Colorado Buffaloes must move forward

Walking through crowded parking lots full of fanfare and kegs of beer, it isn’t entirely difficult to find former athletes in the scene of a tailgate. They litter the lot, sharing stories of past glory in competition, talking game plan for the day’s matchup, and sometimes, standing out with their broad shoulders or uncommon stature compared to their neighbors.

To a person, they’ll all look-back and wish for one more chance to compete, for one more moment under the lights. As 2017 rolls in this weekend, there will be a new crop of former athletes, former football players, to find holding a red cup and waiting for the next round of corn hole on Saturday mornings. Now that the final whistle has blown for the Colorado Buffaloes following a 38-8 drubbing at the hands of Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl, their 27 seniors have played their final game of collegiate football. Of those, the majority have likely played their last game of football, period.

“Realizing that I will never suit up again with those guys and wearing Colorado across my chest with that Buffalo on my helmet hit me,” said former linebacker BJ Beatty of his final game, his final moment in the locker room. “For four years you put your body, mind, and soul through the fire with all these guys and for it to come to an end is a harsh reality. It’s one of those things that you wish you could hit the one more time button.”

That sentiment was echoed right outside of the Buffaloes’ locker room on Thursday night, with Alex Kelley articulating it particularly well to BSN Buffs Editor Jake Shapiro.

“I just sang that fight song for the last time in that locker room,” he said.

People will talk about programs outlasting their players, with legacies of certain teams being assigned more to program lore than those individuals who forged them. But make no mistake about it—players are the program, the program is the players.

So now here we are, just under 24 hours after Colorado took the field behind Ralphie in San Antonio, after the defense looked pedestrian without their former coordinator, and Sefo Liufau spent far too much of his final game either on the sideline or the ground, just behind the line of scrimmage. Here many are, wondering if the season’s final two games, where the Buffs were outscored 79-18, might have derailed some of the momentum gained throughout this historic season. Others remain steady by reminding critics and pessimists that, if we’re all being honest, Mike MacIntyre’s group wasn’t even supposed to be here this season. The national Coach of the Year admitted publicly that even he thought the program was one year early. Everyone, from players and coaches to fans and media, are caught in the moment.

It is time, not just to look but to move, forward.

After all, if this season’s Rise is to be truly believed, it cannot be followed by a steep and sudden plummet. Regression, if there is any, must come with promise.

In the times ahead, the program appears to be resting on the shoulders of two players in particular: Phillip Lindsay and Steven Montez. Lindsay put up one of the best seasons by a running back in program history, totaling 1,252 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground and 493 yards through the air, along with one receiving touchdown. On Thursday night, the Denver native accounted for 166 yards of offense. By far, he was the most consistent player on that side of the ball for Colorado this season. Going into his senior year, expectations are, well, rather high. He sits 1,302 yards behind the current No. 2, Rodney Stewart, in the CU record books for most rushing yards in a career–a staggering 2,688 yards behind Eric Bieniemy–and needs 19 touchdowns on the ground to tie the all-time mark for a career, another record held by Bieniemy. Could Lindsay reach those marks? A run at the No. 2 spot in career rushing yards feels reasonable, pending the look of his offensive line. The other variable, of course, is the play of his likely cohort in the backfield.

For all of the praise heaped on Montez throughout his redshirt freshman season, filling in for an injured Liufau and guiding the team to wins over Oregon and Oregon State, it’s still unclear how he will perform as the heir-apparent. There is no denying the majesty that he showed in Eugene, particularly being thrust into a spot like that in an environment like Autzen. Against Oregon State, he feasted on their defense as if it were a 2 a.m. slice of pizza at Cosmos. Many of you reading this were there and it wasn’t just impressive. It was prolific. Nonetheless, his performance against USC was a mixed bag, filled with as many missed opportunities as flashes of play-making ability not seen at that position for some time. With the loss, our final look at Montez as a starter ended with more questions than answers. Of course, those two aren’t alone. All six of the Buffs’ top receivers from this season are slated to return next year, including the dynamic duo of Shay Fields and Devin Ross, who combined for 1,670 yards through the air and 14 touchdowns. Juwann Winfree, who many expected to be the team’s most dynamic weapon on the outside, will see his first time as a Buff next season after missing this year due to injury.

On the other side, MacIntyre must first replace Jim Leavitt as defensive coordinator. One business decision begets another, and no matter how unfair, Joe Tumpkin’s first interview didn’t go so well. Next is retooling a back seven that loses nearly everyone and readying Isaiah Oliver and Afolabi Laguda to take the reigns in 2017.

The pieces are there for next season, whether that be another 10-win campaign or simply back-to-back bowls for the first time since 2005. And since it’s time to look forward from the most dramatic turnaround in Pac-12 history, it’s also time to take off any black and gold colored sunglasses and truly evaluate everything.

Colorado fielded the No. 48 total offense in the country this season despite only playing three (3) defenses that anyone could call “daunting,” in Michigan, USC, and Washington. Between Liufau and Montez, only 20 touchdowns were thrown in an era when reaching 40 for the year feels like a solid, yet unspectacular year. The rushing offense? That finished No. 56 in the country. In all, the offense was average, often just barely good enough. Working with a four-year starter at QB, an experienced offensive line, a talented RB like Lindsay, and plenty of weapons on the outside, that’s unacceptable. Whoever their struggles are most appropriately attributed to, whether player or coach, there are few excuses (if any) for next year to be as inconsistent offensively.

Defensively, it’s clear that Tumpkin has the support of his players. More important than that, though, will be the support of his head coach. MacIntyre must conduct a true, nationwide search for a new coordinator. Recruiting on the defensive side of the ball, particularly at linebacker, must improve.

As Thursday night faded, as the tremendous contingent of Buffs fans who made their way down to the Alamo Dome filed out into the streets of America’s crappy Tex-Mex capital, the range of emotions bounced from seething anger to nostalgic despair. Inside the locker room, the mood was obvious and heart-breaking. There will be no more moments for the 2016 Buffaloes, period. This team will never be duplicated again, as seniors move on, others declare for the NFL Draft, and others still, leave Boulder for other reasons. Come mid-January, then again in the summer, new names will adorn the polished new lockers inside the Champions Center. These will be the names, along with those who will return for yet another season of Colorado football, that we discuss one year from now. The tears after the final game. The joy after each win.

Players are the program, the program is the players. For them, it is time for everyone to look and move forward.