Woelk: Buffs Youngsters Will Be Well-Served To Remember 2016 Legacy
December 29, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
SAN ANTONIO — This wasn't the way Colorado's seniors wanted to go out.
Despite a 10-win season, despite a Pac-12 South title and a year that will no doubt finish with a top-25 ranking, the players who began the year with the vow of leaving a legacy of success wanted to make sure their final game in black and gold was one to remember.
They won't forget Thursday night's 38-8 bowl loss to Oklahoma State — but it's not the way they wanted to remember the Alamo. The loss to OSU was CU's second straight to end the season, dropping Colorado's final record to 10-4 and no doubt leaving a sour taste in the Colorado locker room that won't go away anytime soon.
Still, the guess here is that a few months from now, it will be a season on which CU fans look back fondly for all the reasons listed above.
It will just take some time for perspective to enter the equation and the sting of one game to fade.
In this game, the Buffs weren't sharp from the beginning. CU's offense struggled to find any consistency, crossing midfield only twice in the first half. Colorado's defense, meanwhile, couldn't find an answer for OSU quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receiver James Washington, who connected on big play after big play to keep CU's defenders on their heels all night.
The Cowboys didn't bury the Buffs as much as they methodically smothered them. OSU put a field goal on the board on its first possession of the night, added a pair of touchdowns in the second period and then put the game away with two more touchdowns in the third quarter for a 31-0 lead heading into the final period.
The Buffs' cause wasn't helped by an injury to star cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, which kept him out of practice virtually the entire week. But even a healthy Awuzie probably wouldn't have been enough to stop the Cowboys, who hit the Buffs with just enough of a running game to keep Colorado honest, then did the big damage with the passing game.
Offensively, another injury to quarterback Sefo Liufau also set the Buffs back. Liufau left late in the first half with an ankle injury, and while he returned late in the third quarter, neither he nor backup Steven Montez ever managed to create any semblance of consistency with the game still within reach.
Definitely not the impression the Buffs wanted to make on national television in their first bowl appearance in nearly a decade.
Definitely not how Colorado wanted to finish the season.
But … if there is a lesson to be learned, a sliver of silver lining from the loss, it is this: hopefully, Colorado's freshmen, sophomores and juniors were paying attention. Close attention. Hopefully, they saw the disappointment in the eyes of their seniors — and will remember that look every day this offseason.
It's something the Buffs can't afford to forget, not if they want to take the next step in Colorado's return to prominence.
Fact is, the Buffs saw in Oklahoma State a team that is accustomed to the big stage — not only what it takes to get there, but what is necessary to play well once they hit that stage.
Simply, the Buffs saw a veteran team that played as if a championship was at stake, and on a night when the Buffs needed a near-perfect effort, they made too many mistakes against a team that was more than happy to take advantage.
While the loss is no doubt going to hurt for a while, there will still be a time when perspective should finally rear its head. No matter how the season ended, 10 wins and a Pac-12 South title is something of which this team will always be proud. It is — CU fans hope — also just the beginning of something that will continue to build and continue to grow momentum.
But for that to happen, it's now up to the next group of leaders. Next year's seniors — among them Phillip Lindsay, Bryce Bobo, Devin Ross, Jeromy Irwin, Gerrad Kough, Afolabi Laguda — must take charge in the offseason and make sure nobody forgets what Thursday night felt like.
They must take a disappointing loss and squeeze from it whatever they can. It will mean a renewed dedication to offseason strength and conditioning, a spring ball session that they attack with a purpose and a summer that repeats what last year's seniors put forth.
Meanwhile, they can't forget what this year's seniors accomplished — and how they got there. If Colorado's rise is going to continue, the next group of CU's leaders must learn from the players who got them to this point. This has to be just another step in the process, not the final product.
At the same time, here's hoping Colorado fans don't forget. No matter how disappointing a finish, what the 2016 seniors accomplished should be one CU fans remember and cherish. Players such as Liufau, Awuzie, Kenneth Olugbode, Jimmie Gilbert, Alex Kelley, Sean Irwin and Tedric Thompson did what almost no one believed they could do just a few short months ago.
They inspired a community, a university and a state. They gave Colorado fans something to believe in again.
For that, they deserve a special spot in CU history.
They earned it.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
