Colorado University Athletics
CU's Leavitt Still Remembers Arizona's Rally Last Year
November 09, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — It's not one of Jim Leavitt's favorite topics, which is understandable. Losses are seldom something coaches enjoy discussing.
But of all the games Colorado's defensive coordinator has been a part of since joining the Buffs, last year's Arizona game might stick in his craw the most.
Time hasn't healed the wound. Leavitt has reminded his players of last year's game more than once this week as the Buffs head to Tucson for Saturday's 8 p.m. matchup with the Wildcats (FS1).
"We didn't play very good defense," Leavitt said earlier this week. "To be honest, they stuck it up our rear a couple of times times. I didn't do a very good job of coaching."
The two drives that still rankle Leavitt came in the fourth quarter. The Buffs took a 24-17 lead into the final period only to see the Wildcats proceed to score three unanswered touchdowns to claim a 38-31 win.
To be fair, the Buffs played the game without their two starting linebackers. Addison Gillam was already out for the season with a knee injury and Kenneth Olugbode had suffered a leg injury two weeks prior, leaving the Buffs with a pair of relatively untested redshirt freshmen at the position.
Still, it's a game the Buffs remember as one that got away — and it is the first two touchdowns of Arizona's fourth-quarter run that still haunt Leavitt.
After the Buffs had bottled up Arizona starting quarterback Anu Solomon, the Wildcats turned to backup Jerrard Randall. He proceeded to lead a seven-play, 97-yard drive for the tying touchdown, then came right back to guide a nine-play, 94-yard march to give the Wildcats the lead.
"You don't want that to happen — you're probably going to lose the game if that happens," Leavitt said. "They did a good job, we didn't play well and we didn't do a good job of coaching."
Randall finished with 11 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter, part of a 291-yard Arizona rushing game. Running back Jared Baker, meanwhile, had 23 carries for 207 yards and two touchdowns, including a 79-yard jaunt early in the game and a 45-yard run to cap the game-tying drive in the fourth period.
Randall and Baker are gone, but the Wildcats have another running threat at quarterback in Brandon Dawkins, who leads the UA with 597 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on 86 carries. Solomon is also still with the Wildcats, and has thrown for 332 yards and a score this season.
"They ran the ball well on us at the end of the game, took over the game running the football," head coach Mike MacIntyre said Wednesday morning. "We cannot have that happen. They did an excellent job of it and I know they'll be trying to do that and we have to be able to stop it."
The Buffs are much more well-equipped to see that kind of attack this year. Led by a stout defensive line and a host of experienced linebackers, CU's run defense has been a strength this year. Colorado is currently ranked 17th in the nation in rushing defense, giving up a scant 117.6 yards per game.
But at this time of the season, the only numbers Leavitt is interested in are those that will be on the board Saturday at Arizona Stadium.
"We're getting better," Leavitt allowed. "We're doing some good things. At the end of the year, we'll look at it and see how we did. But right now, I don't get off target. I don't think of anything else other than Arizona right now. That's where we are right now."
MAGIC NUMBER: Since 1985, the Buffs are 100-20-1 when holding an opponent to under 300 yards total offense. The Buffs have accomplished that feat six times this year and are 6-0 in those games: Colorado State (225), Idaho State (96), Oregon State (226), Arizona State (199), Stanford (263) and UCLA (210).
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HISTORIC: For just the second time since 1955, when Air Force began playing intercollegiate football, all five Division I teams along the Rocky Mountain front range have winning records after the first weekend in November: Colorado and Wyoming (7-2), Air Force and New Mexico (6-3) and Colorado State (5-4). The first time came in 1996, which is also the last time all five teams finished with winning records, when Colorado and Wyoming were 10-2, CSU was 7-5 and Air Force and New Mexico finished 6-5.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
