Woelk: Tucker's Culture Shift Beginning To Take Hold
August 31, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
DENVER — Even while the last stragglers were still filing out of Broncos Stadium early Saturday morning, Colorado coach Mel Tucker was turning his focus ahead.
No doubt, Tucker was happy to collect his first win as CU's head coach, a wild 52-31 win over Colorado State in his Buffs debut. He celebrated in the Colorado locker room with his players, he congratulated them — and then he reminded them that there was another task ahead.
"So what — now what?" Tucker told the media when asked if there was a sense of "relief" to get his first win. "It's a level of accomplishment, a job done. (But) what's next?"
What's next, of course, is a 1:30 p.m. meeting next Saturday with Nebraska. Tucker knows what the game means to Colorado players and fans.
But equally important was Tucker's laser focus in the immediate aftermath of his first victory. It is another strong indicator of the kind of culture Tucker wants to build at Colorado.
"I feel the enormous passion from our fans, but you can't get overwhelmed by the magnitude," Tucker said. "I expect to see a better football team next week."
Simply put, Tucker was happy but far from satisfied.
No doubt, there were plenty of positive signs from the Buffs in this game that started on Friday and ended early Saturday.Â
Offensively, the Buffs did what Tucker has made a priority — they ran the ball on their terms. CU finished with 243 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, including 125 yards and three scores from sophomore Alex Fontenot in his first start. If anyone wondered what Colorado's run game would look like, the one-two punch of Fontenot and freshman Jaren Mangham (40 yards and one touchdown) gave us a very good look.
The Buffs also threw the ball well. Quarterback Steven Montez, after a relatively slow start, settled down to finish with an extremely efficient 13-for-20 night for 232 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Tony Brown snared three receptions for 71 yards, Laviska Shenault Jr. had three for 48 yards and a touchdown and tight end Jalen Harris had two catches and a touchdown.
It is an offense with plenty of weapons, and they utilized them in the opener.
Defensively? Most importantly, the Buffs came up with takeaways. Four of them to be exact, and every one of them crucial. One stopped a CSU scoring threat deep in CU territory, another came deep in CSU territory and opened the door for the momentum-turning touchdown of the night early in the third quarter, and another delivered the knockout blow in the fourth quarter with a fumble return for a touchdown.
The Buffs, meanwhile, did not have a turnover in the game, and they also did not give up a quarterback sack — only the 19th such occurrence in CU history.
"Takeaways are huge," Tucker said. "Turnover margin is big."
Of course, nobody has to tell Tucker CU's defense struggled in some areas. The Buffs gave up big pass plays and they had issues with their perimeter run defense. The Rams threw some looks at the Buffs that Colorado hadn't seen, and they caused problems, particularly in the first half.
But when push came to shove, the Buffs pushed and the Rams couldn't answer — and the turnovers proved to be the difference. If the Buffs can continue that ball-hawking attitude, it will keep them in games.
More good signs?
Mentally, Friday night provided a test that can't be replicated in practice — and the Buffs passed with flying colors. When adversity struck, the Buffs didn't blink. Tucker has stressed the importance of being able to respond to those instances and when the Rams took the lead — twice — in the first half, Colorado stayed calm.
That's not a quality we've seen from CU teams in recent years.
And, a Tucker fundamental that has been an emphasis since the day he arrived stood strong.
Since his arrival, Tucker has stressed conditioning. He has insisted the Buffs would be a fourth-quarter team, that they would be able to exert their will and force an opponent into submission.
That's what happened Friday night.
For two quarters, every time the Buffs delivered a punch, the Rams punched back.
But by the end of the third quarter, the Rams began to fade — and the Buffs stayed strong. Colorado outscored CSU 28-10 in the final two periods, including the last 14 points of the game. Most importantly, the Buffs began to rule in the trenches, hammering out a run game the Rams finally couldn't contain and finally putting pressure on CSU quarterback Collin Hill.
"Our conditioning made a difference," Tucker said. "I didn't see our guys tired. I didn't see them where they couldn't compete, where they couldn't finish, where they couldn't respond. That's a tribute to our strength and conditioning staff, our coaches and our players. That's a tribute to the amount of work we put in and what we're doing. I really saw a well-conditioned football team out there tonight and it made a difference."
No doubt, it was a win worth celebrating. Tucker became just the third CU coach out of the last 16 to win his first game at the helm. He was clearly happy with the win.
But the celebration will be over Saturday morning in Boulder. The Buffs will get back to work and begin focusing on the next job at hand.
"Sometimes, getting a win is not enough," Tucker said. "There are things we have to improve on. We have to get better. … We've got a ways to go until we're the football team we want to have, and I think that's obvious — but that's why they call us coaches."
That's who Mel Tucker is — and while it may take time, it is who the Colorado Buffaloes will be.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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