Can coach Mike MacIntyre build on the success of his fourth season at CU?
Brooks: What To Expect In 2017? Here’s Your Early Forecast
March 18, 2017 | Football, B.G. Brooks
Buffs must reboot on defense but offense, schedule could ease the pain
BOULDER – For their 2017 encore, the Colorado Buffaloes will . . . .
This is a fill-in-the-blank exercise – and with a severely flawed crystal ball, filling in a few blanks is the best we can do at the conclusion of spring practice 2016.
But here goes: How will CU follow its finest football season in a little over a decade?
There's your $16.25 million dollar question, Buffs fans, a little something to ponder, gnaw on and perhaps gnash a few teeth over through spring, the dog days of summer and until Labor Day Weekend, when CU opens against Colorado State on Friday, Sept. 1 in Denver.
In 2016, his fourth season on the job, coach Mike MacIntyre sent the bar through the roof: 10 wins, an 8-1 conference record, a Pac-12 South championship, the program's first bowl appearance in a decade and a No. 17 final national ranking.
That the Buffs were outscored 79-18 in their final two games – a 41-10 loss to eventual No. 4 finisher Washington in the Pac-12 Championship game; a 38-8 Alamo Bowl loss to final No. 11 Oklahoma State – most certainly stung at the time but didn't leave an ugly stain on the season.
And no, the pair of postseason blowouts didn't faze – nor should it have – CU's administration in offering MacIntyre a three-year contract extension ($16.25 million over the next five seasons) that is waiting regents' approval until an external investigation into the Joe Tumpkin matter is completed.
The guess here is that by early June or before, the outsiders' deep look inside will be complete and MacIntyre's full attention will be on what's ahead for his defense, his kicking game and elsewhere when preseason camp opens later in the summer. But I repeat, that's a guess.
If I were MacIntyre, two areas mentioned in the preceding paragraph – the defense and kicking game – would be the pair that contributes to the chance of August insomnia.
The questions in the kicking game start and end with consistency. The questions on defense begin with personnel losses – coaches and players – and have been visited and revisited ad nauseam.
This isn't to say the offense opens the 2017 season with every piece in place, but by comparison it's well-stocked, experienced (coaches and players) and appears to have a very capable, albeit young, quarterback to direct it.
The kicking game lost placement specialist Diego Gonzalez, who in reality was lost after two games last fall, suffering an Achilles tear in Game 3 at Michigan and is now out of eligibility. Having him back would have been a welcome bonus.
Replacing him were Chris Graham and Davis Price, both of whom are back and hopefully return on target. The newcomers in the mix are sophomore Nick Porter, who also punts, and 29-year-old Aussie James Stefanou, a late (mid-March) signee. Stay tuned for the camp competition.
Graham, a senior-to-be, hit 71.4 percent of his field goals (8th Pac-12, 87th NCAA). Price, battling injuries in his first season but nonetheless making a freshman record 54-yarder on his first college attempt, hit 66.7 percent. They finished a combined 14-of-20, with Price making 4-of-6 and Graham 10-of-14.
The Buffs were 12th in the conference, 118th in the NCAA, in net punting last season (34.4). Punter Alex Kinney, entering his junior year, was No. 7 in the Pac-12, No. 63 NCAA (41.3). He's capable of better work and yes, being more consistent.
NONE OF THOSE NUMBERS is crippling but MacIntyre likely will agree that in an upcoming season that will bring a defensive overhaul, a kicking game/special teams upgrade that features less finger-crossing on field goal tries and punts would be welcome.
And as for special teams overall, which did cripple the Buffs in the loss at Michigan, there appears to be a sharper focus with the addition of Ross Els, who will coach the inside linebackers but has extensive special teams experience. Will we say goodbye to last season's by-committee approach? We'll see.
That brings us to defense . . . .
Aside from replacing eight starters (which is a pretty large aside) the looming unknown on 'D' might be how the unit responds to three new coaches – including the mood-setter, the defensive coordinator.
Under former DC Jim Leavitt, the Buffs' mood was nasty and relentless – with both showing up in large enough quantities to rank CU No. 2 in the Pac-12 and No. 19 nationally in total defense.
I asked new coordinator D.J. Eliot what impressed him when he saw Leavitt's defense for the first time on tape.
"They played hard, extremely hard," Eliot answered. "Now they were talented, the backend was extremely talented. But as a defense they played extremely hard and that's what we want to build on. As a coaching staff we're pushing these guys to reach that intensity level each day."
The challenge to duplicate that, he continued, "is that it's new people – not only new coaches it's new players. We're relying on those (players) who were here last year to lead. They may not have been the leaders last year but they sure are the leaders this year."
Eliot has only a peripheral knowledge of Leavitt and his personality, noting that his only contact with him has been through "professional development." But Eliot made clear he joined MacIntyre's staff as Leavitt's successor, not his clone.
"Every coach has a different personality and each coach coaches within that personality," Eliot said. "I think our players are responding very well to not only me but our assistant coaches."
In 2016, the defense unquestionably had the other side's back; four of CU's wins were by 10 or fewer points, three by five or less. Call me crazy, but I don't see the 2017 Buffs winning any games by a 10-5 score (Stanford).
What I do see are plenty of shootouts, provided the offense can take the next step under co-coordinators Brian Lindgren and Darrin Chiaverini and if the QB play of Steven Montez isn't erratic. Montez has bullpen and starting experience and is more athletic than his predecessor, Sefo Liufau.
If he can lead like Liufau, or come close, the Buffs have another special player at the position. But don't be too critical early on; that intangible can't be rushed.
Smooth out some of the rough edges early in the O-line and, given the talent and depth at receiver and Phillip Lindsay's return at tailback (and if no one else goes down), and this offense should be at least as productive as last season's model.
Will it be productive enough to carry a rebuilding defense? I posed that question to Lindgren and Chiaverini at the conclusion of Saturday's spring scrimmage.
Said Chiaverini: "I think so; we've got to take the next step this year. Just like the defense kind of had our backs last year in a couple of games, we've got to have their backs if things go that way."
Said Lindgren: "I don't think we're there yet, but I think we have that potential to do some good things on offense."
BUT FOR THE BUFFS' OFFENSE to be a load-bearing unit, both coordinators agreed that one ingredient has to be present before the next step can be taken in the evolution. That ingredient: consistency.
"At times last year we were really explosive," Lindgren said. "In some other games we really struggled. Just the consistency so that our guys understand that we have to show up every Saturday and be able to execute our responsibilities and be able to play clean football and move the ball on everybody and score points. I think we have the potential to do that but we're still a work in progress
definitely."
My first thought in looking at the 2017 schedule: The Buffs should be 3-0 by the time defending Pac-12 champ Washington visits Folsom Field on Sept. 23. That, of course, includes an opening win against CSU, which CU fans always expect but seldom is as easy as most expect.
Last September's 44-7 rout of the Rams should have been an indicator of two things: 1. The Buffs had enough solid senior leadership to be as focused as they promised to be in the offseason; 2. Leavitt's defense wasn't going to allow many yards and points.
Even so, if you had asked me to pencil in 10 wins on the 2016 schedule, I'd have broken the pencil and called you delusional. Ask me to pencil in 10 wins on the 2017 schedule and my reaction would be the same.
However, from this blurred vantage point this fall's schedule appears far more forgiving than last fall's. There's no September trip to Michigan followed by a trek to Oregon. Instead, after the trip south on I-25 to Denver, there are visits to Folsom by Texas State and Northern Colorado.
That should make the season's first month more palatable (and successful) and allow fine-tuning where it's needed.
What's more, Stanford is a no-show, but California shows up – with a new coach – at Folsom on Oct. 28, and Southern California pays a visit two weekends later (Nov. 11), perhaps offering the Buffs a chance to finally win a game in that series (0-11-0).
By any stretch, it's not close to the killer schedule that the Buffs clawed out 10 'W's from in 2016. Instead, it's of the type that a team assigned the rebuilding and refocusing that MacIntyre faces in Year 5 should be able to navigate. It's also the type a coach needs to demonstrate that his program isn't a one-year wonder, that a reappearance on college football's landscape won't be followed by a disappearance.
Will 2017 yield 6, 7, 8 or 10 wins? Another Pac-12 South championship? Another postseason appearance and final Top 25 national ranking?
I'll go with 7 wins and a bowl game – and I'm very, very open to being proved wrong.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
This is a fill-in-the-blank exercise – and with a severely flawed crystal ball, filling in a few blanks is the best we can do at the conclusion of spring practice 2016.
But here goes: How will CU follow its finest football season in a little over a decade?
There's your $16.25 million dollar question, Buffs fans, a little something to ponder, gnaw on and perhaps gnash a few teeth over through spring, the dog days of summer and until Labor Day Weekend, when CU opens against Colorado State on Friday, Sept. 1 in Denver.
In 2016, his fourth season on the job, coach Mike MacIntyre sent the bar through the roof: 10 wins, an 8-1 conference record, a Pac-12 South championship, the program's first bowl appearance in a decade and a No. 17 final national ranking.
That the Buffs were outscored 79-18 in their final two games – a 41-10 loss to eventual No. 4 finisher Washington in the Pac-12 Championship game; a 38-8 Alamo Bowl loss to final No. 11 Oklahoma State – most certainly stung at the time but didn't leave an ugly stain on the season.
And no, the pair of postseason blowouts didn't faze – nor should it have – CU's administration in offering MacIntyre a three-year contract extension ($16.25 million over the next five seasons) that is waiting regents' approval until an external investigation into the Joe Tumpkin matter is completed.
The guess here is that by early June or before, the outsiders' deep look inside will be complete and MacIntyre's full attention will be on what's ahead for his defense, his kicking game and elsewhere when preseason camp opens later in the summer. But I repeat, that's a guess.
If I were MacIntyre, two areas mentioned in the preceding paragraph – the defense and kicking game – would be the pair that contributes to the chance of August insomnia.
The questions in the kicking game start and end with consistency. The questions on defense begin with personnel losses – coaches and players – and have been visited and revisited ad nauseam.
This isn't to say the offense opens the 2017 season with every piece in place, but by comparison it's well-stocked, experienced (coaches and players) and appears to have a very capable, albeit young, quarterback to direct it.
The kicking game lost placement specialist Diego Gonzalez, who in reality was lost after two games last fall, suffering an Achilles tear in Game 3 at Michigan and is now out of eligibility. Having him back would have been a welcome bonus.
Replacing him were Chris Graham and Davis Price, both of whom are back and hopefully return on target. The newcomers in the mix are sophomore Nick Porter, who also punts, and 29-year-old Aussie James Stefanou, a late (mid-March) signee. Stay tuned for the camp competition.
Graham, a senior-to-be, hit 71.4 percent of his field goals (8th Pac-12, 87th NCAA). Price, battling injuries in his first season but nonetheless making a freshman record 54-yarder on his first college attempt, hit 66.7 percent. They finished a combined 14-of-20, with Price making 4-of-6 and Graham 10-of-14.
The Buffs were 12th in the conference, 118th in the NCAA, in net punting last season (34.4). Punter Alex Kinney, entering his junior year, was No. 7 in the Pac-12, No. 63 NCAA (41.3). He's capable of better work and yes, being more consistent.
NONE OF THOSE NUMBERS is crippling but MacIntyre likely will agree that in an upcoming season that will bring a defensive overhaul, a kicking game/special teams upgrade that features less finger-crossing on field goal tries and punts would be welcome.
And as for special teams overall, which did cripple the Buffs in the loss at Michigan, there appears to be a sharper focus with the addition of Ross Els, who will coach the inside linebackers but has extensive special teams experience. Will we say goodbye to last season's by-committee approach? We'll see.
That brings us to defense . . . .
Aside from replacing eight starters (which is a pretty large aside) the looming unknown on 'D' might be how the unit responds to three new coaches – including the mood-setter, the defensive coordinator.
Under former DC Jim Leavitt, the Buffs' mood was nasty and relentless – with both showing up in large enough quantities to rank CU No. 2 in the Pac-12 and No. 19 nationally in total defense.
I asked new coordinator D.J. Eliot what impressed him when he saw Leavitt's defense for the first time on tape.
"They played hard, extremely hard," Eliot answered. "Now they were talented, the backend was extremely talented. But as a defense they played extremely hard and that's what we want to build on. As a coaching staff we're pushing these guys to reach that intensity level each day."
The challenge to duplicate that, he continued, "is that it's new people – not only new coaches it's new players. We're relying on those (players) who were here last year to lead. They may not have been the leaders last year but they sure are the leaders this year."
Eliot has only a peripheral knowledge of Leavitt and his personality, noting that his only contact with him has been through "professional development." But Eliot made clear he joined MacIntyre's staff as Leavitt's successor, not his clone.
"Every coach has a different personality and each coach coaches within that personality," Eliot said. "I think our players are responding very well to not only me but our assistant coaches."
In 2016, the defense unquestionably had the other side's back; four of CU's wins were by 10 or fewer points, three by five or less. Call me crazy, but I don't see the 2017 Buffs winning any games by a 10-5 score (Stanford).
What I do see are plenty of shootouts, provided the offense can take the next step under co-coordinators Brian Lindgren and Darrin Chiaverini and if the QB play of Steven Montez isn't erratic. Montez has bullpen and starting experience and is more athletic than his predecessor, Sefo Liufau.
If he can lead like Liufau, or come close, the Buffs have another special player at the position. But don't be too critical early on; that intangible can't be rushed.
Smooth out some of the rough edges early in the O-line and, given the talent and depth at receiver and Phillip Lindsay's return at tailback (and if no one else goes down), and this offense should be at least as productive as last season's model.
Will it be productive enough to carry a rebuilding defense? I posed that question to Lindgren and Chiaverini at the conclusion of Saturday's spring scrimmage.
Said Chiaverini: "I think so; we've got to take the next step this year. Just like the defense kind of had our backs last year in a couple of games, we've got to have their backs if things go that way."
Said Lindgren: "I don't think we're there yet, but I think we have that potential to do some good things on offense."
BUT FOR THE BUFFS' OFFENSE to be a load-bearing unit, both coordinators agreed that one ingredient has to be present before the next step can be taken in the evolution. That ingredient: consistency.
"At times last year we were really explosive," Lindgren said. "In some other games we really struggled. Just the consistency so that our guys understand that we have to show up every Saturday and be able to execute our responsibilities and be able to play clean football and move the ball on everybody and score points. I think we have the potential to do that but we're still a work in progress
definitely."
My first thought in looking at the 2017 schedule: The Buffs should be 3-0 by the time defending Pac-12 champ Washington visits Folsom Field on Sept. 23. That, of course, includes an opening win against CSU, which CU fans always expect but seldom is as easy as most expect.
Last September's 44-7 rout of the Rams should have been an indicator of two things: 1. The Buffs had enough solid senior leadership to be as focused as they promised to be in the offseason; 2. Leavitt's defense wasn't going to allow many yards and points.
Even so, if you had asked me to pencil in 10 wins on the 2016 schedule, I'd have broken the pencil and called you delusional. Ask me to pencil in 10 wins on the 2017 schedule and my reaction would be the same.
However, from this blurred vantage point this fall's schedule appears far more forgiving than last fall's. There's no September trip to Michigan followed by a trek to Oregon. Instead, after the trip south on I-25 to Denver, there are visits to Folsom by Texas State and Northern Colorado.
That should make the season's first month more palatable (and successful) and allow fine-tuning where it's needed.
What's more, Stanford is a no-show, but California shows up – with a new coach – at Folsom on Oct. 28, and Southern California pays a visit two weekends later (Nov. 11), perhaps offering the Buffs a chance to finally win a game in that series (0-11-0).
By any stretch, it's not close to the killer schedule that the Buffs clawed out 10 'W's from in 2016. Instead, it's of the type that a team assigned the rebuilding and refocusing that MacIntyre faces in Year 5 should be able to navigate. It's also the type a coach needs to demonstrate that his program isn't a one-year wonder, that a reappearance on college football's landscape won't be followed by a disappearance.
Will 2017 yield 6, 7, 8 or 10 wins? Another Pac-12 South championship? Another postseason appearance and final Top 25 national ranking?
I'll go with 7 wins and a bowl game – and I'm very, very open to being proved wrong.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
Players Mentioned
PK
/ Football
PK
/ Football
P
/ Football
TB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
PK
/ Football
PK
/ Football
PK
/ FootballColorado Football Network - Houston Game Recap
Saturday, September 13
Colorado Football Postgame Press Conference at Houston
Saturday, September 13
Colorado vs Delaware | Week 2 Highlights
Wednesday, September 10
Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders Weekly Press Conference
Wednesday, September 10