BOULDER — It went down as a big play for Kenneth Olugbode, but he was happy to share the glory with fellow inside linebacker Rick Gamboa and defensive back Chidobe Awuzie.
With the midway through the fourth quarter Saturday, Colorado’s linebackers were on the lookout for a Colorado State screen pass on third-and-9 at the Colorado 38-yard line. The screen went to running back Dalyn Dawkins, who was hit immediately by Gamboa. The ball went up in the air, and Olugbode grabbed it.
“When the back stepped up in the screen, Rick hit him, the ball went up and I said, ‘I’ve got to get it,’ ” said Olugbode, who turned it into a 60-yard pick-six that gave CU the lead. “I grabbed it, and then Chido made a great block on the lineman to open it up for me. It was amazing to finally get my first career interception, and to run it back for a touchdown as well was huge. After that I was ready to go back out there again to stop them. We needed a stop if we were going to win.”
It was Olugbode’s 20th birthday, and his mother was in town from California for the game, along with a sister and one of his brothers. For his interception and team-leading 13 tackles, Olugbode was named the Pac-12 defensive player of the week in CU’s 27-24 win in overtime.
Olugbode’s parents came from Nigeria in the 1980s for opportunity and to get an education. They started in Alabama and moved to California. His father owns a business, and his mother is a homemaker. One older brother played free safety at Stanford. Another was a running back at Idaho.
Olugbode grew up in San Jose and . When coach Mike MacIntyre left San Jose State for Colorado in 2013, Olugbode followed him.
“He’s a great coach, and he’s a great person,” Olugbode said. “He’s not all about football. He’s about creating men. That’s huge. My parents love that, too.”
MacIntyre often saw Olugbode play in high school. The coach also had him in summer camps.
“Unbelievable parents,” MacIntyre said. “They are very prideful people, they’re very hard workers, they’ve raised their kids right and they’ve taught them the values of life. That’s a big part of his character, there’s no doubt.”
Olugbode had a breakout season last year as a sophomore, starting all 12 games and leading the team in tackles. Now he’s 16 pounds heavier at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds.
“He’s stronger and more powerful,” MacIntyre said. “He’s a warrior. He’ll get dinged out there, like a shoulder or a hand, and you’ll see him hold it and then he’ll shake it off and keep playing. He’s one of our main leaders and one of our mainstays.”
The Buffs were 2-10 last year, but they are 2-1 now. They are doing things they couldn’t do last year: put a team away (Massachusetts) and come from behind to win a close game (CSU). Perhaps the team and the program is turning the corner.
“I think so, but we’ve got to keep going, keep the ball rolling,” Olugbode said. “We have momentum going.”
John Meyer: jmeyer@denverpost.com or @johnmeyer
