Colorado University Athletics
Woelk: 10 Takeaways From Buffs Vs. Washington State
October 22, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Now roughly at the halfway point of Pac-12 play, the league standings are beginning to sort themselves out. Six teams have winning records, five have losing records and one sits at .500.
The Colorado Buffaloes find themselves among those five teams closer to the bottom of their respective divisions than the top. After a 28-0 loss at Washington State, the 4-4 Buffs are just 1-4 in league play — the same as Oregon and Cal, with Utah (1-3) and Oregon State (0-4) in the same neighborhood.
It is certainly not the neighborhood CU coaches, players and fans thought the Buffs would be occupying with four conference games left to play. A team that was expected to score plenty of points on a regular basis while allowing its defense time to gel has instead been an enigma: consistently inconsistent. Malfunctions and miscues on both sides of the ball have cost the Buffs dearly in two conference games, and have allowed two others to be more lopsided than they perhaps should have been.
The end result is a 1-4 conference mark and a rising level of frustration that became apparent over the weekend. It started with with head coach Mike MacIntyre's decision to bench an ineffective starting quarterback Steven Montez at halftime, and continued with a second-half MacIntyre sidelines tirade that ESPN broadcast to the nation.
So what did we learn from the Buffs' latest trip to the Palouse and the rest of the Pac-12 weekend? Our weekly 10 Takeaways:
1. CU's next four games come against teams who have all experienced their own versions of frustration.
Cal has played well and has just one conference win to show for it (although that win came in a dominant performance against Washington State). Two of Utah's league losses have come by a total of four points, including a loss at USC that came down to a failed two-point conversion try. While Arizona State has apparently righted the ship with back-to-back dominant defensive performances in wins over Washington and Utah, the Sun Devils would love to have a chance to reverse those early season losses to Stanford, Texas Tech and San Diego State.
And then there's USC, whose 6-2 record (4-1 Pac-12) belies a growing sense of unease, especially in the wake of a 49-14 drubbing by Notre Dame over the weekend.
MacIntyre wasn't exaggerating Saturday night when he said, "We can beat everybody we have left to play … And we could lose to every one of them."
2. Growing pains are especially rough on a quarterback. Here's a statistical comparison of two young quarterbacks you may find interesting:
One has completed more than 63 percent of his passes and has seven more touchdowns than interceptions (17-10). The second has completed almost 62 percent of his passes for six more touchdowns than interceptions (12-6). One has a QB rating of 142.9, the second a QB rating of 135.4. The first averages 7.96 yards per completion, the second 7.35 per completion.
Both are redshirt sophomores. Both led their teams to big wins as redshirt freshmen — and both are having their share of troubles this year.
But Sam Darnold (the first) plays for USC, where the sheer talent level across the roster is among the best in the nation. Steven Montez plays at a program that is still building, still trying to establish a foundation that can withstand the test of yearly roster turnover.
The lesson here is that quarterbacks need time to grow — and there may be no player on the team who entered the season under a brighter spotlight and with larger outside expectations than Montez. As things haven't gone well, there's no doubt the pressure has taken its toll, both in his decision-making process and in his physical performance.
Montez claims the stretch hasn't hurt his confidence — but honestly, it's hard to see how any player wouldn't be a little shaken over the season's turn of events. I still believe he has the potential to be a very good college quarterback, but it will take some solid coaching and patience to bring that gunslinger edge back to the surface and erase the hesitancy that was so prominent Saturday.
3. CU's offensive struggles aren't limited to the quarterback. The Buffs began the season without their starting left tackle for two games and the offensive line really hasn't stabilized since.
There have seen periods of solid play, but we have yet to see a cohesive, dominant unit over long stretches. Injuries have also contributed to the inconsistencies, and it will be interesting to see over the last four games if the line can develop that cohesion.
4. Special teams are consistent. Colorado's Alex Kinney punted 10 times Saturday for a solid 40.6-yard average, with five inside the 20-yard line and just one touchback.
Meanwhile, CU's special teams continue to be steady, ranked in the middle of the pack in most Pac-12 categories. It may not be spectacular, but on a team where inconsistency has been far too prevalent, dependability is nice.
5. CU's pass defense remains solid. Colorado's defense has fared well against some of the Pac-12's top passers. They limited Josh Rosen and UCLA to 27 points (11 points under their season average) and held WSU's Luke Falk to a relatively pedestrian 17-for-34 night for 197 yards (although he had three touchdowns).
CU's secondary is playing well overall. The Buffs took a hit when Isaiah Oliver left with an injury, but the Buffs still finished the night with eight pass breakups, including three from Dante Wigley.
6. But the run defense remains a question. The Buffs knew they would be inexperienced up front, but injuries and disciplinary matters have added to the problems, and opponents are rushing for nearly 200 yards per game.
WSU's 194 yards on the ground was a season high, and nearly three times the Cougars' season average. The Buffs will see some good running teams down the stretch, and it's an area that will no doubt be a priority not only the rest of this season, but next spring as well.
7. Phillip Lindsay won't quit. There's not much more that can be said about CU's senior running back that hasn't been written, but his grit and determination continue to be an inspiration. He is now the first back in CU history to run for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, a feat that deserves every bit of the attention and accolades he receives.
8. Opportunities aren't always being taken advantage of when presented. While Saturday wasn't the first time, it may have been the best example this year of CU's difficulty in seizing the moment.
Early in the game, the Buffs had two beautiful opportunities. One came after Evan Worthington recovered a fumble near midfield; the second came after a short punt and WSU penalty again gave CU the ball near midfield. Both came with the score still 0-0 — and both times, the Buffs failed to reap any points from their good field position.
There were other opportunities. CU missed on two fourth-down conversions on WSU's 17-yard line in the second half, and came up short on another fourth-down try at the Cougar 28 in the first half. Overall, Colorado was 2-for-6 on fourth down tries and 1-for-17 on third down.
Those are numbers that tell a big story.
9. The margin for error is still razor thin. There are only a handful of teams in America who can make mistakes, shrug their shoulders and not have those mistakes cost them.
But for the vast majority of teams — including the Buffs — a successful season is often decided by literally a handful of plays.
A year ago, we saw CU eliminate the vast majority of those mistakes while also taking advantage of every opportunity that came its way. This year, the Buffs haven't flipped that switch. Even with the difficulties that have arisen recently, this team can look back at literally two or three plays that could have them at 6-2 today.
One of MacIntyre's favorite sayings is, "Players make plays. Players win games."
Every bit true. But if ever there was a time for CU's coaches to instill confidence in their players and put them in position to make those plays, it is now. Players make plays, but their coaches are an extension of those plays — and sometimes, that's more than Xs and Os.
Which brings us to …
10. There is still a chance to write a positive finish. At 4-4, Colorado needs a split over the final four games to become bowl eligible. Maybe equally importantly, there still remains a chance to produce some quality wins.
Right now, the culture and foundation the Buffs believed they had built coming into the season is threatening to become just a bit wobbly. There is, however, still plenty of opportunty to solidify that foundation and build on that culture.
Every good program needs to show resilience at some point.
That is an opportunity clearly in front of this team.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
