BOULDER — Mike MacIntyre stalked his sideline with seconds slipping away Saturday at Folsom Field. The only thing that might have tethered him down, his headset, had long ago been thrown aside.
Colorado’s coach was livid. His best wide receiver, big-play junior Nelson Spruce, had just dropped a pass on a game-deciding third-and-6 — with an Oregon State defensive back riding piggyback.
MacIntyre demanded an interference call. He waved his arms like a silent-film star — you didn’t need to hear his yelling to know what was said. He walked from one sideline official to another.
Then, with Oregon State kneeling down through the final seconds of a 36-31 victory over the Buffaloes, MacIntyre settled into a standing spot at the 25-yard line.
His stare cut through the ruckus, straight ahead at the referee, Michael Mothershed. After the game ended, MacIntyre chased after the officials.
“It’s just gut-wrenching when you lose how we lost,” MacIntyre said later. But he wasn’t talking about the officials. He really wasn’t talking about the officials.
“I can’t comment on officials,” said CU’s second-year coach. “Next question.”
MacIntyre likely is looking at a fine or penalty from the Pac-12. So he reiterated, three times during his postgame news conference, that he had nothing more to say about the issue.
But at least one CU player, senior linebacker Brady Daigh, had his coach’s back.
“I like seeing that,” Daigh said. “I like a coach who will fight for his players, fight for his team. It shows how invested he is.”
After holding Oregon State to a four-down punt late in the game, Colorado got the ball back at the Beavers’ 44-yard line with 2:08 left. On third-and-6, Buffs quarterback Sefo Liufau threw toward the right sideline, with Spruce on a hook route. But Beavers cornerback Steven Nelson stayed with Spruce and reached around his chest to knock the ball away.
“A lot of that falls on me,” Spruce said. “Even if it was (interference), that’s a play I should make. He made a good play on it. I had it.”
MacIntyre, his face still red 45 minutes after the conference game, said he remains intent on pushing his players.
“We have to keep instilling in them a fight and a passion and a desire to be successful that cannot be touched,” he said. “And we’re getting there.”
He just wasn’t talking about the officials.
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or
