Q&A: Former Buffs QB, Current Fox Analyst Klatt Discusses CU Resurgence
November 16, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Former Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt, now the lead college football analyst for Fox Sports, has always looked forward to the day he would return to CU and call a game from Folsom Field.
But he admits he didn't think the day would come so soon.
"To say that I expected to be back this year would be a lie," Klatt said Wednesday afternoon with a laugh. "It's something I have looked forward to and hoped the day would come — but it's come much sooner than I expected."
Klatt and Fox cohorts Gus Johnson and Shannon Spake will be on hand Saturday at Folsom Field for the Pac-12 showdown between division leaders Colorado (8-2 overall, 6-1 Pac-12) and Washington State (8-2, 7-0).
Klatt admits it will be a special feeling to be sitting in the Folsom Field press box for the game.
"I can't wait," Klatt said. "It's a place I've always loved and still feel very much a part of. I can't wait to be there and be back in an environment that's so familiar."
Klatt, whose name is still scattered liberally throughout Colorado's record books, was the last quarterback to play for a nationally ranked CU team prior to this season. He played on three Big 12 North champion teams and started in two of those games, in 2004 and 2005.
He's had a close affinity for the program ever since, always keeping an eye on the Buffs as his broadcast career has grown.
But while he thought the Buffs had the chance to be an improved team this year, he didn't envision a season that would have them ranked No. 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings with two games to go.
Here's our Q&A with Klatt as he prepares for his first trip back to Boulder in a working capacity:
Q: The Buffs have had a number of big wins this year — at Oregon, at Stanford, home against Arizona State and UCLA. At what point did you look at this team and know it had the potential to be good?
A: "I'll be honest. I know exactly how tough it is to beat Colorado State, regardless of how good their team might be. For me, it was that game (a 44-7 win in the season opener). The way they won, the clear shift they had made offensively to becoming a real attacking offense, the way their defense played, particularly defending the pass — those things opened my eyes right away. Did I see 8-2 after that game? No. But I immediately thought this team is certainly good enough to go to a bowl game, maybe even better than that. That's where that flag was put in the ground."
Q: Colorado has made improvements in a lot of areas this year. Do you attribute their rise back to relevance to a compilation of improvement across the board or to one major area?
A: "I think you have to say both. They certainly have gotten a little bit better in every area, and that's usually the case when you have so many seniors. At the same time it would be silly to not address the fact that the secondary and the defense overall has performed very well. It's just so, so much better than what they were even a couple of years ago.
"(Defensive back Chidobe) Awuzie is a pleasure to watch. He's one of the best in the country. You have to have players that the NFL is high on in order to win college football games, and that's finally the case at Colorado. So while they've gotten better in every area, the biggest margin of improvement has come on defense and in the secondary. They're very good on that side of the ball."
Q: As a former quarterback, can you identify with the road Sefo Liufau has had to travel to get to this point?
A: "Absolutely. It can be the most-rewarding position and it can be the least-rewarding position. He's had to deal with a little bit of everything and I could not be happier for Sefo and what he's accomplished to get to this point. He's done a great job and he's a terrific young man. Outside of the defense, he's the reason for the resurgence. His leadership, his ability on the field — all of those things have played an enormous part in the turnaround at Colorado.
"Make no mistake at about it, experience in college football might be the single greatest asset you can possess if you don't have generationally great skill levels. That's not a knock on Sefo, by any means. I can tell you I was a better player my senior year than I was early in my career and he's certainly a better player now than he was early in his career."
Q: Where have you seen his game improve the most?
A: "It was those mistakes, particularly in big moments in close games, a turnover here and there, that were causing him problems early in his career. I can remember talking to Sefo about it and he asked me what he could do to improve. This was two years ago and I told him, 'You are a great player. As soon as you can eliminate the mistakes in big moments, it's going to mean so much to your game and also the team.' He's done that, and it's a huge credit to him and what he's been able to accomplish.
"It's a tough position and he's been through a lot. This summer, people were upset when Davis Webb decided not to come to Colorado. For him to have this success, I couldn't be happier for him."
Q: Is there something to be said for the patience the CU administration exhibited in the case of head coach Mike MacIntyre?
A: "Patience in this case was certainly rewarded, but remember, it wasn't rewarded when Dan Hawkins was there. He was given a lot of patience and it never panned out.
"It's not necessarily that time will cure all ills. I think Mike's ability and willingness to adjust and change, in particular in staff, has drastically improved the team — namely Jim (Leavitt, defensive coordinator). Jim has done a remarkable job with the defense. The entire structure, comfort level, fundamentally soundness of the team has gone through the roof on that side of the ball compared to what it was three years ago.
"That's a credit to Mike. I don't want to say patience is always rewarded. You have to adjust and get better and develop when they have that patience and Mike has certainly done that."
Q: While it is in some ways coincidence, CU's turnaround season has coincided with the construction and opening of the Champions Center and Indoor Practice Facility. Is it possible to look at this season and see this season as a foundational moment or is it too early to tell?
A: "This year is certainly is going to help moving forward, but just because you have one good year doesn't mean you're going to have another. Just because you have an amazing building doesn't mean you're going to have a great team.
"But when you think of the timing — building the Champions Center when they did and having this senior class — not only did they have a sense of urgency about this being their last chance, all the kids realized how big and meaningful this is to everyone around them. The level of urgency was increased, even in the offseason, and I think they responded to that. While the players may not have realized it, I think there was probably a subconscious reaction on their part in that regard."
Q: You do a great deal of NFL Draft analysis for Fox. Aside from Awuzie, what other players will get some attention?
A: "It's still early. But there will be a lot of guys on that defense that will get a look, and I wouldn't be surprised to see several of them get invited to the 'showcase' games, maybe even the Senior Bowl.
"The thing to remember about those games is they aren't just 'Good for him' moments. All of that is great for the program. When you have players in those games, people see it. Recruits say, 'Hey, I can achieve my individual goals at Colorado and play at at top level in the Pac-12.' That's big for the program."
Q: So what's the next step for the program?
A: "It's no secret that recruiting is the lifeblood of any program. in order to sustain this success, they're going to have to capitalize on it with a great recruiting class — which they've been able to do.
"The other thing is, you have to hope they don't fall into a place where this is an upperclass bubble and it pops. You hope the young guys have seen what it takes — how to practice, how to prepare, how to go about the offseason. A lot of times, learning how to win can be even more difficult than actually winning. If that mentality and culture has spread down to the younger players, they have a good chance to maintain this."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
