Woelk: 10 Takeaways From Buffs Win Over Cal

BOULDER — Colorado quarterback Steven Montez wasn't the only Buff doing a little soul searching last week.

After starting the season with some rather lofty expectations, the Buffs had underperformed in just about every area and were in danger of seeing their season drop into a nasty tailspin. To compound the issue, they were facing a Cal team that had become a trendy pick to come into Boulder and extend that slide (both of ESPN's Pac-12 bloggers picked the Buffs to lose).

But what was perhaps most noticeable throughout last week was the lack of any sign of panic or anxiety. Practices were crisp, attitudes were good and CU's coaches seemed to have no problem getting the players' attention. CU head coach Mike MacIntyre made some minor changes as far as specific drills were concerned, but overall, the approach was the same.

"We weren't any different than we have been," MacIntyre said after Saturday's 44-28 win over Cal.

Plenty of us wondered how the Buffs would react in the face of some serious adversity. Their lofty preseason goals had quite obviously been altered, and the question was what kind of resilience this team would display.

The answer, at least for one week, was "plenty." The Buffs played with a chip on their shoulder. They played as if the Bears had come to Boulder to steal their season — and they weren't ready to allow that to happen.

That's a tribute to the coaches and players. CU's coaches put together a solid game plan and the players executed. There was no lack of confidence, no doubt, no lack of conviction from either group.

It is easy to prepare a team when things are going well, but getting a team ready to play — and play well — when the road has been rough is a difficult task. CU's coaches delivered in that respect.

Of course, it was just one game. The Buffs still need one more win to become bowl eligible, and they would no doubt like to have a little insurance in that regard.

Thus, our weekly 10 Takeaways and what they could mean going forward:

1. The Pac-12 took a turn back to "normal" over the weekend. After a couple of weeks of some major upsets, the league followed form a little more closely. USC bounced back from a thumping by Notre Dame to end ASU's stretch of defensive gems, Washington took care of UCLA and Arizona dispatched Washington State.

Three weeks ago, that last game would have been an upset — but ever since UA quarterback Khalil Tate burst onto the scene with a huge game vs. Colorado, nobody has been able to stop him. He has now helped the 'Cats to wins over Colorado, UCLA, Cal and Washington State, and in those four games, he has run for 840 yards and 8 touchdowns and thrown for 743 yards and six scores. He's the real deal.

2. MacIntyre's decision to throw open CU quarterback competition should pay dividends for a while. The immediate result of opening up the quarterback competition was that it challenged incumbent starter Steven Montez, who responded with his best game of the season (and arguably the best of his career). Montez will be a better player because of the move.

But the long-term benefit was the message MacIntyre sent: no position on the team is "safe." If you don't produce, you don't play. That kind of message resonates through a locker room in a big way.

3. George Frazier is one of CU's biggest impact players most folks don't notice. A key sequence in Saturday's game came late in the first quarter, with Frazier playing an important role on both sides of the ball.

The first play came when tight end Frazier cleared a safety completely out of a play, opening up a huge lane to the end zone for Montez on his 7-yard touchdown run. The second came when defensive end Frazier sacked Cal quarterback Ross Bowers just two plays later, putting the Bears in a hole and ultimately resulting in a Bears punt.

Colorado took that punt and marched 96 yards for a touchdown, taking a 21-7 lead and control of the game for the rest of the afternoon. Two plays by Frazier — one on offense and one on defense — helped produce a momentum boost that made a huge difference in the game.

Frazier, who also plays a key role in CU's special teams, has been an integral member of the team since he arrived. He's always done what coaches have asked, played wherever needed, and has served well in his role as a team leader. He's been a big reason behind Phillip Lindsay's rushing success this year and has always put team first. That's the kind of example that will establish a team's foundation over the long haul.

4. CU's defensive game plan was solid. The Buffs had been struggling to put together a consistent pass rush this year, but Saturday's scheme against Cal provided exactly what was needed.

Buffs defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot threw a variety of blitzes against the Bears, which produced the first sacks of the year for linebacker Drew Lewis and defensive back Evan Worthington (CU had four sacks total). Lewis and Worthington are two of CU's most athletically gifted playmakers on defense, and Eliot continues to find ways to utilize their abilities.

5. A consistent kicker is a wonderful thing. Late in the fourth quarter Saturday, just after CU's James Stefanou successfully hit his third field goal try of the day, making the game a three-score affair, a CU fan sent me a message, noting how nice it was to have a consistent kicker in clutch situations.

No doubt. Stefanou is 28-for-28 on PATs this year and 13-for-15 on field goals, with one of those misses a 50-yard try.

Stefanou's .867 percent success rate is one of the best by a CU kicker in years. MacIntyre said last week he would have no qualms with sending Stefanou out to for a 55-yard attempt, a luxury the Buffs have not had for a while.

6. Those third-down conversions were big. A week ago, the Buffs were just 1-for-17 on third-down conversions at Washington State, a very big reason the offense was blanked.

Saturday, not only were the Buffs 11-for-17, they converted some big third-and-long situations.

On CU's first three scoring drives, the Buffs converted five straight third downs for 105 yards, including a third-and-17 (touchdown), another third-and-17 and a third-and-11. Later in the game, CU added yet one more third-and-long conversion (third-and-9) for a touchdown.

Those are difference-making plays. If the Buffs can produce a few of those in the coming weeks, they'll be in the game.

7. CU's offensive game plan — and a successful deep ball — kept the Bears guessing. Over the last few weeks, the Buffs have run more and more tight end formations, utilizing one — and sometimes two or three — big men to help with the run game blocking.

Saturday's attack was a great mixture of plenty of running back Phillip Lindsay to keep the Bears honest in the middle and a nice dose of short and long passes. Once CU hit a couple of long balls, the Bears were on their heels the rest of the afternoon.

8. We haven't forgotten the offensive line. Despite missing starting center Jonathan Huckins, the Buffs big fellas up front put together maybe their best overall performance of the year. Cal's defense — which had nine sacks against Washington State two weeks ago — did record three sacks on Montez, but CU's line also gave Montez plenty of time to throw on enough occasions to make the difference.

The line also helped keep Lindsay moving downhill, a major piece of the puzzle in the fourth quarter, when Colorado chose to simply keep pounding the Bears up the middle, using clock and putting the game away.

Lindsay, by the way, continues to be a machine. He is now third in the nation in rushing with 1,254 and leads the nation in carries with 240. He now has 11 career 100-yard games (five this year) and his now second on CU's all-time list of yards from scrimmage (he passed Eric Bieniemy over the weekend).

9. Kudos to the run defense. After allowing nearly 300 yards per game on the ground over the last three weeks, the Buffs limited the Bears to just 61 yards on 25 carries — a paltry 2.4 yards per carry.

The Bears were by no means a power running team. But the Buffs had to shut the Bears down on the ground to make them throw, and they accomplished just that.

10. There is clearly some fight left in this team. A week ago, we noted that these Buffs still had the opportunity to write a positive finish to this season.

That opportunity obviously still exists — and with the opportunity is the chance to add some quality wins to their ledger.

Colorado's next two games come against teams currently in the upper half of the Pac-12 South. This week, they head to Tempe for a meeting with 4-4 Arizona State (3-2 Pac-12) — the only team to beat Washington thus far. Then comes a home meeting with division leader USC.

As we mentioned earlier, Saturday's win was a nice indication that there is some resilience in this team. It was a sign that the foundation and culture MacIntyre and his staff have built is still steady.

Now, we'll get to see if that resilience can write another positive chapter to this season.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu