BOULDER – Here’s a question for you, Buffs fan: If you had the option at Colorado to take five bowl appearances in the next five years, would you do it?
Of course you would.
But for some reason, way back in 2007, UCLA said that wasn’t good enough and that Karl Dorrell should be fired, despite never missing the postseason.
I bet they feel silly now.
For some reason, nobody swooped in and offered Dorrell another head coaching job. He bounced from wide receivers coaching gig to wide receivers coaching gig for 13 years–with a short stint as offensive coordinator at Vanderbilt thrown in there–and when he was hired at Colorado this spring, he was seen as a consolation prize. His name wasn’t Sarkisian or Bieniemy. He was, for over a decade, an afterthought.
There’s no telling why Dorrell had to wait as long as he did, although it may seem obvious; there’s no evidence to say that Dorrell had to wait over a decade for a second chance specifically because he’s Black, but there’s as much evidence as you could ever want that says Black coaches don’t get second chances at the rate that white coaches do.
But that’s not the point. The point isn’t even to say that Colorado has found a diamond in the rough; it’s too early to make that call. In a one-game sample size, though, Dorrell did something pretty special: his Buffaloes dropped 48 points on UCLA Saturday night.
That’s more points than the Buffs have scored against a team not named Little Brother since 2016.
It isn’t a Rose Bowl. It isn’t a title. You could make the case it isn’t even a great win, considering the strength of the opponent.
But it’s something that hasn’t been done in five years, and it’s something that a lot of people–for whatever reason–thought he was incapable of.
Karl Dorrell is a good football coach. It’s indisputable. Everywhere he’s gone, he’s found success, save for a year at Vanderbilt. The receivers he’s coached have taken massive leaps at every stop. The teams he’s coached–and I’m going to repeat this–made it to five bowl games in five years.
Five bowls. Five years.
You know who’s done that for Colorado?
Bill McCartney.
That’s the entire list.
Dorrell’s resume is virtually spotless. There’s no reason to think he can’t be a successful Power 5 head football coach. So when he says, “we are an up-and-coming program,” like he did after Saturday’s win, there’s no reason to think he’s wrong.
Just 10 months ago, Colorado was absolutely seen as an up-and-coming program. Mel Tucker was a sexy name. He brought in sexy recruits. Every opposing coach admitted that Colorado was trending upward. By the end of the year, the on-field product was matching the hype.
Then Mel bailed, and the Buffs were seen as a rebuilding project.
Why?
No players left.
No recruits left.
The defensive coaching staff was upgraded.
The offensive coaching staff may well have been upgraded.
And guess what: the head coach position seems like it was upgraded too.
It’s too early to make that call for sure, but you saw what I saw on that field tonight, and I’m certainly trusting my judgment over the judgment of the TV geniuses who may still pick the guy who lost 49-7 on Saturday for this week’s interviews.
