Woelk: Once Again, Buffs' Belief In Tucker's Process Pays Off

TEMPE, Ariz. — Colorado coach Mel Tucker got what he asked for — and his players delivered.

Once again, Tucker's Buffaloes came up with decisive plays down the stretch Saturday night, plays that made the difference in a 34-31 win over No. 24 Arizona State on the Sun Devils' home turf.

"We talked about it before the game," Tucker said. "I wanted the game to go down to the wire. I wanted us to be able to win the game at the end. I told them that. That's what I wanted to see. I wanted to prove that we could beat a good football team on the road in a tight ballgame, that we could get the job done. The kids believed."

The Buffs did indeed believe, and they put forth proof that the culture Tucker is installing is one is built to withstand adversity.

These Buffs don't tap out.

This was a game the Buffs very easily could have let slip away. On the road against a quality team and momentum threatening to find a home on the ASU sidelines at just about every critical juncture of the second half — and two of CU's best players sidelined by injury early in the game.

But every time the Sun Devils threatened to take the game over, every time the home crowd revved its engines to cheer an ASU comeback, the Buffs answered.

They answered with a long drive and touchdown pass from Steven Montez to Tony Brown late in the third quarter after ASU had rallied to tie the game at 24-24.

They answered again in the fourth quarter with an interception from junior safety Derrion Rakestraw after the Sun Devils had marched deep into Colorado territory, threatening to take their first lead of the game.

And when it mattered most, with the game on the line, they responded with a time-consuming, methodical march that produced what proved to be the game-winning field goal from James Stefanou, followed by a terrific defensive stand that included the first sack of the night — by either team.

It was, quite simply, the fourth quarter we have come to expect to see from a Tucker team. Playing in heat that was supposed to wilt the visitors in crunch time, the Buffs instead hammered the hosts into submission on their home field.

It is how Tucker is building this program, and in the end it was the Sun Devils who couldn't handle the heat.

"I felt like our guys could have played another quarter or another half," Tucker said. "They just needed to just stay with us, stay with the process, stay with the plan. Eventually we were able to kind of avalanche those guys and get some get some pressure on the quarterback. You know Rakestraw stepped up and made a big play for us that was huge. It's just a credit to our guys playing hard, believing in what we're doing. Just playing the next play and never looking at the scoreboard."

Adversity? The Buffs ran into obstacles all night long. They lost two of their best players — preseason All-American receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. and preseason All-Pac-12 defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson — to injuries early in the game. Then came an injury to starting cornerback Delrick Abrams Jr. Then one to safety Mikial Onu. Then one to cornerback Chris Miller.

It meant the Buffs were turning to young, untested players in the most difficult of circumstances. True freshmen K.J. Trujillo and Mark Perry were called upon to step in at defensive back. Sophomore Jeremiah Doss saw his first action on the defensive line.

But the Buffs never blinked.

"At the end of the day, nobody cares (about injuries)," Tucker said. "It's get the job done. Execution, that's the bottom line. It's next man up and if you're in the game, you're a starter and the expectation is for you to play. … Every day we coach everybody. We coach all the players the same. We have confidence in all of our guys that they're going to get the job done. I mean, it's no excuses, no explanation."

Of course, it wasn't only the youngsters stepping up where needed. Colorado's veterans also played lights out.

With Shenault gone, senior receiver Brown simply did what he does best: make plays at crucial moments. Brown recorded the best game of his career, finishing with nine catches for 150 yards and three touchdowns.

Then there was Montez, who was brilliant against ASU's vaunted defense. Thanks to an outstanding effort from his offensive line — Montez was not sacked once — the CU senior shredded ASU with a 23-for-30, 337-yard, three-touchdown night.

But more than any individual efforts, Saturday night's win was the latest example of the collective culture that Tucker is building in Boulder.

Nothing fancy. No silver bullet or magic potion. Just a relentless attitude constructed on the foundational building blocks of work ethic, conditioning and a belief in the process.

Tucker's Buffs don't quit. Not on the road, not in the heat, not with adversity banging at their door and demanding that they tap out.

That is the program Tucker is building — one built to last.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu