Woelk: Buffs' Win Over ASU A Defining Moment For MacIntyre

BOULDER — More than one person will call Saturday night's 40-16 Colorado win over Arizona State a "statement game."

No doubt. The 5-2 Buffs did indeed make a statement, delivering arguably the biggest win for a CU team in more than a decade. They knocked off a ranked team, remained in a first-place tie for the Pac-12 South lead (3-1), moved to within one game of bowl eligibility with five games remaining — and they did it in dominating fashion. The Buffs' offense was a steamroller, their defense was ferocious. Against a team they had never beaten, the Buffs took control early and never let up.

A statement, to be sure, particularly to all those who picked the Buffs to once again finish in the basement of the Pac-12 South.

But if you're looking for another description, something that tells the whole story, consider this: Saturday night might just be remembered as the defining moment at Colorado for head coach Mike MacIntyre.

Simply, this was the type of game MacIntyre has been building for since he arrived, the type of game he and the entire program have waiting to play for years: a meaningful game in mid-October, one with plenty at stake — and one in which the Buffs would have to prove they were ready to answer the bell as a contender.

Their answer left little doubt. Colorado dominated the Sun Devils from the beginning. From a 10-play, 81-yard touchdown drive on their first possession to a stifling defensive performance all night — ASU finished with just 199 yards total offense — the Buffs were clearly the better team. The Sun Devils, a program that has dominated Colorado in seven previous games, had no answer on either side of the ball.

"I have a lot of respect for Coach MacIntyre," said ASU coach Todd Graham. "The job he's done is tremendous. Their tempo and how hard they played, they were the better team tonight. … You've got to give them all the credit. There's no excuses, they kicked our tail."

After the game, MacIntyre called it a "breakthrough" moment for the Buffs. He noted that ASU is the first team with a winning record the Buffs have beaten this year. He noted that for the first time in a long while — OK, the first time in his tenure at Colorado — his players were playing under the pressure of being expected to win a big game.

It's not a situation they've experienced before — but they responded exactly as he thought they would. They did everything he's coached them to do, everything he and his staff have been telling them they were capable of doing since fall camp began.

"It means a lot," said quarterback Sefo Liufau, who came back from an ankle injury to put up a sparkling 23-for-31 night for 265 yards and one touchdown. "He's stuck with us through everything we've been through. He's always believed in us, always made us do things the right way. To finally win a game like this is a great feeling — but like he said, it's only one game. There's a lot more season to go."

But if the Buffs can continue to play like they did Saturday night, if they can continue to improve as they have all season, this can indeed be the special season they told us to expect in fall camp. The only difference now is the entire conference is listening.

They're listening because the Buffs steamrolled the Sun Devils for 315 yards on the ground — the same ASU defense that was giving up just 89 yards per ground rushing coming into the game. Listening because an ASU offense that was averaging 434.8 yards and nearly 40 points per game saw those numbers hacked in half by a physical, punishing Colorado defense that made the Sun Devils pay — dearly — for every yard they gained.

And listening because now the rest of the Pac-12 knows that when push comes to shove, MacIntyre's Buffs are indeed ready to answer bell. The pressure was on — and instead of wilting under the pressure, instead of letting last week's narrow loss at USC define them, they responded. They believed in MacIntyre's process and they delivered a defining moment for the program.

The big plays came from everywhere. Liufau returned from his ankle injury to put forth another outstanding effort. Running back Phillip Lindsay (career-high 219 yards, three touchdowns) was unstoppable. Bryce Bobo (six catches, 110 yards) was terrific. Linebacker Jimmie Gilbert (six tackles, two sacks and another tackle for loss) was a force the Sun Devils couldn't contain and linebacker Addison Gillam looked like the All-American we remember from three years ago.

The common thread is all are players who remember the difficult times — and all are determined to turn those into distant memories.

There's a new legacy to be carved.

"What you have to understand is how much Coach Mac has been through with all of us," said Lindsay, who shredded the Sun Devils. "He brought all of us in here. He believed in us from the beginning. He's had a plan and he's stayed with it. People didn't always believe in him, but all of us in the locker room, we knew.

"But like he said — we haven't done anything yet. We've won five games. We have a lot more to go. This team can achieve great things, but we have to keep playing Colorado football."

No doubt, this team has already hit some benchmarks. At 5-2, it's already the most wins by a MacIntyre team in his tenure in Boulder and the most wins by a CU team since 2010 (a 5-7 finish).

But as every CU player and every coach will tell you, there's much, much more left to this season.

"Our kids played great," said a nearly hoarse defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt after the game. "They came out and did everything we asked them to do. That was a great win for us."

Then, almost before he had a chance to catch his breath, Leavitt added, "Now we've got to get ready for Stanford. They're a great team."

Indeed, while the Buffs are riding high today, they also know what MacIntyre told them in the locker room. Their goal of playing for a Pac-12 championship is one step closer — but the journey is far from complete.

"Now we need to keep marching on," MacIntyre said. "I'm excited where we are and now we need to get back to work tomorrow. We're one step closer to getting to where we want to go, but we've got a long ways to go."

True enough — but now, that road is clearly defined. Saturday night's win made that much quite clear.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu