BOULDER — In recent years, the second half of a Colorado football season has felt like a collection of meaningless games that the helpless Buffaloes had no shot to win. And sometimes it has felt like they had little desire to play in them.
As the 2015 Buffs look ahead to their second half, it would be easy for them to fall into the same routine.
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With a 3-4 record (0-3 Pac-12), the Buffs are no longer in contention for a trip to the Pac-12 championship game. Bowl hopes are alive, but barely. They also have that nasty 14-game conference losing streak hanging over their heads.
This, however, is a team that keeps pulling itself off the ground, believing the next game will be the one that turns the tide.
“We’re very frustrated right now, but we have to keep playing,” senior defensive back Kenneth Crawley said. “We’re just going to keep striving for greatness. At any time we can knock any team off. We just have to keep fighting.”
The fight continues Saturday when the Buffs visit Oregon State (2-4, 0-3). It’s a battle of last-place teams desperate for a win.
“I think every team will be desperate for a win if you don’t have one, especially in conference,” Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau said. “There’s little room for error left this season. For us especially, this is a really important game, not because of who we’re playing, but because of how many games are left and what we want to accomplish.”
Ultimately, what the Buffs would love to accomplish is getting into a bowl game, but reaching that goal would mean four wins in the next six weeks.
For now, the Buffs will settle for getting a win and tasting success in the Pac-12.
CU is 1-28 in its last 29 Pac-12 games, with a win stuck between 14-game losing streaks. During this most recent 14-game skid, it’s not the streak that bothers CU as much as the fact that so many of the games have been close. In six of their last 12 Pac-12 games, the Buffs have either led or been tied at the half. Eight times, they’ve been within striking distance of a win during the fourth quarter.
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“The coaches on other teams see our improvement and know we can beat them now,” CU coach Mike MacIntyre said. “Now we have to go do it. We haven’t done it yet. At least we’re there. Now we have to get over the hump and just keep pushing to finish the games.”
MacIntyre said he doesn’t see a common denominator in those close losses, but he and his players all believe that second-half execution needs to get better.
“I do not think they’re sitting back worrying about making a mistake,” MacIntyre said of his players. “We just have to go make the plays and coach it a little bit better and have the ball bounce our way a couple of times.”
Three key storylines in Saturday’s Colorado at Oregon State game:
Can CU replace Fields?
Colorado’s big-play receiver, Shay Fields, is out with a high ankle sprain. Fields leads the team in reception yardage and average yardage receiving per game (72). Nelson Spruce is a great possession receiver, but who will be the deep threat? Three players who might fill that role are sophomores: Bryce Bobo, Devin Ross and Donovan Lee.
Moving the chains:
Colorado has had way too many three-and-out possessions this season, having converted only 26 of 99 third-down plays. That number needs to improve, especially if Oregon State puts up some big numbers against a banged up CU defense. The Beavers scored 31 points last week in a loss to Washington State.
Who’s the QB?
The Buffs are likely to see two quarterbacks, true freshman Seth Collins and redshirt freshman Nick Mitchell. The last time that happened, things didn’t go well. Colorado did a good job containing Arizona dual threat Anu Solomon, but then Jerrard Randall replaced Solomon in the fourth quarter and ran wild, rushing 11 times for 81 yards.
– John Meyer, The Denver Post
Saturday’s area games
Noon Fresno State at Air Force
1:30 p.m. Eastern Washington at Northern Colorado
8:15 p.m. Wyoming at Boise State, ESPN2
8:30 p.m. Colorado at Oregon State, PAC-12
