The Colorado Buffaloes are 4-1 for the first time since 2005, they’re ranked for the first time since 2005 and they have a quarterback that team is confident in for the first time since 2005. Actually, they have two. Things are going well in Boulder, in fact, they’re going so well that this level of an accession is almost unprecedented. They had failed to win five games in any given year dating back to 2010, and already in the first five weeks the team has won four games.
Their 46-7 win over the Oregon State Beavers was just another day at the office for CU. The Buffs have not had one negative showing this year.
The rise is unreal
There were expectations for the Buffaloes to improve this year. All that has been talked about for months by the team and fans is “The Rise.” We now know that the rise is real, it is so real that it is unreal.
Sure, many predicted a bowl game. Some even predicted more. But nobody, and I mean nobody predicted the Buffs to be No. 21 in the country, leading the Pac-12 south with a 4-1 record after five weeks.
This is the dream, it’s Cinderella-type stuff going on in Boulder right now.
“I used to tell them all the time when I was first recruiting this group of seniors and redshirt juniors, ‘Come on with me, but we’re getting in a rollercoaster,” Mike MacIntyre said. “You’re getting in the roller coaster at the bottom. When you say you’re going to come, I’m going to lock it on you quick so you can’t get out. I want you to lock in and I want you to stay with me.’ They’ve stayed with me. They’re tasting it, so we’re going to ride that rollercoaster.”
Colorado has gone from locking in to the seat of the rollercoaster to climbing the hill, they skipped safety guard and departing the gate segment of the ride. It’s as if they transported to the portion where they’re halfway up the hill.
The Buffs completely skipped the middle ground phase of being average and backing their way into a bowl. These Buffs are competing for Pac-12 title.
“I think that is big and good,” Steven Montez said. “But I think we still have a long way to go. If we win these first two games and then lose the rest, it’s not going to matter. So I feel like we still have a lot of work to do. I feel like we have a lot of big things to accomplish still.”
To keep with the rollercoaster analogy, the Buffs are climbing the hill, which means they have yet to hit the best part, the drop.
“Has anyone even completed a pass at Folsom?”
The Buffs stout defense has been impressive in general, but their annihilation of opposing aerial attacks has been stunning.
Ranking ninth in the country, holding opponents to 149.2 yards per game. They’re 12th best in holding quarterbacks to 49.7-percent passing. They also come in at 17th in the country with six interceptions.
CU has an elite passing defense and that’s going to come in handy when facing the explosive Pac-12 offenses.
“How about our defense not giving up a touchdown? That’s pretty amazing,” MacIntyre stated after the team’s first home Pac-12 game.
“The one before the half basically pretty much closed the door,” MacIntyre noted. “That was big. They had run the play a little bit before and they made some yards on it. Rick [Gamboa] reads those things. Two years ago when we were playing CSU, they were hurting us on the screen and then the second time they ran that screen, Rick hit the guy and the ball popped in the air and we scored. Rick just sees things. He knew it was coming and made a great read on it. It was a really good play.”
MacIntyre wasn’t the only coach on Saturday to praise the Buffs defense.
“In my opinion, these are the best corners we’ve played by far,” Oregon State’s coach Gary Andersen said. “I said that during the week. They have three corners that are special young men, and they may go even deeper than that after I sit back and watch the film. We got disrupted, they played a lot of man coverage, we had a hard time getting off those man routes, they made some bold plays down the field, and I think they gained confidence as the game went on. We had a couple opportunities early to hit some deep balls and we couldn’t get our hands on them. It’s a talented back end, you look at those kids they’re all 6-2, 6-3, they run well, they’re tough minded kids that play the game the right way, they have a lot of reps underneath them, and they’re thick-skinned. Those are tough dudes out there now, they’ve been through a lot.”
As one fan said to me on Saturday, “Has anyone even completed a pass at Folsom?”
Dismantle, demolish, dominate
Use whatever adjective you want the Buffs are good. As proved by their ability to blow out three teams now. They hadn’t done that before.
“Yeah, I would say so,” Alex Kelly answered when asked if this is the most complete game he’s been apart of. “Oregon State is a Pac-12 team and they play football. For us to finally get a win like that at home is a good thing.””
More impressively than in past years was them dominating the Beavers to a larger extend than thought possible. Do not forget, OSU is a Pac-12 team.
“Absolutely (we can’t let this get to our heads),” Kelly told. “We almost packed this place out at a 12:30 p.m. game. It’s never happened before. The main thing is not letting it get to your head and realizing that every week is a new week. No matter who you’re playing, you just have to keep grinding.”
This time around, the Buffaloes were the team making another program feel like they couldn’t compete in their conference.
