BOULDER — Visit a University of Colorado football fan site, chat with Buffs fans around the water cooler or interact online with them and you’ll encounter plenty of doom and gloom.
It couldn’t be more opposite from coach Mike Mac Intyre’s demeanor after practice Monday.
While some fans are whining about a closer-than-expected 41-38 victory against Massachusetts on Saturday, MacIntyre came away encouraged.
“I thought we played extremely hard and we fit the run a lot, lot better in this game, which was good for us,” he said. “In the second half, except for the penalty-ridden drive, we pretty much dominated.”
He liked that he saw his players encounter a tough situation, trailing in the second half, and fight back and find a way to win. He liked seeing the Buffs execute the running game on offense and on defense. He saw leadership.
And now the level of competition jumps up several notches. The Buffs (1-1) host No. 16 Arizona State (8 p.m., ESPNU) on Saturday night their Pac-12 opener.
The past two games against the Sun Devils have been ugly. CU lost 54-13 in Tempe, Ariz., last year and 51-17 two years ago in Boulder.
“They beat us bad last year in the first half,” MacIntyre said. “Our kids understand that. I think they’re an excellent, excellent, excellent football team.”
MacIntyre might not have inspired much confidence when he pointed out that most of the offensive players who scored all those points against the Buffs are back.
Senior defensive lineman Juda Parker said he believes the Buffs go into every game believing they can win but that improvement is necessary.
“We have to play more physical,” Parker said. “We have to control the line of scrimmage. We have to play our brand of football and not let them control us. … Their tempo, they like to go fast and they like to do a lot of different things.”
MacIntyre and the players are hoping a big home crowd helps boost their efforts.
“We need that here,” Mac Intyre said. “We always need that. Those kids hear that, they feel that, they sense that and it means a lot to them because they’re working hard. It’s going to be an exciting night. I hope there is a great crowd here, a night game on ESPN. It’s going to be fun.”
CU officials said they expect a crowd of about 36,000 based on ticket sales to this point. If those numbers hold, it would be the fifth consecutive home game with a crowd smaller than 40,000.
