Woelk: Buffs Find No Solace In Narrow Loss to USC
November 14, 2015 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Improved? Definitely.
Good enough? Nope. Not yet — and the Colorado Buffaloes know it.
The Buffs threw another scare at another quality Pac-12 opponent Friday night, but when the dust had cleared, the final storyline was the same. Southern California escaped Folsom Field with a 27-24 win — a game CU led 17-3 at one point — and Colorado was left with another heartbreaking loss, one defined by the Buffs committing just enough mistakes to make the difference.
This was, head coach Mike MacIntyre reminded the media, the same USC team that has "shellacked" the Buffs since the day the two became members of the same conference. It was the same quarterback, Cody Kessler, who tossed seven touchdown passes against the Buffs just a year ago.
But these weren't the same Buffs.
Friday night, CU carved out a 17-3 lead against USC, dominating the Trojans for the first 30 minutes. Even when USC stormed back with 24 unanswered points, the Buffs found a way to get back in the game, narrowing the deficit to 27-24, then getting one more chance with the ball.
And once again, that's where the comeback stopped.
Just short of a win.
After the game, nobody in the CU locker room, from MacIntyre on down, was in the mood to find any solace in narrowing the gap, particularly in wake of the news that quarterback Sefo Liufau had suffered a Lisfranc foot injury and will be out for six to eight months.
MacIntyre's mood, made somber by the Buffs' latest narrow miss, was no doubt darkened by the injury to Liufau. He didn't appear at his post-game press conference until almost an hour after the game was over, as he took the time to meet with his Liufau and his family and discuss the future.
But now, MacIntyre must turn his full attention to backup Cade Apsay, who performed admirably in Liufau's stead.
Liufau started the game looking as sharp as he had all year. He completed six of eight passes for 94 yards and led the Buffs to their first touchdown of the night, one that gave Colorado a 7-3 lead over the Trojans. He was sacked only once — but it was that sack that caused the injury.
Apsay, a redshirt freshman, was equally effective, completing 18 of his 23 attempts for 128 yards and a pair of TDs. Although his inexperience showed at times —  the Trojans threw a variety of blitzes his way that produced five sacks — it was still a solid performance with the game on the line.
MacIntyre wouldn't say outright that Apsay will be the starter next week when the Buffs head to Washington State, but unless there's a major change of heart, that seems to be the likely outcome.
With two games remaining against two quality opponents — Washington State and Utah — the Buffs still believe they have something to play for. Although technically eliminated from bowl eligibility, it's likely that at least a handful of teams will end up going bowling with a losing record.
The Buffs, still with a chance at a 6-7 record, are holding onto that hope — and they're tired of hearing about improvement, tired of hearing that they're "getting better."
Sooner or later, they know, they have to cross that threshold.
"They feel it," MacIntyre said. "They sense it. It hurts, and they're hurting. When you come that close, it hurts even more."
The Buffs will take the next two days off, a chance for much-needed rest in a season that will see them play 13 games in 13 weeks. They'll get back to work Monday and prepare for Washington State. They'll talk about the mistakes that hurt them Friday night and they'll work on fixing them.
Then …
"We're here to compete and win," safety Jered Bell said. "This program is over moral victories. It's time to compete and win."
Two games left, two chances for another win. Improvement is no longer the measuring stick. For more times than they'd care to count, the Buffs been forced to talk about the pain of a narrow loss.
The only thing that will change the hurt from here on out is winning.
