Woelk: Loss To ASU A Painful One For Buffs
November 05, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
TEMPE, Ariz. — Every loss hurts — but this one is going to sting a little more for a little longer.
The Colorado Buffaloes had their chances Saturday night to turn the corner.
Instead, the Buffs took another step back. On the road against a good Arizona State squad with bowl eligibility in their sights, Colorado let one slip out of its grasp. The Buffs ostensibly could have put this one away in the first half, but a long list of miscues — missed throws, dropped balls, missed tackles and a blocked punt — kept the Sun Devils in the game.
With that many opportunities, the Sun Devils finally took advantage, piling on a 24-3 fourth quarter for a 41-30 win.
The Buffs led by 10 at three different junctures in the game, including a 27-17 edge heading into the final period. But fact is, that lead could have been twice that much at the half.
Colorado's first possession of the night ended in a field goal — but only after two clear Steven Montez shots at the end zone missed the mark. The Buffs' second possession ended in a punt — but only after a beautifully executed flea flicker that could have produced a 76-yard touchdown instead bounced off receiver Shay Fields' hands.
The Buffs finally hit the end zone on their next possession, but even that drive featured a long pass in the end zone off the hands of receiver Devin Ross.
Then came a failed fourth-and-1 deep in ASU territory, soon followed by a 77-yard ASU drive to the end zone in the final 1:07 of the half — just after CU had seemingly regained momentum by taking a 17-7 lead.
But despite all the mistakes, CU still held a 27-17 lead heading into the final period — only to see a blocked punt hand ASU a short field, leading to the tying touchdown soon after a Sun Devils field goal. Colorado managed to briefly regain the lead at 30-27, but the momentum had shifted to ASU's sideline and the Buffs simply wore down in the end.
The post-game analysis from CU players was short and to the point. The Buffs no doubt knew they had let a win get away.
"Missed throws, dropped balls, missed assignments," was Montez's terse assessment. "It all caught up to us."
Now the question is what the Buffs can gather from their remaining two regular season games.
Next week, they host USC. The Trojans seem to have solved their early season issues and will come to Boulder with an eye on clinching the Pac-12 South title. Then comes the regular season finale in Utah, a game that could very well hold bowl implications for both teams.
The Buffs have no other choice than return to work on Monday and do their best to fix the mistakes that cost them a game on Saturday. It's a refrain the Buffs thought they had put behind them a year ago, but one that has once again become all too familiar. Three games — UCLA, Arizona and now Arizona State — all within their grasp, and all three have instead slipped away.
"Tough to swallow," Montez said through gritted teeth. "It sucks. Now we have to take what we did wrong and fix it."
For head coach Mike MacIntyre, the task will be to make sure his players understand there's still some good to be squeezed from this season. A bowl game — of any kind — is still a reward worth chasing.
But it won't be an easy job. A team that entered the season with the goal of returning to the Pac-12 title game has now been reduced to fighting for bowl eligibility. It's a worthy goal for a program that hasn't enjoyed any semblance of sustained success for more than a decade, but it will be interesting to see if the Buffs have that resiliency within them.
"We just have to go back to work again," MacIntyre said. "We have to make corrections and find ways to make plays. We can still do some good things."
CU NOTES:
MacIntyre said offensive lineman Tim Lynott Jr. and safety Ryan Moeller both suffered injuries that may sideline them for the rest of the season. … CU no doubt missed cornerback Isaiah Oliver, who missed his second straight game with a leg injury. … Freshman kicker James Stefanou was 3-for-3 in the game and is now 15-for-17 for the season. He has his career long Saturday, a 53-yarder. … Montez extended his streak of throws without an interception to 174 before his last pass of the night, a Hail Mary to the end zone, was picked off. … Derek McCartney (14) and Rick Gamboa (13) both had career highs in tackles.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
