MacIntyre: Buffs Have Taken Ownership Of Team
July 15, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
CU coach says upperclassmen have embraced role of leaders
LOS ANGELES — Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre can already see the difference. Fall camp may not open for another two weeks, but MacIntyre said his fourth CU team has a different air, a different attitude.
Buffs seniors have taken ownership. The difference, MacIntyre said Friday at the Pac-12 Media Days, is almost palpable. The group of players who entered the program the same year he took the reins now has one last chance to leave its mark, one last opportunity to produce a legacy that will be remembered for all the right reasons.
He believes they will take full advantage of that opportunity.
"They're self-starters," MacIntyre said. "They control themselves. They push themselves, inspire themselves. I don't have to say a whole lot. The culture is there and built in. They understand what it takes. I called in this morning and they were working. They know July 15 matters for September 15, for October 15. They don't have to be told that. They understand. The upperclassmen are leading by example and by voice and doing a great job."
The 2016 Buffaloes will be by far MacIntyre's most-experienced and oldest team since his arrival in Boulder. The Buffs will officially have 18 returning starters, with at least a dozen more possessing significant starting experience. At the same time, it's possible that as many as 20 of the 22 starting spots this year on offense and defense will be occupied by an upperclassman — and more than half the entire roster is made up of juniors (34) and seniors (24).
"It's our team," said senior quarterback Sefo Liufau. "The seniors have definitely taken charge and definitely have more of a say on things. We want it to go a certain way and we want to go as far as we can. We're not going to limit ourselves by anybody's prediction."
Liufau, a three-year starter, is coming back from a Lisfranc foot injury suffered last Nov. 13 against Southern California. He spent his winter, spring and early summer rehabilitating the injury, spending every possible moment preparing to return to the field in time for the Buffs' first practice of fall camp.
If his dedication and perseverance is any indication of what's to come this season, Buffs fans should be excited. When the Buffs conduct their first fall camp practice Aug. 4, Liufau will be ready — ahead of schedule and in what both he and MacIntyre described as being in the best shape of his life.
"I'm rested and ready to go," Liufau said. "I'm excited to get back out there and play the game I love with this group of guys. I'm kind of itching to go. … There's a drive and fire and hunger and desire to go out there and win some games."
Also appearing for the Buffs at Media Days was defensive back Chidobe Awuzie, a player who seems to have burst into the national spotlight almost overnight. After a season in which he was named a second-team all-Pac-12 performer, Awuzie is on national watch lists for at least three major awards and has been named to a number of preseason all-conference teams.
"Our confidence is really high," Awuzie said. "Before, we were seeing other teams and looking at the logo on their helmets. Now we see past that. It's all about us. If we are focused on ourselves and love each other and are having fun with it, we're going to win. We're really confident now, especially with how we've been progressing throughout these years.
"We know there's a big storm coming."
PRAISE FROM OTHERS: While the Buffs were once again picked by the media to finish last in the Pac-12 South, they have no doubt gained the respect of other players and coached in the league.
UCLA linebacker Jayon Brown, whose Bruins have been pushed to the limit in their last two meetings by Colorado, smiled when asked if people are overlooking the Buffs.
"Nobody in the conference is overlooking them anymore," Brown said. "They played us down to the wire, they played SC close … Colorado is a couple drives, a couple catches away from being right there in the conversation of winning the South. Their guys are really competitive, they have good coaches and some really good players. They're on the verge of breaking out. I don't think anybody in the Pac-12 is overlooking them."
RED ZONE CONCENTRATION: MacIntyre said one point of emphasis in the offseason that he believes will yield positive results is CU's performance in the red zone.
A year ago, the Buffs were near the bottom of the national rankings in red zone scoring, converting on just 39 of their 53 trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Of those scores, 27 were touchdowns and 12 resulted in field goals.
"I definitely think we'll be a better red-zone team," MacIntyre said. "Our offensive line is better. We've got good running backs. Sefo will be healthy. I think we've got some guys who can catch the ball in the end zone. We've got a really good tight end. I think us getting into the end zone more this year is important for us .. and I feel good about us being able to do that."
INSPIRATION: Awuzie said watching Liufau's rehab process was an inspiration for the rest of the team.
"You see him every day, trying to get in better shape, trying to get better footwork, working on his throwing — when you see how much he has invested in this tea, it makes us feel really good about our quarterback."
DUAL THREAT: Awuzie is just one reason the CU secondary will be considered a major strength for this year's defense. Another reason for optimism is the presence of fellow senior Tedric Thompson, a three-year starter at safety.
"He's a big, athletic safety, has very good ball skills," MacIntyre said. "He's going to be a mainstay for us in the secondary again this year. We look forward to having him making plays. He's a leader back there, very durable, very reliable, and I think he's a heck of a player that will have a big impact for us."
Thompson was CU's third-leading tackler last season, finishing the year with 80 stops (58 unassisted) to go with three interceptions and five tackles for loss.
PAC-12 NETWORKS TO VISIT: The league's network will make its training camp visit to Colorado on Aug. 16. The network will return the week of Oct. 10 to spend several days filming "The Drive" ahead of CU's home game with Arizona State. The network plans to visit each school in the conference this year for a week.
MORA ON SOUTH: UCLA coach Jim Mora said he was surprised when his Bruins were picked by the media to win the Pac-12 South.
"I thought that USC, Utah, Arizona State, Arizona, Colorado, I thought those teams would probably be picked ahead of us, just based on the way we finished last year in a rather disappointing fashion," Mora said.
After starting off 7-2 last season, the Bruins lost three of their last four games, including a 37-29 defeat at the hands of Nebraska in the Foster Farms Bowl.
PETERSEN ON HUSKIES: Chris Petersen's Washington Huskies have found themselves as one of the nation's "hot" teams, with some experts picking the to unseat Stanford for the Pac-12 North title.
Petersen is doing his best to tamp down some of that hype.
"We have as much hype as the new Pokemon game that no one knows anything about but thinks it's really cool," Petersen said. "That's us."
SHAW ON CARDINAL: Stanford coach David Shaw, meanwhile, had this to say about the media picking the Cardinal to win the league title: "It just truly shows that you guys have no idea what you're doing."
DRAWING A CROWD: Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, a Colorado high school prep product who is a preseason favorite for the Heisman Trophy, easily drew the biggest crowd of either day. McCaffrey last year set the NCAA record for all-purpose yards, and Shaw was asked what McCaffrey could do better this season.
"I think the thing is to look at all the things he did last year and say he can do each one of them a little bit better, knowing that he's a little bit wiser, he's stronger, and he's faster," Shaw said.
LONELY POSITION: In conference known for its quarterbacks, this year's Media Days was a rarity in that only one quarterback — CU's Liufau — was in attendance. It meant that there were as many punters (Oregon State's Nick Porebski represented the Beavers) as quarterbacks at the annual gathering.
UP NEXT: The Buffs will officially report for fall camp on Wednesday, Aug. 3, with the first practice scheduled for Aug. 4.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
