Hollywood Plati'-Tudes

Welcome to a notes and comment column in its 18th year, penned by CU Associate Athletic Director David Plati, who yesterday began his 35th year as the Buffaloes' director of sports information.

Plati-'Tudes No. 108 ... The eighth Pac-12 Football Media Day the Buffaloes have participated in; have we been in the league this long already? Twelve teams jammed into one day here in Hollywood, I'd prefer two if not three with some side functions thrown in for media maybe on an off-afternoon (golf tournament, trivia bowl, some things fun to build camaraderie between coaches, SIDs and the media, but alas, those days are pretty much gone) … Not the same being out this way without connecting with the late Keith Jackson, miss him and his endless number of stories that would entertain you on end … Gotta love technology: all 12 school media guides, the conference guide and a sizzle video are on a flash drive the size of an old piece of Dentyne (does that even exist anymore?).

Opening Trivia
CU—The Irwin family earned 16 letters in both football and golf. Who earned the most?
Music—What was the only Beatles song that Ringo Starr didn't participate in?
Name That Tune—From the late 1980s is your only hint: "All you got is this moment … The twenty-first century's yesterday … You can care all you want … Everybody does yeah that's okay.

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Quick Hits
Only a handful of Colorado folks here: Brian Howell (Boulder Camera) and Ron Milhorn (KTMS-Radio, Glenwood), almost equaling the number of former CU players in the media here, Joel Klatt (FOX) and Jeremy Bloom and Chad Brown (Pac-12 Network). And a shout out to CU grad Andrew Haubner ('16) who is now the sports director at KEZI-TV in Eugene (started in the then-Journalism School and the CU Independent/Sports Mag). I actually had a suggestion that Denver should host this event sometime to see if we attract more media from the eastern and central time zones because the travel would be shorter (and where a soda from the bar doesn't cost $6). Roughly 300 media here, some national ones, though.

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Media Day Take-Aways
A potpourri of what was covered/discussed here:

Mandatory Injury Reports. One of the topics of the day that almost every coach had to address, with the potential oncoming onslaught of legalized gambling likely headed all our ways. Most coaches said they'd do what they have to if it became policy, but if they have their say, will not go for it. Arizona's Kevin Sumlin raised a good point that unlike the pros, there are other reasons a player might not play that have nothing to do with injuries, and how would those be addressed.

Pac-12 Network and DirecTV. Sorry to report, nothing new on the horizon. But there are more and more ways to access the network than before, including sling, fubo and layer3TV.

The revised redshirt rule. Most know that incoming freshmen can now play in up to four games but not lose that year of eligibility. It also applies to junior college transfers who arrive on campus with four years to play three or three years to play two; they can also play in up to four games and keep their status as a sophomore or junior. The new rule essentially applies to anyone in their first year at an institution from this point (August 1, 2018) forward and in any year they play in four games or less, they get the year back. Also, and this hasn't received as much publicity, but if a player redshirts as a true freshman and then suffers a season-ending injury within the first four games of another season, he's now eligible for a sixth-year without having two lose two years to injuries and the subsequent petition process. A perfect example of this would be Derek McCartney, who redshirted as a true freshman, and was injured in game three of his fourth-year; he would have been awarded a sixth-year of eligibility under this rule change.

Buffs who redshirted expecting to see serious PT in 2018. Mike MacIntyre was asked that question, and he specifically mentioned defensive end Terrance Lang, cornerback Chris Miller and offensive linemen Colby Pursell and Will Sherman.

Is Utah emerging as CU's rival? Mac was asked that as well, and here's his take: "We were fortunate enough to beat them a year ago, and last year they beat us pretty good. Whoever won the game was going to go to a bowl game. So even though I don't think either one of us would say we're where we'd like to be from the year before, we're both playing for the championship. So Kyle (Whittingham) does an unbelievable job there, and, you know, it is becoming a bigger and bigger game because the last two years we both played for something. In the past we weren't playing for anything, so I think we've added to make it a little bit more of a rival-type game."

Throwing on my "historian" hat, CU and Utah have now met 64 times on the gridiron (the Buffs lead 32-29-3), and it was the game in the region for a good three decades-plus the first half of the 20th century. Who has CU played more than Utah? Colorado State (89 games), Missouri (75 games), Kansas (70 games), Nebraska (69 games), Kansas State (66 games) and Iowa State (65 games).

The 2019 conference schedule. We got this year's last September, and conference officials are hoping once again to get us the 2019 version around the same time. After non-conference games against Colorado State in Denver and Nebraska and Air Force in Boulder, CU will host Arizona, Stanford, USC and Washington in Boulder and will face Arizona State, Oregon, UCLA, Utah and Washington State on the road (thus missing Cal and Oregon State). In the end, it will be one pretty darn good season ticket for home games with the option of CSU in Denver as well for a seven-game package.

Best answer of the Day No. 1: Washington State's Mike Leach (who else?) to, "How do you handle recruiting in Pullman? How do you try to get some of the top talent for Washington State? "Well, the biggest thing, first of all, people are what you recruit first and foremost. And the one thing that is, I think, pretty key for us, the Pac-12 is a fascinating conference. There is a lot of variety from one team to the next, but it's also an urban conference. But we're a college town, and we offer something they don't. You know, you guys might love the traffic in L.A. A lot of great things about L.A. You might sit in the car, listen to the radio, look at the person beside you. You know, you get flipped off. I always thought it was kind of funny when somebody flipped me off, couldn't help but laugh. You know, wait in line for stuff. Well, you don't get to do that in Pullman, Washington. So there are sacrifices you make to come up there to Pullman, because you don't have to plan ahead. It sucks if you want to develop your planning skills. You know, good food is right there. Well, I'd like to wait in line. Well, you can stand there, but I'll be here at the counter doing nothing, so when you're ready to order, come order."

Best answer of the Day No. 2: Arizona State's Herman Edwards to, "Have you been amused by some of the actions to your hiring?" "To be quite honest, you'll figure this out about me, I don't know what happens on the outside world. And I'm not saying that to belittle what you guys do. I was in your world. I was in people's homes every night, every morning. I don't read it. I don't watch it. I am a football coach. When I'm not a football coach, I'm trying to be the best father I can be. That's what I concern myself with."

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This P-'Tudes Number(s): 500
This November 17, Utah will be the opponent for the 500th game at Folsom Field. We'll come up with a promotion or two leading up the game, and I gave the Coloradoan (alumni magazine) my list of the top six games in the stadium's history, which of course is likely open to some debate. Here's my top 10 (gave six to the mag), in chronological order:

Colorado 35, #20 Kansas 27 (Oct. 6, 1951)
Lee Venzke scored touchdowns rushing and receiving in the fourth quarter to break open a one-point game to lead Colorado to the victory over the No. 20 Jayhawks, the school's first-ever win over a ranked opponent. The Buffs stormed to a 14-0 lead on a touchdown run from Zack Jordan and a 65-yard punt return by Tom Brookshier and never relinquished the lead. CU went on to finish 5-1 in league play, its second place finish its best in the four years as a member of the Big 7.

Colorado 20, Kansas 19 (Oct. 7, 1961)
In a key early season conference game between two title contenders, Kansas roared to a 19-0 lead and it appeared CU's Big 8 championship hopes would be dashed. The Jayhawks last score came with 13:18 to play in the game, but CU finally got on the scoreboard on its next play, a 58-yard pass from Gale Weidner to Ken Blair. On the Buffs' next possession, Weidner and Blair connected on a 48-yard pass play, and CU was within 19-14 with 10:02 remaining. And to complete the rally, Weidner hit Jerry Hillebrand on a 16-yard TD pass with just 2:56 to go, with Hillebrand's extra point putting CU ahead and polishing off at the time the largest comeback in school history. CU went on to win its first Big 8 title.

#18 Colorado 41, #4 Penn State 13 (Sept. 26, 1970)
CU blows out No. 4 Penn State, ending the Nittany Lions' 31-game unbeaten streak (the last 23 of which were victories). The Buffs jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the game's first 3½ minutes on a 1-yard touchdown run by John Tarver and a Dave Haney 35-yard field goal. The CU defense held Penn State to just 290 yards and forced five turnovers, with the 41 points the most allowed by PSU in four seasons. The decisive win shocks the college football world and lands CU linebacker Phil Irwin on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the first time any sport in the CU program is featured on the magazine's famous cover.

#9 Colorado 20, #2 Oklahoma 14 (Oct. 21, 1972)
Colorado entered the '72 season ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation, but had stumbled in week four and came into the game against No. 2 Oklahoma ranked ninth. On an electric afternoon, the Buffs spotted the Sooners a 7-0 lead that held up at halftime, but came out in the third quarter with touchdowns from Gary Campbell (44-yard run) and Jon Keyworth (a 6-yard pass from Ken Johnson). A pair of 33-yard field goals by Fred Lima pushed the lead to 20-7, and the Sooners could just muster a cosmetic touchdown with 1:13 left to account for the final score. It marked the highest-ranked team CU had defeated at the time.

#19 Colorado 42, #13 Oklahoma 31 (Oct. 30, 1976)
It was a wild victory, and in the end, helped CU earn the Big Eight title and a berth in the Orange Bowl. There were four lead changes in the game, and Colorado twice rallied from 11 points down to take the lead, the second time overcoming a 31-20 third quarter deficit in scoring the game's final 21 points. Jeff Knapple hit Billy Waddy with a 70-yard scoring pass and Jim Kelleher scored on a pair of 2-yard runs to put CU ahead, 42-31, with 10:37 remaining. OU drove into CU territory on its three remaining possessions, but CU forced turnovers (two fumbles and an interception) on all to seal the win.

Colorado 20, #3 Nebraska 10 (Oct. 25, 1986)
Referred to as "The Turning Point" in CU's return to national prominence. The Buffs defeated Nebraska, ranked No. 3 in the nation, for the first time since 1967, leading the Folsom Field fans to storm the field after the win, CU's first over a ranked team in eight years. A 39-yard touchdown run on a reverse by Jeff Campbell and a 57-yard field goal by Dave DeLine gave CU a 10-0 halftime lead, but NU cut the lead to 10-7 at the end of three. The Buffs pulled off some trickery to open the fourth quarter, as O.C. Oliver hooked up with Lance Carl for a 52-yard touchdown pass on the halfback option play. The Huskers never had the ball again needing one possession to tie or take the lead.

#2 Colorado 27, #3 Nebraska 21 (Nov. 4, 1989)
A total of 601 media credentials were issued for the game, a CU record at the time and an indicator of the national interest in the battle of undefeated teams, No. 2 Colorado defeated No. 3 Nebraska, 27-21, to all but clinch league title and the Orange Bowl berth that went with it. In improving to 9-0 on the season, after NU jumped ahead early 7-0, CU tied the game on a 70-yard run by J.J. Flannigan, who took a pitch from Darian Hagan some 40 yards downfield. Hagan and Flannigan added short TD runs, and Ken Culbertson made a pair of field goals, including a 49-yarder just before halftime that gave CU the lead for good at 17-14.

#7 Colorado 41, Iowa State 20 (Nov. 19, 1994)
The win in the regular season finale had two significant highlights: eventual Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam went over the 2,000-yard mark in rushing and quarterback Kordell Stewart became the Big Eight's all-time total offense leader. The game was never in doubt, and with Rashaan entering the game with 1,796 yards, the Folsom Field scoreboard updated his number after every carry. With just under 11 minutes left in the game, and needing just 12 yards to reach 2,000, Salaam took a handoff and went around the right side for a 67-yard touchdown to the delight of all in the stadium. Following the game, the bombshell of the day: head coach Bill McCartney announced his retirement.

#14 Colorado 62, #2 Nebraska 36 (Nov. 23, 2001)
Colorado's 62-36 win over No. 2 and undefeated Nebraska sent shockwaves throughout the college football world. In scoring the most points ever against a Husker defense at the time, the Buffaloes matched NU's 7-1 record in the Big 12 North Division with the win and earned the right to play Texas the following week in the league title game. Chris Brown rushed for 198 yards and a school record six touchdowns, with Bobby Purify racing for 154 yards and one score as CU built a 35-3 lead early in the second quarter and rolled from there to the victory.

#9 Colorado 27, #21 Utah 22 (Nov. 26, 2016)
It all came together this Saturday night after Thanksgiving, as a national television audience and a sellout crowd at Folsom Field witnessed the Buffaloes win their first division title in 11 seasons (and their first in the Pac-12) in defeating No. 21-ranked Utah, 27-22. The win completed CU's "last to first" season as the Buffs finished 8-1 in league play, performing the largest turnaround from one season to the next in Pac-12 history after going 1-8 the year before. Sefo Liufau threw for 270 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another, with Kenneth Olugbode's 10-yard fumble return for a score clinching the win and CU's first appearance in the Pac-12 title game.

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Trivia Answers
CU—Hale earned six letters in football (1964-66) and golf (1965-67); Phil earned three in football (1968-70), Heath (Phil's son) earned three in football (1993-95), and Steve (Hale's son) earned four in golf (1994-97).
Music— Eleanor Rigby. With no drums required, he had nothing to do.
Name That Tune—I Need You Tonight, by INXS; hit the charts in late 1987 and peaked at No. 1 on January 30, 1988. And here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrZZfaDp02o.

"Plati-'Tudes" features notes and stories that may not get much play from the mainstream media; offers Plati's or CU's take on issues raised by those who have an interest in the program; answers questions and concerns; and provides CU's point of view if we should disagree with what may have been written or broadcast. Have a question or want to know CU's take on something? E-mail Dave at david.plati@colorado.edu, and the subject may appear in the next Plati-'Tudes.

Players Mentioned

Terrance Lang

Sefo Liufau

Derek McCartney

Chris Miller

Kenneth Olugbode

Colby Pursell

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