BOULDER — Although through two games Colorado hasn’t particularly shown that it’s ready to turn the corner, Buffs second-year coach Mike MacIntyre said Tuesday during his weekly news conference that he sees signs of progress.
“I think that, of course, we still have a long way to go,” MacIntyre said. “(But) I think that our young guys are getting better.
“It’s starting to slow down for some of them. They’re starting to see things. They’re not making the same mistake over and over.”
Colorado (1-1) lost to instate rival Colorado State, , and then needed a second-half comeback last week to pull out a road victory over a Massachusetts team that has not been competitive in the Mid-American Conference.
Building a program is a process, MacIntyre likes to say. And he has pointed out on countless occasions that progress and improvement can come at different levels, in various ways.
“The other thing you notice as a coach or a teacher is if they ask you very intelligent questions,” MacIntyre said. “I’m getting a lot more of those questions from the younger guys.
“A guy like (sophomore safety) Tedric Thompson, he asked me a question and I thought, ‘Wow, he never asked me that before,’ ” MacIntyre explained. “Then he goes out (against UMass) and he gets a fumble, an interception, made a bunch of tackles. The light bulbs are starting to come on.”
They had better be shining brightly. Colorado’s home opener is Saturday night (8 p.m., ESPNU) and the Buffs have a tough draw in Arizona State (2-0), led by senior quarterback Taylor Kelly (three touchdown passes and no interceptions in 47 pass attempts) and junior running back D.J. Foster, who tops the Pac-12 in rushing with 363 yards in two games.
“Arizona State is one of the most talented offenses in the Pac-12,” MacIntyre said. “We’re going to have to play much better on defense.”
Tom Kensler: tkensler@denverpost.com or twitter.com/tomkensler
