Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Head To Desert In Search Of Eighth Win
November 12, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
TUCSON, Ariz. — If there's one message that's been prevalent throughout the Colorado football team this week, it is to stay focused on the task at hand.
Not that the Buffaloes (No. 16 AP, No. 12 CFP), who travel to Arizona for an 8 p.m. nationally televised game Saturday, could be blamed for peeking into the future. After all, their stated goal of a Pac-12 championship is becoming tantalizingly closer each week. With a 7-2 overall record and 5-1 mark that puts them atop the Pac-12 South standings, the big picture is no doubt difficult to ignore.
But the Buffs are also well-aware that a slip-up Saturday against the 2-7 Wildcats (0-6 Pac-12) could very quickly turn that big picture into a fuzzy mess.
"They're a good team," CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "Arizona has beat us the last three times we've played them (the count is actually four). They beat us pretty good down there the last time we were there. No way we will overlook them."
The Buffs bring a three-game win streak into the contest. A fourth straight win would be the longest CU streak since 2002. Rich Rodriguez's Wildcats, meanwhile, have struggled and are currently in the throes of a six-game losing streak.
But it's also the same Arizona team that took unbeaten Washington to overtime earlier this season, and it is a program that has a history of big wins in November. In the last three years, the Wildcats have beaten at least one top-20 team in the final month of the season, including No. 10 Utah last year, No. 13 Arizona State two years ago and No. 5 Oregon in 2013.
"We just need to focus on one game at a time," running back Phillip Lindsay said. "We stay one game at a time, play Colorado football, and we know it's Arizona week. You get a lot of hype about the games coming up that might make you look past Arizona. But Arizona is a good physical team and we're playing them at their home. So we need to just keep focused with the task at hand and that's playing Arizona this week."
Tops on the Buffs' priority list this week will be putting together a "complete" game, one that includes solid performances from offense, defense and special teams. Colorado has struggled to put points on the board in the last two games (the offense has accounted for just 23 points in that stretch) and special teams have had their issues (three of four missed field goals in a 10-5 win over Stanford).
But the one consistent has been defense. The Buffs have given up more than 20 points just once in their last five games — a 21-17 loss to USC — and they've been particularly stout in the second half. In that same five-game stretch, opponents have scored just one second half touchdown and 15 total points.
Saturday appears to be a good opportunity for the Buffs to rediscover the offensive firepower that produced at least 28 points in each of their first five games and at least 41 in four of those contests. The Wildcats are 117th in the nation in both scoring defense and total defense.
"I think we'll bounce back very well," quarterback Sefo Liufau said. "Arizona's a good team, but the only people that can stop us is ourselves. That's not to sound cocky, but if we can get back to the execution we had at the beginning of the season, the only people that can stop us are ourselves."
Offensively, the Wildcats have been led by quarterback Brandon Dawkins, whose biggest threat is his legs. Dawkins leads Arizona in rushing with 597 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Dawkins has also thrown for 1,058 yards and six touchdowns, but he's also thrown five interceptions.
The Buffs may also see quarterback Anu Solomon, who has been plagued by injuries this year but could be ready to go this weekend. When healthy, Solomon is an able passer. Last season, he threw for 2,667 yards and 20 touchdowns, but he's been limited to 332 yards and one score this season in the air.
One thing MacIntyre's players are learning to deal with is the increased pressure that comes with winning. Once a team that everyone took for granted, they are now the team that everyone wants to beat.
The Wildcats, they know, have little to salvage from their season — other than playing the role of spoiler on Saturday.
"You alleviate pressure by your preparation," MacIntyre said. "They've played in a lot of football games so they understand anybody can beat anybody. I definitely believe they'll be ready in all of them and there's going to be pressure in them because they're going to be really good football teams. ... I think they're welcoming the challenge because they've never been here before."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
