Buffs Return To Work As Roper Stresses, 'It's About The Players'
November 19, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Interim Colorado head coach Kurt Roper's message to the Buffaloes in their Monday morning team meeting was simple and direct.
This is about players, not coaches. This is about a chance to go to Cal on Saturday, collect a win and become bowl eligible.
Nothing else matters. One day after CU players learned that head coach Mike MacIntyre would no longer be their head coach, their job was to focus on themselves and the opportunity that awaits them.
The Buffs then hit the indoor practice field for a spirited, energetic workout to begin preparation for Saturday's scheduled 5 p.m. regular season finale at California Memorial Stadium.
"This isn't about coaches," Roper told the media after practice. "This is about these guys in the room. The expectations are unquestioned effort, and I think that's what they will give us. … As football team you have to focus on a week at a time and block out all the distractions you can. Those guys are hoping to do that. They've been through a lot."
Of course, a coaching change — with a game still to play — is about as big a distraction as you can get.
But at the same time, the 5-6 Buffs also know they have a chance to end a six-game losing streak, give themselves a chance at a bowl game and finish with a winning record, Â something that's happened only once at CU since 2005.
"This season started a long time ago," Roper said. "It didn't start in August. These guys sacrificed a lot to be a good football team and be a good football player. A lot of weightlifting goes into it, a lot of running, a lot of time on their own, and a lot of contact on the practice field. They invest a lot. Going to a bowl game is a huge reward. Hopefully we can help this team accomplish that."
No doubt, players were still digesting the coaching change Monday morning. But when they hit the field for practice, they seemed to quickly move back into their routine.
"At this point you kind of have to look at it from the business standpoint," linebacker Drew Lewis said. "These kinds of things happen pretty often but you have no choice but to move on from this."
For Roper, things were obviously a little different Monday. The man who woke up Sunday as Colorado's quarterbacks coach had the title of interim head coach added to his duties early Sunday morning by CU Athletic Director Rick George. That meant a day of meeting with CU assistants and putting together a plan for the week.
But by Monday morning, much of the routine was the same.
"It wasn't a whole lot different in the sense that I still see myself as coaching the quarterbacks," Roper said. "I had to put the schedule together and those type things. But for the most part, when I got on the field I went over there and coached the quarterbacks."
The Buffs did tweak their practice schedule, in part because CU players aren't in class this week because of the Thanksgiving break. They also switched up a few other things, taking into account that the Buffs are playing their 12th game of the season and ninth in a row since their bye week. It was, by all accounts, an enthusiastic workout
"It was almost like a new edge, a new focus for people," Lewis said. "I think the dynamic change did kind of switch up our mindset a little bit for the better Whether it's a little bit or a lot, we'll see."
The key, Roper said, will be maintaining that edge throughout the week.
"Now it's time to move on to Cal," Roper said. "Our focus needs to be coming up with a good plan to defeat a good football team. A physical football team, a team that's won a lot of tough football games and we have to go to their place. Our focus is let's put enough in the bank on Monday to help us beat Cal. The same focus will be tomorrow."
A bowl game would no doubt be a major boost for the program. It would be a help in recruiting down the stretch (signing day is Dec. 19), and it could ostensibly give CU's new head coach a chance to see his players in bowl practices.
"It would mean a lot, definitely," running back Travon McMillian said. "I've gone to a bowl game every year in college. I want to keep that streak alive for myself. I think it would be awesome for this program and what's going on in this situation."
CAL UPDATE: The Bears are coming off what was essentially a bye week, at least in terms of having the weekend off.
Cal was scheduled to play Stanford on Saturday, only to see the game postponed to Dec. 1 because of poor air quality in the area as a result of fires in the region. The 6-4 Bears (3-4 Pac-12) have had a solid season thus far, including a 15-14 win over USC in their last outing and a 12-10 win over Washington in late October, and they have given up an average of just 12.5 points per game in their last four games.
1,000 IN SIGHT: With 951 yards and seven touchdowns rushing, McMillian is just 49 yards away from hitting the 1,000 mark for the second time in his career. As a redshirt freshman at Virginia Tech, he ran for 1,043 yards and seven touchdowns.
"I definitely want to pass that," McMillian said. "That will be big time for me, a huge personal accolade for me. I'm just really grateful that I'm that close to it."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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