Buffs Don't Lack Confidence Heading Into Pac-12 Play

BOULDER — Immediately after the Colorado Buffaloes had dropped a 45-28 decision Saturday to No. 4 Michigan, CU coach Mike MacIntyre had a very clear message for his players.

In essence, MacIntyre told the Buffs: "We have a good football team. We have to correct some things and continue to get better. We have to clean some things up. But we have a good football team."

MacIntyre wasn't trying to prop up the confidence of a fragile team. These Buffs do not lack faith in their abilities. They came out swinging against the No. 4 team in the nation, landed some punches and had the Wolverines on the ropes early. They made enough plays offensively and defensively to give themselves a chance to win.

Yes, they made mistakes, in all three phases of the game. But even with those errors, they were in the game until injuries — first to starting inebacker Derek McCartney, then to quarterback Sefo Liufau — prevented them from having a shot at winning down the stretch.

Now, they have five days to address those miscues, heal up (where possible) and prepare for the meat of their season — the Pac-12 schedule.

"Our goal is to win the Pac-12 championship, win the south and get into the Pac-12 Championship game," MacIntyre said. "We definitely have all of that still in front of us for sure. It is definitely something we think we can do."

Indeed, the Buffs have no reason not to go into next Saturday's game at Oregon (3:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) with plenty of confidence.

"Honestly, I'm proud of the way these guys fought," said Buffs offensive co-coordinator Darrin Chiaverini after the game, pointing around the locker room. "Even when were were down, we fought back and scored. They know what they're capable of doing and what we have to do to get better. But there's a different vibe in this locker room now. They're not not going to be backing down from anyone."

Nor should they.

Offensively, the Buffs were for the most part outstanding against Michigan — at least before Liufau was forced to the sidelines. With the senior quarterback the helm, CU's offense produced three touchdowns and drove deep into Michigan territory another time before a missed field goal ended the drive.

Most of all, CU's up-tempo offense did exactly what the Buffs wanted it to do — produce a fast start to put the Wolverines on their heels. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh would later say "you couldn't throw a better ball" when describing Liufau's first two touchdown passes to Devin Ross, and he had the same words for a 70-yard third-quarter Liufau strike to Shay Fields that gave Colorado a short-lived third-quarter lead.

All this against a secondary widely considered to be one of the nation's best.

There were, of course, some dry spells, something that has to be expected against the nation's fourth-ranked team. After the missed field goal, Colorado punted on its next four possessions, a stretch that included three three-and-outs. Maybe the most damaging possession came in the final two minutes, when a holding call nullified what would have been a first down. That play would have gone a long way in helping the Buffs at least run the clock out.

Instead, they were forced to punt and Michigan struck quickly to take a 24-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.

But when Liufau was in the game, the Buffs made enough plays offensively to win.

Defensively, the Buffs also came up with big plays. Chidobe Awuzie's strip-sack of Wilton Speight produced a McCartney fumble return for a touchdown. Colorado also limited Michigan to just one touchdown on its first eight possessions, and for the day, limited the Wolverines to a very respectable 168 yards on the ground. Also, only four of Michigan's six touchdowns came against CU's defense.

Simply, the Buffs made enough plays on offense and defense to win the game — or at least be in the game down the stretch.

Of course, that's just two of the three phases in football, and the Buffs struggled mightily in the third. There's no need to rehash the special teams errors — but guaranteed, the Buffs will spend plenty of time this week going over every facet of their special teams in order to ensure a repeat performance does not follow them to Eugene.

"We showed that this team has a lot of talent," said defensive lineman Jordan Carrell. "We showed what we can do, but we have to fix the mistakes. We're a good team … Now we're ready to play in the Pac-12."

Bottom line? The Buffs walked away from Saturday's games not with their heads held down, but rather stewing in anger. They know they let an opportunity slip away, but they also know they proved they have the ability to compete with top-caliber teams.

Most of all, they know this: the only thing stopping them is themselves.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu