Woelk: Buffs Answer Some Questions At Michigan, But Plenty Remain
September 17, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Saturday was supposed to be a barometer game for the Colorado Buffaloes, a measuring stick of sorts that would tell us just how good these Buffs might be.
What we learned is they are talented enough to play with one of the best teams in the nation. We learned that the Buffs do indeed have a potent, quick-strike offense that can score against great defenses and a defense that can cause problems for even the best of offenses. These Buffs can make plays and have the ability to be good — very good.
But we also learned that their margin for error is still razor thin, and they made far too many mistakes and incurred too many key injuries in a 45-28 loss to No. 4 Michigan to give themselves a chance down the stretch.
In short, there are still questions surrounding this team.
Sunday morning's conversations will no doubt center around Colorado's special teams gaffes. Michigan reaped three touchdowns off of CU punt team errors — one blocked punt returned for a touchdown, another punt that hit a CU player's backside that Michigan converted into another score, and a 54-yard return for a touchdown that put the game away in the fourth quarter. Two other Michigan touchdowns were set up by long returns.
It was an area the Buffs believed they had fixed in the offseason, one they have addressed daily since the beginning of fall camp.
There is obviously still work to be done.
"We had some issues," head coach Mike MacIntyre said tersely after the game. "We'll go look at it on film and correct it. It was a big part of the game."
Indeed, it proved to be a momentum switch — twice — the Buffs could never completely overcome. Even though they came back early in the third quarter to briefly take back the lead after letting a 21-7 first-quarter edge melt away, they never really regained control. CU fans barely had time to celebrate a 70-yard touchdown pass from Sefo Liufau to Shay Fields that gave Colorado a 28-24 edge before Michigan answered with the go-ahead touchdown for a lead the Wolverines would not relinquish the rest of the day.
Of course, CU's second-half woes were compounded by injuries to Liufau (ankle), starting outside linebacker Derek McCartney (knee) and kicker Diego Gonzalez (Achilles). Liufau, who twisted his ankle sliding on the play before the long touchdown to Fields, returned for one more series before admitting he could not be effective. McCartney scored his first career touchdown in the first quarter with an 18-yard fumble return, and his second-half absence greatly impacted CU's pass rush and pressure on Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight.
Without those injuries, the Buffs may still have had the chance to stay in the game. But after the special teams miscues, the absence of Liufau and McCartney was too much to overcome.
Not that the Buffs were perfect on either side of the ball. CU's offense did hit a dead spot in the second quarter, and the defense did yield some big plays at some very inopportune moments. After Liufau went out, the Wolverines smelled blood when redshirt freshman Montez entered the game, and CU's defense simply wore out down the stretch.
"We're better than we were," defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt said of his unit. "But that don't cut it. As a football team, we have to play better — defense, offense, special teams, everywhere. We all have to play well together and that didn't happen today."
One thing for certain — Saturday's post-game locker room was not a place to look for "bright spots" in the wake of a loss. The Buffs went in to Michigan Stadium believing they were going to win. Giving up an early 21-7 lead only made the defeat hurt even more.
"I'm tired of this moral victory nonsense," said linebacker Kenneth Olugbode. "I go into every game believing we're going to win. Every one of us plays that way. The only thing to take out of this game is to fix our mistakes and get better."
Leavitt was even more to the point with his assessment. A former assistant for Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh when they were with the San Francisco 49ers, it was obvious Saturday's loss stung Leavitt in a big way.
"We lost the game and it burns my behind," Leavitt said. "We came here to beat Michigan and we didn't get it done. I didn't come here to play close. I came here to build Colorado football and win games."
Barometer?
The Buffs did plenty of things well. Their offense showed it can be good — very good — against a top-flight defense. The defense showed it can make plays and play straight up against a very good offense.
But they still made enough mistakes — self-inflicted wounds — to make the difference between winning and losing. It's an all-too-familiar tune they can't afford to allow to play again.
"We've got a good offense," MacIntyre said. "I thought our defense did some good things. We just have to put all three phases together. The mistakes we made are correctable. They can be fixed, and we have to fix them and get better."
Buff Nation will be hoping they get them fixed in a hurry. The Pac-12 season begins next week with a trip to Oregon, meaning there is no longer room for error.Â
If you're looking for another barometer game, it will be a heck of a place to start.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Â
What we learned is they are talented enough to play with one of the best teams in the nation. We learned that the Buffs do indeed have a potent, quick-strike offense that can score against great defenses and a defense that can cause problems for even the best of offenses. These Buffs can make plays and have the ability to be good — very good.
But we also learned that their margin for error is still razor thin, and they made far too many mistakes and incurred too many key injuries in a 45-28 loss to No. 4 Michigan to give themselves a chance down the stretch.
In short, there are still questions surrounding this team.
Sunday morning's conversations will no doubt center around Colorado's special teams gaffes. Michigan reaped three touchdowns off of CU punt team errors — one blocked punt returned for a touchdown, another punt that hit a CU player's backside that Michigan converted into another score, and a 54-yard return for a touchdown that put the game away in the fourth quarter. Two other Michigan touchdowns were set up by long returns.
It was an area the Buffs believed they had fixed in the offseason, one they have addressed daily since the beginning of fall camp.
There is obviously still work to be done.
"We had some issues," head coach Mike MacIntyre said tersely after the game. "We'll go look at it on film and correct it. It was a big part of the game."
Indeed, it proved to be a momentum switch — twice — the Buffs could never completely overcome. Even though they came back early in the third quarter to briefly take back the lead after letting a 21-7 first-quarter edge melt away, they never really regained control. CU fans barely had time to celebrate a 70-yard touchdown pass from Sefo Liufau to Shay Fields that gave Colorado a 28-24 edge before Michigan answered with the go-ahead touchdown for a lead the Wolverines would not relinquish the rest of the day.
Of course, CU's second-half woes were compounded by injuries to Liufau (ankle), starting outside linebacker Derek McCartney (knee) and kicker Diego Gonzalez (Achilles). Liufau, who twisted his ankle sliding on the play before the long touchdown to Fields, returned for one more series before admitting he could not be effective. McCartney scored his first career touchdown in the first quarter with an 18-yard fumble return, and his second-half absence greatly impacted CU's pass rush and pressure on Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight.
Without those injuries, the Buffs may still have had the chance to stay in the game. But after the special teams miscues, the absence of Liufau and McCartney was too much to overcome.
Not that the Buffs were perfect on either side of the ball. CU's offense did hit a dead spot in the second quarter, and the defense did yield some big plays at some very inopportune moments. After Liufau went out, the Wolverines smelled blood when redshirt freshman Montez entered the game, and CU's defense simply wore out down the stretch.
"We're better than we were," defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt said of his unit. "But that don't cut it. As a football team, we have to play better — defense, offense, special teams, everywhere. We all have to play well together and that didn't happen today."
One thing for certain — Saturday's post-game locker room was not a place to look for "bright spots" in the wake of a loss. The Buffs went in to Michigan Stadium believing they were going to win. Giving up an early 21-7 lead only made the defeat hurt even more.
"I'm tired of this moral victory nonsense," said linebacker Kenneth Olugbode. "I go into every game believing we're going to win. Every one of us plays that way. The only thing to take out of this game is to fix our mistakes and get better."
Leavitt was even more to the point with his assessment. A former assistant for Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh when they were with the San Francisco 49ers, it was obvious Saturday's loss stung Leavitt in a big way.
"We lost the game and it burns my behind," Leavitt said. "We came here to beat Michigan and we didn't get it done. I didn't come here to play close. I came here to build Colorado football and win games."
Barometer?
The Buffs did plenty of things well. Their offense showed it can be good — very good — against a top-flight defense. The defense showed it can make plays and play straight up against a very good offense.
But they still made enough mistakes — self-inflicted wounds — to make the difference between winning and losing. It's an all-too-familiar tune they can't afford to allow to play again.
"We've got a good offense," MacIntyre said. "I thought our defense did some good things. We just have to put all three phases together. The mistakes we made are correctable. They can be fixed, and we have to fix them and get better."
Buff Nation will be hoping they get them fixed in a hurry. The Pac-12 season begins next week with a trip to Oregon, meaning there is no longer room for error.Â
If you're looking for another barometer game, it will be a heck of a place to start.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Â
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