues. Michigan's Jabrill Peppers (6-1, 205) also plays linebacker, while CU's Chidobe Awuzie (6-0, 205) plays a little of everything.
Chiaverini says of Peppers: "No. 5 is as good as I've seen on film. They play a lot of man, try to take you out of your rhythm. They've got very talented and secondary. It's going to be a great challenge but also a great opportunity for us to go out and play against a top defense and see what we're about as an offense. We're excited about the challenge."
Liufau sees Awuzie daily in practice and says Awuzie and Peppers appear very similar: "(Peppers) might be a little bigger, but I don't know I don't look at his height and weight. But just from looking at him on film he's a very athletic player, and he plays in a lot of different positions from what I've seen so far. They'll probably move him around. I've seen him play safety and linebacker, but we're not going to focus to much on him. He's a great player, you can't take that away from him, but we've got some great players as well on the perimeter that we'll have make some plays this week."
Peppers, through two games, is UM's leading tackler (16, 13 unassisted), with four tackles for losses and one QB sack. Awuzie leads CU in tackles (11, 10 unassisted), with one tackle for loss and one interception.
ALL IN THE (COACHING) FAMILY:  When they meet on the field before Saturday's game, CU coach Mike MacIntyre and UM coach Jim Harbaugh won't have time to swap many stories – but there are many, many to swap.
Both men are from football coaching families, and their families' history in their sport is intertwined. Here's how MacIntyre told the story at Tuesday's weekly media luncheon:
"I have a real connection with the Harbaugh family. My brother played for Jack Harbaugh at Western Kentucky. I know John real well, I know Jim well. When Coach Harbaugh was at Western Kentucky – my brother was playing for them – they almost dropped football. My brother was a senior in college and he called me as I was coaching at UT-Martin and he goes, 'They dropped football, I don't know what I'm going to do. It's my senior year.'
"Coach Harbaugh, Jack, came in and said we aren't going to let this happen. Jack and Jackie Harbaugh basically kept Western Kentucky University from dropping football. Jim and John invested money in the program. Jim would come and coach in the spring because they didn't have enough money to pay coaches. That family is credited for sure for saving football at Western Kentucky University.
"The other night, after our game (vs. Idaho State) was over, I saw some highlights of Western playing Alabama and it made me think of that whole story. I talked to my brother a couple times about it. We're all coach's kids and we grew up coach's kids. We know how much the sport means to us. For what that family did, I don't know if there's enough credit that goes out to Jack Harbaugh.
"They were going to drop football, then 10 years later they won the National Championship. One of the coolest things he did – I went back and looked at their football facilities and my brother goes to a lot of Western Kentucky games now – Coach Harbaugh told the young men that were seniors and that team that if they stayed and didn't leave that when they won the National Championship they would put their team picture up right beside the National Championship team picture.
"They have the Jack and Jackie Harbaugh Football Facility now. That picture is in there. The Harbaugh family means a great deal to the MacIntyre family because my brother wouldn't have been able to finish college there and play. It was a great experience and I don't think enough people know they truly saved a football program which is thriving now."
NOTABLE: The Buffs have lost 22 consecutive games to ranked opponents – 11 under MacIntyre . . . . The Wolverines are 49-26-1 against teams that currently comprise the Pac-12 . . . . CU is 35-64-3 against current members of the Big Ten – a number that was skewed in the Big Ten's favor when Nebraska joined the conference in 2011.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
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Nothing wrong with having a little fun at the office, so in light of UM's going into game week depth-less, CU Associate AD/Sports Information Dave Plati elected to play along with the subterfuge, or whatever.
According to Plati's depth chart for Saturday's Buffs-Wolverines game in Ann Arbor (1:30 p.m., MDT, BTN), CU will start Elwood Blues at the X receiver spot, Clark Griswold at tight end, and Elmer Fudd at quarterback.
Every other position in the two-deep on offense, defense and special teams is manned by Blues-, Griswold-, and Fudd-like imposters.
No reaction (yet) from Michigan, but Westwood One play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler, liked the spoof. He Tweeted: "Michigan doesn't do a depth chart, so Colorado did a fake one for the week. Nice work by SID Dave Plati!"
And for the record, real Buffs' starting QB Sefo Liufau said he was "disappointed" at losing his start spot but was "behind (Fudd) the whole way."
Â
In case you haven't seen this week's depth chart. What and who is in your favorite position? #GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/19qUmVyO6P
— Colorado Football (@RunRalphieRun) September 13, 2016
'D' COULD BE THE KEY: If you rub your eyes after reading this, it's OK: CU leads the nation in total defense after two games. Â
Granted, it's only two games with two monster offenses (No. 4 Michigan, No. 22 Oregon) lurking. But being the top defensive team in the FBS, given the Buffs' recent history on 'D', is an accomplishment. A huge one.
In a 44-7 season-opening win against Colorado State and the 56-7 home-opening win against Idaho State CU 321 total yards (2.7 per play, 160.5 yards per game) and two TDs. The 7.0 ppg average puts the Buffs at No. 6 in the FBS.
Those numbers will change over the next two weeks, but this won't: The Buffs are vastly improved on that side of the ball under second-year coordinator Jim Leavitt.
A year ago, CU ranked 91st in the FBS in explosive plays (20 or more yards) allowed, yielding 66 in 13 games. This season there has been one in two games – a late 24-yard run by the Rams.
But Michigan poses more of a threat in the explosive play category than CU's first two opponents. In their first two lopsided wins (63-3 vs. Hawai'i and 51-14 vs. Central Florida), the Wolverines registered a dozen explosive plays and averaged 479.5 yards in total offense.
CU senior safety Tedric Thompson said the Buffs' main focus this week "is to keep creating turnovers and getting the ball back to Sefo and the offense. That's our main goal . . . if we keep creating turnovers and getting Sefo and the offense the ball, then we're going to be fine. We're going to put up points and just have to hold up our side of the deal."
Thompson said the secondary's maturity and experience have prepared it for games like Saturday's: "Everyone that's playing back there has been here for three years. We took some hard losses and even last year we took some hard losses but we've been working with each other since right after last season's Utah game . . .
"We have each other's back no matter what so whether we're down in a game or up on a game, we're never going to get down on ourselves."
CATCHING ON: The Buffs are averaging 326.5 passing yards a game, with Buffs QBs having completed 45 passes to 12 different receivers. The top receiver in total catches has been Devin Ross (11 catches, 124 yards, two TDs), with Shay Fields' five receptions accounting for 157 yards to lead in that category.
With the loss of record-setting wideout Nelson Spruce to graduation and promising JUCO transfer Juwann Winfrey to a fall camp knee injury, the Buffs' 2016 receiving corps knew a September step up was mandatory.
And position coach Darrin Chiaverini said that's happened: "They're doing what I expected them to do. We pushed them hard in fall camp. We have some talented players but at the end of the day talent gets you beat, execution wins games. And they've been doing a good job of executing. It's what I expect, but they have to continue to raise the bar on their own expectation levels."
IN EXQUISITE (PAC-12) COMPANY: Liufau has thrown 51 times, completing 38 for 522 yard and three scores. His QB rating is 179.9, his completion percentage is 74.5 – eighth best in the FBS.
But here's a sobering stat that underscores the kind of air-it-out conference the Buffs are in: In the Pac-12, Liufau is only the fifth-best passer in terms of completion percentage.
The conference features the FBS' fourth-through-eighth most accurate passers. The Pac-12's most accurate throwers: Luke Falk (WSU), 78.7 percent; Ryan Burns (Stanford), 77.8; Manny Wilkins (ASU), 75.0; Liufau (CU) and Jake Browning (UW), 74.5; Dakota Prukop (OU), 68.9.
In its pair of blowout wins, Michigan's defense has allowed opposing QBs to complete only 40 percent of their passes, with its 69.75 efficiency rating being sixth in the FBS. (CU's is 55.31, second in the FBS).
Asked about the Wolverines' defense, Liufau answered, "I've seen cover one, nothing to crazy it's not like they reinvented the wheel or anything. They're just a great defense that they run (and) they run really well. It's what kind of separates them from the first two teams that we've played in this season. And they've got some players over there, which is fine."
He said his competitive spirit motivates him to "want to play against the best. They're going to make some plays, which is the nature of the game. But we'll make some plays to and our goal is to be consistent and make more plays then they do this week."
BIG-TIMERS IN THE BACKEND: Saturday's Big House matchup will feature a pair of defensive backs who are among the best in their respective leagues. Michigan's Jabrill Peppers (6-1, 205) also plays linebacker, while CU's Chidobe Awuzie (6-0, 205) plays a little of everything.
Chiaverini says of Peppers: "No. 5 is as good as I've seen on film. They play a lot of man, try to take you out of your rhythm. They've got very talented and secondary. It's going to be a great challenge but also a great opportunity for us to go out and play against a top defense and see what we're about as an offense. We're excited about the challenge."
Liufau sees Awuzie daily in practice and says Awuzie and Peppers appear very similar: "(Peppers) might be a little bigger, but I don't know I don't look at his height and weight. But just from looking at him on film he's a very athletic player, and he plays in a lot of different positions from what I've seen so far. They'll probably move him around. I've seen him play safety and linebacker, but we're not going to focus to much on him. He's a great player, you can't take that away from him, but we've got some great players as well on the perimeter that we'll have make some plays this week."
Peppers, through two games, is UM's leading tackler (16, 13 unassisted), with four tackles for losses and one QB sack. Awuzie leads CU in tackles (11, 10 unassisted), with one tackle for loss and one interception.
ALL IN THE (COACHING) FAMILY:  When they meet on the field before Saturday's game, CU coach Mike MacIntyre and UM coach Jim Harbaugh won't have time to swap many stories – but there are many, many to swap.
Both men are from football coaching families, and their families' history in their sport is intertwined. Here's how MacIntyre told the story at Tuesday's weekly media luncheon:
"I have a real connection with the Harbaugh family. My brother played for Jack Harbaugh at Western Kentucky. I know John real well, I know Jim well. When Coach Harbaugh was at Western Kentucky – my brother was playing for them – they almost dropped football. My brother was a senior in college and he called me as I was coaching at UT-Martin and he goes, 'They dropped football, I don't know what I'm going to do. It's my senior year.'
"Coach Harbaugh, Jack, came in and said we aren't going to let this happen. Jack and Jackie Harbaugh basically kept Western Kentucky University from dropping football. Jim and John invested money in the program. Jim would come and coach in the spring because they didn't have enough money to pay coaches. That family is credited for sure for saving football at Western Kentucky University.
"The other night, after our game (vs. Idaho State) was over, I saw some highlights of Western playing Alabama and it made me think of that whole story. I talked to my brother a couple times about it. We're all coach's kids and we grew up coach's kids. We know how much the sport means to us. For what that family did, I don't know if there's enough credit that goes out to Jack Harbaugh.
"They were going to drop football, then 10 years later they won the National Championship. One of the coolest things he did – I went back and looked at their football facilities and my brother goes to a lot of Western Kentucky games now – Coach Harbaugh told the young men that were seniors and that team that if they stayed and didn't leave that when they won the National Championship they would put their team picture up right beside the National Championship team picture.
"They have the Jack and Jackie Harbaugh Football Facility now. That picture is in there. The Harbaugh family means a great deal to the MacIntyre family because my brother wouldn't have been able to finish college there and play. It was a great experience and I don't think enough people know they truly saved a football program which is thriving now."
NOTABLE: The Buffs have lost 22 consecutive games to ranked opponents – 11 under MacIntyre . . . . The Wolverines are 49-26-1 against teams that currently comprise the Pac-12 . . . . CU is 35-64-3 against current members of the Big Ten – a number that was skewed in the Big Ten's favor when Nebraska joined the conference in 2011.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Â
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