Woelk: Liufau Continues To Epitomize Buffs' Resurgence

BOULDER — Somehow it's fitting.

As the Colorado Buffaloes' storybook season continues to add chapters, Sefo Liufau continues to epitomize their story. The two are so closely intertwined, it's impossible to separate them — and now, the Buffs (No. 12 AP, No. 10 CFP) are one game away from a 10-2 regular season, a Pac-12 South title and a berth in the Pac-12 championship game.

"He's the poster boy of our team," Buffs cornerback Chidobe Awuzie said Saturday as his teammates celebrated a 38-24 win over No. 20 Washington State. "Everyone from the outside looking in, that's what Colorado football looks like. He never quits.

"On the interior, in the locker room, we look at him like the guy who's going to lead us to the promised land. He goes down, but he always comes back. That tough mindset, that gritty mindset — that's what this team is built on because that's who he is and that's who we are."

Saturday afternoon, playing against Washington State quarterback Luke Falk — who some are beginning to tout for Heisman Trophy recognition — Liufau did what he's done all season.

He simply made the plays necessary to produce a Colorado win.

Liufau completed 27 of 41 passes for 345 yards and no interceptions. He ran the ball 23 times for 108 yards and three touchdowns. Every time the Cougars punched, Liufau and his teammates punched back.

But if you want the statistic that most conveys his importance Saturday afternoon, consider this: of the 13 third downs the Buffs successfully converted, Liufau had a hand in 12 of them.

On Colorado's second touchdown drive he ducked a sack, scrambled and threw a 12-yard pass to Jay MacIntyre on third down to keep the drive alive, then ran the ball three straight times to put the ball in the end zone.

On the Buffs' third touchdown drive he converted three third-down plays — one with a 10-yard pass to Devin Ross, the second with an 8-yard run and the third with a 16-yard run. He then strolled into the end zone from 7 yards out after a beautiful fake to Kyle Evans had the entire Cougar defense swarmed up the middle.

Then, with the Buffs needing one more score to put the game away, he added one more third-down run before turning duties over to Phillip Lindsay, who bulled in from 13 yards out to salt the win away.

All this on a day when he also survived a hit that aggravated a hip injury and temporarily sent him to the sidelines.

Of course, he came back.

He always does.

"I've said it before, but I truly mean it," Liufau said. "If I don't play another down after college football and I give it all to these guys and we go out with a bang — it will all be worth it. I'd do it over again in a second. I love this team, I love playing with these guys. The bond we've developed here is special — I'd do anything for them."

The feeling in the CU locker room is mutual. Over the last three-plus seasons, Liufau has helped forge a mentality that has seen these Buffs echo his warrior attitude. It's a mentality that helped them survive difficult times — and now they are thriving.

"He's the toughest guy I know — hands down," said Buffs left tackle Jeromy Irwin. "We run him a lot but he just takes it. We all count on him. We know when he gets hit, he's gonna get up. We just know that. He leads by example, he's vocal when he has to be. Any aspect of leadership that you can think of, Sefo represents it.

"You can write this down — the leadership he has displayed over the last two years is the reason we are where we are today."

Liufau will be the first to admit he's not the fastest quarterback around. He doesn't wow NFL scouts with his arm or accuracy. He doesn't have the passing stats of Cal's Davis Webb, the quarterback who spurned the Buffs (and who is now quarterbacking a 4-7 team that has won just two Pac-12 games).

But he is the toughest. He keeps coming back. He's refused to quit, refused to allow the last three seasons shape him, and has been determined to leave a legacy worth remembering.

It's impossible to argue with the results.

"He's such a battler, such a warrior," head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "He played really well, like I thought he would. He's kept our team fighting and believing."

With a win next week, the Buffs can clinch their first division title since their 2005 season. Liufau would then become the first Buffs quarterback since Joel Klatt to play in a conference championship game.

It's not a place many people envisioned the Buffs being.

It is, however, exactly where the Buffs thought they could be.

"I've said it for a long time and no one believed me, but if our team caught up to Sefo, we'd be successful," MacIntyre said. "He just has the will power right now, he has that 'it' factor."

Some will continue to question Liufau. He knows it comes with the territory

But for the Buffs, "it" is definitely good enough.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu