Colorado University Athletics
Tucker, Buffs Turn Attention To UCLA
October 28, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Even with an extra day to study the film from Friday's narrow 35-31 loss to USC, Colorado head coach Mel Tucker was in no mood Monday to consider what might have been.
"I'm not into any type of moral victories," Tucker said after the Buffs' Monday morning workout in CU's Indoor Practice Facility. "There's a saying, 'If you could've won, you should've won.'"
Not that Tucker is averse to finding positives from Friday's loss. But Tucker also knows his team has to eliminate the errors and take advantage of the missed opportunities that have led to four straight losses.
Colorado's next chance to end that skid comes Saturday when the Buffs (3-5 overall, 1-4 Pac-12) head to the Rose Bowl for a 7 p.m. (MT) matchup with UCLA (3-5, 3-2), a team that has suddenly found its way with two straight conference wins.
"We have to do 'simple' better," Tucker said. "I don't think there was anytime in the game when we looked at the film and said, 'They're just better than us. They just made a good play and hats off to them.' It was not like that."
Rather, the Buffs continue to victimize themselves with self-inflicted wounds — penalties, missed assignments and missed opportunities. Thus, while Tucker and his staff see promising developments in some areas, the bottom line is still the bottom line — and right now it reads 3-5.
"We're in these situations and you're trying to look for positives and you have to do that," Tucker said. "But getting the job done — this is a results-based business. Always keep that in mind. It's a balance between not getting the results that you want but on the other hand seeing progress and some positive things. We're burning the candle at both ends. We're trying to get better and raising the bar, the standard, and not accepting average or below-average performance."
And it all comes back to the details — technique, fundamentals, effort, discipline, focus.Â
"We deal in the truth," Tucker said. "That's a big part of it. Just really seeing it for what it is. Not to sugarcoat anything. It's not all bad. (But) even when you win, there's so many things you need to correct, things that could have cost you the game. You work to correct those. In a losing effort, it's the same thing. It's not all bad. There's some positives. That's where we have to keep the focus."
That process, Tucker said, includes a coaching staff continuing to evaluate its own performance.
"I'm always looking for solutions, looking for clarity, looking to be objective, neutral, non-emotional, the best I can be and lead the staff and lead the team," Tucker said. "I'm looking for positives and I'm being very, very critical of myself and everyone involved to see how we can get better. You teach, motivate and develop. That's the job of the coach. I was brought here to change the culture and to win games. We're not going to stop until we get that done."
FIRST LOOK UCLA: After three straight losses to open the season, Chip Kelly's Bruins appear to have turned the tide.Â
UCLA ended its losing streak at the beginning of the season with a wild 67-63 come-from-behind win over Washington State, overcoming a 32-point deficit in the process.
Then, after losses to Arizona and Oregon State, UCLA rebounded to beat Stanford and Arizona State. Thus, with a 3-2 Pac-12 record — and games still remaining against South co-leaders USC and Utah — the Bruins could win the division by winning out.
While the win over WSU was an anomaly — the Bruins took advantage of four Washington State turnovers — they have won in more conventional fashion the last two weeks. Running back Josh Kelley leads the Pac-12 in rushing, averaging 105 yards per game, and he leads a UCLA run game that has rushed for more than 200 yards in each of its last four games.
"They're really hanging their hat on being able to run the ball," Tucker said. "That opens up everything for them. They've done a good job. They're playing hard and they've got some guys that are getting better. They've got a young offensive line that's coming together and they know who they can count on. They have really good scheme packages and they're playing with confidence and playing hard."
Kelley was a standout in UCLA's 42-32 win over ASU last weekend, rushing for 164 yards and four touchdowns. UCLA led the Sun Devils 42-10 heading into the fourth quarter before ASU scored 22 unanswered points in the final period.
Defensively, the Bruins are giving up 34.3 points per game, 10th in the Pac-12.
FIRST RUN FOR STENSTROM SECOND-LONGEST FOR BUFFS: Backup Buffs quarterback Blake Stenstrom was in the game Friday for just one play, taking over after starter Steven Montez left with an injury late in the third quarter.
Stenstrom's first and only play was a 27-yard run on the last play of the quarter. After a television timeout to allow the teams to switch directions on the field for the fourth quarter, Montez had re-entered the game.
Still, it left Stenstrom with the second-longest run by a CU player this year, surpassed only by a 32-yard Alex Fontenot run against Colorado State in the season opener.Â
It was Stenstrom's second appearance this year, coming on the heels of 10 snaps against Washington State, when he was 1-for-3 passing with one interception.
BUFFS BITS: Colorado's defense is still struggling to contain opponents' big plays. CU opponents have produced 49 plays of 20 yards or more this season in eight games. Last year, Colorado gave up just 46 plays of 20 yards or longer in 12 games … Colorado quarterback Steven Montez is third in the conference in passing yards per game (255.9) … Running back Alex Fontenot is eighth in rushing yards per game with 78.1 … Laviska Shenault Jr. is seventh in yards per game receiving at 73.4 … Linebacker Nate Landman is second in the conference in tackles with 10.1 per game … Tony Brown still leads CU in receiving, with 42 catches for 547 yards and four touchdowns, all team highs.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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