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Brooks: Bad Losses
Continue, Hard Questions, Too
BOULDER - So after losing five
consecutive games by an average of 42 points per, what does a
college football coach say to keep his fan base involved, engaged
and well away from the eject button?
It's early November, his second Colorado team
has won once, has been decimated in its past five games, and Jon
Embree is getting too accustomed to dealing with queries like
that.
His only response to questioners, as well as his
players, is this: Things will get better.
Embree to CU fans: "They should come out just
like did today . . . we have recruits here and that makes an
impression on them. We're not even through the second year . . .
things will be better."
Embree to his players: "(Freshmen) have made
strides . . . they've made mistakes but made strides, too. Don't
focus on the mistakes; keep on working on getting better."
Really now, what else could he say Saturday
afternoon after No. 15 Stanford joined the growing list of Pac-12
Conference teams that have punished CU? The Cardinal pounded the
Buffaloes 48-0, and like most of the other recent blowouts, it
could have been worse. No exaggeration there, just brutal fact.
Oregon played three quarterbacks the previous
weekend in a 70-14 mauling, Stanford played four Saturday. For the
record, CU used three QBs and Embree might have no idea which of
the trio might be most effective in the Buffs' three remaining
games. He put off addressing that situation until Tuesday's weekly
media luncheon, after he's reviewed Saturday's tape, huddled with
his offensive coaches and talked to his QB threesome.
After a week of what Embree had said was an open
competition, Jordan Webb made his ninth CU start but played only
one half. Nick Hirschman succeeded him, Connor Wood succeeded
Hirschman. Their combined passing output: 12-of-23 for 97 yards,
with one interception by Webb. CU's total offensive output: six
first downs (two by halftime), minus-21 yards rushing, 76 total
yards.
CU's pro-style offense, Embree contended, is not
the culprit and a schematic overhaul is not the answer. And Embree
wouldn't engage in finger-pointing at his coaching staff. Asked
about a late-term grade he would give his assistants, he said, "Not
good . . . I don't know about a letter grade, but I'm not going to
sit here and blame people. We all have to be better."...more
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