BOULDER — Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre said he was OK with a controversial call for targeting on sophomore safety Afolabi Laguda in the second quarter Saturday.
Per NCAA rules, the call comes with an automatic ejection if, after a review, the player is found to have speared the offensive player. Laguda’s hit was as close as they come. He led with his shoulder, as defenders are taught to do now, but his helmet clipped UMass tight end Sharif Custis in the chin, MacIntyre said.
“It didn’t look like he tried to target him,” MacIntyre said. “It’s a hard deal, it’s a bang-bang play, but that’s the call they made, so I stand by that call. We want to protect everyone.”
CU’s crowd booed the call and the referees for the next three plays. It stopped only when free safety Ryan Moeller ended that UMass drive with an interception in the end zone.
Asked his reaction to the targeting call, Moeller was matter-of-fact.
“I thought it was a great play, a good read,” Moeller said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t go the way we had hoped. I believe it was a good test of adversity for the team. He had what we believed was a great play, a clean play, and it was seen differently.”
Getting the ball. Colorado’s defense played a solid contest with three sacks, two forced fumbles — one recovered — and an interception. Forcing turnovers has been a focal point from the start of preseason camp.
“Turnovers win games,” CU defensive back John Walker said. “If we want to be a good defense, we have to force those turnovers. We’re practicing hard and doing that.”
Reflecting on a record. Colorado wide receiver Nelson Spruce broke the Buffs’ career catches record during the game. He has 219 catches in a CU uniform. The win made breaking the record held by Scotty McKnight something he could savor.
“It’s pretty cool,” Spruce said. “Coming in, (McKnight) was someone I was compared to a lot. He put up such good numbers, you don’t come in and say, ‘Yeah, I’ll be there one day.’ But it’s cool to step back now that we got the win and enjoy that.” Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
